Ralph Walter

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Sports >  High school sports

Former Gonzaga Prep forward Jayden Stevens transfers to Idaho

UPDATED: Wed., April 10, 2024

From staff reports

Sports >  NCAA basketball

Eastern Washington standout Cedric Coward enters transfer portal, to test NBA draft

UPDATED: Wed., April 10, 2024

From staff reports

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

Take 22 Podcast with Anton Watson (episode 3): A conversation with Gonzaga teammate Drew Timme about NIL, acting chops and living messy

UPDATED: Wed., Feb. 22, 2023

Anton Watson and Drew Timme have shown amazing chemistry on the court throughout their Gonzaga basketball careers. That same rapport was evident on Tuesday night when Watson welcomed Timme to join him on the third episode of his podcast, “Take 22.” 

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Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

Zags Basketball Insiders Podcast (episode 5): Sweet revenge at LMU, an ESPN GameDay appearance, and a look ahead to Saturday’s big Saint Mary’s showdown

UPDATED: Wed., Feb. 22, 2023

As great as last week went for Gonzaga basketball, this week could be even better.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

Take 22 Podcast with Anton Watson (episode 2): A conversation about poster dunks, Kennel noise and Super Bowl snacks, capped by a Watson family reunion

UPDATED: Wed., Feb. 15, 2023

From staff reports

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

Zags Basketball Insiders Podcast (episode 4): A Dan Dickau tribute, a Julian Strawther gem and an LMU rematch

UPDATED: Tue., Feb. 14, 2023

It’s never too early to look ahead to the West Coast Conference basketball tournament.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

Take 22 Podcast with Anton Watson: A conversation about Gonzaga basketball, Fisher-Price mini-hoops and why Drake has no equal

UPDATED: Tue., Feb. 7, 2023

Anton Watson has never been known to be much of a talker on the court, but Gonzaga’s versatile big man showed he can chat with the best of them away from it.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

Zags Basketball Insiders Podcast (episode 1): A roller-coaster start, a streak snapped and a Gonzaga team still seeking a defensive identity

UPDATED: Thu., Feb. 9, 2023

A new lineup. A big loss. A slow start. And victory in the end. If anyone can appreciate the roller-coaster season that is Gonzaga basketball so far in 2022-23, it's The Spokesman-Review's Zags Basketball Insiders Podcast crew.

Sports >  NCAA basketball

College basketball 2022-23: When you live among the giants of Gonzaga basketball, you sometimes need to celebrate it

UPDATED: Wed., Nov. 9, 2022

Today, in our annual college basketball preview section, we take a deep dive into Timme's legacy, one that's still being built. Writers Jim Meehan and Dave Boling write about his place in history and what makes him a star. 

Sports >  Whitworth

Ralph Walter: Reloaded S-R sports team ready to tackle another football season, and much more

UPDATED: Thu., Sept. 2, 2021

Even championship teams eventually need to retool.

Sports

Ralph Walter: My, oh my! Spokesman-Review’s sweep of awards shows the value of teamwork

UPDATED: Sun., May 9, 2021

Grand slams are a special feat in baseball. Same with newspaper contests.

Sports >  NCAA basketball

Ralph Walter: Sure, the weekend was a stinker in sports, but that’s what timeouts are for

UPDATED: Tue., Dec. 8, 2020

Sports are supposed to be a pleasant distraction.

A&E >  Books

Ralph Walter: From ‘Zero’ to hero: Turns out renowned Spokane author Jess Walter is a pretty spectacular brother, too

UPDATED: Thu., Oct. 22, 2020

When you’re the younger brother of a New York Times bestselling author, you tend to get peppered with a lot of questions:

Sports

Ralph Walter: No Wet Dog Fur Open golf tournament this year, but that’s no reason to be teed off

UPDATED: Mon., June 8, 2020

Always scheduled for the second Monday of June, the Wet Dog Fur Open – the S-R sports department’s unauthorized golf tournament that has produced enough embarrassing moments to make even John Daly blush – is circled on most of our calendars like Christmas. Until this year. Like most everything else this spring, our tournament was shelved by COVID-19. While not exactly a sad moment, it’s a nostalgic one nonetheless.

Sports

Ralph Walter: As times change, a chance to embrace distance, co-workers and the 5-point shot

UPDATED: Mon., April 6, 2020

As the coronavirus pandemic has exploded and our lives have been turned upside down, we’ve had to adjust even our most comforting routines. Even something as inane as old-man basketball.

Sports >  NCAA basketball

Ralph Walter: The past week has turned into the sports world’s greatest ‘What-If’

UPDATED: Sat., March 14, 2020

Back in 2018, we launched a series called “The Great What-If,” stories that explored alternate endings to real-life sporting events: what if the SuperSonics had stayed in Seattle? What if the Spokane Indians had remained a Triple-A farm team.

Sports >  WSU football

Ralph Walter: The best way to welcome the football season? Playing our football board game

UPDATED: Thu., Aug. 29, 2019

Loosely based on Coach Mike Leach’s pass-first, shotgun spread offense that has transformed his Washington State Cougars into a perennial bowl team, our simple Air Raid game blends modern football strategy and decision-making with nostalgic 1970s technology.

Sports >  Area sports

Ralph Walter: Raising a glass to Hoopfest, Ken Hopkins and 60-year-old knees

UPDATED: Sun., June 30, 2019

Sometimes you have to risk injury – or even worse, ridicule – for the good of the team. In the end, when it comes to Hoopfest, it’s all worth it.

Sports >  Outdoors

Ralph Walter: With help from an expert, even a knothead can learn to love hiking

Thu., May 16, 2019

Over the years, I’ve given my girlfriend some real duds as gifts – with the exception of last year: An autographed copy of “Day Hiking Eastern Washington,” co-authored by former Spokesman-Review outdoors editor and good friend Rich Landers, and a guided hike with the legend himself.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

With $15, you just can’t go wrong in building your own Gonzaga Dream Team

UPDATED: Tue., March 19, 2019

In a never-ending quest to match up the greatest players in Gonzaga basketball history – not to mention find ways to pass the time until the REAL games begin – we’ve come up with a new one: You have $15 to spend on five GU greats, ranked by position, and whose values range from $1 to $5.

Sports >  EWU football

Ralph Walter: With Frisco at stake, there’s no better time to catch Eastern Washington football at the Inferno

UPDATED: Thu., Dec. 13, 2018

For the fourth time since the National Championship run of 2010, Eastern Washington University is just a win away from a return trip to the FCS title game in Frisco, Texas. And with a second national crown on the line, this is your last chance this year to experience the most dominant football team in the Northwest over the last decade.

Sports >  WSU football

Ralph Walter: For high-flying WSU, EWU, Whitworth football diehards – Yippie ki yay, mustache faithful!

UPDATED: Tue., Nov. 20, 2018

And now for the big Hollywood ending. Nearly three months after The Spokesman-Review kicked off the college football season with a special section inspired by classic sports films, we’re sprinting toward the kind of finish that would make even “Rudy” blush.

Sports >  Gonzaga basketball

Ralph Walter: Deadline pressure takes Gonzaga basketball mania to new heights

Thu., Nov. 1, 2018

As news broke Tuesday afternoon that talented Gonzaga big man Killian Tillie would miss a significant chunk of the season following surgery for an ankle fracture, a sense of Zagony set in since our annual college basketball section – which you’ll find tucked into Thursday’s print edition of The Spokesman-Review – was already out the door for an early press run.

Sports >  WSU football

Ralph Walter: First stop, ESPN College GameDay – then a ‘remote’ shot at the national title

UPDATED: Tue., Oct. 16, 2018

I was at a wedding reception filled with Washington State University alums Saturday night when news broke that ESPN’s College GameDay was finally coming to Pullman.

Sports >  International sports

Weighing in: Local boxing figures lean toward Gennady Golovkin against Canelo Alvarez

UPDATED: Fri., Sept. 14, 2018

There’s always a certain buzz when a big fight rolls around. So when middleweight champions Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez step into the ring for their much anticipated rematch Saturday night in Las Vegas, it’s a safe bet that many of the biggest names in local boxing will be glued to their TVs, as well. On Friday, a few weighed in with predictions.