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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

A Grip on Sports: The usual sports television viewing this weekend is supplemented in a major way

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Each of the year’s 52 weekends feature one or more of the nation’s Big Four sports dominating the race for viewers. There are a few weeks in the fall when all four are on. Other times, in the summer, only baseball is in play. Then there are the weekends, like the one we are about to experience, when other, usually less consequential sports, have their day – or days.

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• Hockey and basketball are in their playoff semifinals. Baseball is in the early stages of the season. All will be available for you on TV this weekend, though if you want to watch the Mariners play in Atlanta tonight, you better have access to Apple+.

Usually, that’s enough to fill the time between lawn mowing and late-night revelry. But this weekend we throw in a couple other items, just to make you have to actually plan a little.

One of golf’s four majors is on ESPN and CBS, a circumstance made even more special these days by the split among two tours. A handful of the best are playing on the Saudi Arabian-backed LIV Tour, meaning their appearances on your TV are limited at best. At the majors, though, like this weekend’s PGA Championship, even the Dustin Johnsons and Bryson DeChambeaus of the world are available to the viewing public.

Maybe even one of them will be in contention come Sunday evening. Heck, maybe one will be hoisting the Wanamaker Trophy.

By then we will know if the weekend’s other big event, the Preakness (post time 4:01 PDT on NBC), has produced a Triple Crown candidate or if it has dashed Kentucky Derby winner Mage’s hopes.

Either way, we’re guessing we’ll have seen Secretariat’s astounding win in the 1973 Preakness at least a dozen times before the folks in Baltimore raise a toast to this year’s winner. And why not? The greatest Thoroughbred race horse deserves one last tip of the cap on the 50th anniversary of its run to history.

• Last night’s Eastern Conference final between Carolina and Florida showed once again why living west of the Rockies is best for sports fans. Especially sports fans who can get home from work by 6 in the evening.

The NHL game went four overtimes. It didn’t finish until six minutes before 2 Friday morning for those folks who live near Interstate 95. But for those of us who know what it’s like to fight the I-5 traffic from Seattle to San Diego, it was over by 11 on Thursday.

Plenty of time to brush the teeth, floss, put on lotion, wash up, don pajamas and still catch some of the local news before bedtime.

Oh, in case you are reading this in Portland, Maine – not the one in Oregon – the visiting Panthers won 3-2.

• We couldn’t help but think of Mike Leach this morning. The former Washington State coach thought talking with the media about football at any time was a waste. But he especially hated in-game interviews. The recently passed coach didn’t have time walking off the field at halftime to share his thoughts on moose entomology or how malaria limited African trade. Instead, he was expected to explain how his team could limit UCLA’s counter trey in the second half.

Not his cup of tea.

But we will be privy to more this football season after the Pac-12’s CEOs decided to allow more pre- and in-game access. More coaching interviews. Pre-game recordings of players. Cameras in the locker rooms at halftime. The view from the coaches’ booth.

Leach probably would have hated it. And he would have been positively apoplectic if the conference had gone further, as some suggested, allowing player interviews during the game. Heck, why stop there? The conference should allow anyone connected to the football team on-air access as the game goes on.

After all, who wouldn’t want to listen to Ron Stone Jr. wax poetic about his two quarterback sacks? Or trainer Brian Oelke explain how he retaped Cameron Ward’s ankle during a timeout? Or equipment director Milton Neal describe how he fixed the malfunctioning yard marker in the second quarter?

The possibilities are endless.

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WSU: Thank goodness for the Interweb. After all, how would any college basketball fan be able to keep up with the players on their favorite team without it? Talk about rebuilding. Nowadays, it is not just one or two walls that have to be shored up. It’s nearly the entire roster. Such is the case with the Cougars. But the work is almost finished. Colton Clark sat down with Kyle Smith and went over the new-look roster. … The football team isn’t finished revamping its 2023 roster as well. Colton tells us they added a linebacker from the University of South Florida. … We shared above Jon Wilner’s story on the new Pac-12 TV policy. But if you missed the link, here it is again for you. … Elsewhere around the Pac-12 and the nation, wonder about expansion or media rights or the ACC breaking apart? We have the story for you. … Arizona State athletic director Ray Anderson has some thoughts on that and the school’s aging arena. … The NCAA, Pac-12 and USC are in the crosshairs of a National Labor Relations Board complaint. … There is a lot of competition to start on Utah’s offensive line. … Utah’s softball team hopes to make history this weekend. … Washington went out early last year. The Huskies do not want that to happen again. … UCLA is, as always, expected to do well.

Gonzaga: Drew Timme had a better second game at the NBA combine. That’s the good news. The no-so-good news? No one seems to think Timme will be drafted. Theo Lawson delves into the former extensively in this story.

EWU: The Eagles are in the market for a new athletic director. They’ve winnowed their list to three finalists, whose credentials Dan Thompson shares in this story. One interesting fact: None have ever worked in the Big Sky. In fact, only one has any area ties whatsoever and that was a five-year stint as a basketball assistant coach at Lewis-Clark State. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Weber State’s Dillon Jones has made a name at the NBA combine. … Montana State is still in the process of putting its basketball schedule together. … Idaho State’s men announced its six-person basketball recruit class, with half the players having ties to this area.

Preps: There was a lot going on Thursday, with Keenan Gray sharing a preview of this weekend’s district track meets and Dave Nichols putting together a roundup of yesterday’s action and a notebook which includes letters of intent and awards.

Indians: Dave also has coverage of Spokane’s 11-9 win at Everett, boosting the Indians to two games over the break-even mark.

Mariners: With Seattle enjoying a day off before facing the Braves, Ryan Divish looked at Julio Rodriguez’s numbers and wonders if it is time to get a little worried.

Seahawks: We linked Matt Calkins’ column in the Times yesterday. You can read it this morning in the S-R. … The Hawks expect to have solid depth at running back thanks to two rookies.

Kraken: NHL playoffs have a simple world. Making the playoffs is the goal. After that, anything can happen.

Sounders: Seattle’s 2026 World Cup flag is flying over the Space Needle.

Storm: Seattle begins the franchise’s new era this weekend, with Jewel Loyd the main holdover and a bunch of new faces. Can it be successful? There is some skepticism.

PGA: Two players with local ties, PGA touring pro Joel Dahmen and NIC coach Russell Grove, have some work to do to make the cut. … The winner yesterday? It might have been Oak Hill, which refused to give away any low scores.

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• Enjoy your weekend. We’re going to be out and about, enjoying the first really hot weekend of the year. At least, the first really hot weekend in which we’ve been in the region. Until later …