A Grip on Sports: Sometimes, the summer weather around here, and summer opportunities such as Hoopfest, are just too perfect

A GRIP ON SPORTS • It is a postcard-perfect Spokane morning. Great. All these out-of-towners here to play in Hoopfest will somehow think this is how it is all the time. And move here. Cramming the roads. Crowding the restaurants. And driving up home prices. Hey, it snows here nine months out of the year. Stay in Bellevue or Hillsboro or Nampa. Do not move here.

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• Just kidding of course. Hoopfest is a good thing. In every way. Except, maybe, trying to see a movie at the AMC downtown. Luckily, there is no Jaws-like blockbuster this summer.

Speaking of blockbusters, we’re not writing one this morning. Not even going in-depth into a column. Turns out the games I want to see this morning all start at either eight or nine this morning. I have to bail out early.

We’ll be back tomorrow with more thoughts about the sports world, the M’s, the Hawks, the Pac-12, Big Sky, track, whatever.

For today, you’ll have to make do reading the thoughts of others. Yep, we put together the links. Have a great day.

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WSU: From the get-go, when it became clear the Pac-12 needed another football-playing school, Jon Wilner opined it would be in the conference’s best interest to add Texas State. After it became clear the splashier additions like Memphis State and UNLV were off the table, of course. He explains why today. … He wasn’t alone though. John Canzano felt the same way. Even made contact over the months with those in charge in San Marcos (fixed from earlier). … There are other stories to pass along about Texas State’s addition. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Wilner also has his usual Friday Mercury News content, a mailbag (with mainly Pac-12 expansion questions) and the football recruiting notebook he passes along each week. … Utah is trying to bounce back after a down season. Part of it is better recruiting of transfers. … Arizona has recruited its next quarterback. … Utah State just keeps adding linemen. … In basketball news, just where does Washington rank in the Big Ten? … A couple UW players are competing in the U19 World Cup. … Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd is the head coach. … Arizona State is finally going to work on its arena. … Mt. Spokane grad Tyson Degenhart was not drafted after his stellar Boise State career, but he will get a chance to show his talents to the Toronto Raptors. … Utah State is in the process of blending its veterans with its newcomers.

EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, yesterday we linked this Athletic story on Sacramento State’s quest to move on up. It is on the S-R website this morning. … Idaho State’s football program, like the conference as a whole, has to fill some holes. … The Bengals’ men’s basketball program is using the summer to fine-tune its roster.

Indians: Another game in Hillsboro, another win for the Indians. Friday night’s decision came by a 9-4 score and was accompanied by this Dave Nichols story.

Mariners: It didn’t seem as if the M’s would have any trouble winning Friday in Texas as the first half of the season came to an end. After all, the Rangers looked disinterested as they spotted Seattle a 5-0 lead. But they can hit. And hit they did, tying the game at five heading into extra innings. Thanks to two plays from Miles Mastrobuoni, however, the M’s won 7-6. … By the way, I was free last night and was going to watch every pitch. But once again the Root broadcast was so choppy, broke up so often, including on replays, I gave up. What the heck is going on? It’s not my Comcast connection. This never happens on any other network. I would love to say it’s not even Root, but being Mariner baseball is the only reason I turn on that channel these days, I can’t. … Cal Raleigh is tempting fate in this record-setting season. But he should have a good time. He will participate in the Home Run Derby, with his dad pitching to him and his brother catching. … Harry Ford got a taste of the Bigs. But Mitch Garver is OK. So Ford won’t be activated. … T-Mobile is not just a baseball venue.

Kraken: Not that a lot of us know who Jake O’Brien is, but that’s who the Kraken selected with the eighth pick of the NHL draft’s first round Friday. … Seattle is probably going to keep Philip Grubauer.  

Sounders: It’s back to MLS play tonight for Seattle. Against Austin. … The pretty easy group stage is behind the USMNT in the Gold Cup. Now it gets serious.

Storm: The Connecticut Sun has been struggling. The Storm knew it and pounced quickly, building an early lead and breezing to a 94-86 win at Climate Pledge Arena.

Hoopfest: One more Hoopfest story. This one, from Bonny Matejowsky, focuses upon an understated part of the event, the charitable work. It’s worth your time.

Track and field: Bill Dellinger was not as big a household name as others connected with Oregon’s program, like Steve Prefontaine, Nike founder Phil Knight or even longtime head coach Bill Bowerman. But he not only was a champion runner, he also coached many of the school’s great distance runners such as Prefontaine and Alberto Salazar. Dellinger died Friday at 91.

Golf: Watching a pro golf tournament, especially a major, is a major commitment of time. For the viewer and the players. Slow play is a problem.

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• We’re off to downtown. Have to find a parking space and walk through downtown to the courts I want to see. Not sure how long I can stay either. But it’s a tradition, so off we go. Until later …