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For Pete's sake, lots going on

| December 4, 2019 12:00 AM

So...

We’ve had a blizzard of sports news in just two or three days.

Can we get our heads around all this stuff?

Here’s a thought: Why not let Russell Wilson give us some direction amid the chaos?

Cornered by a TV talking head just seconds after the Seahawks survived yet another thriller — 37-30 over Minnesota on Monday night — Russ was still laughing, sweating and accepting backslaps on the turf at CenturyLink Field.

How far can this crazy bunch of Seahawks really go, Wilson was asked. Could this wild gang that has tested plenty of weak hearts — hey, the Hawks are 9-1 in games decided by one score or less — possibly get back to the Super Bowl?

Wilson grinned.

“Why not?” he said.

Fair enough, Russ. If you guys can get to 10-2 — and first place in the NFC West — without ever seeming to have real control of a game, surely a humble journalist can try putting this wacky week into perspective.

It was all nutty enough that it deserves a try.

THIS MAY truly be hard to grasp, but no matter what happened with the Seahawks and Vikes on Monday Night Football, it wasn’t going to be the biggest news in Seattle that day.

I mean, was anybody ready to hear that Chris Petersen would be walking away from his gig at UW?

Petersen created national powers at Boise State and then U-Dub, and suddenly we hear he’s resigning.

Now we know why Jimmy Lake, the outspoken defensive coordinator who has made a yearly habit of mocking Wazzu, wasn’t made available to the media after the Huskies’ seventh straight Apple Cup victory.

Lake couldn’t come out and poke fun at Mike Leach this time.

Nope, he’s going to be the next boss on Montlake, so spending some time on the high road becomes mandatory.

But what about Petersen?

Really?

Surely a 7-5 season that was a bit disappointing wouldn’t make a competitor like Petersen walk away.

And another thing...

The UW official announcement said that Coach Pete would become an “advisor” in the athletic department.

What the hell does THAT mean?

Is he going to be paid millions to chat up university athletic director Jen Cohen from his home on the lake?

Take school administrators out for a spin on his boat?

Seems like an awfully sweet job after you’ve gone 7-5 and lost three or four easily winnable games.

I suppose we’ll wait for Pete, or the school, or somebody to tell us what’s happened with one of the most shocking resignations in local sports history.

MEANWHILE, there is news from the Gonzaga basketball camp — and it doesn’t sound good.

Mark Few is the kind of guy who would rather have a poor weekend fly fishing than ever, ever sound like he’s making excuses.

But he came awfully close on his TV show Sunday evening, conceding that Anton Watson’s ankle injury was “yeah, kind of serious,” and even mentioning that freshman forward Drew Timme also was playing hurt during the recent Battle 4 Atlantis.

Besides Watson, we already knew that guard Admon Gilder was almost limping after a knee sprain, and Ryan Woolridge — his pal who plays the point — fought a knee problem, too.

Few tried manfully to dismiss all the injuries, insisting that all the other teams in the Bahamas had to play three games in three days, as well.

The coach even called the Zags’ injuries “dings.”

But everything about how he was discussing that event — two wins and a loss to talented Michigan — along with a rugged December still to come suggested that Gonzaga has a problem.

Even though Few wouldn’t say it, however, this season isn’t quite “routine Gonzaga” — because there are nagging injuries, and even if Watson gets back reasonably soon, there is precious little depth.

Few fought against making any excuse at all, but even his tone of voice was a giveaway.

These Zags have lots of talent, but almost no margin for error.

But hey...

If you want to be optimistic, the Seahawks have been working with that same kind of high-wire act all season, and they just keep rolling along.

There’s a good reason for it — besides Wilson, I mean — so we’ll take a long look at that later in the week.

Meanwhile, how do I get a million-dollar “advisor” job like Chris Petersen?

For that kind of gig...

I’m available, Jen.

***

Email: [email protected]

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns for The Press appear on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Steve also contributes the “Zags Tracker” package on Gonzaga basketball each Tuesday.