A Grip on Sports: As time marches on, the madness is different the last weekend of the month than it was when the lions roared a few weeks ago

A GRIP ON SPORTS • The last Saturday of March is so different than the first one. Even if I limit my observations of this year’s changes to the sports realm. And avoid everything else. As hard as that may be.

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• It’s possible I could make some sort of remark about the price of gas and make a sports reference. But that would only be fair if I consistently delve into motorsports. And that’s not something I do. Then again, driving to Seattle to watch the M’s hit singles isn’t something I’ll be doing soon either.

Mainly because they seem to have decided to just forgo the measly base hit entirely. Hey, the guy who used to yell “A walk is as good as hit” to you in Little League might have actually been on to something. Or maybe that guy was actually Dan Wilson before he became Cal Raleigh’s boss. Not sure.

Anyhow, here we are, two games into the 2026 season, the M’s have nine hits and every one of them has gone for extra bases. Six home runs, two doubles and, last night, an iffy triple. (Guardian rookie Chase DeLauter wandered around right field like a drunken golfer and still got his glove on Leo Rivas’ routine fly ball before dropping it. It should have been a three-base error).

They have walked nine times, though. And everyone knows a walk is as good … ah, you get it. Somehow – the main reasons were George Kirby’s stellar six-inning, two-hit outing and Cole Young’s three-run dinger – the M’s won 5-1. On just three hits.

At least the game today counts. And is on TV. Unlike the game in Peoria on the month’s first Saturday.

• Today’s college basketball games, all six of them, count as well.

The men have two. The Big Ten’s “I” Battle – Illinois vs. Iowa – in one Elite Eight matchup (3 p.m., TBS). Arizona’s attempt to get to the Final Four for the first time since Tommy Lloyd became the ultimate snowbird is the other. The former Gonzaga assistant leads the Wildcats against Braden Smith – a point guard who actually looks older than Lloyd – and Purdue in San Jose (5, also on TBS).

The women? They are still in their Sweet Sixteen phase. Four games. Two featuring top seeds. The same two game featuring all SEC schools.

Back on March 7, a loss by any of the teams playing today meant one thing. More rest before starting their NCAA tourney experience. Today? A loss means tears. Hugs. And prepping the paperwork for the transfer portal.

• Yes, I’m fully aware the portal doesn’t begin to accept transfer applicants until the NCAA basketball seasons are finished. But when almost a thousand men’s players have already made public declarations they will be looking for new employment, it might as well be open.

• One last thought about how the end of March is different. And we’re not even going to mention Tiger Woods’ visit to a Florida jail. Or how he needs to hire a driver before the sun sets today. Before he ruins his legacy further or, more importantly, triggers an accident that has fatal consequences.

Anyhow, I am going to ruminate on how fragile college basketball success is. When the season opened in October, the theme seemed to be how many schools had a shot at a title in what was considered a wide-open year.

Gonzaga was one of them. So were the UCLA Bruins, BYU Cougars and Texas Tech Red Raiders, to limit the sample size to the Western third of the country.

Nothing that happened in the first two-thirds of the season, besides an overwhelming loss or a few defensive lapses, eliminated them from contention. Then each was hit with a major injury.

The Zags lost Braden Huff. The Bruins Tyler Bilodeau, the Cougars Richie Saunders, the Raiders JT Toppin. A handful of other schools lost major pieces as well. Bright hopes turned dim in an instant. None of the aforementioned contenders reached the NCAA’s second weekend.

Which makes me wonder if this is Duke’s year. Again. The Blue Devils entered the tournament missing two big pieces. Their point guard. Their best big. But both Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba are back, the former playing Friday for the first time since breaking his foot March 7.

If they weren’t on the court against St. John’s last night, there is no way Duke wins. But they were. And the Blue Devils survived to face UConn on Sunday.

In one regard, then, March is going out the same exact way it came in. With a battle between lions.

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WSU: Did I mention the number of men’s college basketball players who are their way to the portal is nearing four digits? The answer to that question is yes. Which makes the number Washington State is dealing with not out of the ordinary. Greg Woods tells us a fifth Cougar, Tomas Thrastarson, has decided to seek a new start somewhere else. … I was texting with a friend Thursday who was lamenting he had something scheduled for Sunday afternoon. The plans meant he would missed large chunks of the Elite Eight games featuring Dylan Darling and Blake Buchanan. As Colton Clark passes along, that is no longer a problem. St. John’s lost to Duke 80-75, as Darling was unable to replicate his recent late-game magic, and Iowa State, without injured star Joshua Jefferson (a national trend) melted in the second half against Tennessee, falling 76-62. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, if it isn’t Duke’s year, then maybe its Michigan’s. The Wolverines looked like it Friday in their win over Alabama. … Jon Wilner has his mailbag in the Mercury News as well as his winners and losers after the Sweet Sixteen. … John Canzano delved into the financial ramifications of Oregon State moving athletic director Scott Barnes aside. Neither the Beavers nor the Cougars ADs survived after leading the schools through the toughest stretch in modern history. … The best Colorado player is headed to the portal. … The most-experienced San Diego State player is doing the same. … A former Colorado State player is back in the portal. … The best of the women’s teams? Take your pick. Of the No. 1 seeds. UCLA, UConn and the two that play today, South Carolina and Texas, all look like they are capable. Outside of that, Duke, a three seed, and Notre Dame, a six with a one-seed of a player, Hannah Hildago, look like the only other threats. … The Bruins rolled over Minnesota in the second half.

• In football news, Washington coach Jedd Fisch talked with Christian Caple about the 2026 Huskies. … Pat Chun talked with the Times. … Oregon State added a transfer wide receiver. … There is a no-fly zone at Colorado’s spring practices. … Utah has a transfer running back who is ready for whatever role he earns. … The video from Arizona State’s pro day was entertaining. … Arizona is moving an offensive lineman inside. … Boise State will have a new place for fans to sit in the fall.

Idaho: The Vandals open spring practice Tuesday at 6 a.m. That’s a bit early for me. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, as I’ve mentioned before, Montana will feature a defensive player that is in his ninth collegiate season. … Weber State has four men’s basketball players who have said they are leaving.

Preps: Baseball and softball were on tap Friday in the GSL. Cheryl Nichols has this roundup.

Chiefs: Things looked just about perfect for Spokane after one period of its Western Hockey League playoff opener at Prince George. The Chiefs controlled the action and led by two goals. The next two periods? Not as good. The Cougars won 6-3. Game two of the best-of-seven series is tonight in Canada. Dave Nichols has the coverage. 

Velocity: Spokane lost for the first time, falling 4-0 to Charlotte on the road Friday.

Indians: Hillsboro’s new stadium, one that cost $153 million, is set to open. And set a standard for minor league parks.

Mariners: Besides Young’s home run, the M’s also scored on Luke Raley’s second long ball in two games. … After one game, Seattle had to make a bullpen roster move due to an injury. … How does Seattle keep Bryan Woo healthy this year?

Seahawks: Seattle is adding a former UW assistant to its staff.

Sonics: Has the Kraken’s management shown it is up to the task of owning an NBA franchise?

Reign: Seattle returns to Spokane this afternoon to face Louisville.

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• I attended Catholic school for 12 long years. Spent about two weeks of that time as an altar boy. But the Latin, as it would my freshman year of high school, defeated me. Maybe that’s why I didn’t learn until I was in my 50s the ashes Fr. O’Malley used to dab on my forehead back in the day were the remains of the palm fronds scattered around St. Rita’s on the previous Palm Sunday. Who knew recycling was a thing even in the olden days? Until later …