A Grip on Sports: There are just no words for the NFL’s mistake concerning Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s award, nor the awful way the M’s lost Tuesday night
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Hey, the Seahawks’ star wide receiver, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and I have something in common. The first thing as far as I can tell. Both of us recently received trophies for winning something with prominent typos. One is understandable. The other? I guess none of the $23 billion in revenue the NFL amassed in 2025 went to a proofreader.
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• Just so you know, I double- and triple-checked the spelling of Smith-Njigba’s name in the paragraph above. Didn’t want to get it wrong. Even if the considerably-less-than $23 billion this column generates doesn’t allow for a proofreader either. It just seems professional to do such a simple task.
The NFL? The league sent Smith-Njigba his NFL Offensive Player of the Year award this week. Except “OFFENSIVE” was either “DEFENSIVE” (how Smith-Njigba read it) or was misspelled “OEFFENSIVE” (as the league explained it).
Either way, what the heck? To quote former NFL linebacker Brian Orakpo, “C’mon, man. What are we even doing out here?”
Laugh it off if you will. Most people did when, at the NFL’s Honors show, a comedian with one name – now that’s funny – mispronounced Smith-Njigba’s name. The comedian, Druski, said it was on purpose. For a laugh. OK, then. The whole thing was something that could be shrugged off, if not laughed at.
But this mistake? Seems unprofessional from the most-successful professional sports league in the country. Silly too.
There is a bright side, though. If anyone out there was worried Smith-Njigba would let up after winning the award, would allow it to go to his head, would see it (and the Super Bowl win) as reaching the mountain top, they can forget it.
Not that anyone really was. But still, the slight understandably burned, as his social media posts showed. If I were an NFL West defensive back – that’s about as big a stretch as possibly – I would be a little ticked at the league. They just angered the best receiver on the planet. And gave him more motivation.
On behalf of those who follow the Seahawks with interest, I guess thanks are in order.
• What was it Dumbledore told Harry in the last movie? You know, the line in the afterlife about words? Google tells me it was this: “Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it.”
Or, as public relations folks have known since P.T. Barnum, controlling a narrative.
The Mariners’ PR staff pushed a word on us last night (and even before) in that vain attempt. “Piggyback.” As in Bryce Miller and Luis Castillo were going to carry each other in their appointed start Tuesday. I guess it’s better – for the M’s anyway – than saying the veteran starter Castillo was being sent to the bullpen for the first time in his career.
That is actually the case. Using the term so liberally? It backed Dan Wilson and the franchise into a corner.
When Miller finished up his start against the White Sox, with two outs in the sixth inning, the first pitcher from the bullpen wasn’t his supposed “piggyback” partner Castillo. That makes sense. There was a runner on second, the M’s led just 1-0, and the Sox’s most dangerous left-handed hitter, Munetaka Murakami, was up. Wilson called on lefty reliever Jose Ferrer. He did his job, striking out the league’s home run leader.
Castillo’s “piggyback” role started in the seventh. He was perfect in that inning, solid in the next. The M’s, who finished with just one hit, still had the one-run lead in the ninth. Andrés Muñoz’s time? Certainly. Except … well, Castillo is not a relief pitcher, right? He is a “piggyback” starter. Who needs his pitches.
Or something, because instead of starting a clean inning, something Wilson has always said is the best way to use his closer, Castillo trotted back out. And promptly gave up a soft hit and hit the next hitter. Two on, none out. Now Wilson had no choice. He tried twice to make a change, actually. But didn’t know a rule. Great. And when he finally was able to get Muñoz on the mound? The Sox poked two seeing-eye hits, scored two runs and won 2-1.
And now the PR department has an even harder task. Trying to control the narrative Wilson is in over his head. Anyone have a word or phrase to change that focus?
Sorry, “Colt Emerson is coming up” has already been used. Maybe, in the Mariners’ case, Albus was wrong. Words are not inexhaustible. And not all that magical.
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WSU: Around the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, the fractures among the powerful schools in the NCAA are beginning to bubble to the surface. Iowa State’s athletic director – or as Coug football fans refer to him, the guy who swiped Jimmy Rogers – Jamie Pollard basically told media members Tuesday he’s in favor of letting the Big Ten and SEC leave the NCAA. In everything. And see how that works out for them. … The newest major fracture point is CFP expansion. … The real battle in expansion isn’t between the SEC and Big Ten, who have veto power over everything CFP-related. It’s between Fox and ESPN. … Jon Wilner has some advice in the Mercury News for Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti. … OK, back to the important stuff with football. Recruiting never stops, as Washington illustrated again Monday. … In basketball news, Oregon State’s men officially announced another roster addition. This is expected to be their final one. … Arizona still has holes in its nonconference schedule. That is not unusual for this time of year. … In softball news prior to this week’s Super Regionals, a UCLA hitter was named Softball America’s National Player of the Year yesterday. No, not the one who set a single-season home run record. … Washington is going to remodel its home field. … Oregon’s season ended on a down note.
Gonzaga: Dave Flemming, the ESPN play-by-play voice who teamed with Sean Farnham on many GU games over the years, has another new job. He’s going to work for NBC too on the network’s Sunday night MLB games. That’s in addition to his play-by-play work with the San Francisco Giants. How it impacts his relationship with ESPN, if at all, is unclear.
EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, the old saying about life being a journey certainly undersells the journey Portland State football player Tre Kramer-Taylor took to end up with the Vikings. … Northern Arizona welcomed a few high school players who graduated early to be in Flagstaff for spring workouts. … The latest addition to Portland State’s men’s basketball roster has deep Northwest roots.
Preps: Spring’s State playoffs are getting closer to the finish line. Golf has one more day, today, left. Jim Meehan has coverage of the local participants on the first of the two-day State tournaments. Jesse Tinsley has a photo report as well. … There were elimination games in baseball and boys soccer Tuesday as well. They are covered in this roundup. … The State track meets won’t happen until May 28-30. Greg Lee has a story today about Lakeside High’s quest for a 1A boys title and includes information on this week’s local qualifying meets at all levels.
Indians: Coming home to Avista Stadium has always been a welcome sight for the Indians, even when they were playing well on the road. This year? Even more so, especially when Jackson Cox is available to start a series opener. He did Tuesday night against Vancouver, struck out 10 and led Spokane to a 9-2 victory. Dave Nichols has the game coverage.
Mariners: We linked Adam Jude’s game story above. And do it here too. … What do Emerson’s teammates think of him? … First college football. Now MLB games? Keep your darn shirts on. Or we will infiltrate your crowd and take off mine. That will kill the “Tarp’s Off” trend.
Sonics: The folks in Portland might just want to brush up on how Seattle’s franchise was ripped away a couple decades ago. John Canzano wrote about the similarities with what’s happening in Portland right now.
Seahawks: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell scoffed Tuesday. Scoffed at an ESPN report the Seahawks’ sale was met with soft offers. Then again, Goodell runs an organization that can’t even spell OFFENSIVE right. … We linked Mike Vorel’s Smith-Njigba column above. And a story about the screwup. We link both again here too. … The typo wasn’t just regional news. There was national coverage of it as well.
Storm: Seattle’s offense is struggling to keep up with the WNBA’s trend of more scoring.
Kraken: Seattle signed its third-round pick.
Hoopfest: Is Spokane really Hooptown? A persuasive argument could be made, considering Hoopfest, the Zags, a legacy of once hosting the nation’s largest AAU youth league and other evidence. It’s also the setting of a possible TV show. One that Luke Hristou is hoping to sell, “Real Rat.” Luke Pickett has this story on Hristou’s second-take at a pilot, which will show Thursday night at the Garland. We would love to go. But can’t. Ironically, we have a basketball practice scheduled for our Hooptown Elite travel team.
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• If there is one thing you can count on each year in Spokane, it is there will be rain over the Memorial Day weekend. At least once. Maybe more. The forecast this year? It calls for a 35% chance on Memorial Day itself. The other two days? Just fine. I choose to believe in the 65%. Until later …