Grip on Sports: The NBA Finals last so long, the Mariners might even win a game or two before they are finished
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Did you know the NBA Finals began last night? By this time next week, the Raptors and the Warriors will have played three whole games. If this thing goes seven games, by the time they finish the Mariners could be back in first place.
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• See what I did there? I thought about the most impossible thing that could happen in the next couple weeks and came up with the M’s being successful. That’s called “professional writing.” Of course, because someone pays me to do this, everything that shows up here, good or bad, is professional, but don’t nit pick.
And don’t blame me. Using the Mariners as an example of something negative is a time-honored tradition in the Northwest. It’s a tradition that should go on for a couple more years. At least.
Just like, seemingly, these NBA Finals. The Raptors won last night, mainly because they don’t J.R. Smith. (If you don’t remember what happened in the first game of the 2018 finals, I can’t help you.) And they have Kawhi Leonard, the best basketball player San Diego State ever produced. Sorry Michael Cage. You are now No. 2.
(Notice, we didn’t just write “best player.” If we had, that would still be Tony Gwynn. He’s the gold standard for Aztec athletics and probably always will be.)
If this series goes seven games, it will finish on Father’s Day. Think about that.
A basketball series featuring a team from the Bay Area and another from Canada finishing on a holiday started in Spokane. Talk about international.
And that wouldn’t be the only sporting event we would be talking about that day. Maybe Tiger Woods will be battling Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka on the back nine at Pebble Beach for the U.S. Open title. That always finishes up on Father’s Day, quite possibly the most astute marketing move the USGA has ever made.
But all that is still two weeks away. We still have a few hours of May left.
Plenty of time for the M’s to lose another game. It would only be their 22nd this month.
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WSU: The Pac-12 has a tradition as well. The conference announces a few football start times every year during the last week of May. It’s a way of piquing interest in the upcoming season. It works. Theo Lawson has a story on the four games in which start times were announced yesterday, including the Apple Cup. That game will be in Seattle this year and played on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Oh ya, it will start at 1 p.m. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12, there is, basically, a story in every newspaper on the West Coast about the local school’s game times. I’m making an editorial decision you don’t need me to link, say, when the Utah/BYU game will kick off. … The interesting football story from yesterday is three former UCLA players have sued Jim Mora and others concerning how their injuries were handled. … In basketball news, Utah has hired a new assistant coach. In seemingly related news, that coach’s son, a highly sought player, has committed the Utes. … The conference did lose some top players to the professional ranks. … The baseball regionals begin today. Oregon State has the best player, UCLA has the best team and Stanford has the most experience. … The softball World Series began yesterday, with Arizona getting past Washington in extra innings and UCLA routing Minnesota.
Gonzaga: Killian Tillie’s decision to return to Gonzaga is the main subject of Larry Weir’s conversation with Jim Meehan on the latest Press Box pod. … The WCC announced yesterday the teams each school would only play once next year. The Zags will face Pacific and Portland a single time. Jim has more in this story. … Former Gonzaga assistant Donny Daniels will help develop players at Utah. … Around the WCC, Yoeli Childs explained his reasons for coming back to BYU.
CCS: The term “throwing darts” has had a long-time baseball connotation having to do with a pitcher consistently hitting spots. But, thanks to the CCS baseball team, a razor and some weather delays last weekend, it has another connotation now. Ryan Collingwood has this story on a viral sensation the Sasquatch started at the NWAC tournament. … Athletic director Ken Burrus is retiring. Ryan recounts his long tenure in this piece.
Preps: The high school sports seasons are officially finished, but that doesn’t mean the athletes have stopped competing. Dave Nichols has a notebook that catches up with an upcoming throwing event as well as a look at Thursday’s state baseball “feeder” games at Shadle Park High.
Mariners: The Angels and the M’s are not going to win a lot of games this season. So yesterday’s matchup was seen as a chance to pit Yusei Kikuchi with Shohei Ohtani and make all of Japan happy. Except the Angels didn’t put Ohtani in the lineup. And Kikuchi didn’t last long. The M’s lost, 9-3. … The draft is coming up. The Mariners’ choice, as always, is important. … Gene Warnick has an Out of Right Field recap. If you didn’t know, this is already the worst May in Mariner history.
Seahawks: Don’t laugh. The Hawks’ offensive line is going to be good. Maybe the best. … It always seems like a good idea to pass along a mailbag.
Sounders: Joevin Jones is happy to back in Seattle.
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• You know, I could get used to this weather. Anyone have suggestions where I could live the rest of my life? The only rule is, it has to be 80 degrees every day. And, oh, you need to have a room in the basement I could rent. Until later …