A Grip on Sports: We slept through the M’s awful game Wednesday, which isn’t a bad thing, but let’s hope WSU doesn’t sleep on the right athletic director
A GRIP ON SPORTS • We took a mid-afternoon nap Wednesday. It’s one of the perks of our form of retirement. After it was over, however, we realized we were missing the Mariners’ mid-week, get-out-of-town game. Turned on the TV. Saw the score. The M’s must have been napping too.
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• We hear the same crud every year. “It’s too early to panic,” proclaim those darn optimists – and anyone connected to the M’s front office. And every year we stand like Jeremiah and cry out from the Spokane wilderness. “The games in April count the same as those in September,” we scream. It’s a truism that the acolytes – and leadership – of Seattle’s professional baseball team seem to forget each winter.
We decried the opening series losses in 2023. The 11-16 start. It was too early to panic, we were told. Wait, they’ll get going. They did. And missed the playoffs. By one measly game. Those three losses to the Guardians to open the season turned out to be darn important, didn’t they?
The year before the M’s were four games under .500 in early May. It was too early to panic, we were told. Just wait, they’ll get going. They did. Made the playoffs too. But a couple more wins before Bloomsday may have meant an easier postseason path.
We agree with the idea April 4 is too early to panic. Too early to declare this Mariner team a failure. Too early to deny the M’s any hope of winning 54% of their games. OK, cheap shot. But even a cheap shot doesn’t detract from the real issue here.
Seattle hasn’t gotten off to a hot start in a while. The Mariners’ break spring training with issues, bury themselves in a hole and try to claw their way back toward blue sky the rest of the season. Heck, this year’s 3-4 beginning actually is an improvement over the past two years. There is still the one problem, however.
The losses early count the same as the losses in the last week of the season. Might as well start winning. And make that last week be about playoff seeding and nothing else.
• The Pac-2 is reeling a bit this week.
We’ve documented all the upheaval going on in Pullman, what with athletic director defection, coaching change and roster breakup, the last in both basketball programs. The Cougars seem to be getting a handle on it all, slowly. David Riley has been brought in to run men’s hoop. He has kept a couple of key returnees in the fold. He’s already working to fill roster holes.
Interim AD Anne McCoy and president Kirk Schulz made his hire after a bumpy start to the Kyle Smith-replacement process. Now Schulz needs to fill the department’s big chair, and fill it quickly. The right choice is already in place. He just needs to realize it.
McCoy won’t cut and run. She’s in athletic administration, and in Pullman, for all the right reasons. She will put the athletes first. The community is her community. She embodies all that is right about Washington State.
Why she would want the headaches that are facing the department after Pat Chun’s inability (or indifference) to confront the department’s looming financial issues is beyond our comprehension. That she’s willing to take on the challenges says everything you need to know about her devotion.
Drive up to campus Kirk. Park by Bohler. Save the search-firm money. Work out a deal. Today.
• Oh, we got onto our soapbox and almost forgot where we were headed. At least we don’t do that while driving. All that often. Anyhow, the Pac-2. Right. Oregon State is also reeling. But the Beavers’ issues are a bit different. At least as of now.
The women’s basketball program just made an Elite Eight run. Had potential to bring back all the key players. Coach Scott Rueck as well. Seems like gold, does it not? But the roster is starting to splinter, with star guard Talia van Oelhoffen headed to the portal. And Rueck should be a top candidate for the open Tennessee position. If he isn’t, the Vols aren’t looking in the right direction. If they do pick, say, alum Kara Lawson, her old school, Duke, should call Rueck. He is that good.
He may not leave. He’s an Oregon State graduate, after all. But in this landscape, with such an unsettled future, who would blame him?
Such is the life in the Pac-2.
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WSU: Riley’s ability to keep Jaylen Wells and Isaiah Watts in the fold is his first victory according to Dave Boling, who covers that and more in this column. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and around the nation, the issues Oregon State faces? We can pass along John Canzano’s thoughts and those of Oregonian columnist Bill Oram. … There may be a huge change in how college football is run, though nothing has happened in the past three years as a committee works on a new structure. … Fox is also starting a new postseason basketball tournament. … It is weird how the future football playoff money was divvied up. … As well as the NCAA money for the women, but that is changing soon. … Washington began its first spring under new football coach Jedd Fisch yesterday. There were impressions galore. … Same at UCLA as the Bruins began under coach DeShaun Foster. … Arizona hopes a defensive newcomer will make a big hit. … The OSU men’s roster is almost all in the portal, as Wayne Tinkle’s best players see if there are better opportunities available. … Spring high school recruiting is also in play, as Colorado coaches get ready to hit the road. … UCLA has picked up a transfer from Louisville. … USC has to hire a coach before it can augment its roster. … ASU coach Bobby Hurley will have lots of friends in town for the Final Four. … Oregon is also dealing with defections, but they are coming from a last-place women’s basketball team.
Gonzaga: On a few other days, we would have spent our column time on the awards garnered yesterday by coach Lisa Fortier and star post Yvonne Ejim. Each were named the best in the mid-major ranks as coach and player, respectively. Greg Lee has the story of their honors.
EWU: Two key parts of the Eagle football program are staying put. Dan Thompson shares the process that led Efton Chism III and Nolan Ulm to stay in Cheney. … With Riley headed south on U.S. 195, Eastern needs a new coach. Athletic director Tim Collins told the team he has their back. Dan has that story as well. If we had our hands held to the fire, we would be really angry – and we would guess current Idaho State coach (and Central Valley High graduate) Ryan Looney will be the next Eastern coach. Looney would be a good choice. … Elsewhere the Big Sky, Matt Logie’s contract extension at Montana State became official yesterday. … Another recruit announced he’s headed to Idaho State, but will the Bengals’ coach still be in town? … Northern Colorado will play its spring game April 27.
Chiefs: Yes, Spokane returned to the WHL playoffs this year. But the stay was a short one. Four games. Four losses to the top-seed, the Prince George Cougars. The final game, at the Arena, was a 3-2 defeat.
Velocity: Spokane won its second U.S. Open Cup match at ONE Spokane Stadium on Wednesday night. The Velocity scored late to defeat the Los Angeles Force. Justin Reed has the story.
Seahawks: The front office rebuild continues with a new person in charge of the salary cap. … The roster is coming into focus before this month’s draft.
Mariners: In an attempt to bring some veteran depth to the starting pitching, the M’s signed left-hander Dallas Keuchel on Wednesday. … We touched on the M’s awful showing yesterday. The key facts: They were shut out, George Kirby had his worst start of his career, infielder Josh Rojas threw the top of the ninth and the M’s lost 8-0 to Cleveland. … The defense was, and has been, horrendous. … Hey, the starting rotation is one of the top two in baseball. Good for the Mariners.
Kraken: No playoffs this season. Last night’s 5-2 loss at the L.A. Kings assured that. … There are still important elements to the remainder of the regular season.
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• We woke up to a wet deck this morning. And lawn, which is more important. Haven’t turned the sprinklers on just yet, so the overnight showers were appreciated by the plants. You could almost might think they were smiling. If you believe those weird 1960s cartoons were actually documentaries. Until later …