Sports in Hand: If the Mariners ever make it to the World Series, that will be No. 1 on our list, but for now, Dodgers vs. Yankees will have to do

Sport under control • The World Series begins this week. The Mountain West comes to the showdown in Las Vegas. The Seahawks had a successful weekend. And Washington State looks to continue its march to 11-1. That’s the calendar for this week, folks. Make sure everything is in your phone. And memories were set up.

•••••••

• The World Series doesn’t happen often The Grippi household is still very moved. If we were to list the top five possible matchups that would move the needle, the Mariners would be in four of them. Mainly because, you know, the first time and all that.

But a Dodgers vs. Yankees Fall Classic has one of the reserved seats. Partly out of tradition. Partly because of the star power. Partly due to geographical diversity. And partly because it illustrates a point.

In the salary cap-starved MLB, spending money is no guarantee of success. But it serves as a form of fire insurance.

The Dodgers’ starting pitching cabana burned to the ground more than a few times this season. If that had happened to about 25 of the 30 MLB teams, they would have sold the entire property. Not LA. The roughly $300 million invested in the Chavez-Ravine estate allowed the franchise to throw a bunch of money at an architect, hire a new team of contractors and overspend on materials for reconstruction of the place to pay. Sure, it looks different. It’s limped together a bit. But it has also survived the heat so far. And now I’ll try to stand up to the huffing and puffing of the New York wolves.

• Boise State, The current favorite for the symbolic Group of Five spot in the expanded College Football Playoff was vacant last weekend. The 17th-ranked Broncos (5-1) were able to rest and prepare for Friday night’s showdown in Las Vegas. The home team? UNLV played. On the way. At Oregon State on Saturday night, the Rebels (6-1) ultimately won 33-25 in a physical battle.

Maybe that’s why the guests have a three-point advantage. Or maybe it’s because their loss to No. 1 ranked Oregon on a last-second field goal is much better than UNLV’s only loss, a 44-41 overtime shootout at home to 5-1 Syracuse . Or it could be because BSU has Ashton Jeanty — not only the nation’s leading rusher with 208 yards per game, but also someone who can turn a game around on every single handoff — and UNLV doesn’t.

Either way, Friday night’s matchup at 7:30 p.m. (on CBS Sports Network) is must-see television. If only to help you fill out your Heisman ballot.

• DK Metcalf’s knee is a concern. But no end to the season. This is the news from Seattle on Monday. News that continued Mike Macdonald’s winning streak this week.

That’s not to say the Seahawks were lucky to win in Atlanta. Yes, turnovers are often more luck than anything else, but they were already in command of the 34-14 victory before the Falcons’ three consecutive giveaways. And luck had nothing to do with Kenneth Walker III being able to play. Most of the credit goes to the medical staff and an IV or two.

But injuries, and the number of injuries the Hawks have suffered, often come down to a roll of the dice. For a while, all Macdonald and Co. made was Snake Eyes. On Monday they reached a tough eight. Will they take some profits? We will all find out on Sunday afternoon.

• A quick question. How many teams remaining on Washington State’s schedule have a winning record? If you answered one, 4-3 Oregon State, you win a Kewpie Doll. But hurry up. That answer may be outdated as soon as Saturday, as the reeling Beavers face Cal in an old-fashioned Pac-12 shootout.

The march toward December could include five games in which Washington State will either be the favorite, a heavy favorite or, if the Beavers get their act together, enter the race as slight underdogs. Of course, that doesn’t guarantee anything for the Cougars. Except a chance to be part of the playoff conversation.

WSU’s name was whispered about again this week. Nobody’s hitting the drum yet, but there’s some sort of pianissimo thing going on. Nothing makes us believe that an 11-1 Cougar team will make the CFP cut, not with the schedule they have, but just the opportunity to hear ESPN’s talking heads talk about it is a must for the one currently underway Valuation of the Pac-12’s media rights will be beneficial behind the scenes.

•••

WSU: It’s Tuesday morning, so we can share Greg Wood’s first look at the Cougars’ Saturday night game at San Diego State (7:30, CBS Sports Network). Greg will be only the second SR WSU beat writer to cover an Aztecs football game. The other one? Yours truly was in Seattle in 2007 – Alex Brink threw for 469 yards and five touchdowns in a Cougar win – and in San Diego in 2011 – Marquess Wilson caught six passes for 236 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown, and still won the Aztecs in a losing effort by scoring the final 28 points. … Nick Haberer’s back may be healthy enough to allow him to make some punts before the end of the season, but he’ll only be able to do that in four games. The Cougs will preserve his redshirt season. In this notebook, Greg shares more about his and other injuries. … Former Washington State backup offensive lineman Jack Wilson, who also played basketball in Pullman and Moscow, is on the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad. …Elsewhere in the Pac-12 (new and old), the Mountain West and across the country, Jon Wilner has his weekly CFP rating in the Mercury News. No, not Washington State. …John Canzano has his weekly mailbag. Yes, any Washington state. …As mentioned above, Oregon State is in California this week. The offense has to play better. … The Beavers also found out yesterday that recruiting never stops. … Yes, Washington experienced a change in the roster after the coaching change and such. But so did others, most notably Indiana, and they win more than UW. …Oregon must continue to force turnovers if it wants to retain its No. 1 ranking. Oh, right. Dan Lanning and the Ducks don’t care about the rankings. Everyone else in Eugene does, but not the players and coaches. …You know, the noise from Boulder is less this season. Maybe that’s why Colorado wins. That and the Buff’s interesting NIL arrangements. … Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham apologized to his kicker again on Monday. … Will the offense pick up steam now that Utah has made a change at offensive coordinator? Or will it just be more of the same? … UCLA picked up a victory on the football field. And suffered a loss regarding his baseball field. … Miller Moss will continue to be USC’s starting quarterback. …Why is anyone in Arizona still focusing on what Jedd Fisch is saying? … In the Mountain West, New Mexico awaits a physical game with Colorado State. … After the Air Force’s farewell week, the No. 23 Army on the plan. … Utah State had chances in its most recent loss. … Hawaii could soon have a lot of money to spend. … Not only did Wyoming lose at San Jose State on Saturday, the Cowboys’ locker room was broken into.

Gonzaga: Let’s start today with a few NBA contract extensions. Surprise. They were signed by former GU players. Jim Meehan has this story about Jalen Suggs and Corey Kispert, who reached agreements with Orlando and Washington, respectively, on their second contracts on Monday. They both get paid enough to buy a round (or 349) at Jack and Dan’s. … Speaking of the NBA and the Zags: Sports editor Ralph Walter, who signs my checks, once again demonstrated his incredible writing talents this morning. He has this amazing story about Seattle, the NBA and Spokane. The G League is mentioned. This also applies to a number of names from Gonzaga’s past. And present. …Might as well write another NBA story here. A precedent has been set.

Idaho and EMU: The rivalry on US Highway 195, anyone? Or would it be better to call the showdown between the Vandals and Eagles the “US Highway 95/Interstate 90/State Route 904 rivalry”? Too complicated? OK. But as Peter Harriman tells it in this story, this Saturday’s Big Sky showdown in Moscow is a pretty big rivalry game. Jason Eck has turned the cliche “you can throw out the records” on its head. Oh, that reminds me. The woman has been bugging me about my LPs for a while now. I’m going to throw the Bananarama in the trash today and see if she’s happy with it. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, parity is not a word often used to describe the conference’s football teams. …Montana is rightly favored for easily navigating northern Colorado, even though it’s on the road. … Montana State had some misfortune against Portland State.

Preparations: Dave Nichols gives a brief overview of Monday’s short games and competitions.

Seahawks: Were your expectations of what the Hawks could accomplish upended by Sunday’s win? Me neither. … Metcalf’s injury report was the biggest news on Monday, but there are a few other notes to pass along. … Speaking of passing, Geno Smith just continues to complete them. Under pressure. … A number of defensive reinforcements played a large role in the victory. … Still questions? … How about the right side of the offensive line? Who will play there?

Octopus: Everyone needs a little help now and then.

Storm: Why did Breanna Stewart leave Seattle? More money, sure. And what happened on Sunday evening? … Did you watch the final few possessions of regulation in the WNBA title-deciding game, which New York won 67-62 in overtime? We did it. When I saw that Stewart was not only traveling but also taking enough steps, her Fit-Bit buzzed. And then miss a well-challenged shot. The fact that the first one wasn’t called and the second one resulted in game-winning free throws angered Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve so much that she used words like “stolen” and the like. I wonder what the penalty will be?

•••

• A free Monday night? This is not common practice in the house, so we used the time wisely. How about watching Lamar Jackson do what he does, which is play great on Monday Night Football? OK, that was just part of it. There was also a good dinner and time with the dogs. Yes, lack of imagination, I know. But relaxing. See you later …