THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: With the Zags already gone, all the focus shifts to the M's

With all due respect to Gonzaga…

Well.

With SOME respect to the Zags, conquerors of Kennesaw State, it’s time to take a bow and slide out off the stage.

Yep, the Zags got knocked on the head and put on a jet home by scrappy Texas.

It’s considered bad form to whine about injuries, but let’s do it anyway.

Apologies to the “Hook ‘Em” crowd, but the Zags would have left Texas on the side of the road if Braden Huff could run, jump, dance and hit 15-foot jumpers.

Instead, the 6-11 Huff has been stuck in some kind of device to protect his wounded knee since he fell in a lump just prior to the Washington State game.

Huff and Graham Ike had formed one of most deadly inside tandems in college hoops, and the Zags would have had a legit shot at the Final Four with both of ‘em fit and firing.

Even a couple of weeks ago, there was hope that Huff would be ready to play in the tournament.

Alas, no luck.

Ike was left alone under the bucket and the Zags became an entirely different team.

THIS NEW squad changed offenses and fought to live on defense, but there were some holes in the dam.

Texas found them, and got the Zags in trouble.

Like several of Mark Few’s teams in the past decade or so, this gang couldn’t count on its 3-point shooting.

If you’re not going to hit from behind the arc, you have to overwhelm teams in the paint.

Needless to say, losing one of your star big men makes things tough on the glass.

Ike had a fantastic year, but you knew he couldn’t carry the gang by himself.

So.

The Zags were dismissed from the tournament last Saturday night.

It was a shame, because adding Huff would have given Gonzaga a shot to beat anyone.

The defeat had one little benefit (assuming you’re the type who always sees a glass half-full).

Ready?

The Zags wrapped up their season less than a week prior to the Mariners’ opening day.

Kind of them, eh?

That was a joke, in case you weren’t sure.

The M’s host Cleveland on Thursday night, and all that hoo-hah about gunning for the World Series can be turned loose.

The start of baseball season releases its own sort of electricity.

It’s different from any other sport — with a season running half the year, for one thing.

After the whole shebang last season, the Mariners got to the eighth inning of Game 7 in Toronto.

They were clinging to a two-run lead that could have taken them to the Series, when George Springer (the devil himself) whacked a three-run homer.

SO, IT was heartbreak with five outs short.

Time to get after it again.

There are thousands (maybe millions) of “experts” who cover baseball and would be thrilled to explain which teams have improved — and why a few more are headed for the city dump.

The consensus on the Mariners is that the infield needed to be patched up and the rotation had to stay healthy.

But given those happy developments, this is a team that could finally — damn finally — play in the World Series.

No other teams have Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez, stars who give Seattle a running start.

There are other exciting reasons to be optimistic, including (yes) the terrific pitching staff; addition of Josh Naylor and Brandon Donovan; the Dodgers and their trillion-dollar payroll are in the other league; and politeness to lead MLB — Randy Arozarena will shake your hand to comply with Robert’s Rules of Order.

Yeah, I’ll admit I wanted to see Gonzaga advance another week in the NCAA tournament.

The Zags are due another long and thrilling run in that event.

But it’s a tough gig.

And if Gonzaga had to be shown the door sooner than we hoped, at least it was in time for the Mariners’ opening day.

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Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press three times each week, normally Tuesday, Wednesday and 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