A Grip on Sports: It’s one of those years that could have been – and might still be – for the Cougars
A GRIP ON SPORTS • We have thoughts. Why? It’s Monday. And we always have thoughts on Monday. And Tuesday. And every other day of the week. But especially Monday.
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• This is one of those seasons, isn’t it? One of those years Washington State basketball fans lament what could have been.
The Cougars are somewhat healthy. They will never be completely, though, with a couple players out for the year, one, Myles Rice, battling cancer, the other, key post Dishon Jackson, working through an unknown issue that required surgery. But they are as about as healthy has they’ve been.
And they are playing much better.
Sure, they don’t win every game, but WSU has won enough recently – including Sunday’s 68-65 decision over mercurial Oregon in Beasley – to show everyone what might have been.
What is, that’s OK too. Kyle Smith’s team may not be part of the Pac-12’s upper echelon, though the group did upset eighth-ranked Arizona in Tucson and came within a whisper of doing the same to No. 4 UCLA in Pullman earlier this season. But the Cougars, 8-9 in Pac-12 play, have worked their way into the middle of the conference’s muddle.
Between Arizona State and Utah at 10-7 and Colorado and Washington at 7-10, half the conference resides in sort-of a no-man’s land. One of them could get hot over the final three games and earn the last-remaining conference tournament bye.
It probably won’t be Washington State. But the Cougars aren’t anyone’s idea of an easy game, and won’t be in Las Vegas.
• What’s the best part of spring training? The green of the grass? The sunshine? The optimism? All those things, sure. But, also, one other. The prospects.
The young catcher who may face a logjam to play every day in the major leagues. The phenom pitcher with the live arm and recent uptick in potential. The out-of-nowhere hitter only one guy in the organization even wanted.
All of those players. Any of them. They arrive in the desert in the best shape of their lives. They show flashes of brilliance. They impress everyone.
Some pan out. Most do not.
Doesn’t matter. It’s spring (training) and anything is possible.
• There was a hint of spring coming from Los Angeles yesterday. It was in Tiger Woods’ steps. Or his shuffle, as they turned into late Sunday.
Golf’s legend was back trying to play competitively again this week at Riviera Country Club, one of the venerable courses on the PGA Tour. Tiger showed up because, yes, he is the face of the weekend’s Genesis Open, a tournament that helps bankroll his foundation, but for one other reason.
He wanted to see if his body can stand up to the rigors of a four-day battle. You know, just like the challenge the majors present. It couldn’t. But for a couple of the days, Woods played well enough to compete with the young guns who dominate the Tour these days.
Saturday was especially heartening. A three-under result on a tough course will put the spring in just about anyone’s step. But Sunday was more of a slog, as Wood’s 47-year-old, beat-up lower body showed its wear and tear.
Can he still find lightning in a plastic cup? Sure. Can he repeat it for four days at a major venue? Probably not.
• We didn’t watch a second of the NBA All-Star game Sunday. And that was by design. We haven’t in years. Ever since the players decided winning wasn’t important, showcasing offensive skills was.
So how do we know there was no defense being played if we didn’t watch? The final score, for one thing. It ended up 184-175. We feel pity for the person who had to keep the book. Probably took two or three folks to get it done.
The Celtics’ Jayson Tatum was the MVP, having scored a game-record 55 points, including 27 in the third quarter. Fine. It’s an All-Star shooting contest and he was the best at it Sunday. Just don’t call it an All-Star game.
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WSU: The Cougars won twice in Pullman on Sunday’s Senior Day. First the women powered past Oregon State 67-57 led, fittingly, by senior Ula Motuga. Next, the men took Friel Court and edged Oregon, inspired in part by senior DJ Rodman announcing before the game he would return for another year. Colton Clark was in Beasley and has stories on both games. … We can also pass along a photo gallery from the men’s contest by Geoff Crimmins. … The baseball team continued its hot start, winning two more games to raise its record to 4-0. That news is part of a roundup of college action. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and college basketball, Jon Wilner looks back at the weekend in the Mercury News. … The women took over yesterday, though the best game – UCLA at Stanford – happens tonight. In Sunday’s action, Washington continued its hot streak with a 68-60 win over visiting Oregon. … Host California upset 25th-ranked USC 81-78 in overtime. … Fourth-ranked Utah got past Arizona State 74-69 in Tempe. … 18th-ranked Arizona blew past No. 21 Colorado 61-42 in Tucson on Senior Day. … Among the men, Utah came close once more but suffered another costly loss Saturday. … Arizona’s win over Colorado was important in a couple ways. … The Ducks have lost three consecutive games.
Gonzaga: The weekend was a productive one for the Zags, from winning two games on the court to winning a couple of honors off of it. Jim Meehan delves into all of it in this look back at the past few days.… Elsewhere in the WCC, once again BYU got close but couldn’t finish the deal at Saint Mary’s.
Daytona 500: NASCAR’s premier race was so tight it couldn’t be decided in 200 2.5-mile laps. It took 12 more, two more “overtimes” if you will. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. survived the carnage to win his first Daytona 500.
Preps: The first weekend of State basketball used to be known as the regional round. No more. Teams from all over the state can play each other Friday or Saturday. The matchups were determined Sunday and Dave Nichols shares them. A few of the seeds, especially for teams on this side of the mountains, seem a little out of whack, but that will happen when committees pick and can overrule the WIAA-backed RPI rankings.
Mariners: Speaking of prospects and lively arms, we shared a couple links above. Might as well link the same stories here.
Seahawks: Maybe the Hawks can find some can’t-miss prospects in the draft. … They have lost a few assistant coaches recently.
Kraken: If you are injured, you might as well help others get better.
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• Winter, we don’t need you to make one last attempt to ruin our mood. But that’s not going to stop you, is it? You’ll drop in middle of the week, force us to hunker down and avoid the outdoors, just to show your time in the spotlight isn’t over. Really diva of you. But what else can we expect? You’re a (bad word). Always have been. Until later …