A Grip on Sports: Some days it is just hard to figure out what the biggest story is going to be

A GRIP ON SPORTS • What are the main sports stories around here right now? We have quite a few to choose from. The Zag men, who are actually in second place in the West Coast Conference right now? The Eastern men, who have the nation’s longest winning streak? The Zag women, who, despite a multitude of injuries, still sit atop the WCC rankings? Something from Pullman, and in that we include the undefeated Greyhound boys, the top-ranked 2A basketball team in the state?

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• It’s odd, isn’t it? The past few years the top story was easy to identify in mid-February. After all, the area has been home to one of the NCAA’s top seeds – if not the top of the top – for almost a half-decade. Now, the Bulldogs will hope to be one of the top 16 when the tournament’s selection committee reveals its early bracket Saturday morning.

Maybe the committee will close the door on the 13th-ranked Zags. But, as they say, that opens a window for someone else. Maybe Eastern. The Eagles won’t hear their name mentioned Saturday. Nor does their 15-game winning streak guarantee anything except some “attaboys” from the local fanbase. To get in the NCAA Tournament, the Eagles will have to win the Big Sky Tournament. It’s just a fact of life.

Others are luckier. The Zag men and women, for two. Both should be dancing no matter what happens in their conference tourneys.

That’s not the case at Washington State. The men are relegated to a miracle run through the Pac-12 tourney. The women, though, with a NET ranking of 46, are on the cusp of cementing an at-large berth. A couple more wins in the nation’s deepest conference should do it. The next chance to do just that comes Friday when Oregon – NET of 21 – comes to town.

By then Pullman, one of the area’s premier boys teams (along with Lake City and Lapwai in Idaho and Mt. Spokane and Gonzaga Prep in Spokane), will know whether its undefeated season will stay that way into next week’s regional round of the State tournament.

• The two best teams in the NFL, according to their records, met in last Sunday’s Super Bowl. The Chiefs/Eagles matchup must have intrigued America. How do we know?

The number of people who tuned in. According to Fox’s preliminary ratings, 113 million folks watched the game. That’s 14 million more than last year and the third-highest total ever.

Wait, are we sure it was the game? Couldn’t it have been the lure of the halftime show? Or maybe the commercials? Sure. But such ancillary aspects don’t matter. The game is the centerpiece. The main draw. And it was Fox’s biggest hit of the year.

Of course it was. After all, the only two television shows that have ever outdrawn it were also Super Bowls. No. 2 all-time? That would the 2017 Patriots comeback win over Atlanta, with 113.7 million viewers. And No. 1 is the game most folks in this area would love to forget, the Patriots’ win over Seattle in 2015. That game drew 114.4 million. And 114.39 of them claim to this day they would have given the ball to Marshawn Lynch one more time at the goal line.

• The numbers above tell us you would rather digest stories about the Seahawks’ draft prospects than the Mariners beginning spring training. And that makes us sad.

Baseball begins tomorrow. At least the training part of it does for Seattle. The official unofficial beginning of spring.

Football? It just got done. Sure, the Seahawks have a couple handfuls of draft choices. And have the fifth overall pick (for now). But big deal. It’s all a crapshoot anyway, right? You never know when the guy you think will be the defensive line’s savior will roll a 4-wheeler. Or will turn out to be Aaron Curry.

Baseball season is about to start. Sunshine. Peanuts. Adult beverages. Three balks, two pitch-clock violations and a flare into right-center. Ya, we can’t wait.

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WSU: The Pac-12’s media-rights deal is still not done. Big deal or not? You decide. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and college basketball, Jon Wilner has his power rankings for the conference in the Mercury News. And there are others as well. … One game tonight. Washington’s men host an Oregon team hoping for momentum. … Oregon State will be in Pullman on Thursday. … This is a disappointing season at Colorado. … There is a great comeback story at USC. … Oumar Ballo has been tested this season. … In football news, what, Notre Dame couldn’t pay a $2.8 million buyout for an offensive coordinator? Oh, it could. It just chooses not to. … With Andy Ludwig staying at Utah, the Utes can get back at it. … Oregon welcomed an offensive line coach back to Eugene. … Washington is welcoming a quarterback recruit a year early.

Gonzaga: We linked Jim Meehan’s story on Saturday’s bracket projection above. And do it here again. … Theo Lawson has another Take 22 podcast with Anton Watson (and family) to pass along. … Will Kaylynne Truong win another WCC player of the year award for the Zag women? She should. But may not. Jim Allen has more in this story. … Elsewhere in the WCC, there are lessons to be learned in failure. Which means BYU is learning a lot this season.

EWU: The best part of freshmen? They become sophomores. OK, it’s an old joke, but a true statement for Eastern. Dan Thompson has more on the gifted sophomore class. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Idaho State would like to finish strong. … There is little margin for error for the Montana State women. … In football news, Montana has revamped its defensive staff.

Preps: The District 8 tournament moved forward last night at the 4A and 3A level. Dave Nichols has the coverage. … Molly Wisor has this story on Mt. Spokane gymnastics star Jacquie Bonnett.

Seahawks: The XFL is coming back to Seattle with the Sea Dragons. Which means Randy Mueller is back, doing his thing in the front office. Dave Boling, who knows Mueller well, dating back to their days in Cheney for training camp, has this column. … The Super Bowl served as a reminder of how far the Hawks need to go.

Mariners: Isaiah Campbell, a former M’s starting pitching prospect, is remaking himself as a reliever. And seems to be doing it successfully. Will he be part of the veteran-heavy bullpen?

Kraken: With Matty Beniers banged up, the Kraken just couldn’t score enough to get past host Winnipeg.

Sounders: Seattle’s World Cup organizers vow to make the games in the city special. We’ll see.

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• It seems about time to watch “It Happens Every Spring.” Really bad movie but, heck, it’s about baseball and an old guy becoming a major league pitcher. There is hope for us yet. As long as we can invent a substance that repels wood. Until later …