Grip on Sports: Zunino’s annual trip to Tacoma seems to have been just the ticket
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Do the Mariners have a mad scientist stashed away in Tacoma’s clubhouse, a guy whose best work is saved for Mike Zunino? Seems that way. Read on.
••••••••••
• As Andy would say, hope is the best of things Red. And there probably isn’t a Mariner fan alive who doesn’t hope this is the Mike Zunino they will see forever.
Sorry, but it’s an unrealistic dream. Mainly because Zunino has just been too good since returning May 23 from his annual fix-it trip to Tacoma.
How good? How about a .338 average, nine home runs and 28 RBIs. In less than a month.
He’s been so good he’s got a shot at Edgar Martinez’s club record of 33 RBIs in a month. (OK, Edgar and Mike Blowers, but everything in Seattle is Edgar-centric, right? There is no Blowers Lane or Blowersville is there?)
Zunino hit two, two-run home runs last night in the nationally televised 6-2 win over the Tigers and now has 26 runs batted in in June. There are still 11 days left in the month.
That’s good.
• Yesterday, we forgot one winner or loser from the U.S. Open. It’s us. And I’m not sure which category we are in.
The last seven majors have been won by first-time winners. Guys who hadn’t won a major before. Such a stretch was unheard of in the day of Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Wood. You know, when there was a dominant golfer. A guy everyone expected – feared? – would win. And they did seemingly once a year.
There is no one like that now. The walk to the winner’s ceremony is wide open. No one is in the way. So a Sergio Garcia or Brooks Koepka can walk through.
Is that better? Do you enjoy the uncertainty or would you rather have a hero, or villain, to root for, or against?
The TV ratings would seem to indicate we don’t. Sunday’s ratings were not good, but there may be more involved. The average golf fan may not like Fox’s coverage and that could be hurting ratings a bit.
But the action on the course should overpower that. We don’t have a Tiger or Jack to focus attention. It’s spread everywhere, mainly on younger guys who haven’t been in the national consciousness all that long.
Of course it didn’t help when the top three-ranked golfers in the world, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day, all miss the cut. And then Jordan Spieth can’t get going on the weekend.
So another first-time major champion emerged.
•••
WSU: Ernie Kent has revamped his coaching staff this offseason and added another component yesterday. Jacob Thorpe has the story. … Around the Pac-12, Oregon State rolled the bus over LSU, routing the Tigers 13-1 in a game that featured the first grand slam in the new college World Series ballpark. … The best story today, maybe anywhere, is this Jon Wilner examination of recent comments by the outgoing leader of the Pac-12 Networks. Some of her comments were insulting to anyone who has had to endure late-night starts to root on their team live. … With a new coach comes turnover. Two players are leaving Oregon. … Arizona State received a needed commitment from a linebacker. … A Colorado basketball player is waiting for the NBA draft.
Gonzaga: The NBA draft is Thursday. Everyone knows Zach Collins will go in the first round and Nigel Williams-Goss will probably be selected some time. But what about the seniors, Przemek Karnowski and Jordan Mathews? Jim Meehan catches up with them before the big day and discusses their future.
Indians: Maybe a precedent has been set. Maybe this is the season the Indians rally back often and win games in their last at-bat. Maybe. At least they did it last night, scoring twice in the bottom of the ninth to get past Boise, 7-6, at Avista. Whitney Ogden has the story. … Elsewhere in the Northwest League, Hillsboro and Vancouver won on the road.
Hoopfest: It’s hard to keep a Hoopfest streak alive. I know. I played in the first 15 or so, then had to hang it up. (No one wanted to play with me, for obvious reasons.) But Jim Allen has a story on a guy who is going to extra-ordinary lengths to keep his streak alive.
Mariners: There is something about Safeco Field that seems to energize the M’s. The 6-2 win continues a solid home season. … Lloyd McClendon used to be in the other dugout in Seattle. Now he’s with Detroit. He’s fine with that. … The Tigers are sinking in the American League Central and their pitching may be part of the reason. … Neither Hisashi Iwakuma nor Jean Segura really stood out in their rehab assignments last night.
Sounders: Seattle is back at it at home Wednesday night and will have a new lineup. … An anniversary passed quietly over the weekend. Art Thiel didn’t miss it though.
•••
• The next few days might be somewhat hit and miss with this column. Some personal – read, family – duties may interfere. I’ll try to keep you informed. Until later …