A Grip on Sports: From a new Seahawk coach to an awful injury to the end of an era, good and bad news abounds

A GRIP ON SPORTS • New eras can be fun. Or a pain in the neck. All we know for certain when they begin is one of those two will happen. And it will take time to reveal which. With that, we give you the Mike Macdonald Era in Seattle.

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• Funny that. The Seattle area has gone through two new football eras in the past few weeks. The Huskies’ success led to the first changeover – from Kalen DeBoer to Jedd Fisch – and the Seahawks’ lack-of-the-same has led to the second – from Pete Carroll to Macdonald.

Can we settle in for a while?

In Macdonald, there is a chance for a long-term comingling. After all, the Ravens’ former defensive coordinator is only 36 years old. That’s young in just about every career, though promoting someone to the main chair has been trending younger in every major sport. The NFL is no different.

But just because it’s a trend doesn’t mean it’s a roadmap to success. Or failure. Macdonald will either be a success or a failure based on a lot of factors, though most of them may not reside in his office. That’s a big difference from the last guy who had his stuff on the desk.

Never forget Carroll hired John Schneider, the guy who did all the roster work. The two, as Dave Boling explains today in The Spokesman-Review, worked together in a way that is relatively unheard of in the league. That relationship laid the groundwork for the unprecedented success – and the long fall from such heights.

Now Macdonald will be working for Schneider. Dependent on him to find players that fit his wants, his tendencies, his goals. There has to be collaboration. Success or failure will not solely rest in Macdonald’s hands.

Hopefully, the relationship will come together seamlessly. So will the roster rebuild. And the Hawks will once again rise to the top of the league, becoming the next Patriot-like dynasty.

That’s the type of era Jody Allen is envisioning, right, when she kicked Carroll to the curb? Not the Tom Flores-version of it.  

• We hate bad news. Hate it in our own life and in others. In sports, too. But there was bad news floating around the area Wednesday. From Pullman. The Cougars’ best basketball player, Charlisse Leger-Walker, tore her right ACL against UCLA on Sunday. Her season, and possibly her Washington State career, is over.

Such injuries happen way too often. Among women athletes most of all. They are two-to-eight times more likely to happen to them, according to many studies, though the reasons are still unclear.

What is clear, though, is Leger-Walker suffered her injury planting while attempting a breakaway layup. There was no contact. It could have happened anytime, anywhere. And it’s going to cost her not only this season but hours and hours of her future, as she undergoes months and months of rehabilitation following surgery. It’s a stiff price for playing a game she loves and plays with such passion.

It’s why we hate such news with a similar passion.

• Can we balance that with good news? We’re not sure it ever really balances out but we can share some. The Pebble Beach Pro-Am starts today (first on the Golf Channel, over the weekend on CBS). Golf the way it was meant to be, with striking ocean-side vistas and a bunch of your crazy friends making fools of themselves. Bill Murray, Ray Romano, Macklemore, Nate Bargatze, Michael Peña. The joy of missing shots contrasted with the joy of making them. It’s been a tradition ever since Spokane’s own Bing Crosby invented the celebrity pro-am setup more than 90 years ago.

But wait. You know how pro golf is evolving in this post-LIV world? Well, that joyful weekend we’ve come to love has been made extinct. No giant meteor to blame. Just money. Greed. Oh, there is a pro-am during this gussied-up tournament. But it’s ancillary. And the celebrities of old have been axed. No Murray. No antics. Pro athletes, sure. Corporate guests. But none of even them on the weekend, when most of the world takes notice.

At least there is still Pebble Beach, one of the great golf courses. And Pebble Beach weather. Maybe it will be especially potent this year. After all, even the Big Guy probably enjoyed watching Bill Murray interact with golf fans. And he might just be ticked off.

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WSU: The Leger-Walker news dominates, of course. Greg Lee has all the details in this story, which we linked above as well. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and the nation, Jon Wilner has his Best of the West ranking in the S-R. The Cougars enter the rankings at No. 12, with Gonzaga still at No. 8. … We can pass along this Pac-12 women’s power ranking from the Mercury News. WSU remains at No. 7 despite topping UCLA in Pauley. The Leger-Walker injury plays a role in that. … Colorado is trying to stay in the national hunt during a grinding midseason stretch. … Utah may be ranked 20th but it has a lot of questions to answer. … One of UCLA’s best players isn’t playing right now and no one will say why. … Oregon and Oregon State play Sunday. When will they play again? … On the men’s side, Oregon heads to L.A. First up is USC and its bevy of freshmen. … Oregon State recently honored its 1963 Final Four team. Even we are too young to remember them. … Two Colorado guards are working toward next season already. … The Bruins have turned things around, partly by being better teammates. … Arizona’s road struggles aren’t unusual. Luckily for them, the 11th-ranked Wildcats host California tonight. … Tommy Lloyd recently opened up about a buddy and cancer. … Arizona State has lost the momentum from its hot conference start. … In football news, we can pass along an Athletic mailbag that covers a lot of national issues, including the NCAA’s newest Quixotic quest, stopping boosters from using NIL in recruiting. … One retirement changed so many West Coast programs and so many assistant coaches’ lives. … The Senior Bowl, loaded with transfers, has the power to help quarterbacks like Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr. and other players, mainly from Oregon. … Speaking of transfers, the Huskies added another one from Arizona. … The Ducks added a speedy safety. And promoted an assistant coach. … How will Arizona State do next season in the Big 12?

Gonzaga: Before we start focusing on Saturday’s showdown in the Kennel with Saint Mary’s, which held off Santa Clara last night, we have to look back one last time on Tuesday’s blowout of Loyola Marymount. Jim Meehan has the honors. … Jim also shares the news Anton Watson is among 10 candidates for the Julius Erving Award, given to the best small forward. … Greg returns with a women’s basketball notebook, beginning with a look at Maud Huijbens’ contributions for Gonzaga this season. … Elsewhere in the WCC, we have this story on the Gaels’ 82-77 home win over the Broncos. Saint Mary’s led 44-22 at half. … Augustas Marciulionis has been on a heater for the Gaels.

Preps: There was a rivalry event last night, the one pitting Cheney and Rogers. Cheney won both games. Dave Nichols has that and more in this roundup.

EWU: There was a method in David Riley’s tough nonconference scheduling madness. OK, it wasn’t madness, actually. It was preparation. For weeks like the one ahead. Dan Thompson has that and more in this notebook. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Montana State’s women have had to tap their depth recently. … Weber State’s Dillon Jones is up for the same national award as GU’s Watson.

Indians: There is no change at the top of Spokane’s on-field staff this summer, with manager Robinson Cancel and bench coach Joe Mikulik set to return. But, as Dave tells us, there were other changes. The Rockies announced the entire staff yesterday.

Seahawks: We linked Dave Boling’s column above and do so again here in case you skipped over our blathering. If that is the case, what the heck are you doing here, man? … The links. OK, we get it. We have those concerning Macdonald’s hiring as well. He is a defensive guy, which means fewer changes, maybe.

Kraken: Losing in the NHL isn’t just losing. There are good losses and bad ones. It all has to do with how you lose. And if you get points in the standings for it.

Mariners: We can pass along more on the recent trade.

Sounders: Seattle won its preseason opener. And the Reign purchase is moving along.

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• When the Hawks hired Carroll away from USC, we were well aware of his resume. Knew his history inside and out. That’s not where we are with Macdonald. So, we have to withhold any judgment. Not that we wouldn’t like to join the cacophony of opinions out there. He’s had success in Baltimore. That’s good. He’s also not extremely experienced. That’s not as good. But neither were many recent successful NFL coaches. The Hawks’ roster needs upgrades. That’s something we do know. We’ll focus on that over the next few months. Until later …