A Grip on Sports: It’s always important to take notes, especially this time of the year when worlds are colliding
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Life is made up of big days and small ones. Days that go by slowly but add up quickly. Days that you put your head down and trudge through and days you sit wide-eyed, watching it all run by. Why the philosophical bent? I’ll explain tomorrow. Today, I’ll pass along notes from a napkin.
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• Rick Majerus, one of the great personalities in college basketball history, entitled his memoirs “My Life on a Napkin,” mainly because, like lots of coaches, many of the Xs and Os you saw on your TV were first drawn up on a diner napkin during a late-night repast. The trick was not forgetting the play was there and using the darn thing to wipe away the detritus from the piece of banana-cream pie. Same for us old, semi-retired sports writers. Occasionally a worthwhile thought appears during dinner. And has to be saved somehow, considering the steel-trap of our mind rusted closed years ago. Hence, the napkin note. Or notes.
• In the heyday of the Pac-12 football, it was quite possible for Washington State to play the No. 4-ranked team in the nation one week, then another top-25 team the next. So the Cougars’ next two Saturdays are not unprecedented. But playing both on the road, three time zones away?
That’s new. And as challenging a stretch as I can remember.
But it’s what college football’s New World Order demands.
Up first, fourth-ranked Mississippi, 5-1 and first in the SEC standings, in Oxford, a place known as the Oxford of the South. Lane Kiffin and his offensive tricks, transplanted from Southern California to the land of grits and crawfish pie.
A tough task. Followed by another one.
No. 19 Virginia, 5-1 and first in the ACC standings, doesn’t have a game Saturday. The Cavaliers have a week to celebrate a 30-27 win over then-undefeated Louisville that propelled them up the rankings. They should be well-rested and ready for Jimmy Rogers’ group.
• The best scenario for the Cougars? An upset win, of course. Or two. But barring that unlikely prospect – WSU (3-2) is more than a four-touchdown underdog this week – emerging without any major injuries would be helpful for the stretch run.
If that happens, the dream of bowl eligibility in Rogers’ first season stays alive.
In fact, all the Cougs would have to do, no matter what happens the next two Saturdays, is win their remaining home games and they are bowling. A small step, sure. But an important one, considering the Pac-12 renews itself in 2026.
• Speaking of renewal, the Mariners’ eighth-inning rally Sunday gave them – and the millions in the Northwest rooting for them – a restored sense of self heading into Tuesday’s game in Detroit (1:08 p.m. PDT, FS1).
They may or may not actually play, considering rain is forecasted all day for Detroit. They may or may not have first baseman Josh Naylor, home expecting his first child. They may or may not have a better approach at the plate, something that seemed to disappear in the opener and has yet to reappear despite the win.
But they do have Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodriguez and Logan Gilbert.
The first two are doing what stars are supposed to do in the playoffs. Carrying the offense. Coming through when it is needed. Now it is up to Gilbert, today’s starting pitcher, to show he’s the future Cy Young winner I believe he is.
Six shutout innings would be nice. Seven even better. Rest the bullpen. And, no matter what, keep the Tigers at bay until the offense can figure out Jack Flaherty or Detroit’s relief pitchers.
Is that too much to ask?
• If you have had a chance to pull yourself away from the Hawks, M’s or whatever college football team you follow and check the preseason expectations for the college hoop season, you may have noticed something odd.
The national experts are sort of split on Gonzaga’s men.
I’ve been keeping track – though the napkin I wrote my notes on disappeared following a pasta incident recently. The Zags are showing up in every too-early Top 25, though where is striking.
I’ve seen them barely squeak in. I’ve seen them in the top dozen. In-between.
It’s not surprising. Mark Few has adapted to the changing environment. And he hasn’t. In an example of the former, the team has been built with even more transfers than Few used in the past. In the latter, the offense will run through its posts, a throwback that seems out of step with the modern game.
It makes it hard to peg where this Zag team will shake out.
Luckily for everyone, the nonconference schedule, with other ranked teams scattered within, will help. And set the stage for March.
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WSU: It’s Tuesday morning of game week so we can pass along Greg Woods’ usual first look. It’s not usual, though, considering the schools have never played and how good Ole Miss is. … We linked Jon Wilner’s Pac-12 rankings yesterday when they ran in the Mercury News. They are in the S-R today. We link them again. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, we also link Wilner’s Big 12 and Big Ten rankings today as they are on the Mercury News website. … John Canzano has his Monday mailbag. As can be expected, there are many Oregon State football questions. … These Heisman candidates include some with local ties.
• Here is the rest of the (current, old and future) Pac-12 schedule this week, listed chronologically. All games are on Saturday unless noted. The schedule below also includes any game in which finding news about turned out to be nearly impossible.
– Rutgers at Washington (6 p.m. Friday, FS1): Jedd Fisch isn’t complaining about anything. And he’s praising the guys up front.
– Fresno State at Colorado State (6 p.m. Friday, CBS Sports): The Bulldogs may have unlocked their offense late last week. That’s not good news for the Rams nor the rest of the Mountain West.
– UCLA at Michigan State (9 a.m., Big Ten): The Bruins have momentum after their Penn State upset. Can they build on it?
– Stanford at SMU (9, The CW): The Mustangs enter this ACC clash with a lot of confidence.
– No. 7 Indiana at No. 3 Oregon (12:30 p.m., CBS): The money in Vegas seems to being sent the Hoosiers’ way in this matchup of top 10 teams. … Indiana should get a key defender back. … Dan Lanning seems comfortable with such games.
– No. 22 Iowa State at Colorado (12:30, ESPN): Another freshman is having an impact in the Buffs’ fortunes. … There will be undercover cops in the Folsom Field stands this week after what happened with BYU. All we can think of is that Steve Buscemi “How do you do, fellow kids” meme.
– Wake Forest at Oregon State (12:30, The CW): Trent Bray is doing damage control. His team is 0-6. There have been staff changes after he said he wouldn’t make any. Donors are nervous. But, hey, to quote a former Oregon resident, Chip Diller, in “Animal House.” “Remain calm. All is well.”
– No. 15 Michigan at USC (4:30, NBC): The Wolverines are leaving early for the coast.
– No. 18 BYU at Arizona (5, ESPN2): The Cougars head to Tucson a bit shorthanded due to injuries. … Brent Brennan had some instructions for the Wildcat student section. Be hostile. Be loud. But be respectful.
– Troy at Texas State (5, ESPN+): Three players are no longer with the Troy team.
– New Mexico at Boise State (6:45, FS1): No matter what, Maddux Madsen is and will be the Broncos’ quarterback.
– No. 21 Arizona State at Utah (7:15, ESPN): The Utes received some good news about their injuries. … A redshirt decision looms at quarterback. … The Sun Devils are preparing for a tough environment.
– San Diego State at Nevada (7:30, CBS Sports): The Aztecs have been good at home. Now they want to do the same on the road.
– Utah State at Hawaii (9 p.m.): With a new athletic director in place, the Aggies will welcome back a star player this week.
• In basketball news, Colorado’s men are in its third week of practice. … UCLA is trying to improve its rebounding and outside shooting. … This Arizona team should be deeper than Tommy Lloyd’s previous squads.
Gonzaga: The Bulldogs’ Kraziness in the Kennel has been a recruiting tool for more years than we want to count. Remember the tricky trio, one of whom led the Zags to an NCAA title game? The latest we-want-you member of the Kraziness club? That would be center Sam Funches, who visited over the weekend. Theo Lawson talked with the Mississippi resident and has his take on the trip to, as Few probably calls it, God’s Country. … We were going to link a Sports Illustrated story on the top 15 3-point shooters in college basketball until we noticed the writer had listed one player for his former team. That disqualifies the opinion. (Besides, there were no local players listed.)
Idaho: It’s homecoming for the Vandals this weekend. The pick for the lamb to be led to the slaughter? That would be Northern Colorado, 1-22 the last two seasons. Except Ed Lamb’s team has been better this season. Peter Harriman has a first look at the game. … Elsewhere in the (current and future) Big Sky, the conference commissioner shared his thoughts on private equity money at the conference level. … Idaho State’s explosive offense has Montana State’s attention. … Cal Poly bemoans what could have been against UC Davis.
Preps: Dave Nichols has this roundup of Monday’s local action. … Oregon is adding a sport to its list of championship-worthy ones. Surprisingly, it is not lacrosse, the fastest-growing sport nationally. It is boys’ volleyball.
Chiefs: Berkly Catton has made the Kraken’s opening day roster. Now Spokane has to wait and see how much and long he plays. If he’s with the Kraken after 10 games, he won’t be back in Spokane. If the team decides he’s not NHL ready, he could return.
Seahawks: The defense was not good Sunday, to put it nicely. It was a while in the making and it won’t be fixed soon. And it was the reason they lost. … Injuries hurt, sure, but other teams have injuries and are surviving. … Pete Carroll came back for this? … Jalen Milroe is still in the Hawks’ plans this season.
Mariners: We have many stories to pass along, including a couple we linked yesterday when they were in the Times. And linked a Naylor story above as well as one on the young stars.
Sounders: National duty will take three Seattle players away from the squad for a while.
Kraken: Want NHL news? Check the Chiefs’ section. There is a reason.
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• October baseball. Always been part of my life. A noteworthy part. It will be once again today. Until later …