A Grip on Sports: Not sure why Thursday has a bad rap, but it should not, as today’s lengthy group of notes show

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Always felt Thursday was the week’s forgotten child. Sandwiched between hump day and TGIF, it never has received the accolades it deserves. Heck, even Apollonia, before her untimely “The Godfather” demise, didn’t recognize Thursday’s rightful place in the week’s hierarchy. We do.

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• That rightful spot? This week the right spot certainly seems to be catching all the debris floating downhill off hump day. The worst of which comes from T-Mobile, where Julio Rodriguez left the 5-3 loss to Baltimore with what were termed “hamstring spasms” by not-a-doctor-or-trainer Dan Wilson.

Just like all of us, Julio is listed as day-to-day. Today, Thursday, is the next one. Will he play?

Maybe he’s doing that thing so many of us do all the time. You know, exhibit, loudly, some sort of illness at work. Leave early one day. Then call in sick the next. The buzz around the office built with excellent planning, the sick day seems perfectly normal.

Julio is smarter than the rest of us. He’ll be back at the yard today. Try to stretch. Find it impossible. Tell the trainer he needs a couple more days.

Then escort his mother to the U.S. match with Australia across the street on Friday. By Saturday, he’ll be back in the lineup.

• But will Christian Pulisic be on Lumen’s (temporary) grass field Friday? He’s day-to-day as well, after being walloped in the calf in the United States’ World Cup opener.

If not, the U.S. men may just morph from favored to underdog, and not just in the post-match beerfest at Flatstick Pub.

• Before our attention wavers, a couple other World Cup notes. Apropos of the competition being (mainly) in the U.S., the first round of matches has been dominated by superstar scorers. With a sprinkling of underdogs coming through in a few of the 24 contests. Both are beloved by the typical U.S. sports fan.

Lionel Messi leads the race for the Golden Boot, the scoring title, with three goals. But the list of guys with two is a who’s who of European football. Norway’s Erling Haaland. France’s Kylian Mbappé. Germany’s Kai Havertz. And Folarin Balogun of, wait, the U.S.? OK, Balogun could be playing for England if he wanted. That explains it.

But what explains Cape Verde, ranked 67th in the world, holding Spain, ranked second, to a scoreless draw? Or draws between Egypt (29) and Belgium (9), Saudi Arabia (61) and Uruguay (16), and New Zealand (at 85, the lowest-ranked team in the tournament) and Iran (20)?

They are only first matches. That’s it. That’s the explanation.

Heck it could be worse. You could lose 5-1 to Sweden and fire your coach. That’s what Tunisia did with Sabri Lamouchi. His boot wasn’t Golden. Or star-studded. It was just a sharp one to his backside that sent him out the door.

• You know what is really bad, though? The canard about hydration breaks. Health? That’s the cover story. It’s really just a way to allow Fox to show commercials. They – both hydration breaks and commercials – are not needed in some places. So why not just admit it, evolve with the times and make soccer a four-quarter game?

History. Tradition. A worry about a backlash. In other words, marketing. Only needed because of a need for more marketing. Perfect.

• Fog? In June? On Long Island? Who would have thought? Oh, right, just about anyone who has ever lived or visited there. The USGA, host of the U.S. Open golf tourney, has a plan for dealing with it – see Torrey Pines in 2021 – but the delay this morning may mean the TV viewing habits of some of us will be impacted. And tomorrow’s round will have to start a bit later as well, as everyone finishing today may not be in the cards.

• One last thought. The Los Angeles Times has been hosting a fun event lately. Each week one of its writers deals with a fans’ Hall of Fame in some way. It might be voting for the all-time best Lakers. Or Rams. Or Trojans. Or, as today, it might range a bit farther afield, covering the area’s college athletes not affiliated with USC or UCLA.

Of course I voted. I attended one of those colleges. I voted for one fellow Anteater in the class of 1978, Steve Scott. And an Anteater who I covered for a couple years, Kevin Magee, the least-known A.P. two-time men’s basketball first-team All-American of all time. Held my nose and voted for a couple Cal State Fullerton guys. (Hate the Titans. Always have.) Voted for Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble. Billy Jean King. Would have voted for Denise Curry if she had been on the ballot. Darlene May too. Neither were.

Their omissions are part of why such things are so fun. Arguments ensue. Even if it’s only between me and myself as I flitter through the interweb.

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WSU: Around the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, we linked Jon Wilner’s column on Pac-12 quarterback depth when it ran on the Mercury News site. It is on the S-R’s today. We link it once more. … Wilner mentioned how important this week is to college football. Wednesday the key subject was the playoff format. … Recruiting is always important. Especially at Alabama. Or even at Colorado State. … So is fundraising. John Canzano’s column covers his thoughts on the high-end boosters who have a high-end voice in the game. … As Congress contemplates another “save-college-sports” bill, the idea of associated entities and NIL is coming under greater scrutiny. … Utah’s Morgan Scalley had an in-depth interview with the Deseret News. … A Boise State coach spent a week observing the L.A. Rams. … In basketball news, Washington added a seven-year European pro to its men’s roster. Yes, you read that right. … Utah’s schedule is coming together but there are still holes. … An Oregon women’s player will represent the U.S. in 3x3. … California will have four starters back next season. That’s unusual these days.

Gonzaga: Just when you thought maybe the Zags’ recruiting for its first Pac-12 season might be over, the adage we cite almost daily popped up. Recruiting never stops. Seems Mark Few and his staff are among the favorites to land Spanish youngster Nikola Kusturica, a 17-year-old wing with a couple years of eligibility. Theo Lawson has more in this story. … Theo also has a story on Tyon Grant-Foster’s clearance by NBA doctors. His hearts issues won’t keep him from a professional career.

EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, Northern Arizona’s men will play at Kentucky in a mid-November basketball game.

Preps: Former Mt. Spokane star Drew Rasmussen is having one of the best years of his MLB career.

Indians: The power is still on with the Indians. At least enough of it to get past Vancouver 5-4 in Avista Stadium on Wednesday. The Indians have won four consecutive games and six of their last eight. Dave Nichols has all the details in this story.

Seahawks: With the recent departure of a key member of its front office to Minnesota, Seattle had to move some folks around. … That done, now John Schneider’s minions can figure out the roster. … And whether the Hawks want to enter the Brendan Sorsby sweepstakes. … If the NFL wanted to spend the money, every team could play on grass. Even in domes. And in places like Seattle. Modern technology, as proven by the World Cup, makes it possible.

Mariners: We linked the S-R game story above. And want to add this one from Daniel Kramer with MLB as it explains what Rodriguez is dealing with. … The piggbyback story we linked yesterday? It is on the S-R site today. … The No. 1 priority for the M’s at the trade deadline? It may just be another closer. … No, that’s not it. The No. 1 priority for the M’s for the rest of the season is not to have any more injuries. Like the one they almost suffered Tuesday night. … Or the ones the fans might be dealt Friday with a home game and a World Cup match colliding in Sodo.

World Cup: One longtime star who started this tournament slowly? That would be Portugal’s 41-year-old Ronaldo.

Golf: The reason the fog departed at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club? The wind picked up. That isn’t conducive to low scores. But it might help Scottie Scheffler as he pursues the career Grand Slam. The Texas-raised Scheffler knows a little about golfing in the wind.

Storm: The WNBA announced it will add two games to its schedule next season. Great. Two more Seattle losses. The Storm found a way to lose to the Portland Fire last night – it was called a thrilling comeback in the Oregonian – even though they are healthier and received a career high scoring total by one of their stars.

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• Early to bed and early to rise makes me healthy-ish. And wise-ish. But wealthy? Or even wealthy-ish? Not with all the money I spend on cable. And streaming. And the interweb. And over-the-counter pain meds. And … no, that’s enough. You don’t need to read my litany of money woes. They are exaggerated anyway. It’s a time-honored family tradition, handed down from father to son. Have you seen the price of a candy bar lately? And did you know my dad used to spend 5-cents for a bar when he was a kid? And they were bigger. Much bigger. Until later …