THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Cal Baptist, Creighton are also in the West Coast Conference. Who knew?

Who’s on first?

Reader John Austin is a relentless fan of Abbott and Costello, specifically that back-and-forth routine about who’s playing where on a baseball diamond.

Are you too young to know, “Who’s on first?”

Well, look it up immediately and enjoy the chuckles.

If you think it’s too corny for your suave lifestyle, that’s just sad.

Now, perhaps you’re wondering why I’ve made such an immediate fuss today about Abbott and Costello, and what that’s got to do with anything.

OK, stick with me here.

I’ve been poring over the shifting membership of the West Coast Conference — both permanent new schools (Seattle University and Grand Canyon University) and several affiliate universities that will compete in specialty sports.

Surprise.

Several of them already do.

Besides the WCC admitting Seattle (Elgin Baylor, Final Four, 1957) and Grand Canyon, the headliners are Washington State and Oregon State, who plan to compete in most WCC sports but will fight it out alone in football.

They’re on a quest to rebuild the Pac-12, and they have two years to piece things together.

For now, it’s the Pac-2.

More on them in a minute.

THE DEAL about “Who’s on first?” popped up when I pored over the WCC’s list of competitions, and tried to figure out what schools are involved in which sports.

“Who’s in rowing?”

“What?”

“No, what plays golf.”

I needed a powerhouse painkiller.

It’s seriously complicated.

For instance, I actually didn’t know that the conference offers beach volleyball, and that Grand Canyon (located in sandy, ocean-washed Phoenix) will become the eighth WCC school competing in that sport.

Meanwhile, the addition of four new schools, two permanent and two affiliates, is kind of exciting.

For one thing, it means that Gonzaga and Wazzu are going to the mat (sorry, wrong sport) in a full menu of sports.

The Zags are going to face a little more difficulty cruising through the basketball schedule, by the way.

In addition to WSU and Oregon State, both of whom have made the NCAA tournament in the past couple of years, Grand Canyon and Seattle bring decent resumes to the party.

The Redhawks men have won 20-plus games for three straight years.

Seattle bagged 23 victories last season as a member of the Western Athletic Conference, and then raced to the championship of the postseason CBI.

Indeed, the Zags’ schedule suddenly is going to get a bit more work than Saint Mary’s and a mid-winter nap.

Oh, but we were talking about the whole gamut of sports, and who actually might be on first.

I’m simply going to steal a couple paragraphs from the statement released by the WCC’s Doug Drabik, who was announcing the arrival of Seattle and Grand Canyon.

TRY TO keep up, now.

Over to you, Doug.

“Oregon State and Washington State will join the WCC as affiliate members across 12 sports for two years,

beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. 

“Air Force, California Baptist and San Jose State compete as affiliate members in men’s water polo, while Creighton competes as an affiliate member in rowing.

“The additions of GCU and Seattle, along with the affiliate membership of Oregon State, Washington State, Air

Force, California Baptist, San Jose State and Creighton in select sports, gives the Conference 13 teams in men’s

basketball, women’s basketball, women’s soccer, volleyball and women’s cross country; 12 teams in men’s golf; 11 teams in men’s soccer and women’s tennis; 10 teams in men’s tennis; nine teams in rowing and men’s cross country; and eight teams in beach volleyball, softball and women’s golf during the 2025-26 academic year.”

You see why we’re wondering who’s on first?

I would have lost a bet if someone had challenged me with the information that Creighton was a member of the WCC.

There’s a chance I’ll lose my columnist’s card for not realizing that Creighton has a rowing team.

And I even watched “The Boys in the Boat,” too.

Although it’s separate from the Seattle and Grand Canyon membership, there’s some news to celebrate involving Oregon State and Wazzu football.

We can watch them on TV.

Ditto for fans around the country.

This was considered a major hurdle for the Pac-2, but they’ve solved it in a savvy manner — choosing relevance over money.

The two schools’ home games will be on The CW network (KSKN in Spokane), with certain matchups on FOX.

It’s a step back toward the big time.

Skeptics who have pronounced the Beavers and Cougs all but buried may have to think it all through again.

OK, now here’s your quiz on the “new” WCC.

First, which schools compete in women’s cross country?

Now, run down this year’s water polo teams — and how good in Cal Baptist?

Season tickets still available.

Email: scameron@cdapress.com

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press four times each week, normally Tuesday through

Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”