A Grip on Sports: An NFL free weekend – the Pro Bowl does not count – gives us a bunch of chances to spread our wings and also say goodbye to a constant GU companion
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Not sure if there is a correlation. But I noticed this morning there is only a one-letter difference between the word “electric,” the stuff that powers all our sports-viewing devices, and “eclectic,” one word that seems perfect to describe this week’s columns. Must be cousins or something.
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• There is an explanation. A simple one. The bye week before the Super Bowl. It’s an opening for every sport from here to Melbourne and everywhere in between. Going east from Spokane, of course. If you go west, after about 350 miles there is not much besides salt water, storms and islands I have to visit someday. I hear surfing is big on Guam. At least my dad had a war story that included it.
But I digress, as always.
• Back to the subject at hand. Or subjects.
Did you know tomorrow night will be Sean Farnham’s last chance to broadcast a Gonzaga basketball game? And this is his last visit to the Davenport? His last American Cancer Society fundraiser at the hotel? All because of USC. And UCLA, Oregon and Washington?
Farnham works for ESPN. After the Pac-12 splintered two years ago, Gonzaga saw an opportunity to become part of the rebuilt conference. But that decision also means its conference games will no longer be on ESPN. The new Pac-12 wasn’t part of the Worldwide Leaders’ plans. Or vice-versa, no one outside the boardrooms knows for sure.
The split – ESPN and GU have been synonymous for most of the Zags’ 21st Century run – also means Farnham won’t be visiting the Kennel anymore. That’s sad. And just another casualty of the idiocy of conference realignment.
At least it is Gonzaga vs. Saint Mary’s. Two teams who despise each other as much as most of hate what’s happened to the conferences we’ve loved.
• I’ll be watching tomorrow night’s game (7:30, ESPN) and writing a TV Take about the broadcast. It is scheduled to be in Sunday’s S-R and here on the website.
• The Seattle Mariners let everyone know their broadcast plans this week. Well, kind of.
Oh, we all know who will be doing the broadcasts, including the TV crew. And, thanks to a press release Thursday, we know how much it will cost if you want to stream the TV broadcasts all season ($99) on the team’s platform.
That same press release also informed us if you are still a linear person – my hand is up – you will be able to watch through your cable provider. That last one, though, is still a little slim on details. And that is worrisome. This idea of trusting the M’s front office isn’t one I’m all in on. After years and years and, well, decades, of broken promises at just about every level, trust is in shorter supply than eggs were in 2025.
But, hey, if the M’s have to break a few eggs to cook up a World Series-winning omelet this season, I will be there to watch. If I can.
• I had to go to sleep last night. But others in the household related to me by family stayed up and watched tennis from Down Under. And watched as Novak Djokovic called on the ghosts of Grand Slams past to upset Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open men’s semifinals.
The guy with the most-Grand Slam singles titles ever will have a chance to win his 25th one Sunday – or overnight Saturday here. At 38 years old.
• No NFL Sunday. Nothing from the league this week (the Pro Bowl junk does not count). Which means there is plenty of room for college hoop all weekend. And PGA Tour golf, from foggy San Diego. And for NBA, NHL, soccer and even a college football all-star game.
I could pontificate on it all or I could just link the S-R’s TV listings for the weekend and let you do it yourself. I choose the latter.
That reminds me. I have to get up the ladder – hey, two letters different – and take down the Christmas lights this weekend. Why on a weekend? All the young neighbors are home. Maybe they’ll see the old guy struggling and come help. Maybe even do all of it. My motto: Work smarter, not harder.
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WSU: The women continued their tough season Thursday night in Santa Clara, where the Broncos are fighting for the WCC lead. The Cougars are not. The expected happened. Santa Clara won 102-71. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, the Washington men lost at No. 9 Illinois last night. They have no more room for error. … Colorado made a lot of errors in a loss at No. 8 Iowa State, especially in the rebounding department. … Stanford’s women are missing three starters. It showed in their 84-66 home loss to No. 7 Louisville last night. … Oregon State had no trouble with San Diego, winning 61-43. … Neither did Colorado, which won at Kansas State. … USC stunned No. 8 Iowa for a much-needed, resume-building win.
• In football news, Friday is our TV day, so it’s really nice Jon Wilner has a Mercury News column explaining the real reason behind college football’s higher ratings this season. … Washington’s 2026 schedule has a lot of great matchups. And Purdue. … Oregon will face its Big Ten schedule with a lot of new faces.
Gonzaga: It looks as if the Zags will have another arrow in their quiver Saturday night against the visiting Gaels. One of their bigger arrows, like on an old episode of “Get Smart” or in a Mel Brooks’ movie. Graham Ike is on schedule to play. At least Theo Lawson tells us Ike returned to practice this week. … Saint Mary’s is the Bulldogs bête noire these days (see mom, all those years of French were worth it). Jim Meehan talked with San Francisco writer Steve Kromer about the Gaels in anticipation of the showdown. … Everything I know, and passed along, about the end of the Farnham era came from this Colton Clark story. I linked it above and here too. … One last Spokane meeting for the schools. One last story. John Blanchette delves into the many villains over the WCC years. But there were two from Saint Mary’s that dwarf everyone else. Omar Samhan. Matthew Dellavedova. That’s it. That’s the list. … Lauren Whittaker did what she’s done all season, lead the Zag women to a crucial win. That happened last night at USF, 74-66 in overtime. Greg Lee has all the details.
EWU: The Eagle men fell behind in the Flagstaff altitude and couldn’t get enough lift at the end to get a win. Northern Arizona held on for a 92-86 victory. … The women outscored the Lumberjacks 93-87, also on the road. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, the Montana men traveled to Portland and handed Portland State its first conference loss. … Montana State was not as successful, losing at Sacramento State. … The Montana women have turned their season around. … The Bobcats remained atop the standings with another win. … In football news, Montana State began filling its open assistants spots.
Idaho: The Vandal men were in Greeley, Colorado, another tough place to play. Or win. They didn’t, falling to the host Bears 91-83. The women won, however.
Preps: If you look at the list of the GSL boys’ all-time scorers, the top 10 holds many names of guys who went on to star at the college level. The latest addition, which could happen as early as tonight? Caden Andreas will be playing another sport at the next level. But as Dave Nichols tells us, that doesn’t mean the Ridgeline standout doesn’t love the game. And is really good at it. … Thursday is a wrestling night and we have a roundup to pass along.
Mariners: We linked this Ryan Divish TV story above. And here too if you missed it.
Kraken: Three consecutive wins. This one 5-2 over Toronto.
Seahawks: John Friez played quarterback for Idaho. For the Seahawks too. For the Patriots. And has some thoughts about their matchup. Thoughts he shared with our friend Dave Boling, who shares them with all of us in this column. … As we mentioned yesterday, the Hawks could be looking for another offensive coordinator after their Super Bowl (fill in the blank). … Yes, I found a Sam Darnold story to pass along. … The main focus of Friday, though, is the incredible job John Schneider did this season rebuilding Seattle into a Super Bowl participant. … What will Santa Clara be like next weekend? … TV news. NBC has the game. … I’ve decided the Bill Belichick/Hall of Fame news is a tempest in a coffee pot. Translation? Another overblown story. … This one is overblown too. And has been for more than a decade. … The Hawks key stop against the Rams was fortuitous, sure. For Seattle. Not L.A. … What is up with New England?
Sounders: Seattle will have a new jersey sponsor in a couple years.
Tennis: Djokovic will play Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian final after the world No. 1 survived in five sets as well.
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• For some reason I slept fitfully last night. Maybe it was all the cheers and groans from TV room downstairs. Even the dog is tired this morning. Until later …