A GRIP ON SPORTS

There is one thing I like to do each Memorial Day. I reread the Gettysburg Address. It's my way of saying thanks to those the day was designed to honor. Fittingly, Abraham Lincoln wrote the speech and delivered it in 1863 as part of a ceremony to consecrate a cemetery, honoring the thousands who fell on the Pennsylvania battlefield just a few months before. It's not long, taking Lincoln only a couple minutes to deliver, but it's full of iconic phrases that still resonate through the years. However, the one that always hits me on this day concerns the sacrifice made by those being honored. “That from these honored dead,” Lincoln wrote, “we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion.” The last full measure of devotion. Wow. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

We've reminisced here before about Sunday papers, how they were always little magazines crammed full of stories to read. But there is one other aspect of that we may have forgotten to touch upon, though we will this morning. They were – and still are – at their best when they bring you an unexpected story or two. A little gem at the bottom of a mound of the predictable. It's that aspect we celebrate today as our blog is sprinkled, like a ruined doughnut, with colorful stories you probably didn't expect on a crowded weekend. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

Summer unofficially begins this weekend. Schools not out around here, sure. And it's still cold in the morning at times. But according to lore, Memorial Day Weekend is the kickoff to summer. Fine by me. It's time to get into that summer mode. Shorts every day. Flip-flops instead of shoes. An ice chest ready to be filled – and drained – each day. The barbecue. And baseball on the radio. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

It is Friday of a holiday weekend. Seven really exciting words, no? With Memorial Day coming up Monday, there is a chance to get out and enjoy all that the Northwest has to offer (if you live outside the area, I'm sorry – in more ways than one). Watch out for the wind today, it may get Mary Poppins bad. If you want to stay inside and read our morning report, we promise not to blow you away. Wait, that didn't come out right. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

After the past few days, any sunshine is appreciated. Even the diffuse stuff we're getting now. Let's shine some light on the Inland Northwest's sports news, shall we? Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

Remember that old ditty you used to sing as a kid about the rain? Something about it staying away and coming again another day? Well, if we could remember all the words we would be singing it today, as we have to head out to the golf course to catch up with the 4A boys golf – and we don't want to get wet. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

It's an eclectic mix we present for you this morning, with links ranging from New Jersey, where former Gonzaga star Adam Morrison had a tryout with the Nets, to Tampa, where the Bucs said goodbye to Kellen Winslow and sent him to the Seahawks. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

Mondays are never easy. It's a day of searching, especially this time of year. Trying to find enough to link is pretty dang hard. But thanks to a guy we've known – and learned from – for years, we have a great piece of reporting to pass along. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

It's been a long time since a Spokane college baseball team has been to these heights. Fifty-two years. That's the last time a team from the Lilac City has headed off to a college world series. But it will happen next week. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

As I said on the radio yesterday, my father used to invoke the blind-squirrel-acorn theory often when I was young (usually right after I did something he approved of). That philosophy came to mind last night with Kevin Millwood's complete-game shutout victory in Colorado. Was it like a vision-impaired rodent stumbling into a nut, or was it the beginning of something good? Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

For quite possibly the first time in my life, today I would rather live in Cleveland. At least there the major league baseball team battles through adversity and has an ownership that will spend a bit of money to help its team compete. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we have trouble saying such things with a straight face. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

College football in August. A good thing or bad thing? Discus among yourselves. I'm still trying to figure out if Larry Bernandez was actually in Felix's uniform last night. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

Yesterday we didn't write a lot due to back problems. Well, after a trip to the doctor and pharmacist (who I presumed was a Cougar because almost every pharmacist around here is a Cougar), we're doing a bit better. A bit better, as in we can actually sit at our computer and type without screaming. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

I don't want to sound like a wuss, but this isn't easy today. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS • ADDITION: 9:25 A.M.

Really, could there have been better weather to celebrate Mother's Day? The sun was shining, the temperature rose into the high 70s and the weeds seemed to almost pull themselves. OK, I was exaggerating a bit on that last part, but it was nearly perfect. And if you live outside of the Inland Northwest and your day was cloudy and blah, I'm sorry for gloating. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

So what's a blogger to do on Mother's Day? Tell a story about mom? Would that be present enough? It's going to have to be. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

As most of you know, I'm a big Felix Hernandez booster. The guy can pitch, it's as simple as that. But yesterday evening, I found myself quietly rooting for Hernandez to fail. Don't judge me. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

When I started this morning, the temperature outside was in the mid-30s. Now it is in the mid-40s. Oh the power of sunshine. Now if the sun could only make up for no Mariner game and little other news to link. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

One of the definitions of ownership is “legal right of possession; proprietorship.” Sounds like what the Mariners have over the Tigers right now. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

A little known fact: I grew up next to a major league baseball pitcher. A former Mariners pitcher. And, from time to time, I would spend a few days with him in Seattle. Once, while driving to the Kingdome, he made a statement that resonated through the years last night, following the last out of the M's loss, an out that prompts a little baseball etiquette lesson. Read on.