A Grip on Sports: The first weekend of May is all about the blooms, or Bloomies, as the month races towards major championships in an eclectic mix of sports
A GRIP ON SPORTS • The first Friday of May seems a little pretentious don’t you think? But maybe it has a reason to be, not the least of which it kicks off a major month in the world of sports. And a major weekend.
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• The weekend first. With all that’s available on TV the three days, who wants to get out of bed at about 5 a.m. Sunday and run 12 kilometers? Not me. But about 50,000 folks will, if only to be part of the 50th running of Bloomsday. A Spokane tradition unlike any other.
It will be warm Sunday, much like the first Bloomsday I ever experienced. “Run” would probably not be the correct term, considering it took me about 15 minutes to even get to the starting line in 1983, befuddled as I was by the strollers and walkers who happened to be in my group. Turns out, my first month in Spokane was too crowded with finding an apartment and settling into my new job to study the complexities of the crowded Bloomsday start.
About an hour after finally crossing the starting line, I passed the finish, under an overpass that no longer exists, carrying a love for body fitness that also is in the past. I wish I could pass along the photo taken of me at the finish line by S-R photograph Chris Anderson but that would take digitalizing a black and white photo print – “Gramee, what’s a ‘photo print’?” – and no one wants that. Besides, after my first journey around the course, ever, I was in no condition to be photographed anyway.
Darn paparazzi.
Sunday thousands of folks will once again take to the streets, some professionals chasing prize money, some runners with pride on the line, some walkers with just a T-shirt as motivation. All will be part of one of the best sports traditions of which Spokane can boast.
If you have loved ones or neighbors participating and you would like to watch, you can on KHQ, SWX and the station’s YouTube channel, which will be up and running at 7 a.m. The race starts at 8:30 with the elite wheelchair races. The vast majority of participants begin moving forward around 9.
• There is one more major race this weekend. Saturday in Louisville. The Kentucky Derby. The first of horse racing’s Triple Crown races. Post time is set for just before 4 p.m. on NBC but the real show, the lead-in that seems to win Emmys yearly, saunters to the post at 11:30 a.m.
Is this the year a Japanese thoroughbred wins for the first time? Or will Renegade overcome the No. 1 post position – last winner from that spot was in 1986 – live up to its favored status? Or will an unknown burst on the scene and dominate the news cycle for a few hours?
• It’s a Big Unit weekend in Seattle, though in his honor, I’ll skip the games against the Royals until the M’s come up with a bit more money. Or trade my fan rights to the Diamondbacks.
Tonight (6:45, Apple TV) the M’s will hand out Randy Johnson 1980s-style jerseys. Hopefully, all will be XXXL.
Saturday night (6:40, Mariners TV), it’s time to retire Johnson’s jersey number, though 51 already hangs from the T-Mobile façade thanks to Ichiro Suzuki.
Sunday? Nothing major, though it is a day game (1:10 p.m., Mariners TV).
• The NHL and NBA playoffs roll on throughout the month, with this Friday highlighted by three NHL and three NBA first-round series that could be decided.
The Celtics/Sixers bloodbath will be decided – each team has three wins – Saturday (4:30 p.m., NBC and Peacock). The rest of the weekend is somewhat up in the air, depending on what happens tonight.
• The rest of the month? An eclectic mix of major championships. Golf boasts the PGA, which will be at Aronimink Golf Club outside Philadelphia the weekend of May 14-17. American auto racing has a couple premier events, with the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600, on May 24. And tennis kicks off its clay-court Grand Slam that same day, though the French Open does not finish until June 7.
Or about the same day I would be finishing Bloomsday this year had I decided to participate.
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WSU: There is a reason recruiting never stops. It’s a shark-like endeavor. And like a shark, stopping means the end. Washington State isn’t stopping. Not even slowing down. The Cougars found their quarterback for the 2027 class. Greg Woods has this story on Ryan Harrington making his recruitment social media official Thursday. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, John Canzano took some time Thursday to delve into the conference’s broadcast news, including a look at what’s ahead in the streaming world. … Jon Wilner has a column in the Mercury News about another smart decision by the Big Ten office. … Washington plays its spring game tonight. The Huskies are still looking for a go-to receiver. … Yes, many college athletes spend way too many years in school these days. But one Utah football player used his time to get another degree. … UCLA’s quarterback used his time to mature into a Heisman candidate. … Are too many athletes using their time to gamble? Schools such as San Diego State do their best to educate their athletes. … What do we know about the July 1 Pac-12 relaunch? … In basketball news, the Oregon men added another player to their roster. The latest comes via Arizona. The Wildcats have added St. John’s to their schedule. … J.R. Payne, the Colorado women’s coach, has built a new roster with players who fit her style of play.
Gonzaga: The flexibility of the Pac-12’s schedule next season opened a window for the Zag men in February. A lucrative window. Mark Few’s team will travel to Detroit on Feb. 24 to face Duke in one of those made-for-television’s-money nonconference matchups that are all the rage. Theo Lawson has this coverage of the scheduled game, which will broadcast on Amazon Prime Video, part of a three-game deal between the Blue Devils and the streaming service that also can deliver a new big screen to your door if need be. … Did you know Jalen Suggs was an outstanding high school football player? Yes, we’re sure you did. The skills he learned playing that collision sport have translated well to the NBA.
EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, the conference hosts its annual softball tournament this weekend, with the winner headed off to the NCAA tourney. … Regular season champion Idaho State is favored despite not having the conference’s player of the year. … Northern Colorado hopes to do something special. … Weber State does too. … The Portland State men added another player to their roster this week. … What type of team will returning member Southern Utah field?
Preps: How about starting your weekend with some stories about outstanding high school athletes? We did. We started with Greg Lee’s feature on West Valley High’s sprinter Lauren Matthew, whose aim is to lead the Eagle girls to the State 2A title. … Greg also has an update on Mead thrower Simon Rosselli’s quest for the state’s shot put record. … And, as can be expected, Dave Nichols has a roundup of Thursday’s action.
Indians: Dave returns with this coverage of another Spokane defeat. The Indians fell 7-5 at Eugene.
Mariners: Cole Young has put together a start to the season many other big league second basemen can only dream about.
Seahawks: It was Jadarian Price’s day to shine in Seattle as the Hawks introduced their No. 1 draft pick. … Price has already been feted by his hometown in Texas. … Despite rumors swirling, a couple of American billionaires have no interest in bidding for the team. … Hopefully, the person who recently bought the Blazers from Paul Allen’s trust will not be interested either.
Reign: The road beckons as Seattle tries to continue winning without its captain in the lineup.
Sounders: Vancouver seems to be about to lose its MLS franchise.
Kraken: Seattle is making a change in its coaching staff and that means Jessica Campbell will also be the first female assistant coach to have her contract expire and not be renewed. Or to be fired, however you want to put it. … The franchise is opening a new iceplex in Kirkland next year.
Bloomsday: We mentioned Sunday’s event above. A lot. But you may be more interested in who will win, not the memories of some old dude. Greg Lee has you covered there, and covered in depth, with the annual look at the race from director Andy LeFriec. LeFriec sees a wide-open race as neither male or female champion returned this year.
Golf: We expressed our skepticism yesterday the LIV Tour could survive without the millions supplied by the Saudi Public Investment Fund. Turns out we are not alone. The upstart tour just doesn’t pencil out. Which leaves the players still under contract between a rock and tree, or where we usually find ourself on the eighth hole at Qualchan.
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• Remember the days when sitting in a bar, talking sports, led to heated discussions about who was the best in this or that? Now those discussions take place on the Interweb. With the whole world critiquing the choices. The latest? Sports Illustrated’s recent list of the top 25 baseball players of all time. The list is the list. Not mine. But someone’s. I have two thoughts. It was a lot easier to compare eras 40 years ago. The game has undergone so many transformational periods – steroids, analytics, rule changes – since the apples and oranges have been joined by papayas and mangos. The other thought? Warren Spahn has always been criminally underrated. Until later …