A Grip on Sports: From frogs to pools and everywhere in between, July is the best month to be a kid
A GRIP ON SPORTS • The last day of July means the final day of the best month of the year, childhood version. And makes memories come flooding back. (By the way, the picture above is from the S-R files from August, 2019. I can’t change the wording underneath, so don’t be worried. The pools don’t close this week.)
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• Why was July so great as a kid? Simple. No school. And none on the horizon. From the Fourth to the 31st, every day was devoted to unlearning – seemingly – everything we had learned the previous 10 months. All the while learning new skills for the rest of your life.
Like what, you ask. How to catch frogs, I answer. I remember spending one day down at the settling basins trying to grab a few to take home and put in my dad’s garden. I figured they would help with his bug problem. The skills I definitely did not master that day – boxing them in; using my hands to grab slippery, gross things; patience – were needed later in life when I tried to wrangle my two boys in the mornings before school.
Or learning how to deal with failure. And talking my way out of trouble. Our family had a rule. We had to be home before the street lights came on. In July, that was hard. Especially as the days grew shorter as the month waned. Every moment was precious. Every second of over-the-line was special. Every chance to talk with Eileen Hardy was extraordinary. And those darn street lights never seemed to give you any warning. One moment you were OK, the next you were late. The race was on. The closer you arrived to the right time, the less punishment there was. (Unless my mom was out of gin, but that’s another story.) Anyway, there were a few times those Olympic BMX riders could have learned a thing from me as I raced home, sliding around on my banana seat and hoping the roll bar in the back would save my head if I crashed.
Good times.
The importance of knowing how to swim was another key lesson. As childhood morphed into adolescence, it became even more important. Those hot days in July were best spent at the town pool, where you had to get in the water every once in a while or Roger Keith, aka The Pool Nazi, would kick you out. And nowhere else in town were other teenagers wearing bathing suits, if you get my drift. The pool deck was a special place, one you didn’t want to leave until, you know, that special someone left.
Another July lesson? Budgeting through math. When the month began, there were some 65 days before school started again, give or take a handful. That number was basically cut in half by Aug. 1. We always had summer reading. Three books, each about 250 pages. Take 750 and divide by 65. That’s how many pages I needed to read each night to get the books finished. Of course, 750 divided by 3 was the only math that mattered. Despite the best of plans, I never seemed to start until the Saturday of Labor Day weekend.
There were frogs to catch and girls to talk with before then. And the nightly race against the dying of the light.
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Olympics: There were many races yesterday (actually today) in Tokyo. Including the women’s 100 meters, in which the Jamaican runners swept. … Our star swimmers did better. … The U.S. baseball team earned a bye. … Here are all the winners from Saturday. … Simone Biles won’t compete in the first of two individual events. … The U.S. basketball team moves on to the quarterfinals with another win.
WSU: The early season basketball schedule was released yesterday, with the Cougars playing a slate good enough to get them ready for the Pac-12 (and, hopefully, the NCAAs) but not so tough as to destroy the momentum built last season. Theo Lawson has more in this story. … Larry Weir spent Friday talking with Matt Chazanow for the latest Press Box podcast. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and college sports, the SEC and Texas and Oklahoma are officially engaged. The wedding is set to be consummated in 2025, though that is probably negotiable. … Just who is in charge of college football, anyway? Here is a short history lesson. … Should Washington expand its recruiting base? … Oregon is aiming high. … One Colorado player expects to take his game to new heights. … Utah has a diverse program. … UCLA is excited to open camp. … Arizona is about to open its preseason camp as well. … Jayden Daniels has made another watch list.
Gonzaga: He hasn’t played a single second for the Zags yet, but Chet Holmgren is ESPN’s pick to be the NBA’s top draft choice next year. Jim Meehan covers that in this story. … He and Drew Timme are mentioned in this list of the top 25 college players for next season, with Timme No. 1.
Indians: Two Spokane grand slams don’t always ensure a victory. They did, however, do just that last night at Avista as the Indians defeated Vancouver 15-11. Dave Nichols has all the details in this story.
Shock: Spokane is dealing with a lot of injuries as it prepares for tonight’s visit by the Massachusetts Pirates. Justin Reed has a preview of the IFL game. … Around the league, Tucson has found a leader.
Mariners: Two rookies and two newcomers combined to help the M’s get past the woeful Rangers 9-5 in Arlington on Friday night. Jarred Kelenic stood tall with a three-run homer and Logan Gilbert pitched well again. Abraham Toro had three more hits and Diego Castillo posted a one-two-three save. … The trade deadline included more deals than most baseball folks can remember happening in 24 hours. It was a busy day with big names changing teams. Except for Seattle, whose general manager wisely decided not to trade prospects for aging or free-agent-to-be stars. The decision may have made it harder for the M’s to make the postseason this season, however.
Seahawks: Ben Burr-Kirven gets to learn from the best. He appreciates the opportunity. … Marquise Blair doesn’t mind where he plays as long as he plays. … Do Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson agree on the offensive emphasis? … Carroll and one of his new players have reached out to Richard Sherman.
Sounders: The loss to Sporting Kansas City is now in the rearview mirror. … Portland fell apart against the LA Galaxy and lost 4-1.
Kraken: Phillipp Grubauer will not only be the team’s goalie, he also will be the face of the franchise.
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• Goodbye July. It’s like we hardly knew ye. We will, however, be excited in 11 months when you return. Life in the Grippi household will look different, that’s for sure. Until later …