A Grip on Sports: It’s hard to focus on sporting events, even the world’s biggest, when fires blaze and homes are threatened

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Wind-whipped fires swirled around the Spokane area yesterday, forcing friends to evacuate and giving the area a smidgen of what the rest of the summer might bring. Not good. Luckily, the wind died down, the danger was mitigated and it’s possible life can get back to normal today. And allow us to get back to what we love in June: Reveling in summer sports.

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• The angst about what was happening in the area tore us away to some degree from enjoying what was a star-bright day, not just in the World Cup but for the Seattle Mariners as well. The former was expected, what with France, Norway and Argentina all playing on Tuesday. The latter? Not so much, though appreciated.

On pitches scattered around the U.S., the best of the best showed why they are. Kylian Mbappe scored twice in France’s 3-1 win over Senegal in New Jersey, giving him 14 goals in three World Cups. Impressive.

Just up the road in New England a hour or so later, Norway’s Erling Haaland finally got his chance to play in the tournament. And scored twice to lead a 4-1 victory over Iraq. Also impressive.

Or, to be more precise, impressive preludes.

In Kansas City, one of the best scorers in World Cup history, Lionel Messi, saw the results and uttered, probably, “sostén mi cerveza.” Then showed his considerable skills by scoring a hat trick and leading defending champion Argentina to a 3-0 win over Algeria.

The trio of goals moved the 38-year-old MLS star – ya, I know – atop the World Cup’s all-time goal scoring list, tied with Germany’s Miroslav Klose with 16. With the rest of this year’s Cup to go.

Mbappe. Haaland. And Messi. Not a bad trifecta.

• Seattle took a day off from celebrating World Cup fever, though the secondary ticket market didn’t, what with the U.S. in town Friday to face upstart Australia.

The deep breaths you might have heard, though, weren’t not from the city’s collective relaxation technique. It was from across the street. At Seattle’s baseball stadium – not sure but taking no chance that FIFA’s marketing rules are such that no one can sponsor any sporting venues in one of its host cities – Cal Raleigh returned to the lineup.

And delivered the game-winning hit.

A towering home run? A scorching line drive? A blooper to left center? If you picked the last one, you win. But his bases-loaded, seventh-inning single plated two runs and helped Logan Gilbert pick up a 3-1 win.

This has been an injury-riddled season for the M’s. Wednesday’s lineup did not include Randy Arozarena, Josh Naylor or Brendan Donovan, a third of the season’s expected Murderers’ Row. It did include J.P. Crawford. At third base. The first time Crawford started somewhere other than shortstop in an M’s uniform.

Victor Robles was in left. Miles Mastrobuoni at first. Dom Canzone in the fourth spot. And the two youngsters up the middle, Colt Emerson at short and Cole Young at second. Just like Jerry Dipoto envisioned in February.

• Speaking of February, I’m not sure anyone had heard of the term “piggyback” back then. In a baseball context at least.

But here we are, as the solstice looms, and the Mariners are all in with the idea of two starters splitting a game. That’s the new definition. And the new age, at least for a while.

First it was Bryce Miller and Luis Castillo, after Miller returned from one of those injuries that are all the rage in Seattle. Now it will include everyone on the starting staff. And, possibly down the road, the two Double-A starters who have been nearly unhittable, Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan.

It’s a bold move to ask every starter from Gilbert, who just pitched seven dominating innings, to Bryan Woo, who can do the same at any moment, to commit to a defined-length start. And have the other slated to finish the game.

It might be genius. It might blow up. It might revolutionize the game. No one knows. But it is happening.

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WSU: Around the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, the biggest news this week was contractual. And not NIL. It was Teresa Gould signing an extension to her contract as the conference’s commissioner. Jon Wilner adds more context in this column on the S-R site. … If Washington State and Oregon State do meet in the flex game and the Cougars decide to play in Seattle, plans have to be in place. … June is football recruiting month 1A. For Washington. For Oregon State. Oregon. Arizona. Colorado State. … Utah has an assistant coach who has one great skill. … What are the Pac-12’s five best nonconference games? Here’s one list. … In baseball news, the Oregon State freshman All-American pitcher who entered the transfer portal this week? He’s headed to Florida where OSU’s former pitching coach now works. … The Beavers will host next year’s Pac-12 tournament. … Another Oregon freshman is leaving. … In basketball news, Tommy Lloyd is frustrated by something or other.

Gonzaga: As happens every spring (and summer), the nonconference part of the men’s basketball schedule leaks out in drips and drabs. Theo Lawson learned a little more Tuesday and he shares it with us this morning. The game with Creighton has a date (Dec. 12) in Omaha. … CBS has a new Top 25 and 1. The Zags did not budge from their No. 9 spot.

EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, football recruiting hasn’t stopped for Montana. Or for Montana State, at least from the transfer portal. … A Weber State booster group and players get together each week at a local burger joint.

Preps: Hoopfest will be upon us before you can blink. Which means it’s time to find out this year’s Hooptown Hall of Fame honorees – and for stories about them to appear in the S-R. Greg Lee kicks it off today with a look at the 2006-07 and 2007-08 Ferris High boys teams who posted consecutive 29-0, State 4A title-winning seasons. It’s a great story about kids who grew up in my neighborhood, some of which I had to opportunity and privilege to coach in baseball or cover at Washington State. The other honorees this year? Longtime Gonzaga coach and athletic director, the late Dan Fitzgerald, one of his seminal stars, Mead High’s Jeff Brown and Central Valley High’s star Emily Westerberg and Kim Eng, the only woman who has played in every Hoopfest.

Golf: The U.S. Open, men’s version, begins tomorrow. Scottie Scheffler has another shot at the career Grand Slam. And Rory McIlroy, who has that honor already, takes another shot at the PGA Tour’s leadership.

Indians: The power is still on at Avista Stadium, even if the high winds forced some utilities to shut it down elsewhere. Wait, we mean the power in the Indians’ bats. They built a 10-run lead against visiting Vancouver last night and held on for a 15-11 win. Dave Nichols has more on the wind-blown result.  

UFC: Another Spokane fighter, Melissa Amaya, is starring in The Ultimate Fighter. The 34th version of the event. Amaya won her strawweight fight against Anna Melisano on Sunday.

Mariners: We linked Tuesday’s game story above. As well as another on Crawford’s spot in the lineup. An injury story. And the piggyback plan. … With Raleigh’s and Crawford’s return, roster moves had to be made.  

World Cup: We linked Matt Calkins’ column yesterday on Seattle’s first match. It is on the S-R site today. … Mohamed Salah, who is in Spokane as we type, is 34 years old. And yet the international star is still surprising some. … This Seattle Times headline is a little off. Every pub in Seattle is actually an Australian pub. If you know, you know. … More stars are in action today.

Seahawks: We also linked yesterday the Times’ story on the eight draftees’ performance in the offseason program. It is on the S-R site today.

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• My sore fingernail is doing better. Better than Arozarena’s hamstring at least. Or Naylor’s bruise. Thanks for asking, though I am not sure anyone actually did. Until later …