A Grip on Sports: If only the Mariners’ record was a mirror image of reality, we could be looking forward to the rest of the season
A GRIP ON SPORTS • We arose early enough to watch the men’s final from Wimbledon. But there is too much to get done for that. Nope, we have to spend our time wondering about the fortunes of the Seattle Mariners.
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• Exercise is important. So when we hit the treadmill last night, we wanted to have a reason to stay on it for a bit longer than usual. The perfect solution? Turn on the Mariners’ game with the Angels and watch it until the end.
No, we weren’t planning on walking a marathon. It was already the sevent inning. And the M’s already were where we have come to expect them to be. The score was 9-2 in favor of the Angels, though we didn’t know that at first.
The treadmill we were walking upon faced away from the TV. So we were watching the game in a mirror. So the score was bit hard to decipher. The two looked a lot like a five and the nine? With the graphics used by whomever was doing the Angels’ broadcast, it looked almost like a zero. In other words, with the sound almost intelligible in the workout room, I was under the illusion the M’s were actually leading.
We were through the looking glass here people.
And let me tell you, it’s a fun place to be. I walked in willful ignorance for a few minutes until the actually score filtered through the cacophony of sound. It was a glorious few minutes. But reality is an even worse bummer after the fantasy of, you know, an actual late-game lead against an American League West opponent.
Oh, well. At least I got a few thousand steps in.
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Gonzaga: Another in a long list of injuries, a sprained ankle in his first workout for an NBA team, might be just what Killian Tillie and the Zags really needed. Tillie is back, ready to supply the senior leadership next season’s GU team will need. John Blanchette spoke with him this week and has this column. … Rui Hachimura is no longer a teammate, as he tries to mold his future in Las Vegas, all the while representing Japan on basketball’s highest stage. … Nigel Williams-Goss is also headed to the NBA, as he will reportedly sign a three-year deal with Utah. Jim Meehan has more in this story. … Brandon Clarke teamed with former Eastern star Tyler Harvey to lead Memphis into the summer league’s semifinals.
WSU: Around the Pac-12, Colorado has its football star. Now it wants respect.
EWU: On the eve of the Big Sky Conference football media days in downtown Spokane, two Eastern players, Dehonta Hayes and Keith Moore were shot Saturday. Will Campbell has more on the shooting and notes an Eastern spokesman says both players should make a full recovery. … As for the media event, Ryan Collingwood has a preview. … Four EWU athletes were honored by the conference. That’s part of our local notebook.
Indians: Three Spokane pitchers combined on a 4-0 shutout of host Tri-City. … Elsewhere in the Northwest League, the M’s top draft pick was sharp in his Everett debut as the Aquasox won. … Eugene picked up a win as well.
Mariners: As we said, for the second consecutive night, the Angels pounded the Mariner pitching staff. No amount of noise and mirrors could cover that up forever. … Dave Nichols takes over the Out of Right Field column chores for this week and he takes a look into the future. … Speaking of the M’s future, will Domingo Santana be a part of it?
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• We have a busy Sunday planned. It should be fun. But, all in all, it’s easy to be jealousy of the weather forecast in Spokane when you are in a place where the high temperature will be 20 degrees warmer. By the way, as I prepare this for publication, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are tied in the first set. Until later …