A GRIP ON SPORTS • We are into the second half of September. The calendar will soon tell us fall is actually here. Which means the World Series will be as well. When will the Mariners be a part of it? Read on.

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• Today we discuss the hypothetical. Or the impossible, whichever you prefer. See, if you look at the baseball standings in today’s paper, you will see the M’s down near the bottom of the American League West. And Toronto three games clear in the American League East. Why are we citing the Blue Jays? Simple. If they win the division, heck, if they make the playoffs, the M’s slide into the unenviable position of having the longest non-playoff streak in Major League baseball. The last time Toronto made the playoffs was 1993, when it won the World Series. The last time the M’s made the playoffs was 2001, when the franchise sold its soul to the devil, seemingly, won a record-tying regular season 116 games but still didn’t get a World Series ring – or appearance. (By the way, the team the M’s tied for that regular season win total? The 1906 Chicago Cubs. It’s no coincidence, is it, that they are the two most star-struck franchises in their respective leagues?) And don’t look now. The Buffalo Bills won its first game of the NFL season, making it possible in a few months the M’s will have the longest postseason drought in the four major sports. That’s not good. So when will it end? Last year at this time it seemed as if it would end in just a few weeks. But then the M’s came up a game short of the postseason. So the offseason seemed too long. The M’s were poised to take the next step. Until that next step was over a cliff. So now we are back in the wait-until-next-year mode. And we’re tired of it. Next year probably won’t be any better. There doesn’t seem to be enough promise in the minors or enough money in the coffers to get substantially better. The franchise’s first World Series appearance seems long enough away right now that I’m afraid I won’t see it in my lifetime. After all, if you are a baseball nut, you understand statistics. And, statistically speaking, I’ve got 20 years left, tops. So the M’s front office better get straightened out, and straightened out in a hurry. If they don't, I intend to stick around after my life’s last pitch and haunt Safeco, a ghost that smells of garlic fries and stale beer, wandering the offices of the franchise's executives. It’s not much but it’s the only way I can think of motivating Howard Lincoln, Kevin Mather and the Mariner brain trust to do something, anything, to give the Northwest baseball fan a World Series ring. They have them in Toronto, they have them in Tampa, they have them in Phoenix for goodness sakes. It’s time to get one in Seattle. Past time.

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• WSU: The Pac-12 coaches meet the media on Tuesday via a conference call – that’s a couple hours a week I don’t miss – and that leads to notebooks around the conference. Jacob Thorpe has his, focusing on the emergence of key freshmen. ... Jacob also has his Pac-12 power ranking and coverage from Tuesday’s practice. There are also videos of interviews with Mike Leach and Clay McGuire. Finally, there is the morning post with links. ... There are other Pac-12 notebooks as well, with other subjects, including Cal’s defensive improvement. The Bears’ offense has been good the past couple years. ... Stanford likes being the underdog against USC. ... Utah will have a new quarterback this week.

• Gonzaga: The Bulldogs are looking for their first win of the season over a top-25 opponent. Jim Meehan has that and more in his weekly college volleyball notebook.

• EWU: The 0-2 start and all the injuries isn’t inducing panic in Cheney. There is no time for it. Montana State comes to town Saturday for a non-conference game. Jim Allen has more in this story and this morning blog post with Big Sky links.

• Preps: Tuesday features volleyball and soccer action in the GNL. We have a roundup.

• Seahawks: If there is too much Kam Chancellor noise for you – should the Hawks change their stance or not? – then cleanse the palette with this funny story about Russell Wilson and his innocuous tweets. ... The snap counts from Sunday revealed some interesting aspects of Kris Richard’s defense. ... The Hawks passed the ball a lot last week, 41 times actually, a Wilson career high, and that didn’t set well with some people. One of Campbell Soup’s best-known spokespersons wants the OC fired. Everyone’s a critic. Besides, it should change this week. ... Speaking of criticism, the offensive line’s grades were awful.

• Mariners: Even the ace of the staff has his nemesis, and that would be Mike Trout. The Angels’ outfielder took Felix Hernandez deep in the M’s 4-3 loss. ... The M’s will shuffle its starting rotation to give some guys rest and others – James Paxton – more opportunities to prove themselves. ... The Dodgers and Rockies set some records last night that may never be broken.

• Sounders: Injuries are a part of sports. But it seems as if the Sounders have had more than their share. Heck, even their head coach has been out a while. ... One of the teams chasing the Sounders, San Jose, ends a long homestand with a match it should win. ... The power rankings seem to indicate Seattle should make the playoffs.

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• It’s not too long now. We’re closer to the weekend and to football games. Maybe everyone in the area will win this weekend. Hey, it could happen. It's not likely, but probably more likely than the M's winning a World Series in my lifetime. Until later ...

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