Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Grip on Sports: When it comes to Thanksgiving, sports has been intertwined for almost forever

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis (27) defends as Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (17) catches a pass for a touchdown in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2017, in Arlington, Texas. (Michael Ainsworth / Associated Press)

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Like a lot of what’s good with America, we can thank Abraham Lincoln for Thanksgiving. And, by extrapolation, the day off, turkey, NFL football and pumpkin pie. Read on.

••••••••••

• It probably seemed like a good idea for Mr. Lincoln in 1863 to ask Americans – what was left of them, anyway – to take some time on the fourth Thursday of November and reflect on what they were thankful for.

Back then, if your son had come home from the Civil War alive, that was enough.

So, ya, it not only seemed like a good idea, it seemed like a great one.

But one has to wonder if Honest Abe had foreseen the Dallas Cowboys playing on national television every Thanksgiving, he would have rethought his idea.

Honestly, Abe would have been a Bears’ fan, right? After all, he was from Illinois. And we all know the greatest Bear of them all, Walter Payton, was Abe’s type of player: tough, hard-working, quiet, professional.

But we wander, sort of like a free-range turkey. We wanted to focus on what we are thankful for: you folks. The ones that read this column on a daily basis. Who utilize it for what it is, a window on the Inland Northwest sports scene pretty much ever day.

Thanks for coming here. Thanks for reading. Thanks for being nice. Thanks for all the fish.

Wait, that last one is for later.

•••

WSU: The Apple Cup always features two teams with outstanding defenses, right? Or is that not the way it usual is? Whatever, as Theo Lawson’s story in today’s giant Spokesman-Review illustrates, this year that is the case. … Theo has his Pac-12 picks, all but for the Apple Cup. If you’ve been betting with Theo’s picks this season, I hope you can afford a Thanksgiving feast that consists of more than a cup of coffee, but I doubt it. … Theo also held a live chat yesterday. … The game is in the evening Saturday, which is more than can be said for many of Washington games this season. … Stefanie Loh has a couple stories, one on two new WSU commits and the other on another viral Mike Leach sound bite. …The Huskies are looking to clean up their special team play after the Utah debacle. … Both teams feature great defenses and solid running backs. And good quarterbacks. … Finally, on this Thanksgiving, Larry Stone has a column that should make you hug your loved ones. Don’t read it until you have some time to compose yourself.

Elsewhere in the Pac-12, there are always power rankings. … This will probably be Cory Hall’s only Civil War as Oregon State’s head coach. So he’s making it a memorable one. Oregon, with a bowl awaiting, is not amused. … Arizona and Arizona State’s rivalry game seems a bit tame this season. … One thing about the Utah game with Colorado: This will be the final game for the seniors on the losing team. … The same can be said about the loser in the UCLA versus California battle. … Stanford has to wait and see if it will be playing in the Pac-12 title game. … On the basketball courts yesterday, Cal finished off an awful trip to Hawaii with another loss. … By the way, there are basketball power rankings these days as well. … North Carolina State upset No. 2 Arizona while USC rolled at home, despite some bad news. … Utah finally lost, getting drubbed by UNLV.

Gonzaga: The PK80 tournament begins today in Portland – it honors Nike’s Phil Knight on his 80th birthday – with Gonzaga playing Ohio State. Jim Meehan is there and has this story on how the tournament is a chance for Silas Melson to shine in his hometown. … Jim also takes a look at Ohio State’s forwards. … The Gonzaga women are in Las Vegas for a tournament honoring longtime NC State coach Kay Yow. Jim Allen has more in this notebook.

EWU: Jim Allen checked in with former Eagle quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, who is still winning football games, albeit in Canada. … The basketball team put together a 21-point run and defeated Eastern Kentucky in Las Vegas. They’ll face Utah on Friday. … Around the Big Sky, the conference handed out a co-coach award yesterday, naming Southern Utah’s Demario Warren and Sacramento State’s Jody Sears, the former Eastern and WSU assistant. … Warren’s Thunderbirds are a superstitious bunch. … North Dakota’s football future will be different. … This Northern Colorado player has a bright future. … On the hoops front, Portland State and Portland are happy to be a part of the PK80. … Northern Colorado won in a breeze the other night while Montana State won a tournament.

Idaho: With no bowl in their future, the Vandals become spoilers. They can ruin New Mexico State’s bowl dreams Saturday. Peter Harriman has an advance.

Chiefs: After making a trade earlier in the day, Spokane went out last night and routed Kelowna 6-2. Kevin Dudley has the game story. … Portland pounded host Calgary. … Everett shut out Tri-City.

Preps: It’s a big weekend for prep football, with Central Valley leading a contingent of six area schools into semifinal games. Dave Nichols has an advance of all the action. … Shadle Park’s Jakobe Ford has won a national track award. … Freeman’s football coach is stepping down.

Seahawks: So why did the Hawks waive Dwight Freeney? … Pete Carroll is still beating himself up over the latest loss. … Blair Walsh’s pooch kickoff that worked Monday would have been a really memorable moment of Seattle had won. … There are injuries. … Here’s some news: Russell Wilson admits the rushing attack is struggling. … The 49ers made a big trade for a backup quarterback.

Mariners: So the M’s are really going after Shohei Ohtani with the heat of a thousand suns. Jerry Dipoto admitted as much yesterday.

Sounders: Seattle is as beat up as a team can be. No matter.

•••       

• We will be back here late this evening with our TV Take from the Gonzaga game. It’s on ESPN2, starting at 9 p.m., at the earliest, so the turkey coma will have to wait. Until then …