A GRIP ON SPORTS • Another perfect Northwest day on hand. Sunny, highs in the 70s. Just perfect. So what to do? Should we stay inside and watch golfers complain about Chambers Bay? Or should we head outside, enjoying the natural beauty of our hometown? Decisions, decisions. Read on.

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• I think I’ll do a mixture of both. After I get this column done, I’ll head out, walking, for a while. Maybe take in an event or two in the area. That will fill my morning. Then I’ll head back inside for the golf. Will Jordan Spieth continue to ease his way around the Bay? Or will it be a player from back in the pack? Saturday is usually a day when someone posts a low score at a major, so I’m curious to see who does it. My plan was to intersperse soccer with my golf viewing, but now that the MLS has suspended Clint Dempsey for three matches, including today’s against San Jose, I am not going to watch in protest. The idiocy of a suspension of that length for what he did just boggles my mind. So I’ll stick to golf. When that ends, it’s over to baseball where the M’s are trying to salvage their season. The Astros are in Seattle for a three-game set and the Mariners got off on the right foot last night with a 5-2 victory. Just what they needed. Let’s rephrase that: Just the beginning of what they need. Two more wins over Houston this weekend would be nice. And I’ll ask you the same question I asked on the radio yesterday: Would a three-game sweep of the first-place Astros make you more optimistic for the rest of the season? I may be clutching at straws here, but I’m sure it would boost my confidence some. It might be a short burst, however, with the defending American League champion – and the current home of 1,734 A.L. all-stars – Kansas City Royals coming to town Monday for a three-game series. But I’ll take it. Short bursts of happiness concerning the M's seem to be all we can hope for these days.

• Speaking of a short burst of happiness, the Golden State Warriors celebrated yesterday with a parade through Oakland. Thousands of people came out to celebrate with them. After all, it's been since 1975 the Warriors have won anything, so I get it. But the best part of the day may just be this picture of former WSU star Klay Thompson holding the trophy. I don't believe I've ever seen him smile this broadly before.

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• WSU: Not a lot here today, though Jon Wilner takes a stab at explaining the new media initiative the Pac-12 wants to institute. ... Former WSU walk-on quarterback Jesse Brown has found success at Montana State. In rodeo.

• Gonzaga: Once again rival BYU learns some good news on the player eligibility front.

• Indians: After two games, the Indians are at the .500 mark. Hillsboro posted a 10-3 victory last night. Chris Derrick has the story.

• Shadow: Spokane's EPL team is back at it today at SFCC. Jim Allen has a feature on East Valley High and North Idaho College standout Jordan Talley in advance of the match.

• Golf: From all accounts, Jim Meehan is still healthy despite two days of walking all over Chambers Bay. He has his coverage of the second round and a notebook in today’s paper. ... Why ask about his health? Because, to ensure fan safety, the USGA has limited access to parts of the course it feels may be dangerous to spectators. When people ask why I didn’t go this year I harken back to my experience in 2009 at Bethpage Black. During the practice rounds, the course was crowded – the USGA sold 40,000 tickets that year – but it was fine. Moving around was easy. Then it poured rain (pictured). The course turned into a mudhole. And the USGA had to close a third of it to spectators because it was unsafe. The two places I had scoped out to watch in relative quiet were closed to the public. The huge crowd was funneled into a much-too-small space. It was almost impossible to move around. The experience sucked. When I heard last year about the USGA’s crowd control plans for this U.S. Open, I decided to pass. And I’m glad I did. ... Tiger Woods seems to have passed. Passed from the ranks of contenders in majors I mean.

• Mariners: The M’s had the perfect formula last night. Roenis Elias bounced back against Houston and pitched a tough seven-plus innings, gave up just four hits – two of them solo home runs – and struck out 10. Mark Trumbo came to the plate with runners on base – the heart of the order had a great night – and drove in three. It all added up to a 5-2 win. ... Dustin Ackley had to fill in at second base on Thursday night. ... Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager were back in the lineup last evening.

• Sounders: Say the Cavaliers play in a summer exhibition series in Spain this year against the Bulls. An overmatched official ejects Matthew Dellavedova and LeBron James reacts by taking the whistle from the ref’s pocket and throwing it on the court. You think the NBA would suspend James for 8 to 10 games? No way. He would be fined and probably slapped on the wrist. After all, it wouldn’t have happened in an NBA game with NBA officials. But that scenario is analogous to what happened with Dempsey. Now the Sounders will have to play the next three matches without their top two scorers, as Obafemi Martins was injured during the match. ... The suspension begins today with the match against San Jose.

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• What are you doing today? No, don’t answer that. Just go do it. Enjoy yourself. And don’t forget, tomorrow is Father’s Day. I want a new edger. Until later ...

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