A Grip on Sports: Spring-like weather and an old man’s thoughts turn to … pickleball? OK, football and basketball as well

A GRIP ON SPORTS • What was you weekend highlight? Was it basketball related? The NFL’s playoff games? Something else? Or did it involve getting outside and enjoying the January warmth?

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• A high temperature in the 50s? Yes, please. In this first month of the year, that is as unusual as it is welcome. In the Spokane area, at least.

Did the unexpected warmth lead you to take a long, leisurely walk with Fido? Or shoot hoops at the local Hoopfest court? How about an hour or so playing pickleball?

If the last one was in play, let me ask you: Does the noise bother you at all? It doesn’t when we’ve either played – rarely – or walked by the closest court to our home – more common. But we have read enough stories about the sport’s explosion, and the loud battles between players and neighbors, we know it’s been something of an issue.

Don’t worry, though. Those in charge of the sport – yes, there is a USA Pickleball Association – are working diligently to find a way to make the rackets and balls quieter. Isn’t it nice to know the country’s most crucial issues are being addressed?

Seems there has been some research done to make the rackets softer. To deaden the noise, which can reach 90 decibels with older rackets. OK, so that’s no Lumen Field, but each thunk adds up, right? Newer, quieter equipment reduces that to 80, akin to the noise of your vacuum cleaner instead of a gas lawn mower.

Which means your dog might not want to be anywhere near the court, but those in the surrounding neighborhood should be happier.

• We’re pretty sure no football fans in Detroit or Baltimore are all that happy today. Especially in the latter. After all, weren’t the Ravens the class of the NFL entering the playoffs? They had everything. A dynamic defense. An electrifying quarterback. The most consistent kicker the game has ever seen. A powerful running game. And a Harbaugh at the controls. Sure, it was John, but who has it better than him?

All that wasn’t enough. Not against Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. Plus, Jake from State Farm. Everyone in the nation is worried about Taylor Swift’s presence making a mockery of the serious nature of the Super Bowl – that’s a joke, people – but all we can think about is the onslaught of Jake’s State Farm commercials that will fill the cable-waves for the next few years if Kansas City wins another title.

Seriously though, the Chiefs showed once again knowing how to win helps. In getting to the Super Bowl at least. Now, if Mahomes can just audible to a run on a final goal-line play against the 49ers, maybe San Francisco can win and make everyone we know that roots for them happy, that would be great.

Ya, we’re not buying it either. Thanks to the Lions’ second-half disappearance, we are forced to choose between the Chiefs and 49ers in two weeks. Sophie, what should we do?

Got it. We’ll root for Bill Vinovich’s officiating crew. It’s the only choice.

• Name the hottest basketball team in the Pac-12 among the men? It has to be Washington State, right? The Cougars have won six of eight, including sweeping the Mountain schools over the weekend.

Now name the team with the biggest upset among the conference’s women this season? It has to belong to Washington State, right? The Cougars won 85-82 on Sunday over second-ranked UCLA. And they did it in Pauley Pavilion, a place the Bruins haven’t lost at in a long time. Throw in the gut-punch of losing Charlisse Leger-Walker early in the second half to injury, on a day in which she was playing as well as she has this season, and the victory is even more surprising – and satisfying.

If you want to say you thought such things would happen once the calendar turned to 2024, you have that right. But we all know you’re lying. Marty McFly wouldn’t have predicted such outcomes, even after he came into possession of Grays Sports Almanac.

Don’t question it, though. Just ride the wave. At least for a while. Like the warm weather, it may not last. But it’s fun while it’s around.

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WSU: Kamie Ethridge is worried about her star, after Leger-Walker went down Sunday without contact on a breakaway. She injured her knee. “If you’re asking me, it never looks good when you go down like that in women’s basketball,” Ethridge said. “It typically doesn’t ever end up well. You’ve got to be patient and figure out the next plans for her.” Leger-Walker will be examined in Pullman. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and the nation, Jon Wilner takes a look back at the weekend in the Mercury News. … John Canzano delves into the weekend success at Oregon State – for both basketball teams. Is Corvallis Upset City? … He also looks at Saturday’s weird loss for Oregon’s men and how it hit coach Dana Altman. … Utah has yet to win on the road. The Utes next host Colorado, which hasn’t been exceptional on the road either. … Boogie Ellis is back for USC, though his presence didn’t make a difference against UCLA. … Arizona may have found something while in Oregon. … The Washington women also posted an upset Sunday, topping No. 11 USC 62-59 in Los Angeles. … Stanford routed Arizona 96-64 as Cameron Brink had a double-double. … Arizona State picked up a rare win, defeating California 76-71. … Oregon went cold and lost to visiting third-ranked Colorado 61-48. … No. 25 Oregon State just keeps rolling, as the Beavers routed 16th-ranked Utah 91-66 in Corvallis. … In football news, not only did Washington pick up a linebacker from San Jose State, one of its starting offensive linemen seems to be staying. … The Senior Bowl is next weekend, with Oregon and Oregon State players represented. … Finally, the NLRB’s case against the NCAA, the Pac-12 and USC has been helped by testimony from USC staffers.

Gonzaga: Mark Few is aware of where this Bulldog team stands. “We have a very small margin of error,” he told Theo Lawson after the 82-73 win at Pacific. “I’ve been pretty consistent with that message, so if we’re not totally dialed in and bringing great energy and effort and really playing the right way and doing what we need to be doing and missing free throws, barely nicking the rim on 3s then the game is hard for us. Really hard.” That observation and more is contained in Theo’s rewind of the victory over Pacific. … Elsewhere in the WCC, Santa Clara has finished a school-wide fundraising effort that has netted $1 billion dollars.  

EWU: Former Eagle (and Pullman High) linebacker J.C. Sherritt is headed to the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders as an assistant coach. Dave Cook has more in this story.

Seahawks: With the conference title games over, there is a larger pool of interview candidates available for the Hawks, who are still searching for Pete Carroll’s replacement. … Most of the members of the 2022 draft class took a step back in their sophomore season. What’s ahead for them?

Kraken: Seattle needed a win. Badly. The Kraken got it Sunday, 4-2 over visiting Columbus.

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• We have one goal today. To go on a long walk with Donut. OK, two goals. To have a couple doughnuts for breakfast. Or lunch. Maybe desert. We’ve been pretty darn good watching our carbs lately. But we want some. Badly. And there are no more satisfying carbs than those little round guys fresh from the fryer. To quote Homer Simpson, somewhat of a hero to us, “Doughnuts. Is there anything they can’t do?” Until later …