A Grip on Sports: The time has come to talk of many things, though cabbages and kings aren’t among them

A GRIP ON SPORTS • A warm wind blew out of the south through the Inland Northwest last night. Melted snow. Brought rain. And made me think it was time to clear the air a little bit. Start the new work week with a few thoughts on a variety of subjects.

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• Actually, the first thought began growing late Saturday night. With all the changes college athletics have gone through in the past half-decade, is it time to re-think senior days and nights? Or at least alter them in some way?

It just seems weird to me that a player who spends five or, due to an injury, six years at an institution of higher learning, maybe even earns a graduate degree, is feted in the same way as a teammate who transfers in for their final year of eligibility, picks up a cool million in salary – though the gods-of-college-athletics forbid we call it that – and is out the door before graduation.

Ya, I know, team-building and all that. Treat everyone equally. And the one-year wonder might be the only reason the squad is winning, while the ancient mariner earns six or seven minutes a game. It just seems as if the not-all-that-ancient-tradition needs to change. With the times. 

Maybe every senior is quietly given a gold Apple Watch and a pension. That would fit.

• The big news out of Fresno, Calif., these days isn’t about the raisin crop or water rights or basketball losses. Though the latter may be related to what was revealed this past week.

There are multiple reports, including from the Fresno Bee, two Bulldog basketball players are under investigation for gambling allegations. Is anyone surprised? It’s happened before. Even before betting became all the (legal) rage.

Gambling is ubiquitous these days. Not just on who wins and by how much, but just about every aspect of a game. Money is made (and lost) by college students all over the nation – legally. Why would anyone be shocked if the athletes decided it was time, especially in the midst of a 5-23 season, to grab a little for themselves? And be at all blind-sided if it begins to happen more and more?

• Two things happened in Tucson late Saturday night that didn’t surprise me one bit. The first is sort of normal for college hoops: The game was decided on a phantom foul call. Those type of whistles happen occasionally, though the call with 2.6 seconds left, which put BYU’s Richie Saunders at the free throw line trailing 95-94, was egregious in one particular way.

The official on the baseline, Chewelah’s Justin Shamion, who was 3-feet from the play with a perfect view, did the right thing. He didn’t blow his whistle. It wasn’t a foul in any universe and if the NBA challenge rules were in effect, would have been overturned. However, another official, on the outside, some 20 feet away, decided it was, made the call. Saunders two makes lifted the Cougars to the upset.

The other happenstance, which didn’t surprise me in the slightest? The Arizona students chanting an obscenity about BYU’s religion. Loudly. For a long time.

Arizona’s administration, from the top down, immediately apologized.

Funny, some of the things I heard hurled from the adults in the Tucson stands at the visiting team and their coaches were just as bad. Maybe not as organized or loud, but enough to make one wonder if their screamer’s parents had any soap at home. And such things did not just happen in Tucson, though my memories are clearest with what I heard there.

It’s not new, though, is it? Heck, more than 50 years ago, I heard a similar chant in the L.A. Coliseum when USC was playing Notre Dame, though it ended in “Catholics.” And it wasn’t all that long ago a player’s race or effeminate nature or close-cropped hair might engender loud, long chants as well.

As a society, one would hope we would have evolved beyond that. To a point in which students sections just chant “(Bad word) the (school’s nickname).”

As cultured folks do.

• Finally, it’s time to for Washington high school athletes to build some memories.

State basketball tournament time. Time for long bus rides across the mountains. Time for team meals in crowded restaurants. Time for nerves eating away at the innards before opening tip. Time for sorrowful goodbyes and, for one team at least, a resume line that comes up at class reunions.

There will be controversies, sure. There will be regrets and celebrations too. But one thing is sure. There are few things better.

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WSU: Isaac Jones played at both Palouse schools, but his Senior Night festivities last year occurred in Pullman. That was then. Now the forward is getting to hone his craft in Sacramento, pulling double-duty with the Kings’ G League and NBA franchises. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Rick Pitino is a miracle worker. Has worked another one with St. John’s. And no one can scream he’s cheating anymore. After all, there are few if any rules to break. … UCLA’s Mick Cronin won his 500th game as the Bruins topped Ohio State at Pauley yesterday. But more importantly, to me anyway, the school honored Bill Walton. There was no better college basketball player ever. None. … No gambling scandal at Arizona State – there was once – but controversy nonetheless. One player was just dismissed from the team. Also, the Sun Devils topped Kansas State by 12. Correlation? Who knows? … Utah had a chance to earn a road win and let it slip away. … I mentioned Saturday’s Arizona loss to BYU above. … San Diego State is scuffling. … The Washington women rode a big third quarter to a win over Nebraska. … Oregon finished its home slate with a big win. … Oregon State will have two players returning who are key to its success. … The two top 10 L.A. schools had a good day, with USC topping Illinois and UCLA going to Iowa and winning. … Layoffs in all walks of life are awful. But they rarely happen this way to college basketball coaches. … In football news, Colorado’s Travis Hunter is going to be someone to watch in the NFL for a variety of reasons. His former teammate Shedeur Sanders announced he’s not working out in Indianapolis but will take interviews.

Gonzaga: Saturday night’s crushing home loss to West Coast Conference champion Saint Mary’s has to be put in the rearview mirror quickly. The Zags have no time to mope or point fingers. That’s the fans’ purview. The players and staff? They have to prepare for Santa Clara. On the road. And, in an unusual twist, on Tuesday night. The Broncos, who won in Spokane, are coming off a win in Pullman in which they hit 23 3-point shots, tying an NCAA road record. Jim Meehan covers all that and more in this story. … Elsewhere in the WCC, how do the tournament seedings play out in the final week of the regular season?

EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, Montana State’s women are on an all-time roll. … The Weber State men picked up a big win Saturday.

Preps: As we mentioned above, it’s State basketball tournament time. There are a couple-dozen local teams still in the running for a title, including 11 in the 4A-to-1A ranks. Dave Nichols has his thoughts on the selection process. … There were also a few dozen local wrestlers who earned State medals last weekend. Here is a list of them.

Chiefs: Dave is back with this coverage of Spokane’s dominating 7-3 win over Portland on the road Sunday.

Kraken: A new goaltender was in front of the net Sunday night and Ales Stezka did OK. But he did give up four goals to the Lightning during a 4-1 defeat in Tampa.

Mariners: It’s spring training, so there are always stories about new pitches and new players and not-so-new positional battles. There are also results of games.

Seahawks: The NFL’s combine is this week in Indianapolis, so it’s also time for stories on the Hawks’ goals and needs out of the meetings, workouts and evaluations. … DK Metcalf could still be traded. Never say never about such things. … Tennessee has the first pick. And the choice is anything but clear.

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• The bad parts of spring arriving early? Potholes explode, sure. And flooding occurs just about everywhere, including my front yard. A drain froze over when the temps hit the minus marks, then had yet to clear when the rains came. We had some flooding but it is finally gone. As the sun peaks through today, I’ll be out front cleaning up the leftover mess. Before the next band of showers hit. Until later …