A Grip on Sports: Does reading this column make your heart race? Probably not, but I found a way writing it could do that

A GRIP ON SPORTS • One thing about the cold, rainy nights that have hit Spokane as of late. It’s easier to get to sleep early and harder to wake up on time. In a possibly related note, the coffee disappears from the cup quicker. Heck, this morning I’m on my second cup and it’s not even 7 a.m.

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• If the words start running together, that’s why. Who needs a space key when all these thoughts want to get out as quickly as possible?

Funny thing, though. It’s harder to focus on one main theme. With all the choices out there – the Seahawks’ revival, the start of college basketball and the continuation of football, the World Series’ ratings, free agency and on and on – zeroing in on something special seems impossible.

Mainly because name something that actually feels special?

The Hawks? It’s still too early, isn’t it? Yes, the offense has been, well, special. And the trade-deadline acquisition of deep threat Rashid Shaheed seems like a good pickup. But having been told all offseason Seattle was going to improve the running game, and hiring a new offensive coordinator – Klint Kubiak – to do just that, only to see it languish once again, makes me wary of jumping on board.

The same can be said on Ernest Jones IV’s knee injury and the defense. The inside linebacker has been such a key part of the unit since arriving from Tennessee in a trade last season, losing him for any period of time – he went down in the Washington game and is listed as “limited” – wouldn’t be good no matter how poor the opposition.

College hoop always feels special, especially in the beginning as the new rosters and stars – Arizona freshman Koa Peat is a beast, isn’t he? – vie to grab our attention. But there are five months of this ahead, so getting worked up before November is a week old seems like a good way to destroy your blood pressure.

As for baseball, did you see Wednesday the big news? Yep, Jorge Polanco is going to decline his option and test the free agent market. Good for him. Get all you can, Jorge. Though I have a sneaking suspicion you will find the best fit is still in Seattle.

The other big news is more than 38 million people watched at least part of the final game of the World Series. That includes numbers from the U.S., Canada and the rest of the world. Was it the Dodgers that drew them in, whether it be the repeat chase or the chance to see them get their comeuppance? Was it the plucky Blue Jays driving the numbers? Or was it just everyone loves the sound of “Game 7,” no matter the sport?

Yes. When millions and millions of folks watch one thing on TV, whether it be a sporting event or the end of beloved series, it has to be a combination of factors.

Heck, there was one person in our home who watched just to boo George Springer. Hey, I’m not proud of it. It’s a reflex action, sort of like what happens after too much pumpkin pie.

Or drinking a cup of coffee too fast.

• Hey, I thought of something special to share.

My sister’s birthday is tomorrow. A card is on the way. Good thoughts too. Still, it doesn’t seem enough for someone who was always a second mother to me. And is going through tough times.

Let me just say this. Always appreciate those close to you – even when they aren’t close to you. Nothing lasts forever. Not even memories.

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WSU: The Cougars’ football team quit playing games in Spokane an eon ago. But basketball? That’s still on the agenda, though when the schedule was released a while back, there wasn’t a trip up U.S. Highway 195 on the agenda. Now there is. Greg Woods tells us the school has decided to host Oregon State in the Spokane Arena on Jan. 4. Seems a bit late to make a change based on a worry about students being gone for winter break. After all, the Dec. 12-Jan.12 school hiatus has been on the schedule for a while. … The women were in Las Vegas last night, playing Mountain West favorite UNLV. They fell 64-51 and fell to 0-2 on the season. … Even though the football team is in the midst of its bye week, the recruiting doesn’t stop. Ever. Greg Woods has more on the newest member of the 2026 class. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, we always love talking with Jim Walden. Or reading about other folks, such as John Canzano, talking with the former Washington State coach. … After the first CFP reveal, Jon Wilner realized seventh-ranked BYU’s chances of making the postseason will be helped considerably if No. 13 Utah continues to win. … There is little chance the Utes will appear in the Big 12 title game, though. … Auburn and Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham? Absent Nick Saban money, I don’t see the fit. … A Boise State running back is headed elsewhere. … Fresno State had to dig deep into its roster to upset the Broncos.

• Here are the rest of the (current, old and future) Pac-12 games this week, listed chronologically. All are on Saturday unless noted. The schedule below also includes any game in which finding news turned out to be nearly impossible.

– Northwestern at No. 20 USC (6 p.m. Friday, Fox): The Trojans’ top goal? Make the CFP. … Their linebackers are doing their best to help.

– Colorado at West Virginia (9 a.m., TNT): Both lines are still beat up. That doesn’t bode well for whomever Deion Sanders has turned to for the play-calling duties. Or the defense slowing the Mountaineers. … All the Colorado FBS schools are struggling.

– No. 6 Oregon at Iowa (12:30 p.m., CBS): With defenses this good, there is a good chance the punters will be important. The Ducks want to win that battle. Now if they can just do better with their red zone defense.

– Kansas at Arizona (12:30, ESPN2): The Wildcats don’t have one mascot on the sidelines. They have two.

– No. 24 Washington at Wisconsin (1:30, Big Ten): A Husky freshman defensive back has stood out because of his hard hits.

– Stanford at North Carolina (1:30, The CW): Both coaches in this one have an NFL background. One was OK. The other was the greatest ever. 

– Texas State at Louisiana (2, ESPN+): We missed this story earlier on what the Bobcats promised the Pac-12, but link it today. They made big financial promises.

– California at No. 14 Louisville (4, ESPN2): If the Bears win this game, it will be considered a pretty big upset.

– Nevada at Utah State (4:30, CBS Sports): The Aggies’ top running back is in his final college season.

– Nebraska at UCLA (6, Fox): The Bruins were having fun. Then they got rolled by Indiana. Can they get that feeling back this week? … My guess is their punter, the required Australian import, is always having fun.

– Sam Houston at Oregon State (7, The CW): Want a name? Any name to fill the open head coaching spot? How about Montana State’s Brent Vigen. He wins. And Corvallis gets less snow than Bozeman. … Current interim Robb Akey seems to think the passing game will improve.

– San Diego State at Hawaii (8, CBS Sports): Sean Lewis’ second year as head coach is better than his first. The question now is how long can the Aztecs hold on to their coach?

• In basketball news, how good did the San Diego State men look in its opener? Really good. … Utah State is playing a neutral-site game in Texas. … Texas State was rolled in its opener. It did the rolling in its next game. … The Colorado women are finally ready to start.

Gonzaga: Didn’t the 2025-26 season just begin? Last Monday, right? But I guess it’s not too early to begin planning for the 2026-27 season though. Or maybe even 2027-28. Though Oregon and GU, which meet Dec. 21 in Portland’s Moda Center, have agreed they will meet in Seattle for another game, the year isn’t etched in stone just yet. Theo Lawson has all the details in this story. … Corey Kispert has become a key part of the Washington Wizards. That the franchise is seemingly in year 1,247 of a 2,000-year rebuild is immaterial. Kispert is in his fifth NBA season and seems entrenched in the league. … Elsewhere in the WCC, USF’s women rolled behind the debut of its newest star, Candy Edokpaighe

EWU: Lots of times, college football coaches like to give their new quarterbacks a soft landing when making their first start. Aaron Best may feel that way but circumstances, and injuries, made that impossible for Jake Schakel, a redshirt freshman. Dan Thompson tells us Schakel will start Saturday as the Eagles travel to Missoula to play the second-ranked Grizzlies. In their always-packed, always-loud and always-tough-to-win-in Washington-Grizzly Stadium. … The Eagle men opened their season with two games in Los Angeles. The first, an 80-74 loss to 12th-ranked UCLA was within their grasp. The second, last night at Loyola-Marymount? They led by seven points in the second half but the Lions rallied to take a 70-62 decision. Two close games but two losses. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Montana has an impressive arsenal of offensive players. … Montana State and the Griz were two-three – in that order – in the latest FCS playoff committee rankings. … In basketball news, Montana’s men are 2-0 for the first time since 2018. … Montana State bounced back from a tough opener with a big win. 

Preps: It’s State cross country weekend. This year the races are being held at Pasco’s Sun Willow Golf Course, a relatively flat, fast track. Greg Lee has a preview with everything you might need to know. … Dave Nichols checks in with MODE Prep, the Liberty Lake school playing a national schedule.

Kraken: While watching a movie last night – Scarlett Johansson, probably earning a huge paycheck, starring in a Jurassic Park film as a mercenary earning a huge paycheck, which doesn’t seem like a stretch of her acting chops – I checked the Seattle score against visiting San Jose. Saw it was out of hand and decided not to switch over. The Kraken lost 6-1, which is the definition of out of hand.

Mariners: The Polanco free agency news hit before the Times ran this Ryan Divish story on the M’s option at second base. But Polanco still seems to be the best alternative. The story is available on the S-R site. … This Mike Trout story in The Athletic is interesting. … When the committee formerly known as the Veterans’ one meets next month, the names on its ballot will make it interesting as well.  

Sounders: It’s official. Midfielder Cristian Roldan is one of the MLS’ best 11 players. … Another great player, and Lionel Messi’s longtime wingman, is in trouble again. Luis Suárez has been suspended again.

Seahawks: We also mentioned Shaheed above. We have a Matt Calkins column to link, as it ran in the S-R today. … Shaheed said he would love to stay in Seattle. Of course, money will be a factor. … If you are one of those folks who like to wager a dollar or two on games, we recommend this Washington Post column. After looking at the Best Bet record (12-23), we also recommend doing the opposite of everything listed.

Storm: Seattle officially introduced new head coach Sonia Roman on Wednesday. She’s a bold choice, according to Calkins. But is she the right one? … There is another women’s basketball league? And it’s signing players?

Golf: Think of all those poor guys who took LIV’s money because they didn’t want to have to play 72-hole tournaments. (There probably isn’t any other than maybe Dustin Johnson, but go with me here.) I wonder if they will get a raise now that the tour has decided to switch to four-day tournaments in 2026. A 25% bump, perhaps?

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• The coffee glow has worn off. Now I regret gulping down the first cup. And doing the same with the second. No way I can have a third today, right? Not at my age. I’ll be up all afternoon. And the best part of being retired is being able to take an afternoon nap. Or two. Until later …