A Grip on Sports: The Mariners have taken a few steps back lately but took a large one forward Saturday night thanks to little ground ball
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Where were we? In May. But now it is June. And everyone knows what that means. Doom. Gloom. Swoon. Whatever alliterative word you want to pair with the month’s name and align with the M’s destiny as summer looms.
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• Will they? Not sure. But two things conspire to make us fall on the side of “sure.”
History. Money. Too much of one. Not nearly enough of the other.
Too often in the past lifetimes of all too-young-to-drink fans, the M’s have fallen short, way or just barely. Doesn’t matter, though. Other than in 2022, this franchise has failed in the most basic of missions. Enter the carnival. Have a chance to win the ultimate Kewpie doll.
It takes gold to purchase those tickets. And the Mariners’ management just doesn’t want to spend it.
Fact of life. Somewhere between now and October, the lack of financial commitment in the offseason will put a roadblock between the M’s and the postseason. It may have already happened. Or it might manifest itself in a June stretch of tough losses that, come late September, will be somewhat forgotten but will be the difference between punching the postseason ticket.
• All that being said (and true), at least a couple positive things happened Saturday. And reminded us how easily satiated fans can be.
Seattle finally moved Cole Young from Tacoma to T-Mobile. The M’s called up the 21-year-old infielder and stuck him in the lineup at second base. The move – accompanied by another, the activation of Bryce Miller off the injured list and his re-insertion into the rotation – comes after a streak of five losses in six games, including three-of-four at home that cost them the American League West lead.
Miller was just fine in a four-inning stint. And Young? He lined his first base hit to right in the bottom of the ninth, with the game tied at four.
That’s memorable, sure, but it wasn’t his top moment. That came two innings later. With Miles Mastrobuoni pinch-running at third and the game still tied.
The Twins’ infield was tight. But Young’s slowly hit ball to first was just enough to allow Mastrobuoni to slide in with the winning run.
Rolling over and weak contact rarely leads to a celebration, but in this case it did. As it was exactly what was needed.
• For no reason at all, cough, we also want to point out the M’s are, once again, winning 54% of their games. And are in first place.
• Saturday was Gonzaga Day for the M’s. But there was one less Zag in attendance than there could have been. To make room for Miller on the roster, the Mariners demoted former Gonzaga pitcher Casey Legumina to Tacoma.
• That’s OK. Andrew Nembhard picked up the fanbase.
Nembhard helped the Indiana Pacers into the NBA Finals Saturday and did it not with deadeye passes or a scoring outburst. Nope. The former GU point guard spent his night making life miserable for the Knicks’ most-important offensive player, Jalen Brunson.
Brunson, who had willed New York this far with clutch performances, found he couldn’t escape Nembhard in this one. Besides coming up with six steals, Nembhard also helped hold Brunson to 19 points – his lowest total in the series – on 8-of-18 shooting.
And he frustrated the Villanova grad to such a degree, Brunson may have head-butted Nembhard late in Indiana’s 125-108 victory.
The Pacers will face Oklahoma City and another former GU standout, Chet Holmgren, in the finals, which begin Thursday.
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WSU: Around the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, one thing about June. It is the biggest month of the football recruiting year, as explained in this Mercury News story passed along by Jon Wilner. … Wilner also had a mailbag in Friday’s Mercury News. … Back to recruiting, Washington hosted some big-time prospects this weekend. … Colorado attracted a couple more transfers and another season-ticket sellout. … What are the expectations at Utah and Utah State? … Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham sees his program as following Clemson’s model. … Boise State’s stadium expansion is moving along. … Fresno State is deferring some debt from its aging basketball facility. … The five Mountain West schools that are moving to the Pac-12? They gave their old conference official notification yesterday. … In baseball news, Oregon State, which lost to Saint Mary’s on Friday, defeated TCU 7-2 yesterday to keep its hopes alive in the NCAA tourney. The Beavers, who played an independent schedule this season, face the Gaels again today and then must defeat USC twice to move on. The Trojans are undefeated. … Oregon was out at its home regional in two games, the first of which included a controversial play. Then again, it’s a rarity in baseball and softball these days when there isn’t one. The Ducks were eliminated Saturday by Cal Poly. … UCLA is still perfect in its regional after drubbing Arizona State. The Sun Devils will face UC Irvine today with the winner needing to top the Bruins twice to move on. … Arizona is also perfect at Oregon’s regional and awaits either Cal Poly or Utah Valley. … At the softball World Series, Oregon stayed alive with a win over Mississippi. The Ducks will face Oklahoma next. … UCLA fell to former Stanford pitcher NiJaree Canady and Texas Tech.
Gonzaga: Recruiting really never stops, does it? Theo Lawson gives us the most recent example, GU-version in the paper today. His story covers the recruitment of Parker Jefferson. … We covered the NBA and the Zags above. Linked stories too. And have one more in the Sonics’ section below. … Elsewhere in the WCC, Saint Mary’s is still alive in the NCAA baseball tournament but will have to win three times today in Corvallis to move on to the Super Regionals. The Gaels already defeated Oregon State once.
Idaho: Katja Pattis ran a personal best in the 3,000-meter steeplechase Saturday to qualify for the NCAA track and field championships. Her time at the West Regional was also good for 12th. That news leads off this roundup about the meet. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Weber State believes a women’s basketball transfer is just what it needs. … Northern Arizona finished filling its women’s staff. … UC Davis football is ready for its TV star-turns this fall. As is Sacramento State.
Preps: High school sports for 2024-25 are over. They ended when the last event in the State track meets finished Saturday. Greg Lee was in Tacoma and has this coverage of the 4A/3A/2A meets, boys and girls. … Dave Nichols has this roundup of the 1A/2B/1B meet. … We also can pass along this Elena Perry story on one athlete’s win in one event, as the circumstances behind it are part of a national controversy. … Dave returns with a roundup of State baseball.
Indians: Spokane won 6-3 last night in Everett.
Zephyr: Spokane needed a win over Fort Lauderdale at ONE Spokane Stadium on Saturday to make the USL postseason, due to tiebreakers. But the Zephyr couldn’t break a 1-1 tie late and the draw left them outside, looking in. John Allison was there and has all the details.
Mariners: It was a remarkable day for Young, whatever fans wanted to call him. … Ty France has rediscovered his swing with Minnesota. Of course he has. … Is baseball in trouble? Or is it as good as it has ever been?
Sonics: Jerry Brewer catches the feelings of longtime Seattle fans pretty darn well in this Washington Post column. … It is another sad fact of the Sonics’ demise that if and when it ever returns, there won’t be an episode of the “Inside the NBA” broadcast on TNT from Seattle. The show ended its TNT run last night in Indy. It will relocate to ESPN next NBA season.
Kraken: Just who is Seattle’s new coach?
Storm: Yes, the WNBA has a midseason tournament of sorts. It’s called the Commissioner’s Cup. Seattle begins play with Las Vegas.
Sounders: A local Seattle player is poised to make his MLS debut.
French Open: For some reason, the newest sensation in the tennis world interests me. João Fonseca does look like the next big thing.
Golf: Jim Meehan has this column on Jeff Gove, the director of instruction at the Idaho Club in Sandpoint. Gove recently played in the Senior PGA Championship in Washington, D.C. … Scottie Scheffler seems inevitable right now.
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• Thanks for putting up with our recent service interruptions. No, we’re not upgrading the mainframe or laying new fiber optic cable. Just life, you know? And how the twists and turns it takes can change your plans and schedules in a blink. Or over the course of years. Anyhow, we don’t see any more stoppages in the near future. Then again, you never know. Until later …