A Grip on Sports: As we close in on four decades around here, it’s fun to reflect on our links to the area

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Want to know something funny? The first time I actually saw snow come from the sky happened 37 years ago this month. That’s when I started my career at the S-R and astounded the Spokane natives with my snow ignorance. Since then I’ve seen it snow thousands of times and astounded folks with my all-around ignorance just as much.

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• It was 37 years ago yesterday I worked my first day in the Review tower. Up to then, I had spent my entire life, all 26 years, in Southern California, lying in the sun, sitting on freeways and eating smog. Only the first appealed to me, so Kim and I loaded up the truck and moved to Spokane. Got jobs. Raised a family. Became part of this community.

I can still remember a conversation Kim and I had in our Fullerton home as we debated the move in early 1983. It was about how one got ahead in the journalism world back then. The usual path was working hard, doing well and then moving to another paper with a bit more circulation. Climbing the ladder until you reached the top of the mountain.

Kim made it clear that wasn’t her life plan. She wanted to find a place to call home. Some place she felt comfortable. She was fine in Orange County. She was fine trying out someplace new. But she didn’t want to move every two years like some of my colleagues had. I told her I understood and not to worry. I figured a few years in Spokane, a few more someplace else and we could return “home.” I would have a depth of knowledge, an understanding of best practices, only different experiences would supply.

We made the move. Thirty-seven years later, we’re still here. That’s a long time. We went from young to old in the same home.

We almost left a couple times. But there is something about this place. Maybe it’s the unexpected snow on an early April morning.

(About that. What the hay? Why? Can we get a 60-degree day soon please? I want to dig in the dirt like a normal old guy. Wear shorts. Fall asleep outside.)

My office is filled with memorabilia from the years. There’s a drawing of Cheers’ Norm Peterson from Anne Heitner, who left us way too soon. There’s another painting from Molly Quinn, who still graces the S-R’s pages today. There’s a framed No. 5 baseball jersey, given me by two friends at WSU when I retired. There’s a Ronny Turiaf shoe Kim grabbed at a charity auction a few years ago. There are trophies from basketball and bobbleheads from the M’s.

It’s cluttered. It’s comfy. It’s home.

• It’s also Sunday morning. It’s the middle of a pandemic that’s forced many of us out of our routine and into our homes. We arose this morning with a mission of catching up you folks with what’s going on not just in this area, but throughout the western sports world.

In that vein we mined a few more links from the Big Sky today. We missed some recently and wanted to make up for that.

And then go outside and enjoy the last snow of winter – if I say it out loud, will it make it so? 

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WSU: Before the leaves began to fall late last summer, Theo Lawson asked Cougar fans to share their predictions about the football season. While cleaning out his office yesterday, Theo found them. And figured he better check to see how well everyone did. (That’s made up. I don’t know what was behind Theo’s thinking but I’m glad he decided to do it. It was fun.) … The basketball program under Kyle Smith is attracting a better caliber of recruit. One of those committed last night. Theo has that story as well. … Around the Pac-12, money is going to be a big issue for every athletic department next year (and beyond), from Arizona to Oregon. It will become a bigger issue if there is no football in the fall. … It will be interesting to see how the NFL draft goes this month. … Social distancing is even having an affect on 25-year reunions. … Mike Bohn has listened to USC’s fans. Now he’s talking back. … A Seattle basketball recruit who is considering UW and Gonzaga, among others, has added Arizona to his list.

Gonzaga: There are four players on GU’s roster that were mentioned often as NBA draft possibilities during the just-completed season. Of those, Jim Meehan found, Killian Tillie is the most prominent one. … Out of the blue Friday night, I stumbled on a tweet from a Loyola (Chicago) women’s basketball player announcing she was transferring to Gonzaga. Jim Allen delved into the happenstance yesterday and has this story.

EWU: Around the Big Sky, there has been a lot of news. For example, former Arizona State guard Khalil Thomas, a Portland high school standout, yesterday announced he’s transferring to Portland State. … Last week Montana fired women’s basketball coach Shannon Schweyen after four years at the helm. … Everyone is dealing with the virus fallout, from Weber State to Montana. … An Idaho State football player was granted a sixth year. … Northern Arizona lost two basketball players to transfers, one to Vermont, the other to the Griz. … Montana has some questions to answer next season. … Montana State’s first-year coach answered some.

Seahawks: As Cleveland enters the Jadeveon Clowney sweepstakes (if he signs there his judgment must be questioned), we found out how much Germain Ifedi was valued by the Bears. Spoiler alert: It was not all that much.

Mariners: If you like baseball cards, and I do, then this Larry Stone column is not to be missed.

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• In our time spent recapping one change in the Spokane media landscape yesterday, we forgot to pass along another change in the Portland scene. And we wanted to. After all, Kerry Eggers has been around a long time. … The basketball hall of fame announced its 2020 inductees yesterday and among them was some guy named Kobe Bryant. A good choice I would have to say. … Until later …