A Grip on Sports: Life is too short to eat bad doughnuts – or to spend every July hoping the Mariners will take on payroll to fill the lineup holes
A GRIP ON SPORTS • You know what is the perfect accompaniment for reading this column on a Sunday morning. Three doughnuts. A crumb. A chocolate bar. And, if you’re feeling adventurous, maybe a buttermilk or old fashioned. Yes, I’m projecting again.
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• Sunday mornings are built for quiet contemplation.
About life. About what happens at the end of it. About what’s on the slate for work the week ahead. It’s been that way for time immemorial. So why not add in one of life’s great joys, and Homer Simpson’s pastry of choice, a doughnut. Or two? Or, if they are cheaper, by a dozen?
What made us think of that today? Nothing concrete really. Maybe it was the Homer meme that passed through my X timeline yesterday, the one where Satan stuffs doughnuts down Homer’s throat for his eternal punishment. Maybe it was a Matt Calkins’ column in the Times this morning on the trade deadline and the holes Seattle needs to fill for the stretch run. Or maybe it was just me craving something sweet.
Funny, though. Those three tie together in an awkward way.
Being an M’s fan seems to be a form of eternal punishment. There are always holes in the lineup that need fixing. And, darn it, the year Jerry Dipoto and his front-office minions get the trade deadline right will be so sweet.
As sweet as a Krispy Kreme glazed. Though much more filling. And fulfilling.
Think of it. If Dipoto traded two or three of the franchise’s top prospects between now and the end of the month, receiving back a power hitting third baseman who goes off in August and September, a couple of middle relievers that step up to consistently shut the door in the sixth and seventh, and a throw-in backup catcher who excels enough to keep Cal Raleigh rested down the stretch, wouldn’t that be gratifying?
Especially if the newcomers bolster the starting staff, the lineup core and a now-fixed Andrés Muñoz, deep into the postseason.
Sorry. I got carried away just now. Just like Sunday mornings when I was young, sitting in the back of St. Rita’s Catholic Church, daydreaming while the ancient Irish priest droned on about Hades or brimstone or something. Back then the daydreams were about the Dodgers. Maybe the Angels, with a capital A, not the ones Fr. O’Malley would mention.
Nothing has changed, though. In those days, those teams were disappointing. But even then my belly would have been full of grease bars. And my soul full of hope.
• You want to know who would have had an interesting take or two about the M’s 2025 fortunes? Dan Weaver.
For those of you of a certain age, Dan’s name flashes back into your memory, accompanying thoughts of the Spokane Chronicle, or the Spokesman or any of the myriad sports he covered for the publications.
Dan left the newspaper years ago, but stuck around the Spokane area. He died just less than a week ago at age 79.
My memories of Dan include his writing, of course. You don’t work with someone for years without interacting with their talent. But I also remember playing hoop with him, either in a pickup setting at Bemiss or Hutton Elementary schools, or in the competitive setting – hah – of a County league or Hoopfest.
My favorite basketball memory? The year Dan broke his middle finger playing on Hoopfest’s Saturday afternoon. Those of us from the S-R playing that year met in the Red Lion restaurant to eat, drink, laugh and lie. We had gathered around a large table with a spot reserved for the grayest member of our party.
As Dan walked through the door, the middle finger of his right hand immobilized straight out in a splint, the entire group saluted him with our same fingers pointed to the sky.
His laugh filled the place.
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WSU: No one knows who will take the first snap at quarterback when Washington State opens the season at Gesa Field against Idaho in seven weeks. It could be one of two Division I transfers. One of the two incoming freshman. Maybe returnee Jaxon Potter. But our money is on Levi Eckhaus, the quarterback who stayed. Greg Woods caught up with Eckhaus last week as the Cougars’ offseason rolled on, and the ensuing conversation results in this story. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Oregon State will meet Appalachian State this season. On the road. … Once again, Colorado shows recruiting never stops. … How does Utah’s new quarterback stack up in the Big 12? … Arizona returns an inspirational leader at tackle. … In basketball news, the Tucson paper has picked an all-quarter-century UA men’s team. … Finally, the Wildcats’ Olympic sports teams are losing their luster.
Gonzaga: The first summer league game for Ryan Nembhard in Las Vegas? Something of a dream. The second? Well, maybe not a nightmare but certainly not as sweet and simple as the first. Theo Lawson was at his Maverick matchup with San Antonio and has this story that also covers other local players and their games.
EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, Southern Utah now knows the start times for all of its football games in the final season before rejoining the Big Sky.
Indians: Another game with Eugene tied late. Another Spokane loss. This time the Emeralds broke a tie in the eighth and went on to win 6-3. Dave Nichols was at Avista on Saturday night and has the game coverage. … A former Indians’ pitching coach, and once a star pitcher for my dad’s favorite team, the Detroit Tigers, Joe Coleman died this week at age 78. Jim Price has his obituary.
Mariners: I have a confession to make, which fits with the theme of the main part of the column above. I gave up on the M’s on Friday. When it looked as if they were going to blow a 4-1 lead built while baseball’s best starter, Tarik Skubal, was on the mound. The frustration was built on a combination of things, not all the M’s fault, but when the Tigers scored to cut it to 4-3 and seemed poised to tie the game, I folded like a pair of cargo shorts. Since then? Seattle has scored 23 runs in 12 innings and have a chance to end the mythical first half with a sweep of A.L. Central-leading Detroit after Saturday’s 15-7 win. Logan Gilbert has the start (10:40, Root) so expect the M’s to score a run, maybe two. … Julio Rodriguez’s decision to skip the All-Star Game is his to make. We linked Mike Vorel’s Times column about that yesterday. It is on the S-R site this morning. … The MLB draft starts today. The Mariners have the third pick. Will they take a legacy? … Cal Raleigh’s season is filled with superlatives and catching records. … The M’s contingent at the Futures Game made an impression.
Storm: The newest Seattle player, Tiffany Mitchell, contributed in her first game.
Wimbledon: A double bagel. In a Grand Slam tournament final. The first since Steffi Graf shut out Natasha Zvereva in the 1988 French Open in 34 minutes, 32 of it on the court. Another shutout, this one in 57 minutes, happened Saturday at Wimbledon between winner Iga Swiatek and American Amanda Anisimova. Once again, no U.S. player will win a singles title on the hallowed grass courts. … Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will meet again this morning to decide the men’s title.
Sounders: Jordan Morris was back in Seattle’s starting lineup Saturday in Kansas City. And the striker’s goal helped the Sounders build a 3-zip lead that survived as a 3-2, man-down victory. By the way, Stefan Frei missed the match due to injury. … The Club World Cup final is today in New Jersey. Paris Saint-Germain against Chelsea. It’s part of a busy Sunday in sports.
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• I have another funny story about Dan Weaver that involves Chivas, poker and being a boy dad. You sort of had to be there, though, to get why it is so funny. Let’s just say drinking not-so-cheap Scotch in a hot basement while losing money hand-over-hand leads to saying stupid things. Until later …