A Grip on Sports: We’re sure the Mariners won’t be the only thing that will make us laugh and cry this weekend
A GRIP ON SPORTS • When we look outside on a day like this, we wonder whether anyone is reading what we are pounding out on the keyboard. It’s so beautiful, the idea of sitting in front of a computer seems foreign. Then we realize people read such columns on their phone all the time and such devices work even in the middle of the forest. So we soldier on, hoping our thoughts on sports aren’t interrupted by Pepe LePew’s third cousin or Boo Boo’s long-lost sibling.
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• We sat down last night and watched the first inning of the Mariner game. Turned out, that’s all we needed to view. The M’s batted around in the bottom of the inning, Yusei Kikuchi and the bullpen made it stand up and they won 5-1.
Considering the opponent – Tampa Bay – and the excellence of their play, it may have been the Mariners’ best game of the season. And it raised their record back to .500.
This isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement but what if Seattle actually is, well, OK? Not great, not awful but OK? Is that enough to get you interested? Maybe not. After all, a baseball game can be a four-hour investment. Time is money, as they say, but it is actually more important than that. Investing a huge part of your day in a losing enterprise doesn’t seem wise. Unless, of course, you get as lucky as we did Friday night. And the inning you watch turns out to be the only important one.
• If you are wondering where we went afterward, it’s simple. We watched a documentary on The Hulu entitled “The Donut King.” Turns out, we can document in our head having visited at least five of the doughnut shops featured in the doc. Including the Newport Beach Winchells that started the man’s career.
Weird, though. When we mentioned to Kim how it would be great if she wandered out this morning while we were writing and pick up a dozen of the little pieces of heaven, she gave me a look that would have frozen the hottest cup of Dunkin Decaf.
Oh well. Maybe tomorrow.
• Speaking of documentaries, we didn’t expect alums of local colleges to make us cry this weekend, but here we are.
ESPN is going to air another documentary Sunday featuring Steve Gleason, the Gonzaga Prep and Washington State graduate whose battle with ALS has always touched our heart. It’s a Father’s Day-themed film featuring his son Rivers, so there is little chance it won’t hit us hard once again. Our Theo Lawson gives you a sneak preview here.
About 15 years before Gleason graduated Prep, John Stockton did the same. He went on to fame and fortune through basketball, of course, putting Gonzaga University on the map and spending almost two decades with the Utah Jazz. He’s a Spokane icon. Exemplifying traits such as hard work, toughness and an unsurpassed will-to-win, he became a hero to many. Which is why his recent comments included on an anti-vaccine propaganda film seems so out of character. After more than a year of dealing with the pandemic and its toll on so many people who touched our life, the comments make us want to cry. Our Arielle Dreher has more in this story.
• Every person we know at least semi-well that has a connection to Eastern Washington University’s athletic department has been hinting at problems in Cheney for some time. Not just financial ones, but other types as well. Those two worlds have the potential to collide now, considering former women’s basketball coach Wendy Schuller just filed a tort claim asking for $5 million.
That’s a lot of money and not just at Eastern. It would be anywhere. What’s behind the claim? Schuller alleges age and gender discrimination had a role in her recent firing, among other things. There is more, a lot more, in this story from Greg Mason.
There is also probably more, a lot more, going on in the EWU athletic department, run by athletic director Lynn Hickey for the past few years.
Schuller’s firing, coupled with the same outcome for successful soccer coach Chad Bonar, seems to indicate a Columbia River-like current of unrest in the department. One has to wonder how long this can go on at the cash-strapped school before the current starts to run toward making a change at the top.
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WSU: The one story you won’t want to miss concerning Washington State is Theo’s on the Gleason documentary. … If the future is what you want to focus upon, then the Pac-12’s stance about proposed playoff expansion is more in your wheelhouse. We offer Jon Wilner’s take on Larry Scott’s comments yesterday. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and college sports, Oregon native Ryan Crouser broke the world shot put record last night at the Olympic Trials. … In football news, Colorado has a decent budget for its assistants. … Who blew the whistle on Arizona State? … The baseball season is almost over, with Stanford and Arizona ready to begin the College World Series today. The Cardinal face North Carolina State while UA opens with Vanderbilt and its outstanding starting pitching. … On the basketball courts, Colorado begins summer practice.
Gonzaga: James Mwaura didn’t earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. But he did lead the trials’ 10,000-meter race for a few late laps before fading to 14th. … Larry Weir’s latest Press Box podcast features Tom Hudson, which means there is a lot of Zag talk. … We linked this above, but here is Arielle’s story on Stockton’s comments. … Around the WCC, basketball players can be found all over the world. BYU is finding more and more in Africa.
EWU: Schuller’s tort filing is just the first step in a lawsuit or settlement. We linked Greg’s story above but we do it again here.
Indians: For the second consecutive night, Willie MacIver blasted a home run. This one helped Spokane top Tri-City 5-2 in Pasco. Dave Nichols put together this story.
Shock: Spokane hosts the Northern Arizona Wranglers in the Arena and fans will be in the building. That’s just one of the five things Ryan Collingwood feels we should all be on the lookout for tonight. … Around the IFL, the Rattlers face New Mexico and Tucson hosts the Massachusetts Pirates.
Mariners: As we mentioned above, Kikuchi threw well and the offense scored just enough for a 5-1 victory over the Rays. … Justin Dunn is on the injured list. The M’s will go with a five-man rotation for a few weeks.
Seahawks: Bob Condotta tells us what he learned at minicamp this week. It’s a grownup sportswriter’s version of “How I Spent My Summer Vacation.”
Sounders: Raul Ruidiaz wasn’t happy not to be picked for Peru’s national team. He’s using it as motivation. The Sounders should be the recipients of his inspired play. …Craig Waibel has a huge responsibility. He’s charged with keeping Seattle atop of the MLS.
Golf: Richard Bland? Russell Henley? We felt a bit like Paul Newman last night, constantly mumbling, “who are those guys” as we watched the last few minutes of the U.S. Open coverage. No matter. The weekend is here. The stars will re-emerge. Won’t they?
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• With family in town, today is tour-guide day. Tomorrow is Father’s Day. Monday is hope-to-get-a-long-nap day. What’s your schedule like? And, yes, we know it’s not “The Hulu.” It’s a joke people. Until later …