A Grip on Sports: I’m no visionary but it is easy to see the path to the Seahawks’ second Super Bowl win

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Where were we? Oh, yes. Making sure our insides are not outside a safe zone. Turns out, they are doing just fine. Now we can get back to doing what we do best. Getting you ready for the Super Bowl. The one the Seahawks are going to win.

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• I had a vision yesterday. Not about the Seahawks winning. That sort of thing only happens in bad Michael Bay movies, where the protagonist is getting his colonoscopy and in the middle of it he has a vision about the Super Bowl, only to wake up to the entire hospital blowing up as some alien race of polyps have been turned loose on the world.

No, my vision is simpler. No mistakes. Just do your job. Hold on to the football. And all is well Sunday for Seattle. Simple. Easy. Solid.

Did that vision have anything to do with how I felt about the guy who was going to be poking around inside me? Sure. Faith is a wonderful thing. I had it about him. It was justified. I have it about the Seahawks’ defense. It has been justified all season. I’m beginning to have it about their offense. It will be justified Sunday. And Seattle will be able to hold another parade.

Let’s hope Marshawn Lynch shows up. Just for the entertainment value. And so no one gets fined.

• OK, back to your regularly scheduled programming. Which is passing along stories of interest not only to me but for you. Figuring that out is a crapshoot, isn’t it?

Some things are simple. Right now it’s probably impossible to pass along too much Seahawk coverage. One doesn’t have to have a server farm of data to know that.

When one of the region’s pro teams march along in the postseason, as the Mariners did in the late summer and early fall or the Hawks are doing now, everyone wants a seat on the shuttle bus. Even that person down the block who is flying a brand new, never been touched by the wind, 12 flag.

Good for them. There is always room on the Harry Potter-style ever-expanding bus. And always room here for more stories to help educate them.

But the uniting factor of a Seahawk or Mariner or, if it ever happens, Kraken postseason run doesn’t extend much further. The 12s are made up of UW fans. Washington State followers. Whitworth alums. Heck, folks who attended a B high school and headed off to Harvard or Yale. And live in Paris.

Each of them has their interests. Can the Eagles turn around their men’s basketball season? Who won the Stinky Sneaker? Is Lindsey Vonn’s ACL going to hold up in Italy this month? And, of course, is Vince ever going to really retire?

Wait, that last one is only important for people who are related to him by marriage or family or basketball.

The other subjects? Let’s see how many of them it’s possible to satisfy today.  

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WSU: Around the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, we’re going to link every S-R story of import this morning, whether it first ran Tuesday, when we were unavailable, or this morning, when we are unfocused. In that first category is Jon Wilner’s rankings of next year’s Pac-12 basketball teams this season. … … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Wilner also, in the Mercury News, has his Big 12 power rankings. And Jeff Metcalfe posts his West Coast power rankings among the women. … John Canzano delves into the media deals the Mountain West is rolling out. They look eerily similar to the ones the Pac-12 announced. … He also had a mailbag on Monday and a conversation with Bill Walton’s former foil, Dave Pasch. … Size matters this season in college hoops. … The Washington men lean heavily on a well-connected trio of players. … One thing about the Big 12. There are enough teams that some of them have to be bad. … USC posted a key upset win last night, topping Indiana, but once again suffered an injury. … UCLA rolled over Rutgers. … Boise State picked up a much-needed overtime win against Nevada. … San Diego State got back to winning, thanks to Wyoming. Though the Aztecs say they are not one of the schools who can pay market rates for players. … The Oregon State women are relying defensively on a player who has taken huge steps this season. More than one, actually.

• In football news, the mess that is eligibility just keeps getting worse. The Law of Unintended Consequences is as undefeated as billable hours. … How is the Washington roster shaping up? … Will the new-look Oregon coaching staff help the Ducks take the next step? … The new Northwestern football stadium will not be finished in time for Colorado’s week three visit. 

Gonzaga: The sixth-ranked team in the nation (for another week) is on the West Coast Conference’s Oregon Trail. Everyone of a certain age, and their parents, know the pitfalls of that trip. Anyhow, the Zags will try to avoid the rapids and the sad music of Portland tonight with a trip to the Chiles Center (7, KHQ). Theo Lawson has his preview and the key matchup, conference assist leader, point guard Joel Foxwell. … Jim Meehan, who also covered this week’s poll news, teamed with Richard Fox for another Zags Basketball Insiders podcast. You can listen here if you like, though I’m guessing if you aren’t a new fan, you have already subscribed.

EWU: Did you know the Eagle women feature the second-best rebounder in the NCAA? Those of you who read the stories linked here probably did. If not, Dan Thompson shares the news and explains Kourtney Grossman’s simple strategy to gather in 13 boards a game. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, big news in Missoula.It looks as if Bobby Hauck is out as the Griz football coach. He announced his retirement this morning. … Northern Colorado football fans can begin renewing their season tickets. … The Idaho State men are reeling but the women rolled to an easy win Monday night. … The same results held true for Weber State against Sacramento State. 

Preps: One area I’m pretty sure just about every reader cares about is high school coverage. Though it can get redundant at times. At least this season. Every time Gonzaga Preps’ boys or girls played a Greater Spokane League game this season, the Bullpups have won. And that means G-Prep has won the league 4A/3A regular season title. Dave Nichols was at Mead last night as the Pups clinched that distinction with two more wins. … There is also a roundup to pass along and, yes, it contains the news we foreshadowed above, the CV boys and girls each won their Stinky Sneaker games with U-Hi.

Seahawks: Yes, there are a lot of stories to pass along. A day without working will pile them up. Dave Boling was working both days and has a column on the Hawks’ truly special, special teams. He also has one on the teams’ focus on the task at hand – and, I add parenthetically, keeping their hands on the ball – as they arrived in Santa Clara. … Greg Woods is in the Bay Area and has a story on former WSU receiver Kyle Williams wearing the Cougar logo as a member of the Pats. … The Hawks’ Brady Russell walked on in college. Now he’s a Super Bowl captain. … Of course we found a Sam Darnold story. From close by actually. … Yes, Tom Brady has more Super Bowl titles than any player. … He built memories for a lot of the players who will meet his former team Sunday. … One of Seattle’s previous Super Bowl games came against Brady and the Patriots. … The Seahawks’ defense has a special bond with the head coach. That bond may allow Mike Macdonald to do something that has never been done before. … The Hawks have been rebuilt from the ground up. … Are you a prop bet fan? There are always a million of Super Bowl ones. 

Mariners: Brendan Donovan was an M’s target all offseason. He is now the M’s second baseman, after a three-team trade with the Cardinals and Rays. Or maybe their third baseman. Those details will be worked out during spring training, which is about two weeks away. … The Mariners also have a plan for right field and designated hitter. A good one? You be the judge. For my part, I am not that sure it will work out. 

Sounders: A former player has joined the coaching ranks. 

Kraken: The Ducks rolled Seattle last night in Anaheim. Literally on one of their late goals. 

Olympics: Need a schedule? Start with this one from the Washington Post. 

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• Thanks for those of you who expressed your support for what has become a somewhat routine procedure for me over the past 15 years. Diverticulitis and a bout of antibiotic-resistant C-diff played havoc with my insides before I retired and that means there is an increased need for the docs to keep an eye on my insides. The prep is hell but the outcome, allowing them to know what’s going on in there, is important. Not just for me but for every one of a certain age. Don’t put it off. It may just save your life. Besides, if I can get through 10 or so since 2010, it’s possible for anyone. I’m a baby. Until later …