KEEPING THE SPORT UNDER CONTROL • We used to have a hot tub on our back patio. Not anymore. One night we got in and ended up in 1986. It was really scary. We turned on the TV, watched a baseball game for a few minutes and had to watch a sacrifice bunt. The horror. When we returned to 2010, we destroyed the hot tub in the hopes of never having to experience that again. And we didn’t. Until yesterday.

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• Believe it or not, we didn’t travel back in time. We observed two sacrifice bunts on a Sunday in 2024. Two. And both actually contributed to a win. What’s the point?

Maybe that’s exactly what Mariners management was looking for when they decided to bring in Dan Wilson as manager. Old-time baseball. Retro uniforms replaced by retro strategy. Leo Rivas, the star of the show.

It was the diminutive shortstop who won Wilson’s first game on Friday, hitting a botched single to center with two outs in the 10th inning. And it was the rookie reliever’s sacrifice bunt in the fifth inning that allowed the M’s to tie the Giants yesterday for a series-deciding 4-3 victory. Yes, Rivas, 5’8″ and 150 pounds, actually turned around and hit a pitch. It brought Josh Rojas 90 feet forward. Leading to the M’s second run.

Can anyone tell us why Wilson thinks it’s a good idea to take the bat out of Rivas’s hand? To get an out for a measly 90 feet? To not allow the best-on-average hitter in your lineup to swing the bat?

And what the heck, risk giving away more outs by having your players steal five times? Wait, did you say Robbie Ray, Mr. Roboto throwing to the plate, was the Giants’ starter? OK, we got the running part. But it continued even after Ray, surprise, left the game with a pulled hamstring.

We’re joking, of course. About everything. Except the hot tub.

The new Mariners. Two of three wins against San Francisco. Aggressive on the mound, at the plate and on the bases. Sure, they’re still 4½ games back in the American League West, but they’re not waiting for the game to come to them. They’re trying to grab it. I’m not sure it makes a difference, but, you know, new is good.

• The other sacrificial bunt? In a place you would have expected much sooner. Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Little League World Series.

No outs, top of the eighth inning, championship game tied 1-1. Taiwan on the field, Florida at bat. Automatic runner on second base. The No. 12 batter—yes, 12—in Florida’s lineup, Hunter Alexander, squares up. Lays a perfect sacrifice down the first-base line. Both pitcher and first baseman go for it, with Taiwan’s pitcher getting there first. Turns and throws the ball toward first base. An empty base. The second baseman had gone to cover second base. The ball rolls into right field. Lathan Norton scores. Chaos. Tears. Joy. All because a ball flew 15 feet and forced a play.

And the best part? How the children from Lake Mary immediately recognized the sadness of their colleagues from Taiwan. And how they almost flocked to them to comfort them. To help them deal with the pain of such an agonizing defeat. Sportsmanship in its purest form.

• Another thought for this Monday in late August. One of our favorite parts of summer has disappeared: the sun.

Oh no, that big old ball of gas is still out there. It warms the air, warms our dogs, warms everyone it touches. But it no longer greets us in the morning.

Our office window faces north. Actually, a little northeast. And in late spring and early summer, the sun rises over the trees in our field of vision. Throws sunlight into our room. Heats it up. Gives us a warm feeling as we write this column every morning.

Honestly, it’s the best part of our mornings in a few months.

But we’ve crossed a threshold. No more sunsets after 8 p.m., no more sunrises before 6 a.m., and no more gazing at the red celestial body while searching for stories about Washington State football, Gonzaga tickets, or Seahawks quarterbacks.

It’s gone. And it won’t be back until next April.

We’re going to miss all of this. For the 1,484,339th time, we regret destroying that damn hot tub. A quick trip back to April 25th would have been great this morning.

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WSU: We’re pretty sure Jon Wilner won’t be doing a weekly Pac-12 power ranking this football season. He’ll stick with this: A weekly best-in-the-West ranking. Today he has his first of the year in SR. Oregon is No. 1. Washington State? The Cougars are No. 8. Which, we suspect, makes them the highest-ranked team in the Pac-12, since Wilner has Oregon State pegged at No. 11. … We probably could have linked these stories about Giants relief pitcher Ryan Walker in the Mariners section, but since he’s a Cougar, we’ll do it here. … The Times has a story on receiver Kyle Williams. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 (new and old), the Mountain West and the nation, John Canzano took a look back at the Week Zero games. … Oregon State begins its season this weekend by hosting Idaho State. The Beavers are heavy favorites. … Opening weekend is upon us, and the Oregonian’s numbers stories are nearly complete. We’re passing on No. 6 Oregon State and No. 2 Oregon Ducks. … We recently linked thoughts on Washington’s offensive lineup. Now we can give you the defensive ones, courtesy of the Times. … Oregon’s roster is unique in some ways as it enters the Big Ten. … Colorado’s offensive line actually features a Roc under center. … Travel for USC and UCLA (and other former Pac-12 schools) will be grueling. Special measures are needed to keep athletes healthy. … A little fighting spirit in the defensive backfield has been a good thing for Arizona State. … Arizona, ranked in the top 25 in the preseason, is a heavy favorite over New Mexico. … In the Mountain West, the Lobos are coming off an inexplicable home loss to Montana State. … Given all the turmoil, no one is expecting much from Utah State this season. … Want to see Boise State’s opening game? Here’s how. … Hawaii’s special teams were special in the opening game. … San Diego State voted in its captains. … Don’t forget, USC’s next great quarterback played at UNLV last season.

EMU: A football schedule isn’t as complicated as, say, a quadratic equation. But it’s pretty close. Especially these days. Dan Thompson gives us all a look behind the scenes at Eastern and talks to athletic director Tim Collins about the formula the school uses to create its schedule. There are more home games this season, which is a good thing. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, a late comeback helped Montana State win its opener, but the Bobcats are wondering why it was necessary.

Indians: Spokane held a lead near the end. Had a chance to win the series outright in Hillsboro. Instead, the Hops scored late and tied the six games. Dave Nichols has more to say on this story. … Elsewhere in the Northwest League, Vancouver pulled ahead in the second period with a 6-1 victory over visiting Everett. … Host Tri-City beat Eugene again, pulling out a 3-1 victory.

Seafarers: We had fun with the sacrifice bunt today, but we won’t sugarcoat Bryan Woo’s performance. The right-hander went seven innings again. Gave up just one earned run and gave the M’s a chance to win. Again. … Man, we’re beyond tired of hearing (or reading) about 1995. That damn comeback year has become something of a curse for Mariner fans. And maybe the team, too. But it’s that magic that Wilson (and hitting coach Edgar Martinez) hope to repeat in the final month of the season. … The Rays are coming to Seattle. Randy Arozarena is ready for his first series against his old team.

Seahawks: The Hawks appear to be moving forward. New coach, new era. Will we be yearning for the guy in the white shoes on the sidelines in a few months? … John Schneider has made another move, trading a linebacker with the Jaguars. … Roster cuts are looming. How will the guys on the fence, including an unsigned defensive lineman, do this week? … Geno Smith is still considered a mediocre quarterback.

Governing: First Seattle retired Megan Rapinoe’s jersey. Then the Reign honored her career in the best way possible. They found a way to win.

Storm: For Seattle to make the playoffs, it needs to improve its shooting from beyond the three-point line. Some games have been just abysmal.

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• We actually wish we still had a hot tub. Not because of some fantasy about time travel, but because we could use the damn thing to move our back muscles (and others) when needed. We’re sure that a quick bath before sitting down to write would improve the quality of this feature by at least 17.3%. Do you think we could write off the cost as a business expense? See you later…