A Grip on Sports: The M’s Opening Day is upon us and we are promised TV coverage that is as easy to access as last season
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Time begins anew today. It is Opening Day. Baseball season. And all that the sport brings from here to October. Around these parts, there is hope the Mariners will be playing in that final month. And that we’ll all be able to watch.
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• That latter part? Like a lot of you who have yet to cut the cord, and may never, I will find out for sure around 7 p.m. That first pitch is scheduled at T-Mobile for 7:10, that makes me a bit worried. But when have the Mariners’ organization ever let us down?
Other than that one time in 1977. You know the one I mean. It’s still going strong. Bought your World Series tickets yet? Or ever?
Maybe this year.
After all the big offseason moves, it seems appropriate a franchise that was within eight outs of making its first World Series appearance should be the American League frontrunner in this one.
Oh, wait. There weren’t a lot of offseason additions, big or otherwise.
Jovial first baseman Josh Naylor was re-signed. That’s a positive. A trade was made for Cardinals’ utilityman Brendan Donovan, who has been penciled in at the top of the lineup – and at third base. Another deal brought talented-but-erratic reliever Jose A. Ferrer, who was middling in middle relief but outstanding as the Nationals’ closer.
Other than that, and Ferrer isn’t closing in Seattle unless something awful happens, the offseason was something of a letdown, wasn’t it?
But tonight’s game with defending A.L. Central champion Cleveland is about optimism. The Mariners, themselves defending the A.L. West title, will take the field with most of its starting lineup intact – 31-year-old shortstop J.P. Crawford is out with a shoulder issue – and the best starting staff in baseball ready to roll – though Bryce Miller will miss awhile with an oblique injury.
The on-field optimism – just about every expert everywhere figures Seattle will win around 90 games – is matched by a TV broadcast pessimism that is more on MLB’s shoulders than the M’s.
The root of the issue? The death of regional sports networks such as Mariner-owned Root Sports Northwest.
Major League Baseball is in full control these days. The guys in New York who brought you such innovative changes as a bigger bases, a pitch clock and ghost runners in extra innings, now have their hands on every aspect of the game’s TV plans. That most of those things listed in the last sentence are actually good give us a sense of hope the powers that be will not screw up cable broadcasts too badly. But the realization the league wants all of us to move over to a high-cost streaming service tempers that hope. A lot.
Hopefully at 7 p.m. Comcast channel – checks the Interweb for the number for the 739th time this morning – 1261 will actually exist. (It didn’t a moment ago.) And my DVR can tape the game. (I have other responsibilities this evening and will watch when I get home.) If not, I’m out of luck.
Just like last night when I wanted to watch the first game of the season, the Yankees’ 7-0 win over the Giants. It was on Netflix. And as anyone who has watched sports on Netflix knows, whether or not you will even see every play is in doubt when the Blockbuster-killer is involved.
Oh well. I’m old enough to remember when the only way to follow your favorite MLB team was via the radio. (By the way, does radio even exist anymore?) Back in the day you had to, gasp, create images of Sandy Koufax or Willie Mays in your head as some hack named Scully or Hodges described their exploits.
And when their game was actually on TV some random Saturday? Your main job was to adjust the antenna so you dad or mom could actually see Mays swing and miss instead of just a bunch of squiggly lines.
Today is better. Even if at some point I may have to invest in a smart TV for the kitchen so I can stream M’s games during dinner. And spend about $100 for the privilege.
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WSU: If you want to watch the Cougars practice football, you might just want to head down to Pullman. The Kirby Moore Era is live. Greg Woods is there and he had a notebook in today’s S-R to get everyone up-to-date. And I’m sure he will have coverage of the first day on this website at some point today. … Former Washington State basketball center Oscar Cluff is trying to make it two consecutive years a Cougar expatriate big wins the national title. In 2025 it was Rueben Chinyelu and Florida. This year it may just be Cluff and Purdue. Theo Lawson talked with him in San Jose and has this story. Cluff was part of Kyle Smith’s loaded 2023-24 roster. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, John Canzano would not be surprised if Oregon transfer Jackson Shelstad ends up at Arizona. … Utah State continues to excel at basketball. It hasn’t mattered who is in charge or what players stay or go. … UCLA fell short of the Sweet 16, which leads to questions. … There were questions and answers for Arizona in San Jose yesterday as the Wildcats prepared for a regional with Arkansas, Purdue and former coach Sean Miller. He brought Texas with him. … I had a mention yesterday Oregon’s women had a strong roster returning. But that nothing is guaranteed. And that has already been proven true. … UCLA has the best center in the nation. … Stanford meets BYU in Provo tonight as the WBIT continues on. … San Diego State is at Kansas in another quarterfinal.
• In football news, spring in Colorado is about players fighting to make an impact for the fall. … USC is focusing on accountability. … Seven key Arizona State players are missing due to injuries. … Fresno State is trying to figure out how to bring its football stadium into the 21st Century. … San Diego State has some rare clarity at the quarterback position. … Colorado State has a new one taking over the offense.
Gonzaga: There are quite a few players with Inland Northwest connections on MLB rosters as the season begins. Colton Clark ran down the list, from Gonzaga, WSU and local high schools. … Former Bulldog assistant Tommy Lloyd talked around questions about his interest in the open North Carolina head coaching position. Theo Lawson has this story on the Arizona coach’s press conference and we can pass along other coverage as well. … Around the WCC, Saint Mary’s formally introduced Mickey McConnell as its men’s coach, though the Gael lifer really didn’t need to be.
EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, Montana is losing one of its men’s players to the portal. Meanwhile, a former Griz female standout is also leaving her most recent stop, Oklahoma State.
Preps: There were a lot of events Wednesday around the GSL. And there is a full roundup to keep you up to date.
Reign: Seattle’s NWSL franchise played the first of three matches in Spokane last night. And the Reign started their World Cup-forced relocation stint in the best way possible, a 3-0 win over the Kansas City Current. John Allison was at ONE Spokane Stadium and has this story.
Seahawks: Free agent running back Najee Harris visited Seattle on Wednesday. The former Steeler and Charger missed much of the past couple years after suffering an Achilles tear. … How can the team improve itself in the draft? … By the way, the Seahawks will play their opener on Thursday, Sept. 9 at 5:20 p.m. On NBC (and Peacock). … The Hawks want to build on to their headquarters. A new trophy room, perhaps? … The Jaxson Smith-Njigba deal came together quickly.
Sonics: Dave Boling isn’t about to trust the NBA hierarchy about expansion. Not after what the league did to Seattle in 2008.
Kraken: A player’s brother died after a cancer battle.
Mariners: There is a link above to Jacob Thorpe’s baseball-is-starting column. And one here too. … Dave Nichols is on vacation. (What’s that?) Which means, if the S-R was going to have a baseball-themed podcast sports editor Ralph Walter had to call on some crafty veterans sitting in the bullpen, with the emphasis on the “bull.” He did. Up today in the Press Box Podcast are former KXLY colleagues Dennis Patchin, Rick Lukens and Bud Nameck. What, Statler and Waldorf cost too much? You can listen to the trio talk for about an hour here if you want. … I also linked the TV story above as well. … The rest of the S-R report today includes Times stories linked before, from a look at the A.L. West to how each player may perform this season to one on Naylor and the last on the two stars of the lineup, Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh. … Logan Gilbert is on the mound tonight.
Golf: The Masters starts in two weeks. Can Scottie Scheffler put his game back together in time to win? Yes.
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• Uncertainty and I don’t get along too well. Hate the guy, actually. Which is why the up-in-the-air nature of the M’s broadcast plans have gnawed away at my innards. The result? The bile I spewed above. Sorry. But I also hate being a pawn in some multi-billion-dollar enterprise’s plan for world sports domination. It’s almost as if Dr. Evil is baseball’s commissioner. We all know that’s not true. He’s too busy running the NBA. Until later …