A Grip on Sports: As everyone says hello to college basketball season, we take some time to say a tearful goodbye to another good boy

A GRIP ON SPORTS • There is a small picture in a prominent place in our home. Two young kids, holding hands. All one can see is their backs, as they, presumably, stroll away from us, down a wooded lane. Underneath that photograph is a saying from Ram Dass: “We’re all just walking each other home.” Nothing teaches that eternal lesson better than your dog.

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• How many walks have we taken over the past dozen years with our dog Junior? Hundreds. Thousands. Innumerable ones, actually. And they’ve all ended here, at home. The place where, today, Junior’s family and four-legged friends, will gather to say goodbye.

Junior entered that home in 2012, a malnourished welp of a dog, 18 weeks old, not fated to see 19 weeks. He was starving.

Seems an acquaintance of our son Jack had decided to breed a Great Dane with a Doberman and sell the litter of Doberdanes. It didn’t go well. The bigger, healthier dogs sold quickly. The runts, like Junior, did not. So this excrement of a person decided to cut his losses and quit feeding them.

Junior was the runt of the runts. Jack had dropped into the house not knowing any of this and did what his heart told him to do. Grab the dog and bring it home. His home. Even though he did not live there anymore.

Our house already had one dog, Yogi, the Black Lab mix Jack had to leave behind when he went out on his own. The rescue dog who became my retirement companion. My shadow. My friend. Adding another soon-to-be-giant of a dog to the mix was a difficult decision. But just watching the puppy walk under Yogi’s torso, run to the food bowl and eat so fast he threw up, broke my heart. And added another heart to the family.

The biggest heart, actually. In every way.

In our lifetime, there have been about a dozen dogs who have accompanied us on our long walk home. None were nicer, friendlier, softer and yet, at the same time, scarier than Junior.

He grew into a giant. We got him one of those bowls that seem to be a maze to slow down his speed-eating. Still, he ate like a set of twin high school offensive linemen. The ribs soon disappeared but the personality didn’t. He was a joy – except when he decided to join mom and dad each night for sleep. Two dogs, a combined weight of about 200 pounds, and two humans, combined weight of none-of-your-business, on a queen-sized bed? It never really worked.

Didn’t stop them from trying, though.

As Yogi slowed, Junior took over the role of protector. Mainly of Kim, as Yogi had staked out a relationship with me.

Junior has always been a prodigious sleeper, but when he was awake he roamed the fence line continuously, doing what Danes and Dobermans were bred to do: protect the castle. He was a one-dog security system with a bark so deep nothing wanted to penetrate the perimeter. Little did anyone on the other side of our back fence know, Junior was a coward. Any loud noise would send him running. Usually cowering behind us. Or nestled on our lap. Yep, a 115-pound lap dog.

Sometimes he would just sit on the couch. Like a person. Back up and put his butt down. Look at the world just like his human friends did.

We finally broke down and bought him his own couch. A big old brown sectional for the TV room. A sleeper-sofa, actually, though the only “person” to ever sleep on it was him. He would lay there, his long legs taking up more than half of it, and watch every Star Trek series Paramount+ ever showed, along with the entire Star Wars, Harry Potter and Marvel universe. Academy Award-winning dramas? Sure. He took it all in. But he was no snob. He also slept through every Washington State and Seattle Seahawk football game played in his lifetime, only waking up to give us a disapproving look whenever we loudly questioned an official’s call.  

What a love.

Our love. Kim’s love. Our son Tyler’s love. My love. Every day for the past dozen years, he’s been there, allowing us to feel safe just by his presence. And intimidating bark.

The bark remains. The energy? Vision? Ability to control himself or navigate stairs? Those have been gone for about a year. Ever since he overcame the cancer that invaded his neck. But it has reappeared elsewhere, of course, and is taking its toll.

We have been lifting Junior up for months. Helping him get around, all the while knowing he wouldn’t make it to winter. The inevitability of today has eaten at us every day for weeks. Overwhelmed Tyler, Kim and I at times. But we all wanted him to spend one last summer and fall basking in the sun on the back deck. Laying in the grass on the top of the little hill overlooking the fence. Letting the best of life soak into his bones one more time. He got it.

It’s time for his last walk home. We will do it together. Tomorrow. Today?

It’s Junior’s day. We are throwing a party. Jack and his wife Nicol are coming over. They will bring their two dogs, Saskia and Moses, Junior’s best outside-the-house friends. Our little dog, Donut, another rescue who joined the family a trio of years ago, will nip at his heels one more time. Lick his face. Sleep in his shadow. We will all go for a long, short walk as a group. Share some human food. Watch the Seahawks play. Share hugs, pets, tears. Love. Thanks.

He’s in pain. We know that. He can’t see. We know that too. But it doesn’t make what has to happen any easier, does it? Never. Love last forever. No dog does.

But as I sit here and cry, I think about all the dogs who have walked me home since my smile was missing a couple baby teeth. Toodles. Smokey. Stanley. Blackie. Bandit. Hunter. Gilly. Yogi. Donut. And Junior.  

Monday afternoon our home will be emptier. Our hearts too. We will hold Donut tight. Help him through his pain. Cry a lot, smile a little.

Instead of the last day, I will focus on that fateful first one. I still see it clearly. Jack walking through the front door with a puppy in his arms. It is warm, the house open. Jack putting the puppy on the living room floor. Sitting next to him. The dog is jet black, with a white spot on his chest, just like Yogi, the king of the house. They could have been father and son.

The puppy staying close to Jack and his comforting hands. Finally beginning to sniff around. Yogi growling, the puppy retreating. Waiting a while. Trying again. This time Yogi let him nuzzle up. Soon, they are playing. I sit on the floor and watch. One more dog in the house? Sure. Why not? He seems to fit. Looks right at home. Even is the spitting image of Yogi. Decision made. He is in.

We need a name. Baseball-themed, of course. That is our new meme. Tyler nails it. Junior. Perfect. He is Yogi’s junior. And our Kid.

He is home. And, no matter what, always will be. Even after he is gone.

• OK, this is a sports column. So I have to write something about sports or I will lose my license.  

That’s not true. I don’t have a license. Never passed the written part of the test. The professionals who populate the S-R sports department these days take care of that. They have put together a special section filled with stories about our local college basketball teams. From Pullman to Mead, from McCarthey Athletic Center to Reese Court, from Moscow to Coeur d’Alene, there are – to paraphrase the great philosopher, Jay Buhner – stories, stories and more stories.

We will link them in each section below. But sports editor Ralph Walter has put them all together in one place. Just click here and scroll down to your favorite Zag or Eagle or whatever story and click on it.

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WSU: There is so much new with Washington State men’s basketball. The roster is. The coaching staff is. Greg Woods has the task of melding it together. He has a story on David Riley, the former Whitworth player and Eastern Washington head coach who took over from Kyle Smith in the spring. He also has a story on the Watts, a pair of unrelated players, one a holdover (Isaiah), one a transfer (LeJuan) from Eastern with Riley. Or is it the other way round? No, that’s right. Both, however, will play big roles for the Cougars. … There are also big changes for the women, though Kamie Ethridge is back to run the (successful) show. Greg Lee has this story on the new-look roster. … Elsewhere in the (new and old) Pac-12, the Mountain West and the nation, we are unable to find the usual Jon Wilner columns from Saturday, but we do have John Canzano’s thoughts on what happened. … We also can share thoughts from around the nation, including another Penn State loss to Ohio State. And other winners and losers. … Washington’s defense stepped up late, showed its resiliency and held USC out of the end zone twice in the fourth quarter. The Huskies rallied for a 26-21 win over the Trojans in Seattle. USC has five losses and it led in the fourth quarter of each of them. … Oregon sent a message to the rest of the Big Ten with its dominating 38-17 win over Michigan. Other than Duck miscues, the Wolverines did not have a chance. … The early starting time did not prove beneficial for Stanford, as it was rolled 59-28 at North Carolina State. … Colorado no longer has a weak offensive line. But still has a Heisman candidate. … Yes, UCLA nearly blew a 20-point lead. But the Bruins held on for the win at Nebraska. … Even inclement weather and a delay could not stop Arizona State from running to another win, this time at Oklahoma State. … The season has gone from bad to awful for Arizona, as the Wildcats lose 56-12 at UCF. … In the Mountain West, Colorado State topped Nevada and is now bowl eligible. As well as still in the conference race. … Wyoming found a way to win a game, rallying to get past New Mexico 49-45. … So did Hawaii, on the mainland, coming back to overcome Fresno State 21-20. … No. 15 Boise State’s win over San Diego State on Friday was worth a second look. … Air Force stayed close but lost to an Army team missing its best player. … Finally, it has not been a fun year for San Jose State volleyball.

Gonzaga: Before we get into the Zags and the excitement of the men’s upcoming season, we have to take a moment to acknowledge how different the West Coast Conference will be this year and next. Theo Lawson covers the changes, which actually began with BYU leaving before last season. This year WSU and Oregon State join the league, with Seattle U. and Grand Canyon – maybe – on the way for 2025-26. The Redhawks are in for sure but the Phoenix-based school decided to join the Mountain West, starting, for now, in 2026. Why? More money of course. And why the uncertainty? The Antelopes are looking to get a hall pass and start a year earlier if possible. Theo Lawson covers that mess in this story. … Back to this season, in which the men have almost everyone back from last season’s Sweet Sixteen squad – only missing Anton Watson, who is a big loss – and have added some outstanding players – including Khalif Battle from Arkansas. Jim Meehan and Theo have combined for the coverage. … Dave Boling is going to say it again. He feels this is the year Mark Few and Gonzaga break through and win the NCAA title. Yes, he’s been wrong before. He admits it. But this time is different. … We spent quite a bit of time last summer with women’s coach Lisa Fortier. Watched her as she navigated her cancer treatment, as well as everything else a head college basketball coach, and a parent, has to navigate. Pretty darn impressive. As is Greg Lee’s story on Fortier’s campaign against the cancer that invaded her body in the spring, changing everything on and off the court. … Greg also has stories on the rebuilt women’s roster, the WCC outlook with the addition of WSU and OSU, and how the past 20 years in McCarthey have informed the program. Jim does the same with the men. … Speaking of the sixth-ranked men, they open their season at the Arena, hosting the eighth-ranked Baylor Bears. Theo connected with a Baylor beat writer for a Q&A. … Far afield from hoops, Gonzaga’s women won the WCC’s cross country title in California yesterday. … Elsewhere in the WCC, there is a new look in Moraga for the women. … The Santa Clara women also are under new management. … Randy Bennett’s team just keeps on rolling.

EWU: Before we get to the hoop coverage, we can’t forget the football season is still going on. Though, after Saturday’s 42-28 home loss to No. 2 Montana State, maybe it’s time to put it on the back burner. Eastern is 2-7 overall and 1-4 in Big Sky play. Dan Thompson has the coverage. … There is a theme everywhere among these basketball stories. Change. Dan Monson is the newest Eastern Washington men’s coach, back in the Inland Northwest after a more than two-decade absence. As Dan Thompson tells us, he has rebuilt the Eagles’ roster. … Joddie Gleason has been around Cheney longer but she had to do the same thing. Rebuild the women’s roster, something Dan covers as well. … He also previews the women’s soccer team’s upcoming Big Sky Conference tournament. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Portland State hit on all cylinders in its big win over Sacramento State…. Eighth-ranked Montana pulled away in the second half to top host Cal Poly 42-7. … No. 4 UC Davis continued to roll, blowing out Northern Colorado 59-7. … Weber State is spiraling and its start in a 27-6 loss at Northern Arizona really showed that. … In basketball news, the Idaho State women have some things to fix after their exhibition win.

Idaho: We have a prediction. A simple one, really. The Vandal men are going to be much improved in Alex Pribble’s second season. Why? The roster is better. More talent equates to better practices which equates to a tougher team. Peter Harriman picks them to win 10 Big Sky games this season. That might be low. … The women had one season under coach Carrie Eighmey. She left. But new coach Arthur Moreira was on the staff and should bring some continuity to all the new faces. Peter has that story as well. 

Whitworth: The Pirates’ football team just keeps rolling. In game No. 8, a 48-9 Northwest Conference rout of Portland’s Lewis & Clark, a bunch of single-season records were set. Greg was in the Pine Bowl and shares which ones. … One thing that hasn’t changed on the local hoop scene? Damion Jablonski’s Pirate men will be the favorite for the NWC title. Even with another year of roster churn. Ethan Myers previews their season as well as that of the Whit women under second year coach Kenny Love.

CCS and NIC: Though the two schools are now in different conferences, both have high hopes for the upcoming season. Justin Reed previews them for the men and women.

Preps: Dave Nichols covered Saturday’s key 2B football game, Asotin’s 34-19 win over Northwest Christian at Gonzaga Prep. … Dave also has his usual Friday Night (High)lights column, looking back at the week’s action. … And then there is his roundup of the rest of Saturday’s non-football action.

Chiefs: Spokane fell behind by three goals Saturday, rallied but eventually lost 4-3 at Tri-City. Dave put together this story. … Yesterday, we were unable to find a story on Friday’s 4-2 home win over Portland. We found it today.  

Velocity: Wins by expansion teams were not a thing in the USL League One playoffs. Until last night, when seventh-seeded Spokane went to Windsor, Colo., and blew out host, and second-seed, Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC 3-0. The Velocity became the first expansion team to win a playoff game in its first season.

Kraken: Another road game. Another road loss. This one 3-0 at Ottawa.

Seahawks: The Rams are in town. We can share what to watch (at 1:25 p.m. on Fox) and some injury news.

Sounders: Raúl Ruidíaz will get a start in Houston in today’s second leg of the postseason three-game series. He will replace Jordan Morris, who is dealing with a hamstring issue.

Reign: The season is over. It ended with a 3-2 loss at Orlando on Saturday.

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• Thanks for letting me practice a little of self-therapy through my keyboard-pounding fingers this morning. It’s the best way I’ve ever found of dealing with emotional pain. And to let everyone know how rewarding it is to rescue a dog, bring them into your home and make them a key part of who you are. Yes, the ending is stressful and tough, but the lifetime of loving service and support more than makes up for it. If you let it. … If you got here early and found some things missing, we have fixed that. Until later …