A Grip on Sports: Bobby Wagner speeds around the Hawks’ practice faster than Colorado bolts the Pac-12 and that’s fast

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Half-full or half-empty? Forget that proverbial cup. How about the one we are drinking from today. It’s overflowing. Coffee spilling everywhere. Way too much for even the quicker-picker-upper to save. How odd.

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• Where to begin? We would say Renton, where the Seahawks began preparations for the upcoming NFL season by showcasing a familiar face, but that is so 2020. In this modern age, we may have to begin in some meeting room somewhere.

You know, where the Pac-12’s future is being decided. Or in the room where Jerry Dipoto is working the phones, trying to keep up with the Joneses and, more importantly, the Angels.

• After playing rock-paper-scissors with myself – “Good ol’ rock. Nothing beats that. D’oh!” – we decided to start with the middle of the end of the Pac-12. Or maybe today’s news is just another crack in the conference’s façade that George Kliavkoff will be able to paper over with a bunch of green bills. We shall see.

What we do know for sure is the Buffaloes’ Regents, reportedly due to the urging of yet-to-lead-a-Colorado-game head coach Deion Sanders, will vote to move back to the Big 12 in a special meeting today. And to think, just last week at the football media day in Las Vegas, Kliavkoff seemed confident everyone was still on board.

Reminds me of another old Simpsons’ episode, where fast-talking con-man Lyle Lanley came to Springfield and sold them on a monorail. Then skipped out with the money. Only there may not be a doughnut large enough in Boulder to save the Buffs (or the conference) down the road.

Jon Wilner laid out in great detail why the Big 12 may be better for the Colorado football program – quick summary: Texas and all its high school football players – and why the Pac-12 is better for the university proper – California students. Guess who will win that battle, especially when you’ve hitched your monorail, and future, to a coach who more-than-likely yearns to be coaching in the SEC someday.

• When the Buffs join Big Ten-bound UCLA and USC and leave – the 2024 season has been reported – the Pac-12 will be down to nine members. Maybe.

The key will be if the commissioner can put a media deal in front of the conference’s CEOs that pays enough to keep it together. And whether he can attract suitable replacements – San Diego State, SMU, someone else – to keep the number of games. After gambling the 10 remaining members would stay together long enough to see the finished media deal, it seems Kliavkoff has, like millions of others before him, left Las Vegas without his shirt. And everyone related to the conference will suffer.

• Miss Bobby Wagner last year? We did. As did the Seahawks. But the veteran middle linebacker is back where he belongs, anchoring the Hawks’ defense. There is much more, however, to his presence. He’s the consummate pro. No matter how many years his compadres on defense have in the game, Wagner is still the example they all want to follow.

The weird thing, though? First pick Devon Witherspoon wasn’t at camp yesterday to revel in it. Turns out the cornerback is the only unsigned member of the NFL’s rookie class. That class consists of 259 players. Thanks to the collective bargaining agreement, the amount of Witherspoon’s contract is non-negotiable. Some payments and such are, which must account for the holdout. It should end soon. And needs to. So he can begin learning from the best.

• The Angels made a decision yesterday. They are going for it this year. No Shohei Ohtani trade. They will buy.

That’s not good news for the Mariners, at least this season. Los Angeles is one of four teams they have to leapfrog in the next 60 games to earn a postseason berth. After the Angels traded for starter Lucas Giolito, it seems every team above Seattle will be trading for key pieces, not getting rid of them.

You don’t think the Yankees and Red Sox won’t match the Angels? Or Toronto?

The glove has been thrown down at Dipoto’s feet. Does he pick it up or does he make a dramatic heel-turn and prepare for next year?

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WSU: We linked Greg Wood’s story about Colorado above and here as well. Greg also has this piece on the Cougars’ preseason camp schedule, which begins Aug. 2. We must point out, once again, August is not fall. Just saying. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and the nation, Wilner has more on Colorado in this Mercury News column. He also touches on Tennessee’s recent financially based NCAA punishment and what that means to Arizona State. … As for the Buffs, we can pass along stories from varied sources, from Boulder to Denver, from Sports Illustrated to USA Today and beyond. … Back to football, where Oregon State’s worst-case scenario is not that bad. We also can pass along a few notes about other Beaver sports. … The Washington offense has a chance to be even better. … How would Colorado leaving impact Utah? Other than the short-lived “rivalry” game of course. … Who controls the music at Arizona State practices? … USC’s Bronny James is doing much better. … Caleb Love’s role with Arizona is evolving. … Oregon made a great baseball hire. After all, if a coach is good enough for the West Coast’s best baseball program (in our humble opinion), he’s good enough for Eugene.

Gonzaga: As we get closer to August, the Zags’ non-conference schedule is coming together, as always. Yesterday the school announced a home-and-home series with San Diego State. Theo Lawson has that covered. … That’s for now. For the future? That would be recruits and Theo covers that as well this morning.

EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, Weber State will enter the season with the acknowledged best defensive player.

Indians: Spokane rallied in the late innings but couldn’t get over the hump. Eugene walked it off in the 10th, winning 6-3 on Aeverson Arteaga’s home run. Dave Nichols has more in this story.

Seahawks: Dave Boling has observed most (if not all) of Wagner’s career. There are few better qualified to describe what he means to the Hawks’ defense and locker room. Dave does that with this column. We also linked the column above. … Quandre Diggs isn’t practicing yet. But he can cheer. … Jarran Reed will play a news spot on the defensive line. … There were roster moves just before camp opened.

Mariners: The team may be making Dipoto’s decision harder. Or easier, depending on which way he was leaning. The M’s blasted to an 8-7 get-away day win over host Minnesota and get today off. … As we said, Seattle has to decide what to do despite being in quite possibly the worst spot for that decision. … Julio Rodriguez has made some swing adjustments.

Kraken: Vince Dunn, and his team, are happy with his new four-year contract.

Sounders: Stefan Frei had surgery on an injured finger.

World Cup: A physical match between two good teams ended as it probably should have. With a draw at one. The good news for the U.S. women? They have a bunch of new pieces that must meld together. They also have one key player, Rose Lavelle, who is coming off injury and has to get into shape. Still, they are atop the group and another draw (or win) would move them through.

Golf: Once again the summer’s biggest charity event will be held at the Coeur d’Alene Resort’s golf course. Jim Meehan has this preview of the weekend’s The Showcase. … We loved this story about Lee Westwood and his take on Brian Harman’s win at the Open.

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• Usually Thursdays can be quite boring. Especially Thursdays in July. Not this one. We’re pretty sure tomorrow will be packed as well. As in the Pac-12 and its future. Lots of think pieces coming when Colorado bolts the conference. It has happened as fast as Ralphie runs down her handlers pregame. Until later …