A Grip on Sports: There is little bandwith left for our thoughts outside of the Seahawks’ game this week but we try to diversify a little today
A GRIP ON SPORTS • The Seahawks play Saturday in Seattle. That’s important. Washington State and Gonzaga’s men play Thursday in Pullman. That’s important too. But why just focus on the important stuff? The average and mundane deserve some attention too.
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• Just kidding. Who cares about viral videos and baseball news and golf talk this time of year? OK, maybe the first one is, if not really important, popular. Or the label “viral” wouldn’t be used. But right now, in this part of the world, what’s happening at Lumen Field after Saturday’s sun sets is on top of the food chain.
Either the game itself or the de rigueur video of Pike Place Market’s salmon toss.
The 49ers earned a rematch with the favored Hawks – 7.5 seems like a lot but thankfully I am not a bettor – by going into Philadelphia and eliminating the defending champions in last week’s wild card round.
They are beat up – it doesn’t look as if All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner’s miracle injury comeback will come to fruition this week while Hall of Fame tight end George Kittle (fixed from earlier) won’t play until next season at the earliest. They have been battered up front recently – the Hawks rushed for 180 yards two weeks ago, the Eagles 140 last week. And their winning formula doesn’t seem to be more than smoke and mirrors – a possible nickname for the duo of running back Christian McCaffrey and quarterback Brock Purdy.
But if you aren’t a bit nervous, maybe you should think about becoming a spy. Or a fire juggler.
Sure, Seattle is rested. Healthier. Quite possibly the best team in the NFL, if the Super Bowl odds are to be believed. A matchup against a divisional foe, especially when that division was as good as any the NFL has ever produced, is a recipe for anxiety. And should be as tough as an overcooked Christmas prime rib. I’ve experienced both before. My stomach actually prefers the hard-to-digest meat. The acid reflux it engendered was gone in a couple hours.
The roil Saturday’s NFC semifinal has caused will last the rest of the week.
• Speaking of experiences, a Gonzaga men’s game in Pullman is a top-notch one. Has been for a while. Case in point, almost 20 years ago, when the Bulldogs made the trip down U.S. 195 for a nonconference matchup. The two NCAA-bound teams locked up, with 10,755 in attendance. Last season, the first time the teams met on the Palouse as WCC foes – and after a 10-year gap – another 10,219 walked through the doors.
The former turned into a Cougar rout. The latter? Another rout, though this time the Zags finished on top.
Still, Thursday night’s game should once again be of interest to the WSU bean counters. A top 10 team in town. A nearby fan base that is willing to make the drive. A hometown team trying to turn its season around and on a hot streak, having won five of its last seven game. Two programs whose conference life will be intertwined for at least a few more years.
If all that doesn’t add up to a decent crowd, it will be a disappointment. For Coug fan Cheri in Chewelah to Gonzaga alum George in George.
• The latest viral video I’ve tried my best to ignore? The interaction between a media member and Jacksonville coach Liam Coen from Sunday. But when it gets to the core of the role sports journalists are supposed to fill these days, it’s hard to overlook.
Though, as someone who is on the way out the door, I really don’t want to pontificate on “back in my day” or degrade the discussion. Went through too much of dealing with such stuff over the years.
A lot of others are weighing in, though, from East Coast pundits to nationally recognized veterans to West Coast voices, all of whom I admire. I thought I would pass their thoughts along.
My thoughts? Change, for better and worse, has happened since the first day I walked into a newsroom almost a half-century ago.
Heck, back then there was a haze of cigarette smoke that made it almost impossible to see all the guys pounding on typewriters and editing with grease pencils. By the time I walked away from the business, the smoke, the typewriters and grease pencils were gone. So too, was the exclusivity.
And, sadly, the whole operation may not be with us much longer. And that change is not for the better.
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WSU: No Coug basketball stories to pass along this morning but Greg Woods does have football transfer portal news. The Cougars have added an offensive lineman. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, the Jon Wilner thoughts that keyed yesterday’s column? They ran in the S-R today. … Wilner also has his Big 12 power rankings in the Mercury News. … Washington expects a sellout crowd when it hosts No. 4 Michigan. … Stanford and California expect the same this weekend when Duke and North Carolina visit the Bay Area. … USC handled Maryland at home last night. … Nebraska smoked visiting Oregon 90-55 on Tuesday. … Do not ask Tad Boyle about replay reviews. The Colorado coach is not a fan. … Utah coach Alex Jensen loves how his home court sounds when the arena is full. … UCLA is headed back on the road. … No. 1 Arizona and rival Arizona State meet tonight in Tucson. Expect fireworks. … Boise State played better last night at UNLV but lost again. … The same happened to Colorado State in Fresno. … No. 23 Utah State will try to avoid such disappointment when it hosts Nevada tonight. … San Diego State may be playing its last game at Wyoming. … Iowa State dropped from the ranks of the unbeaten last night. And it came in a big way at Kansas. … What mid-major teams should be on your radar? … We can pass along the West Coast women’s power rankings Jeff Metcalfe puts together weekly in the Mercury News. … Colorado has a big assignment. Contain Iowa State’s Audi Crooks. …The Utah women are on a roll.
• In football news, the Demond Williams Jr. saga sparked a comment from the UW president. … Oregon State’s new coach set down for questions with the Oregonian. … There is transfer portal news everywhere, and there will be for a while. Comings. Goings. And, often time more importantly, players who decide to stay at their school. Here is a smattering of the coverage, starting with Oregon and the multiple stories. Colorado, who could not retain its best offensive lineman. Utah, who retained its starting quarterback. Arizona, who got great news on the eligibility front. And Fresno State and San Diego State, who both retained a standout player. … UCLA was left a huge donation from a former Bruin rugby player. … All five offensive line starters are coming back for USC. … A key assistant is not for Boise State but he has good reasons. … Indiana has proved a lot of folks wrong this season.
Gonzaga: The Zag women host USF tomorrow. The Dons swept the regular season series with GU last season. Greg Lee looks at the matchup as a way to lead off his weekly women’s basketball notebook. … Jim Meehan and Richard Fox use Thursday’s game in Pullman as a starting point for their Zag Basketball Insiders podcast. You can listen here if you want. … Elsewhere in the WCC, the Saint Mary’s men held off USF.
EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, Montana lost another defensive starter to the portal. The group has been hit hard. … Weber State is still adding to its football staff. … A Montana State men’s basketball player has exceptional leaping ability. … Idaho State hosts the Vandals on Thursday.
Preps: Dave Nichols was at Gonzaga Prep last night, covering both GSL games. But he begins with the Bullpups’ win over Ridgeline in girls’ play. … There is also a roundup, which includes a note about Shadle Park’s latest 1,000-point scorer, Makenzie Fager.
Chiefs: Dave returns with a notebook covering Spokane’s latest moves and how they have changed their postseason fortunes.
Mariners: Is it possible the M’s still have a big deal coming? There are a couple spots that could use a veteran presence. … Felix Hernandez is not going to be elected to the Hall of Fame this year. But his votes will tell a story.
Seahawks: Dave Boling takes another look at the Hawk brain trust today, focusing this column on coach Mike Macdonald. The young – heck, almost everyone is young to Dave and I – head man has earned all the praise. And all his smiles. … Bob Condotta’s fun notebook is on the S-R site today. … This a great time for Devon Witherspoon to enter the national spotlight. In a good way. … And for Sam Darnold to show his maturity. … Grey Zabel is still a NFL rookie. But not a playoff one. …The Hawks are a young team. But there are mentors. … The All-Pro selections are a big deal to the players. … Yes, the Hawk game is centerstage. But there are three more games this weekend. … Mike Tomlin became the second consecutive Steeler coach to resign. Of course, the two decisions came 19 years apart.
Sounders: As training camp rolls on, Seattle has signed two players from the Tacoma Defiance.
Reign: Seattle has extended its coach’s contract.
Golf: Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith said Tuesday they are staying with LIV golf.
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• Weeks like this in mid-January have to be cherished. And not just because of the warmth outside. I am. Hope you are too. Until later …