Grippi is go-to guy for Cougars coverage
Every team needs a gamer, a utility man, a go-to guy. The team player that will do whatever it takes to make the team better.
The sports department is no different. We count on team players to get the paper out. The Spokesman-Review sports department is fortunate. We have a staff full of those types.
There is one staffer, however, who has been kicked around more than a playground soccer ball.
When I became the sports editor more than four years ago, I asked Vince Grippi to head up our high school sports coverage. He planned our prep coverage, covered prep events and wrote a weekly column for the Prep Page.
Grippi became immersed in the prep scene and developed many valuable sources. And then I asked him to step away. A little more than a year ago he took on a new job, that of online sportswriter. It was a new initiative designed to build our online readership.
He was apprehensive. This was new ground. What would be expected? We talked quite a bit and then he said, “Put me in, Coach.” And our online readership grew. It’s still a work in progress. Our online presence is still in its infancy, but with Grippi’s work our numbers grew and his blog, SportsLink, is now the second-most read blog on our site next to Dave Oliveria’s Huckleberries.
And then I asked him to cover Washington State University athletics. How is that for a kick in a new direction?
When Glenn Kasses left to pursue his MBA, it left a big hole in our staff. Because of the popularity of both WSU football and basketball, we consider the WSU beat one of the most important beats in our department and one that requires a lot of work and energy.
For most of the past 25 years, The Spokesman-Review has covered the Cougs from Pullman. Vince Devlin, Steve Bergum, Mike Sando, Carter Strickland and Kasses all had the luxury (and sometimes misfortune) of having the Cougars in their backyard. Grippi has been asked to do it while still living in Spokane.
But just like when he took charge of the preps and just like when he became our online guinea pig, Grippi took on his new assignment with total commitment. If you want to read about WSU football and basketball, Grippi should be your first stop – in print and online.
Facelift for SportsLink
If you’re a fan of sports in the Inland Northwest, SportsLink is a must on your favorites list.
We’ve streamlined all of our blog content so that you can view it all in one spot. The SportsLink blog gives readers sports news updates, notes and opinion and allows readers to give feedback. Feel free to comment on any post or just enjoy the conversations started on SportsLink.
If you prefer to just read about a specific team, you can use our handy filter. Just click on “Cougs,” for instance, and you will get just Washington State University posts created by Grippi. We also have specific content for Eastern Washington University (Bergum), Idaho (Dave Trimmer), Gonzaga (Jim Meehan), Washington prep sports (Mike Vlahovich), Idaho prep sports (Greg Lee), and the Spokane Chiefs and Spokane Shock (Jessica Brown).