THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: A World Cup final for the ages, and other stuff

I’m pretty sure you know that phrase about different strokes for different folks.
OK, well …
Loosely applying that theory to what we’re sharing with you here, sometimes we need to tear up the plans for certain crazy weeks.
In other words, so much has happened in the past few days — meaningful events that matter to so, so many of you — that we’re doing a highlights column just to take a long look.
And make no mistake …
Each chunk of news mentioned here deserves a deep dive all by itself, and we’ll give every one of them a full day of inspection as soon as possible.
There are opinions and discussions coming on this stuff, I promise, but …
First, let’s touch briefly on each item in this avalanche of sports outcomes — both exciting and depressing — so we have an outline for further chat.
Fair enough?
EVEN IF you’re not a soccer aficionado, the staggering drama of the World Cup final was truly something special.
Yes, yes, the corruption involved in FIFA awarding the planet’s biggest event to a tiny nation on the Persian Gulf coast has been exposed.
Yes, the shameful treatment of migrant workers in Qatar’s rush to build eight stadiums and $300 billion in mind-boggling infrastructure deserved the harshest criticism.
This was not exactly a glorious victory for human rights.
Or in FIFA’s case, disgrace for pocketing huge amounts of revenue (approximately $7.5 billion) in addition to the bribes it cashed when awarding the Cup to Qatar back in 2010.
That’s routine business for FIFA, which gave the 2018 World Cup to Russia for some monstrous amount — despite knowing the country would stumble around just to get matches played and spectators shoved from city to city.
You can’t wipe away all the ugliness served up by the sport’s business bosses, but …
The games were still the games.
And this World Cup well might be remembered, for play on the pitch, as the best ever contested.
There were plenty of upsets, spectacular individual performances, dramatic finishes, a massive influx from the Middle East when Morocco became the first African nation to reach the semifinals — and of course, there was the heavyweight battle between France and Argentina at the end.
That one shone a spotlight on the superstar from an older generation, and likewise his young successor.
Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe delivered beyond all rational hope, lifting the game itself to incredible heights.
You know, of course, that Argentina won on penalty kicks, handing Messi his first World Cup title at age 35.
Messi, Mbappe and their teammates gave us a final that left viewers breathless and exhausted.
It was spectacular.
MEANTIME …
The truly goofy Jimmy Kimmel Bowl offered up the American version of football as a dreadful experience.
Besides Kimmel admitting on camera that he was bored with the whole thing, and his camel mascot vomiting gallons of Gatorade as the halftime highlight …
Um, the game itself was a non-event, since Washington State was missing so many key players and coaches that in terms of competition, it was simply unfair.
We’ll talk later about how the transfer portal now has ruined so many aspects of collegiate sports, but obviously, one result is a crowd of players bailing out on a team before its bowl game.
When you consider how many outgoing transfers the Cougs were missing — plus star linebacker Daiyan Henley sitting out to prep for the NFL, and offensive coordinator Eric Morris hastily dumping his job to become head coach at North Texas, I mean …
It left Wazzu with barely a shot against a Fresno State team which had won eight straight, and whose quarterback (Jake Haener) is headed to the NFL but played every snap for his team.
The Cougs played damn hard, losing 29-6 but hustling and hitting as though it was a fair fight.
It wasn’t, and I’ve got plenty more to say about the transfer portal — and how it’s being abused — in another column.
Soon.
I promise.
FINALLY, I’m thinking Gonzaga fans had to fear the worst when their heroes went to Birmingham for a bout with No. 4 Alabama.
The Zags had been blown out at Texas, and by Purdue in Portland — all in the midst of a brutal early schedule — so the Tide and superstar freshman Brandon Miller looked downright scary.
Alabama already had beaten North Carolina and shot down No. 1 Houston on the road, so …
I suspect some Zag folks were almost afraid to look.
Instead of getting walloped, though, Gonzaga played calm, slick, efficient basketball and basically took Alabama apart.
The Zags won 100-90, but the game wasn’t that close.
Gonzaga dictated pace, tempo, type of play, got exactly the shots it wanted and forced ’Bama into 21 turnovers.
If the amazing Miller hadn’t thrown in 36 points on an unbelievable array of shots, this would have been a full-on rout.
So …
Have the Zags turned a corner after all these tough games — or was Alabama (and its no-structure, YMCA-at-the-weekend style of hoops) wildly overrated?
Maybe a bit of both?
’Bama has fantastic freshmen talent in addition to Miller, but it can be a rudderless outfit.
The Zags still have issues at point guard and defending quality big men, but they seem to be settling into the rhythm.
The Associated Press poll this week has Alabama at No. 9, with the Zags up to No. 11.
Might want to reverse those, gang.
Just sayin’.
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.”