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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

A Grip on Sports: Rams overcome the Vikings thanks, in miniscule part, to the idiocy of another NFL rule

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Lesson learned. The past doesn’t always inform the present. But it shouldn’t be dismissed lightly either.

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• An old acquaintance no longer with us, Allan Malamud, used to write a column in a newspaper that is also no longer with us, the L.A. Herald-Examiner. He called it “Notes On A Scorecard.” It was filled with this and that the caustic scribe – something he called himself – had experienced recently.

(By the way, if you want to see what Malamud looked like, find “White Men Can’t Jump” on a streaming service and fast forward to the “Jeopardy” scene. Malamud, who appeared in many films, plays Richard Andrews, a rocket scientist. Turns out he was friends with Ron Shelton, the writer and director.)

Last night’s wild card playoff win for the Rams over the Vikings in Arizona got me thinking about Allan, his column and what he would have thought about the outcome. Probably would have said something about every once in a while a football team everyone expects to rocket to the moon explodes. It’s just science.

• Let me see if I have this right. The NFL tells its officials to swallow their whistles if they aren’t sure if a play is a fumble or not. Let it play out. Replay will sort it out. OK, that makes sense.

But what happens, as in Monday night’s game, the quarterback, already in the grasp of the defender, just throws the ball forward to avoid a sack? And the officials have to let it play out as a fumble? If it is determined to be a pass, as Matthew Stafford’s toss was, then the defense loses twice. Why?

The Vikings lost the tying score, one that may have turned around the 27-9 loss. And they didn’t even get the obvious intentional grounding. Turns out the officials can’t call it grounding without killing the play, which they have been instructed not to do. And even though replay affirmed it was a pass, it’s too late to assess a penalty everyone in America saw.

What an idiotic rule.

• Speaking of stupid, why is it those who are paid to prognosticate about the men’s NCAA basketball tournament often seem to ignore Gonzaga’s tourney track record? More importantly, dismiss the Zags’ domination of tools the selection committee uses to evaluate teams?

Recent bracket guesses from Joe Lunardi, on ESPN, and Joe Rexrode, of The Athletic, have the Bulldogs as a five seed, which doesn’t make much sense.

OK, if you believe the Associated Press’ rankings – Gonzaga moved up to 16th this week – then, maybe? But as fun as polls are, they usually have little correlation to NCAA seeding. The committee use far more nuanced tools. Such as the NET ranking the NCAA developed for it. Other analytical ratings, such as Ken Pomeroy’s, as well. And, of course, the NCAA’s Quad rating system that tries to make sense of disparate schedules.

The last one seems to dominate bracketology. Gonzaga is just 2-4 in Quad 1 games. To be fair, though, the record should be 3-3 as the odd whistle from the UCLA game stands out more and more. The computers? The Zags are 10th in the NET, ninth in KenPom, eighth in EvanMiya and ESPN’s BPI, and sixth in SevenOvertimes. The computers love them.

The self-titled bracketologists? Not so much.

• The Mariners on Monday made the offseason free-agency splash we have all been craving so much. They signed coveted free agent – checks notes on an old, coffee-stained scorecard – utility infielder Donovan Solano.

My excitement meter? Sitting somewhere between “what the …?” and “that’s it?”

OK, Solano, an 11-year veteran most recently in San Diego, does add some depth. And may allow Dylan Moore a chance to claim an everyday spot. But if you feel any of that seems destined to move Seattle closer to the World Series, sorry to disappoint you.

Yes, Solano has a .279 lifetime batting average, but his OPS is .716, he walks about once every five games and strikes out, on average, 100 times a year. Not a guy who controls the zone and moves the line much.

So why is he going to be in T-Mobile next season? He was cheap. Just $3.55 million for the year, though he has a little over a million in bonuses available.

What an idiot I must be to have any faith in this franchise.

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WSU: The fires in and around L.A. impact more than just the people in the communities they roared through. They also impact, for example, the Washington State football community as well. One of its own, Jamire Calvin, a Mike Leach-era wide receiver is dealing with the loss of his home and his aunt, whose body was found in the rubble of her house. Greg Woods spoke with Calvin yesterday and has this story. … That song the Cougars play in the second quarter about finding your way home? It rang true for linebacker Gavin Barthiel, who transferred out of WSU a couple years ago, is returning to Pullman. Greg has more in this story. … Former Wazzu quarterback Cam Ward did not quit on his Miami team during its bowl loss. That comes from a guy who should know, Hurricane coach Mario Cristobal. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, the conference has entered argument why its poaching-penalty lawsuit should remain alive in a California court. Jon Wilner has that news in the S-R this morning. … Wilner also has his Best of the West men’s basketball rankings today in the Mercury News. … John Canzano has his usual Monday mailbag. … Washington had some unsung heroes in 2024. … Keith Heyward explained why he’s stepping away from Oregon State. … The Beavers’ former quarterback (and Idaho’s as well), Gevani McCoy, is headed to North Texas. … It is easy to envision a scenario in which Deion Sanders, and his quarterback son, leave Colorado and ride in to save the Dallas Cowboys’ fortunes. … There are numbers attached to each of the Arizona football transfers. … Among the future Pac-12 members in the Mountain West, another former Valley high school star is headed back to Fresno State. … A former Washington State assistant coach has found work at San Diego State. … In basketball news, Utah State moved up the polls. … So did Oregon. … Colorado State and San Diego State will meet tonight in San Diego. … Could this be a Samson story?

Gonzaga: The Zags ability to solidify its lofty computer rankings will be helped this year by the West Coast Conference’s addition of WSU and Oregon State, as well as improvement of the middle tier of returning schools. That’s not our opinion. That comes from Mark Few, as passed along by Jim Meehan in this story. … As we mentioned (and linked) above, the Zags moved up two spots to 16th in the A.P. poll. Theo Lawson delves into that here. … Back to Jim, who has his weekly Zags Basketball Insider Podcast, with Richard Fox, for the week. You can listen here. … UCLA’s latest loss, last night at Rutgers, highlighted once again how much of an outlier the Zags’ eight free throws in that game was. The Scarlet Knights shot 31 in their 75-68 home win. Other than the GU game, opponents have shot at least 21 free throws in the Bruins’ last six games. … Elsewhere in the WCC, it was a chaotic week for the men.

EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, Montana’s athletic director had a few things to say about college athletics’ future financial obligations. … The exodus continues in Bozeman.

Mariners: After yesterday’s expensive free agent signing, is it any wonder the M’s fell out of the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes? They used all their available money on Solano.

Seahawks: What will happen with Geno Smith and his contract? The quarterback position revolves around him. … The running back position? It may just be the same next season as it was in the one just past. … How much of the blame for the two-year playoff lull resides on John Schneider’s shoulders? … With Dallas firing Mike McCarthey as head coach, could the Seahawks have another offensive coordinator candidate?

Sounders: Training camp arrives early for Seattle, what with a big spring ahead and new players in the fold.

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• Let’s be clear about something. I feel it’s a crucial part of my job to call out injustice in sports, much of which is self-inflicted by teams, organizations and leagues. It will always be there, sure, but that doesn’t mean we should become blind to it. Actually, it needs even more light. And, yes, I feel a lot like Don Quixote often. Until later …