A Grip on Sports: Is money the most important part of college athletics? Does pitching hold that spot in playoff baseball? The answer to all your questions is yes

A GRIP ON SPORTS • We love baseball, but this isn’t a baseball column. We love football, but this isn’t a football column. It’s both of those things. And more.

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• The idea of college football’s top schools breaking away and forming some sort of “super league” isn’t going away. It will happen someday, whether investment capital is involved or not. We happen to believe it will, in some manner. Money has become too important in the academic world for it not to be.

The recently revealed Project Rudy, named, we believe, after the second-best college football movie of all time, may not be the train that carries the schools to the land of milk and money, but it is laying some of the track. As did the CFPL, another super league proposal that was unveiled a little more than a week ago.

There is money to be made. The top football powers don’t want to share. They need more of it as the House settlement moves forward.

Meanwhile, players are poised to grab more of the profits. They will demand more in the way of benefits. Everyone will be checking their bank accounts.

At some point the idiocy of college football conferences as they are now will end. Football’s big boys will spin themselves off. And the rest of college athletics will be free to move back to something resembling the past – and normalcy.

• John Smoltz kept hitting the same bell over and over last night as the Dodgers and Padres fought it out in San Diego. The former Brave pitcher turned analyst tried multiple ways to convince FS1’s viewers playoff baseball was a different animal. A beast that devours the weak and worships the strong.

He didn’t have to work so hard. The sound, ebbing and flowing but always at an airport decibel, taught the lesson. The visuals, with an overflow crowd watching a giant screen in the park behind centerfield, drove it deeper into our temporal lobe. It is Playoff Baseball 201 and, like all related classes, it is pass/fail.

The National League’s two best teams during the regular season, the Phillies and L.A., are failing. One road game away from elimination. Hanging by a fraying thread like Tom Cruise in the latest Mission: Impossible movie.

All because the truism of all truisms in baseball is being proved true once more. Pitching is the key. Always. The Dodgers’ superstar lineup, Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper-led bashers, both are failing and flailing with the season on the line.

They return to FS1 today – Phillies/Mets at 2:08 p.m., Dodgers/Padres at 6:08 – having to win to stay in the World Series hunt. The Yankees and Cleveland, the American League’s best, will try to avoid that 1-2 hole this afternoon – at Kansas City at 4:08 and at Detroit at 12:08, respectively – on TBS.

It will be loud. It will be pressure filled. And it will come down to the pitching.

• Speaking of pitching, it comes as no consolation, we’re sure, but former MLB general manager Jim Bowden believes the M’s are best situated among non-playoff teams for success in 2025. All due to their pitching, of course.

We’re pretty sure someone in the M’s financial offices is trying to figure out how to boil down his prediction to a pithy saying, put it on a T-shirt and sell the darn thing for $49.99 – plus shipping and handling.

• We find it heartening the offensive line is taking ownership of Washington State’s next game. And beyond.

The group, as is the case in most college football programs, play an oversized role, if you will pardon the pun, in the team’s success. It’s true just about everywhere.

The Cougars travel to California’s Central Valley this week, where it will be a lot warmer than here and WSU must win to avoid the temperature, and pressure, to be turned up on the season. Last year Washington State began 4-0. Lost six consecutive times. This year the Cougars began 4-0. Were run over by Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty in a 45-24 loss. They need to nip the comparison in the bud. Now.

• Central Valley’s Beau Butner was a little like Jeanty last Friday in a Greater Spokane League game against rival Ridgeline. A little like former Bear Tyree Clowe too. His effort added up to 367 rushing yards, eclipsing East Valley Knight Scott Campbell’s 21-year-old GSL rushing record by a single yard.

Campbell, who still lives in the area, was at CV practice yesterday for a symbolic passing of the torch. Or, should we say, handing it off? Either way, it was a classy move. By a man who had a lot of those during his high school career.

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WSU: How did we know the O-line is taking the lead this week? We read it in Greg Woods’ story this morning. You should to. … Former WSU standout Gardner Minshew is no longer the Raiders’ starting quarterback. But he could be. The competition is open again. … Elsewhere in the (new and old) Pac-12, the Mountain West and the nation, Jon Wilner has his weekly conference bowl projections in the Mercury News. … Super leagues? Transfer windows changing? The CFP committee’s values? All such things are probably on the table Thursday when the SEC and Big Ten get together in Nashville. Bottom line? So is college football’s future. … Stewart Mandel answers a question about that and more in this Athletic mailbag. … WSU announced on Monday a game next season at Mississippi. Just how is the other Pac-12 school, Oregon State, doing on that front? … The Beavers’ game with Colorado State was the CW’s most-watched football game of the season. … Washington’s defensive line is leaning on a sixth-year player. … No. 3 Oregon has a big game Saturday. No. 2 Ohio State, with Chip Kelly on the staff, comes to Eugene. So is ESPN’s College GameDay. … The Ducks are getting healthier. … In something that happens all the time now, Colorado is preparing to face a former teammate. … Utah needs more running backs to step up. … Guess what? Lincoln Riley feels USC was done wrong by the officials in its loss at Minnesota. He may be right but he is a little like the boy with the wolf. … Arizona meets BYU this week in a renewal of a once-fierce WAC rivalry. … Arizona State has a couple players worth watching this week. … In the Mountain West, Air Force is uncertain who to start at quarterback. … Utah State has spent a lot of money trying to rid itself of its former football coach. … The game between Colorado State and San Jose State has some huge conference implications. … Wyoming is struggling and playing San Diego State this week will not help. … Boise State is taking the long trip to the Islands to face Hawaii. … In basketball news, recruiting never stops. Ask Washington. … JuJu Watkins and Nike have agreed to a contract extension. Never thought we would write that sentence about a college basketball player, let alone one that isn’t, you know, a man. If you need more evidence college athletics have changed, we don’t know what to tell you.

EWU: The Eagles are one of four schools without a Big Sky football victory yet. OK, they have played just one conference game. But that doesn’t make this week’s trip to Sacramento State any less important. Dan Thompson has more on Eastern and the Hornets in this Big Sky notebook. … Elsewhere in the conference, there is still fallout from the odd finish of UC Davis’ win at Portland State. … Once again, a game with Northern Arizona could prove pivotal for Montana. … After winning in Missoula, Weber State is back to being ranked. … It is rivalry week in California. UC Davis and Cal Poly meet with a trophy on the line. … Moving up the NCAA ladder would mean a lot of things for Sacramento State. … In basketball news, another 10 of the best women’s players to ever compete at Idaho State has been revealed. … Northern Colorado is trying a new approach to raise money for its sports.

Preps: Dave Nichols was at Central Valley High yesterday as well, talking with Butner, Campbell and others for this story on the record. … He also found time to put together a roundup of Tuesday’s action.

Indians: We didn’t delve into Luis Tiant’s death yesterday, turning our back to the plate so to speak. (You know, because the legendary righthander’s windup used to include his turning his back to the plate? Get it? Sorry.) But there was a story in the S-R, harkening back to 1981, when Tiant pitched two near-perfect games against the then AAA Spokane Indians. During baseball’s mid-season strike. He was legendary, alright. Just like the Cuban cigars he favored.

Kraken: The Dan Bylsma Era in Seattle began with a come-from-ahead loss to the visiting St. Louis Blues. A two-goal lead disappeared in a couple minutes and the Blues won 3-2. … There was history made behind the bench. … The franchise has lost some momentum with its fans. … A second captain was named.

Storm: If you learn easier through visual means, then this Washington Post story on what Caitlin Clark meant to the WNBA is for you. It accompanies a series of graphics that illustrate how much an outlier she, and this season, was. … The season will end in either Minneapolis or New York. The Lynx and the Liberty will meet for the title.

Seahawks: Ryan Grubb fell on his fumble yesterday, admitting he screwed up last week not sticking with the running game more. … The Hawks will need it tomorrow night – yep, the 49ers showdown is on Thursday – to set up the passing game. … Pass rusher Uchenna Nwosu’s season may not have lasted long. He’s out at least four more weeks. … His injury, and others, will test the Hawks’ depth on that side of the ball again.

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• Thanks everyone for the good wishes yesterday. We had fun. Ate well. Received unexpected gifts. Smiled often. Talked even more. As birthdays goo, pretty darn good.  … We had to make a fix about 10:30 this morning. We had the wrong analyst on the Dodger/Padre game. Fixed it. Thanks to the watchful reader who caught the error. Until later …