A Grip on Sports: Our father’s small business taught a lot of lessons – including how to deliver on Christmas Eve

A GRIP ON SPORTS • My father worked in the newspaper industry, making sure whatever was written and printed the night before landed in customers’ driveways early in the morning. It was a good living, though the hours were awful.

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• My dad owned his business. That’s the way the system worked then for the L.A. Times and people like him. He bought the papers from the Times, worked through the night to get them on the doorsteps and collected the subscription fee.

He made enough to feed the family and help three kids go to college, though in the late 1970s, a federal court ruled the arrangement ran afoul of antitrust laws. People like dad could not charge whatever they wanted for the paper. The Times set the subscription cost. With the ruling, the whole system fell apart.

Why am I mentioning this today? Mainly because, as a small-business owner, dad basically worked 365 days a year. Including Christmas Day. Always Christmas Day, because there was no way all of his dozen or so carriers were going to show up that day. So dad filled in. (Me too, if needed, after I got to be about 12 or so.)

Which meant we rarely opened presents on Christmas morning. Christmas Eve it was. Occasionally followed by midnight mass, but that’s another story. Let’s focus on Christmas Eve. Presents. Early gifts.

Like I’m going to hand out on this Christmas Eve.

• To Washington State and athletic director Anne McCoy: No, not a winning MegaMillions lottery ticket, though that would help her department a lot. Instead, the perfect football coach. Someone who loves Pullman, enjoys being a Cougar, adores a challenge and will settle in for at least 20 years. Sorry, but his identity will have to remain a secret, as to not ruin the surprise when McCoy makes her announcement. You’ll just have to shake the present and try to guess whose name is contained within.

• To Jed Collins, my favorite fullback when I was covering the Cougs and now the co-chairman of the Cougar Collective: Visits by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. Not for you Jed. But for Jody Allen. And all the ghosts carry the same message. Fund WSU’s athletic collective to the tune of $1 million more per year than whatever Phil Knight gives Oregon. Become the golden-est of golden gooses in college athletics. Heck, WSU will name a building after her, her brother Paul and anyone else she might want.

• To Mark Few: The perfect speech to say in the Gonzaga locker room before Saturday’s game with UCLA in Steve Ballmer’s new L.A. palace. Not only will this faux “Miracle” sermon galvanize the Zags on this day, but for the rest of the season. It will bring about the melding of a disparate but complimentary group and allow them to make a run that culminates in Few’s first NCAA title.

• To all the Mariner fans I know: Ballmer. Well, not him per se, but his focus. A shift from the Clippers – really, Steve, the Clippers? That’s like Microsoft buying AOL or something – to the Mariners. Sending John Stanton et al an offer they can’t refuse. Buying the team and investing in success, not profits.

• To John Schneider: The New York Giants’ first pick in the 2025 draft in a trade that includes DK Metcalf and seven picks. And, no, he can’t use it on Travis Hunter. A quarterback would be nice.

• To Whitworth: Rod Sandberg’s signature on an unbreakable 10-year contract. The Pirates have the right guy in charge of their football program. He has earned the right to be there as long as he wants. And the school deserves to have someone who can continue to build the program. Build a program that can win more than one or two games some year in the NCAA playoffs. Sandberg is the guy.

• To Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould: An email right after the first of the year from Jonathan Levin. It will state Stanford’s new president has found a loophole in the school’s agreement with the ACC. The Cardinal can get out of it. And he wants the school to come home. Back to Gould’s re-forming conference. But there is one condition. She has to promise to never add those yahoos from Berkeley.  

• To everyone who reads this column: Whatever your heart desires. You’ve earned it. Well, that and my undying gratitude.

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WSU: What are you doing Friday night? We’ll be watching a bunch of guys wearing Washington State uniforms face No. 22 Syracuse in the Holiday Bowl. No, it is not the same group that won eight of its first nine games this season. Heck it’s not even the same group that finished 8-4. But it will be representing the school, no matter who is on the field or doing the coaching. Greg Woods has his first look at the game. … The Cougars lost a quarterback recruit to Wake Forest. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Jon Wilner has his Best of the West men’s basketball rankings, with 22nd-ranked – nationally – UCLA No. 1 and No. 14 Gonzaga in the second spot. He has WSU 11th and Oregon State 14th. … Did you know Notre Dame is making bank in this CFP? … We’ve mentioned the ruling in the Diego Pavia case. The NCAA responded to it yesterday. It appealed but also gave in, adding a year of eligibility to JC athletes for next season. … That could have an impact for Washington, Oregon State and maybe Oregon. … The Ducks face a rematch in the Rose Bowl. It will not be easy to top Ohio State twice in the same season. Dan Lanning knows that. So does Ryan Day. … Is there a more talented team than Texas? Arizona State may just find out in the Peach Bowl. … Stewart Mandel has a mailbag in The Athletic. … John Canzano has one as well. … Colorado is in San Antonio for the Alamo Bowl. … Utah has picked up a lot of players from the portal. Here are the best. … Arizona State’s quarterback is not surprised at his or his team’s success. … Among the future Pac-12 members in the Mountain West, Boise State is used to being the underdog. … Fresno State lost in Boise last night but the real loser was ESPN. … Utah State had a better year than expected. … Yes, Colorado State has a new defensive coordinator. … In basketball news, Seattle U. upset Washington’s men last night, snapping a long losing streak in the series. … Oregon moved up to ninth in the A.P. Poll. … Oregon State rallied to win again in Hawaii and will play for the tournament championship. … The Utah State road win over Saint Mary’s was built on key elements. … San Diego State moved up three spots in the latest poll.

Gonzaga: The Associated Press men’s basketball poll was released early Monday. The Zags, who easily won twice last week, dropped a spot to 14th, jumped by Oklahoma. Jim Meehan has more in this story.

EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, Montana State will play for another FCS title early next month. The Bozeman paper is going to look back at the three other ones the schools has won. Today it is 1976. … Montana’s 2025 schedule is worth looking at already. … In basketball news, the Northern Arizona men handled Southern Utah.  

Seahawks: For the Hawks to still make the playoffs, they will need to win twice and get some help. Mainly from Arizona on Saturday night against the Rams in L.A. … We can pass along another column ripping into the Seahawks’ faithless fans. … Mike Macdonald is in Geno Smith’s corner. At least for now. … Who will be carrying the ball this week?

Mariners: Now that the decent free agent first basemen are all off the market, where do the M’s turn? If it is to Ty France, along with a declaration Dan Wilson and Edgar Martinez can turn back the clock to early 2022 for France, we’re out. Done.

Kraken: Coach Dan Bylsma has an extensive library of self-help books. He’s more than willing to share them with his players. Wonder if any of them have a sure-fire way to break a long losing streak?

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• Just a reminder. No column tomorrow. Enjoy your Christmas. We’ll be back Thursday. Until then …