A Grip on Sports: Yes, we stick to the column title today, though we roam a bit farther afield due to the holiday

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Holidays come in all shapes and size. On different days. Celebrated different ways. There is one today that often flies under the radar. Honoring folks who actually did fly under the radar. And did a million other missions. For us.

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• It may be your grandfather. Or your sister. Maybe an uncle. The kid who grew up down the street. Today, on the 107th anniversary of the end of the war to end all wars, we honor those who gave a portion of their life to protect every one of us. And to preserve and protect our Constitution, the basis of all of the freedoms we often take for granted.

No, this isn’t the preamble to another USAA commercial. It’s a thank you. For everyone who has served, from the Continental Army to the Space Force, from the shores of Tripoli to the high mountain passes of Afghanistan, from Fort Dix to Fortress Europe.

My father. His brother. Members of our family who took bullets and watched friends make the ultimate sacrifice just so I could sit here on a cold November morning not worried about anyone censoring what I write. So that less than a week ago I would be able to fill a small oblong circle on a paper ballot with a decision that was my own. So I could lace up my shoes, grab a homemade sign and let my neighbors know how I feel about the decisions those in the government make, without fear of retribution.

That’s what Veteran’s Day is all about. Honoring folks from all walks of life who understand the cost of freedom – and paid it. Who take an oath not just to fight, but to fight for the same thing millions of their predecessors have fought for the past couple centuries, the dream and, hopefully, the reality that a government “of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.”

I’m not sure if you have someone who served close to you. If you do, take a moment today – every day, really, but today for sure – to express your appreciation. Their journey from boot to veteran was their own, for good or bad, positive or negative. But it was yours and mine as well. They did it for us.
I am eternally grateful they did. And want every one of them to know it.

• OK, this is, at its heart, a sports column. Funny thing, though. Sports and military service are intertwined in so many ways that may go unnoticed.

No, I’m not talking about flyovers at the Rose Bowl or incessant ads during the World Series or even the camo-themed uniforms worn at just about every event this time of year. Not even close.

Long before there was a Veterans’ Day, before there were world wars and world-destroying weapons, the authoritarian ambitions of Napoleon were thwarted at Waterloo. And the Duke of Wellington was quoted as saying the seeds of victory were sowed on the athletic fields of Eton.

In a way, he was right then. His descendants would be right today.

But not necessarily the way you might think.

The lessons sports teach, from camaraderie to character, from preparation to perseverance, from loyalty to, yes, even love, are the same ones that help navigate life. And, sometimes fundamentally, sometimes peripherally, the lives of those who serve.

That’s being lost. Buried under a mountain of money, as our sporting culture evolves even more so from revolving around life’s fundamentals to pursuing financial freedom. How much everyone makes from the games is more important than what is taught by them. At an earlier and earlier age.

It’s a reflection of societal change, sure. An evolution that is more of its time than driving the times.

It is not going to change drastically. But that doesn’t mean everyone should give up and let the light fade. It is owed to future generations – the thought at the core of service of all types – to continue to use sports as another way to teach values any society should, well, value.

One of those values we honor today? Service. It’s worth honoring. Every day.

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WSU: One of the best aspects of the Pac-12’s rebuild will be the return of a regionally based schedule. Especially in November. Not that having Louisiana Tech coming to Pullman is a bad thing. It just seems out of place this time of year. No matter. Next season will be different. This season? The Bulldogs are first up as the Cougars try to earn two wins in their final three games and go bowling. Greg Woods has his first look at Tech. … The men’s basketball team returned home Monday night to host St. Thomas, a Division I school based in Minnesota. It was homecoming, of sorts, for Mt. Spokane High star Ryan Lafferty, who scored two points for the Tommies in nine minutes off the bench. And, as Greg tells us, a homecoming of sorts – if playing like Coug fans expected them to this season fits that bill – for Washington State as well. WSU won 81-71 behind the 19 points of Tomas Thrastarson. … Back to football for a moment, as Greg relays the injury information Jimmy Rogers passed along at his Monday press conference. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Jon Wilner’s weekly Pac-12 football rankings are available on the S-R’s site this morning. … He also has his Big Ten and Big 12 rankings in the Mercury News. … John Canzano posted his weekly mailbag Monday. … Colorado is going to have to make some key staff decisions in the near future. … The kick time for the Big Game next week is set. … We mentioned above how much money has taken over sports these days. The situation at LSU (and UCLA, explored below) illustrates it perfectly. The bags are piled so high litigation is always an option. And shows how poorly run athletic departments at some schools – and in some governor’s offices – are. … Or maybe this story illustrates it even better.

• Here are the rest of the (current, old and future) Saturday Pac-12 games, with the latest Associated Press rankings and 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.

– Minnesota at No. 7 Oregon (Friday, 6 p.m., Fox): We know this week’s day and time. And the challenge the Gophers may present. But next week against USC? That information will come later. … We all know who will be called upon if the Ducks need a game-winning field goal.

– Arizona at Cincinnati (9 a.m., FS1): The Wildcats face a tough test this week but coach Brent Brennan has already passed one this season. He’s rebuilt a culture in Tucson. And his team is bowl-bound.  

– Oregon State at Tulsa (10, ESPN+): The Golden Hurricanes are not real great this season. But then again, the same can be said about the Beavers. … They proved that in their latest loss. … Here is another possible coaching candidate.

– West Virginia at Arizona State (10, TNT): The Sun Devils may not have the services of a safety the rest of the season.

– Colorado State at New Mexico (Noon, Mountain West): The early kickoff is a bit unusual.

– Iowa at No. 17 USC (12:30 p.m., Fox): The Trojans are favored by almost a tounchown.

– Texas State at Southern Mississippi (12:30, ESPN+): Six Bobcat players will not play this week. They were suspended for their part in a postgame brawl last week.

– No. 15 Utah at Baylor (4, ESPN2): Just what is the Utes’ defining characteristic?

– Purdue at Washington (4, FS1): After dodging and darting lately, coach Jedd Fisch on Monday tried to get out in front of the rumors about possibly leaving the Huskies behind. You can decide how well he did.

– Utah State at UNLV (4, CBS Sports): The Aggies have been better on third down recently.

– UCLA at No. 1 Ohio State (4:30, NBC): Ohio State is not playing in the Rose Bowl this week. That’s a common occurrence, that may just become more common in the future. Why? The Bruins want to run away from the historic venue and run away from a long-term lease it freely signed a decade ago that has a couple decades to run. Even if playing games at So-Fi is better for UCLA, too bad. Contracts are supposed to mean something. The litigation took another step yesterday.

– Boise State at San Diego State (7:30, CBS Sports): The Broncos’ quarterback situation is not good at the moment. … After an ugly loss, the Aztecs have to look ahead.

– Wyoming at Fresno State (7:30, FS1): The last time the Cowboys won in Fresno? It was 2014.

• In basketball news, the Utah men picked up a win after a short turnaround. … UCLA was in trouble last night but Trent Perry picked up the 15th-ranked Bruins. … Arizona is the fifth-ranked team in the nation. … There is a new look for a Boise State player. … San Diego State’s latest win was a milestone one. … Utah State’s schedule gets a bit tougher. … The Husky women are ranked this week. And thrashed visiting Montana last night. … Oregon wants to play more up-tempo offense this season. But one of the key reasons won’t be around to help. The Ducks’ Elisa Mevius will miss the season due to an injury. … Oregon State shot down Air Force – OK, a cliché, but warranted – at home last night. … No. 3 UCLA got past No. 6 Oklahoma in Sacramento. … USC is now also in the top 10. … Not in the Pac-12, I know, but had to pass along a note from Iowa State’s 96-80 win over Mississippi State last night. Lake City High’s Blake Buchanan had 13 points, six rebounds, four assists and three blocks in the victory.

Gonzaga: After their unexpectedly easy win over Oklahoma, the 19th-ranked Zag men are back at it tonight against No. 23 Creighton in the Kennel (7, ESPN). The matchup, previewed by Theo Lawson, has a sort of NCAA tourney feel to it for GU, as it had just a short time to switch gears after its Saturday victory. … It’s not surprising Theo picked Owen Freeman, an Iowa transfer, as his key matchup. The Bluejays lost much of their inside presence with the graduation of dominating center Ryan Kalkbrenner and Freeman will be tasked with re-asserting it. … Jim Meehan gives us more on Greg McDermott’s team in this interview with a Creighton beat writer. … We listed the Zags at No. 19, a move up from last week in the A.P. poll. Jim has that news covered. … Theo takes care of another piece of news, as Graham Ike was named to another preseason All-American team.

CCS: The Sasquatch ran to a NWAC men’s cross country crown Monday and John Blanchette was at the Course Spokane Valley to document the feat. And their fast feet.

EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, Weber State made a change in its football program, firing coach Mickey Mental on Monday. … No. 9 UC Davis will present a lot of challenges for third-ranked Montana State. … Cal Poly stuck with one quarterback in its latest loss. … In basketball news, the Montana State women are undefeated after three games. … Northern Arizona’s men picked up a win in their home opener last night. … Sacramento State is 2-0 but can play better according to coach Mike Bibby. … Portland State travels to USF on Wednesday.

Mariners: Josh Naylor will be a prime target for many teams at the Winter Meetings, which are in Las Vegas this week. … We linked this Times story yesterday on the M’s search for Cal Raleigh’s backup next season. It is on the S-R site today. We link it again.

Seahawks: Think the Hawks can win the Super Bowl? If they do, Mike Vorel believes, it will be due to their depth. … Speaking of that, it will tested again this week in the test against the host L.A. Rams. Center Jalen Sundell is out for at least a month after being injured against the Cardinals. … Rookie Nick Emmanwori has stood out for the defense recently. … The Hawks almost traded a defensive player last week, but the proposed deal fell through. That says something about the club’s expectations.

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• If anyone wants to use the tired trope about sticking to sports, I get it. But they won’t get a positive answer. Not here. Not every day. Not on a holiday that means as much as this one. Until later …