A Grip on Sports: First we laughed at the Mariners’ foibles last night, so hard it led to tears of … what exactly, we’re still not sure

A GRIP ON SPORTS • We are laughing today. One of those laughs that sometimes turns into tears. Wailing even. And then back to laughter as you realize how silly and strange and stupid baseball is. Mariner baseball, actually. Maybe someday Jeff Daniels and Jim Carrey will make a movie about the past couple days. It will probably bomb. Just like this version of the M’s.

•••••••

• If you were wondering who the leader of the Mariners is these days, an answer revealed itself late Wednesday night. In the 10th inning by the way.

It is either Victor Robles or Julio Rodriguez.

The case for Robles: His ill-advised attempt to steal home Tuesday night set a tone for the team, despite the failure. After all, Rodriguez followed his lead, led off too far and was picked off third base in one of the more bizarre plays of the season. It cost the M’s dearly in a 2-1 loss to the Yankees. Ten games left, too many to make up in both the wild card and American League West chases.

The case for Rodriguez: A true leader always tries to help a teammate get over his mistakes. Helps them understand it could happen to anyone. Takes the heat. By smartly – the M’s don’t need another injury – avoiding Randy Arozarena’s helicoptering bat after a strikeout, Rodriguez ended up being doubled up – Arozarena struck out on the play – and took over the mantle of goat – the not-good definition – in the season’s penultimate week. In an act that can only be described as not smart – the ball was still in play – Rodriguez danced around in foul territory after the bat flew by, even as Manny Acta was screaming at him to get back on the bag. And cost the M’s any chance of a comeback.

The bottom line? Seattle is five back in the West and three back in the chase for the final wild card, with two teams in the way of that latter one.

• The Yankee pitcher whose strike out started the 10th-inning madness? Former Washington State star Ian Hamilton. He picked up his first save of the season.

• The nonconference schedule for Gonzaga’s men has a way of leaking out in drips and drabs. We’re OK with that, mainly because we understand it. High-quality nonconference matchups take a while to pull together, the process is always going to be of interest to national college hoops writers and, most importantly, every time a game is revealed, the Zags earn a bunch of time in the spotlight.

Remember the old canard about Gonzaga not playing anybody? You wouldn’t if you’re under 25. Just believe it was a big thing. Every March. Heck, all season. It was even a staple on ESPN for years. Not anymore.

With the news Wednesday that Gonzaga will open the season Nov. 4 against Baylor in the Spokane Arena, the Zags’ nonconference slate adds another level to a schedule that was already over-the-top challenging.

Here are GU’s games outside the Kennel: Baylor; at San Diego State; a tourney in the Bahamas in which they will play three of West Virginia, Louisville, Indiana, Arizona, Oklahoma, Providence or Davidson; Kentucky (in Seattle); UConn (in Madison Square Garden); and UCLA (the new Intuit Dome in L.A.).

Great games all. And, sadly, all away from the 6,000 or so who pack the McCarthey Athletic Center for games against – checks on-campus schedule – folks like Arizona State (OK, that’s good), UMass-Lowell, Long Beach State, Nicholls State and possibly Bucknell.

As the Bulldogs try to build a bullet-proof March resume, raking in more media dollars – and NIL funds – while they do it, the folks who were just asked to pay more to keep their McCarthey long-standing season tickets will see fewer nonconference games – and only one of note. It’s another piece of fallout from the ongoing changes in college athletics.

At least the faithful in the Kennel, many of whom had a huge hand in helping the program reach the lofty heights it occupies today, will still get to enjoy the annual visit from Pacific. Wait, no, they won’t. Well, that’s a good thing.

The WCC has Washington State and Oregon State this season. That’s also good because they visit McCarthey. Both rebuilding programs may not be NCAA contenders but new, local, faces are at least fun. Saint Mary’s, Santa Clara and USF also make their annual treks to Spokane. The rest? Pencil in the annual blowouts, while appeals for NIL support help fill the excitement gap.

A new world? It certainly is.

•••

WSU: One of the mandates inherent in Pete Carroll’s Seahawk defenses was to never get beat over the top. To make offenses work their way down the field. To take advantage of any mistakes and ensure a field goal was the end-point, not a touchdown. It’s a philosophy shared by Jake Dickert for years. It’s held him in good stead. And it’s been working to near-perfection this season. Greg Woods delves into that defensive plan and examines the chances the bend-but-don’t-break model can continue to power the Cougs’ success. … Kicker Dean Janikowski has been named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, an honor based on his work in the community. That piece of news leads off the S-R’s local briefs column today. … The Times’ Matt Calkins has a question. It concerns Washington State and the CFP. … Elsewhere in the (new and old) Pac-12, the Mountain West and the nation, Jon Wilner’s story on UNLV and Nevada and their future conferences appeared in the S-R today. … In the Mercury News today, Wilner has his weekly picks as well as some thoughts on Fox and the future of sports on TV. … We have other picks as well. … The Civil War matchup did well in the ratings. Especially considering it was in September. … Oregon State and Wake Forest will play in the future. Maybe the Beavers will have worked out their offensive issues by then. … The Oregon offensive line has improved in the nonconference. The Ducks are still working on it, though, during their bye week. … Baylor may throw two quarterbacks at Colorado. … Pain is a football player’s constant companion. … Recruiting never stops. Ask USC. Or Arizona. … UCLA needs to stop having horrible starts. … Its linebackers are leading Arizona State’s resurgence. … A backup quarterback not only has to be ready to play, sometimes he has to mimic the opponent’s starter. That is the case this week for Stanford. … In the Mountain West, it is never good when your punter is on the field all the time. Such is the case at Wyoming. … Boise State is a huge favorite over Portland State. … Northern Iowa and its vaunted rushing attack will challenge host Hawaii on Saturday. … New Mexico has drawn large TV numbers this season. … UNLV, ranked for the first time, has the weekend off. … Does Colorado State have a plan to improve? … In basketball news, recruiting never stops. Ask Colorado.

Gonzaga: We linked Jim Meehan’s story on the Baylor game above. We do it again here. … Earlier Wednesday, Theo Lawson had a story on USF and Gonzaga moving their WCC game to the Chase Center, the home of the Warriors. The schools did the same last season. … The news about a nonconference matchup with Baylor did just what it should do. It focused the national spotlight on the Zags and Bears again. … Is there a chance the Bulldogs end up in a new-look Pac-12? We pass along thoughts on that as well.

EWU: Part of the Eagles’ success this season (such as its been) comes courtesy of transfers from our nation’s junior college system. Dan Thompson shares with us the thoughts of those players, some of whom rediscovered their love of the game while playing at a two-year institution. Sadly, none did it in Washington, as no JCs in the state offer the sport anymore. … Cooper Kupp is not on the injured list. Yet. He is in a cast, though. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, good for Montana’s mascot. … The Griz are trying to get something out of this season’s extra game. …The House settlement is not popular in rural states. … Northern Colorado may have a new quarterback start this week. … Weber State is trying to get better at the details. … Northern Arizona has a tough road trip but also a chance to start 3-0. … There is a lot of talk still about Sacramento State’s future.

Whitworth: Fellow Northwest Conference member Lewis & Clark is going to change its mascot.

Preps: Dave Nichols previews this weekend’s area football games as he always does. … Dave also passes along a roundup of Wednesday’s action in other sports.

Chiefs: The WHL season opens Friday for Spokane with a game at Prince George. Before then, however, we have something fun to pass along. Howie Stalwick has put together a test. A test of your Chiefs’ knowledge. Everyone loves a test, right? Right?

Mariners: The 2-1 loss was not anything to laugh at. But that is better than crying, right? Rght? … Dave Sims could be headed to New York in a move we mentioned early in the summer.

Seahawks: The injury list is long. The details? Not so much. … The Dolphins may not have their star quarterback but they still have an offense with a lot of weapons. … To have a consistent run game, you have to be able to move people up front.

Storm: The regular season is about to end. The playoffs are about to begin. … The WNBA deciding to expand to Portland caught John Canzano’s eye yesterday. … It has yet to have a name, however.

Sounders: Jordan Morris scored twice. The Sounders led by a goal in extra time. And then gave away two points in the standings as San Jose tied the Lumen Field match.

Kraken: There are always players to watch in training camp. Here are seven of them.

Olympics: The evidence shows Jordan Chiles should get to keep her bronze medal. The debate is over. Or should be.

•••       

• We had gone to bed long before the bizarre 10th inning last night. Thanks to the miracles of our modern age, we have been able to watch the play. Over and over again. Heck, we’re sure somewhere we could find it set to the music from “Benny Hill” or something. It had that vibe. Until later …