A Grip on Sports: The Mariners are tied for the A.L. West lead and all we can think of is ‘man, that happened quickly’

A GRIP ON SPORTS • The Mariners are in first place in the American League West. Well, they are tied with Texas for that spot. There are 34 games remaining in the 2023 season. Buckle up.

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• Take a look at the standings. There, at the top of the West sits Seattle. Oh, sure, the M’s are 72-56 – remember, they were 50-50 not that long ago – and tied with Texas but Seattle, starting with an “S” comes before the “T” of Texas. So, atop the standings.

Alphabet aside, the M’s are playing better than anyone in the division, including defending World Series champion Houston, which sits third, a game back.

That’s satisfying, right? If you answered “yes,” please leave the discussion. Being satisfied with being in first place in August for the first time in 20 years is a symptom of settling. Don’t fall for it.

The simple thought is this: If a 10-game deficit can be overcome in a little more than a month, then why stop? Win the darn division. From 10 games behind the Rangers on July 19th, to a dead heat on Aug. 25th. It took 32 games. Now there are the 34 left. What might they hold?

The next five are at home against the two worst teams in baseball, the Royals (41-89) and A’s (38-91). Then it gets tough.

A 10-game road trip starts in New York against the we’re-looking-to-the-future Mets. Still, a tough place to win. Then it’s off to Cincinnati, with the Reds in the midst of a pennant race as well. Finally, the trip ends in Tampa with a four-game set against the A.L. wild-card leader.

That gets us to mid-September. The beat-up Angels visit T-Mobile for three, followed by the other – better – Los Angeles team, the Dodgers. The last road begins Sept. 18 in Oakland and finishes in Texas with three games.

The regular season’s final seven games are in Seattle, with Houston and a four-game set with the Rangers.

How will they do? That’s what we’re looking forward to finding out, right? Against those opponents thus far (Seattle hasn’t played Cincy, New York or the Dodgers), the M’s are 24-12. That’s good, isn’t it? They are also 34-14 since the beginning of July, which also OK.

• Last night’s 7-5 win over the pesky Royals was only available on Apple TV+, which meant there was some good and some bad.

The good centers round the cameras. Either Apple has the best in sports or our glasses improved magically Friday night. The game was crisp, sharp and had a dimension not often seen from sporting events.

But it came with a price – and not just what we pay yearly for the streaming service.

It wasn’t too long before we discovered the broadcast was behind reality. At times, by quite a bit. How do we know? We followed the game on ESPN’s GameTracker. And knew a few pitches ahead. We realized the lag was not easily detected. And we could catch up during each commercial break. Good for us, bad for the people spending money to sponsor the broadcast. Even so, without stopping or rewinding, by the end of each half inning, we were a pitch or so behind.

Odd. But possibly worth it considering how clear the picture was. And, of course, because the M’s were winning.

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WSU: This time next week the Cougar football team will be in Fort Collins, Colo., getting ready for the season opener at Colorado State. A Mountain West Conference school. Foreshadowing? Certainly, if MWC commissioner Gloria Nevarez has her way. Greg Woods shares the news Gloria Nevarez and other MWC representatives were in Pullman on Thursday in an attempt to woo the Cougar decision makers. … The Seattle Times has this piece on new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and the nation, there is a lot, much of it devoted to, sorry, conference realignment. Well, at least much of Jon Wilner’s mailbag in the Mercury News is devoted to that subject. And ripping into Stanford and California. … John Canzano also covers what’s up with Oregon State and WSU. … Even The Athletic delved into the MWC’s offerings. … OK, on the field. We can pass along a look at the Pac-12’s last football race from CBS and the Washington Post. … Others have thoughts as well. … There is one game tonight featuring a conference school. USC and Heisman winner Caleb Williams begin their season by hosting San Jose State of the Mountain West Conference. … Washington will probably use a couple freshmen this season. … If you have Oregon State-related questions, including ones about the Beavers’ future, we can pass along some answers. The new president has some as well. … Oregon’s future is with the Big Ten and there are questions there as well. … Colorado received good and bad transfer news from the NCAA on Friday. … Utah put out its depth chart yesterday and all eyes were on the quarterback spot. … We’re pretty sure Chip Kelly won’t like what the Big Ten is going to do about player availability. But there have been a few gambling scandals already and the conference is trying to get a handle on inside information. … The Bruins must make a decision about their starting quarterback. … Arizona’s athletic director covered a lot of ground in an interview. … Arizona State is dealing with a lot already and now someone has decided to put huge expectations on a rebuilding program. … In basketball news, it seems Bronny James has a congenital heart issue that shouldn’t stop him from playing basketball.

Gonzaga: The West Coast Conference released the women’s and men’s basketball schedules yesterday. Theo Lawson takes an in-depth look at the schedule for the GU men, which happens to end with a game at Saint Mary’s. … The women will open at Portland, the school that ended the Zags’ WCC tourney run last season.

EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, the NCAA’s new timing rules – you will see them if you watch today’s games – will have an impact on the games. … Montana State picked its captains. … Two brothers anchor Weber State’s experienced offensive line. … Northern Arizona has finalized its basketball roster.

Preps: Coeur d’Alene High was coming off an upset of preseason 5A No. 1 Rigby. The Vikings were hosting Rocky Mountain on its new artificial turf field. It was a big Friday night in CdA. And an unsuccessful one. Dave Nichols has the coverage of the Viks’ turnover-fueled 16-0 loss.

Indians: Dave also has a writeup of Spokane’s third consecutive win over host Vancouver, this one 2-1 Friday night.

Mariners: As we covered extensively above, the M’s have clawed their way back in the A.L. West. … This is a great Adam Jude story on Cade Marlowe and the work ethic that’s carried him to the big leagues. … Jarred Kelenic is almost healed and ready for a rehab assignment. One has to wonder how he fits in the lineup down the stretch.

Seahawks: The Hawks are in Wisconsin today for an early morning game with Green Bay. Early morning on this side of the nation, at least. Here’s what to watch for out of Lambeau Field. … It’s a huge game for two on-the-edge receivers, including WSU graduate Easop Winston.

Golf: Jim Meehan is at one of favorite local courses, Circling Raven, for the Epson Tour event this weekend. Rookie Chanettee Wannasaen leads after the first day, as the 19-year-old from Thailand shot a 67.

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• There is little in life we enjoy more than writing about a pennant race. We started our journalism career in Southern California and were lucky enough, in 1982, to cover the Dodgers on a key September roadtrip. We still have the hard copies of the OC Register stories. And the memories of Tommy Lasorda, Pedro Guerrero and Gordy Verrell (a sports writer who took us under his wing and taught us the ropes). … Enjoy college football on TV today. You’ve earned it what with all the nutty changes in the offseason. Until later …