Grip on Sports: Just shrug, say ‘that’s baseball’ and get ready for Tampa
A GRIP ON SPORTS • If there was ever a term invented for what happened to the Mariners last night in Houston, “that’s baseball” is it. Nothing more is needed. Read on.
••••••••••
• Juan Nicasio seemed to have figured out his May problems and entered the M’s showdown with the Astros last night having yielded next-to-nothing in his past eight outings. Last night, working the seventh inning of a game Seattle once trailed 3-1 but now led 4-3, he needed three outs. Do that and the contest would be in the hands of Alex Colome and Edwin Diaz, two of the better closers in the American League.
And Nicasio made some great pitches. Yet, the Astros won, 7-5. How?
George Springer looked all out of sorts on a low-and-away, 1-2 slider and dunked it into right field for a double. It was a great pitch, an awful swing and still Houston, which finds itself in second place in the American League West, had runners on second and third – No. 9 hitter Tony Kemp had led off the inning with a single – with nobody out.
That’s baseball.
Nicasio regrouped and got up 1-2 on Alex Bregman. Another slider out of the strike zone. Another defensive swing. Another poorly struck ball. This one got past Nicasio but didn’t get out of the infield. And yet Kemp scored and Bregman reached first. The game was tied.
That’s baseball.
Nicasio had to regroup again. Against Jose Altuve, Nicasio decided to stick with his heater, but didn’t challenge one of baseball’s best hitters. Still, Altuve, who looks to be too small to drive on the Autopia at Disneyland, found the left-field grass with the out-of-the-strike-zone pitch. The Astros led, 5-4.
That’s baseball.
And it’s also baseball that Dan Altavilla couldn’t stem the rally and Houston salted the game away with a four-run seventh inning. Rallies ignited by bloopers and flares are hard to stop. It’s death by a thousand pin pricks. And it’s just the way baseball is.
• The Golden State Warriors are up 3-0 in their NBA Finals series with Cleveland after Wednesday night’s 110-102 win in Ohio. Two of the final four games are in the Bay Area. The world is conceding the title to Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and the crew.
But there is a part of me that wonders if this isn’t the setup for LeBron James to wrest the title of greatest NBA player of all time out of Michael Jordan’s hands. You know, a lone star taking an overmatched team on his back and willing them to four consecutive victories and the title.
Just because it hasn’t happened before doesn’t mean it can’t happen. The 2004 New York Yankees know that. And if James can carry the Cavs to the greatest comeback ever, he’ll have done something no one else has ever done – and super-glued a place in history.
•••
Gonzaga: The pairings are set for Few Good Men in The Basketball Tournament’s Hoopfest pod. Jim Meehan has more on the other three teams in the pod as well as starting times. … The final day of baseball’s draft included a Gonzaga standout and other area players. Dave Nichols summarizes the last day. … Larry Weir touches on the Gonzaga news in his latest Press Box podcast.
WSU: Hercules Mata’afa, who was undrafted after leaving Washington State, was turning heads during Minnesota’s OTA’s. In fact, one observer called him basically unblockable from the defensive end spot. But Mata’afa’s quest to make the Vikings was cut short yesterday when he tore his ACL during a workout. … Around the Pac-12, the turnover in the presidents’ and chancellors’ offices in the conference has been somewhat unprecedented recently. That has an impact on athletics. … Washington’s Mike Hopkins is doing a nice thing. Except he picked the wrong company to do it with. Never forget who sold out the Sonics. … There is some football news to pass along, including Arizona receiving a commitment from a highly rated quarterback, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham handing out praise for his quarterback, Colorado looking to new faces on its offensive line and some wondering if the Pac-12’s bowl rules are strict enough. … There is baseball news as well, as Oregon State, one of two conference teams still playing, get ready to host Minnesota in a Super Regional three-game series.
EWU: The Eagles’ basketball roster on the women’s side needed replenishing this offseason and Wendy Schuller did just that. Jim Allen, who is leaving the Eastern beat for the newsside, looks at the five incoming players EWU announced yesterday. The Eagles will have eight new players next season.
Preps: Former Mead standout Andrew Gardner will compete in Friday’s NCAA steeplechase final.
Mariners: The 7-5 loss means the Mariners fall to 38-23 and their lead in the West is cut to just a game. Neither of those things would have been expected a couple months ago. … Robinson Cano’s injured hand is healing while he’s suspended. … As we mentioned above, baseball’s draft ended yesterday.
Seahawks: Mike Solari expects different results from the Hawks’ offensive line. So does everyone.
Sounders: The Sacramento newspaper called Republic FC’s 2-1 U.S. Open Cup over the Sounders “a stunning upset.” Sounders fans know better. In fact, many of them are thankful Seattle scored last night.
•••
• If this wasn’t a sports column, today’s subject probably would have been about the hypocrisy and double standards in our society. But that’s better served in another forum. So how about them M’s? Until later …