A Grip on Sports: One week until Olympic competitions start but there is still time to take a deep breath and relax
A GRIP ON SPORTS • There is a lot to be said for taking a break in the middle of July. And not just for professional baseball players, who get a much longer breather these days. With the Olympics starting, other sports have some time off as well. Maybe the WNBA’s players who aren’t in Paris will head to our area.
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• Really, why not? Yes, it is hot. A bit breezy at times. And there is the constant threat of wildfire smoke making it tough to breath. But a week or two sailing on Lake Pend Oreille is enough to rejuvenate anyone who has been traveling and playing and dealing with a different hotel room for weeks on end.
Why not? After all, you can watch the Olympics on your TV at a lake resort as well as anywhere. Or, if it is your preference, at a pub or public house. Then again, there is home. No place like it. Laz-e-Boy, couch or camped on the floor, sitting in front of whatever screen you have access to is a great way to while away a couple late July, early August hours.
It beats pulling weeds. Or fixing the roof. Or any number of chores.
• Why the Olympic thoughts? The Games start one week from today. Wait, what? Aren’t the opening ceremonies July 26, a week from Friday. Why yes, they are. But time, and tight schedules, wait for no one, including the folks who had to pull together the myriad sports, juggle TV time and get everything done by Aug. 11.
We’re sure NBC wanted to kick off the main coverage on a weekend, thus the opening pageantry a couple days after soccer and rugby matches jump start the athletic competitions.
• Between now and then – for planning purposes, the U.S. men’s teams play host France in soccer and rugby on July 24 – there will be plenty to keep us busy. Though the next few days, until baseball returns Friday, is always a chore.
Today is something of a desert, with the U.S. men’s basketball team playing Serbia in another exhibition, the NBA summer league winding down, the WNBA’s last game before the break and, in the outdoor ranks, the Seattle Sounders hosting St. Louis on AppleTV (7:30 p.m.).
Oh, and the Open, golf’s oldest major, starts in Scotland.
• Washington State took some time yesterday to officially introduce Anne McCoy as its new athletic director. Seemed a bit redundant to us, as she’s been holding down the job for months, been in Pullman for a couple decades and is about as probably as well-known these days as Butch.
Still, McCoy got one more chance to go before the media and discuss what’s up with the Cougars about two weeks before they officially become one of only two members of the Pac-12.
One thing the veteran WSU administrator said seemed new. She anticipates the Cougars identifying their conference path forward by this time next year. Whether that is a restructured Pac-12 or something, or somewhere, else, McCoy didn’t say. Mainly because there is no way to know. Not now, anyway.
Despite a desire for every Cougar in creation (and Oregon State fan too) for certainty, there are too many variables still in play for that to happen. Heck, the ACC is involved with so much litigation with Florida State and Clemson, it takes a law degree and a database just to keep up.
But Tuesday’s introductory event did bring more certainty in one regard. Washington State made the right choice to lead the department.
• OK, baseball’s All-Star Game. Or, as it should be called, the National League’s Midsummer Beatdown.
Since 1988, the American League has won 28 of the 36 games played. The National League has won seven. And there was the one infamous tie in 2002.
Pretty dominating performance. But it gets worse. The A.L. has won 11 of the last 12. It won 5-3 last night in Arlington, with the National’s only runs coming courtesy of Shohei Ohtani’s three-run home run.
It was nice the of A.L. to lend Ohtani to the Dodgers in hopes of making a game of it, but it didn’t happen.
All this is odd for us. When we were growing up and our brain patterns were being set in stone, the National League dominated. Won 23 of 26 games from 1960 to 1982. Had most of the great players. Played harder. And won.
No more. Even if the outcome isn’t as important. If you are an N.L. fan.
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WSU: We start with Greg Woods’ coverage of the McCoy media event. It was also a celebration of her new job for those folks who work in the athletic department. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and the nation, we linked Jon Wilner’s basketball Mt. Rushmore column yesterday from the Mercury News. Here it is in the S-R. … The Oregonian’s football numbers countdown continues, with No. 46 for Oregon and Oregon State. … An Oregon player’s hit-and-run trial has been scheduled. … Deion Sanders is “excited” about Colorado’s new coordinators. Let’s check back in late October. … Washington introduced its new baseball coach Tuesday. … Cal has produced a multitude of Olympic swimming stars. And may have more this year. … It’s possible Stanford’s star softball pitcher will not actually transfer as the Cardinal work on an NIL deal to keep her.
Gonzaga: Yes, the Olympics are coming. And Mark Few is on the U.S. bench. Jim Meehan checked in with Few once more for another in the series on his Olympic journey. … Luka Krajnovic is headed home. As Jim tells us, the one-year Gonzaga guard will play in Serbia this year. … Theo Lawson is checking out of Las Vegas. His last story before returning to the Inland Northwest? Coverage of Julian Strawther checking out of the NBA summer league. After two dominating games, the Nuggets shut down Strawther. They had seen enough.
EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, Montana State will have an indoor football practice facility in the near future. … Who will play quarterback for Idaho State this fall? … The honors keep rolling in for UC Davis football players this month. … A couple of Weber State men’s basketball players are playing internationally this summer. … A Northern Colorado athlete has done something few conference folks have done: win a Pan-Am gold medal.
Preps: Yes, we know there are more high school athletes in California than any state. But the sheer number of those who are transferring hit us hard. We had to pass it along.
Seahawks: Bob Condotta’s roster rankings in the Times continues. Today he covers 75 through 61. … We can also pass along one thought on each position group.
Mariners: The M’s draft finished up, with the franchise looking for electric arms and college experience. … Is Andres Munoz the nastiest pitcher in baseball? There is a case to be made even if he didn’t get into last night’s game. … Did you hate the National Anthem at the Home Run Derby? The woman who sang it is headed to rehab. She went public with a drinking problem. … It’s quite possible Emerson Hancock will be an ex-Mariner soon. But can anyone trust Jerry Dipoto to get the right bat in return? We’re not sure about that. … The N.L. starter last night, Paul Skenes, is the type of player not only the league needs but baseball overall as well. … Hate the All-Star uniforms? You are not alone. They may disappear in 2025. … Sacramento will have artificial turf in the A’s home next season. MLB picked it. And is sure the turf will be able to handle the California heat.
Kraken: Not just Seattle’s first-round draft pick played in the WHL last season. So did another one. … The sheer number of players at the Kraken’s prospect camp bodes well for the future.
Storm: Nneka Ogwumike returned to Los Angeles, led Seattle to an 89-80 victory and helped the Storm head into the All-Star and Olympic breaks with the league’s third-best record. … A Sue Bird Barbie? Yes, there is one.
Sounders: Seattle is hitting its stride. It’s about time.
Golf: Rory McIlroy is an angry man as he heads into the Open. His hometown hopes he channels that into success.
Olympics: The U.S. women’s national soccer team needs to find its scoring touch in Paris. It didn’t have it last night in a friendly match with Costa Rica. … The U.S. men’s volleyball team has a coach with multiple NCAA titles at UCLA. Is that a good enough resume?
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• By the way, if you are wondering how there were 26 All-Star games during the National League’s dominating run in the 1960s and 1970s, it’s simple. It was at the birth of the players’ pension fund and the owners didn’t want to fund it to the degree needed. An extra All-Star game was added for a few years, with the express purpose of funding the thing. And if you think the owners’ greed has dissipated since then, we have a ballpark in Oakland we would like to sell you. Until later …