A Grip on Sports: All athletes create memories but Jim Brown’s carried an impact as intense as his running style

A GRIP ON SPORTS • One thing about reaching Medicare age. Just about every month another hero of your youth dies, leaving you with only the memories of their greatness. And the impact they had.

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• The latest? Jim Brown, who died Thursday at the age of 87, was always mentioned among the greatest running backs – and athletes – in the nation’s history. But his story, as it relates to us, is a different one.

Unlike many of his activist peers, we don’t remember Brown as an athlete. But we are well aware of his accomplishments as a running back with the Cleveland Browns. (And, if you don’t know, the team wasn’t named for him but for their founder, owner and coach, Paul Brown, himself a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.)

The running back retired abruptly in 1966, just before our memory of sporting events really begins. But his bruising style and before-his-time size and speed made him a favorite of the one person who mattered the most to us at the time, our father.

Dad went to his grave professing Brown’s greatness, always believing well into this century Brown could have played in the NFL at any time – including then. And been a star.

Sure, the Republican in our father wasn’t a fan of Brown’s outspoken opinions, but like many of his generation who spent their formative years fighting in a war to destroy tyranny, he loudly supported Brown’s right to say what the heck he wanted.

It was a big part, in our father’s eyes, of the American Dream. So was what Brown did in 1966. He told his boss to take his high-paying job and shove it.

As often as our dad spoke Brown’s praises as a running back, and as often as he called Brown’s acting awful, dad expressed his admiration for the man for walking away from a league that regularly tossed its stars in the dumpster without a bit of remorse.

Brown left on his terms. And that was commendable.

Of all the athletes-turned-activists from that time period, Brown was the only one we never heard our father criticize. That’s how much his football exploits and his career change impacted dad. He was willing to forgive the rest of Brown’s flaws – perceived or otherwise – as they both aged.

Brown was 11 years younger than our dad. And lived three years more. But, to us, they will always be linked. A fan who watched one of his favorite players walk away and still supported him. Because that player stood up, spoke up and stepped into the unknown. And never looked back.

• Our first memory of Brown? Sitting in the old Sierra Madre movie theater, munching Whoppers and watching “The Dirty Dozen,” his first movie. Many of the movie’s themes went right over our head but one scene still sits bright in our memory.

As another fictional World War II battle winds down, Brown is given the assignment of dropping grenades into the bad guys’ air ducts. And, in maybe the oldest spoiler alert we’ve ever given, while he sprints across the cobbled driveway doing just that, a dirty Nazi guns him down.

We cried.

• We have to admit we didn’t watch as much of the PGA Championship as we would have liked yesterday. It was too nice a day and flowers needed to be planted. Grass mowed. Weeds extracted. Instead of watching Joel Dahmen string together birdies to make the cut (and NIC coach Russell Grove not being able to do the same), we got our hands dirty.

But we also freed up some time today. We might use it to watch golf. Or playing it. Not sure yet. The possibilities are endless.

Isn’t that what each Saturday this time of year should be about?

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WSU: The possibilities are endless for Mouhamed Gueye’s basketball career. His coming back to Pullman? That seems to be no longer one of them. According to a report by Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, Gueye is off to the draft for sure. … What are the possibilities for Klay Thompson and the Warriors? A Bay Area writer looks at them today. … The baseball team lost 7-4 to fifth-ranked Stanford yesterday, leaving it a half-game out of the final Pac-12 tournament spot. If the Cougars win today, they still need Washington to top California to finish in the top nine. WSU lost a game to weather back in early April (after winning twice against UCLA at home) and it could cost it a postseason spot. … Elsewhere around the Pac-12 and the nation, the rest of the baseball tournament field is set, with Arizona earning a spot by sweeping USC. … The biggest news in the conference yesterday? USC athletic director Mike Bohn resigned, a day after the L.A. Times sent the school a series of questions related to a story about his management style. … Stanford’s Rose Zhang has tied Tiger Woods for the school record in golf victories. She will try to break the mark in the NCAA tournament. … In the NCAA softball tournament, second-seeded UCLA was upset at home by Grand Canyon. The Bruins have to win four consecutive games to advance. … Washington routed Northern Colorado. … Utah won its opener, as did Stanford and Oregon, which topped Notre Dame. California lost. … The Oregon men have scheduled Syracuse in a non-conference, neutral-site basketball game.  … Oregon women’s coach Kelly Graves was given a vote of confidence.  … Finally, the conference released its 2022 financials. Jon Wilner delves into them in the Mercury News. … Wilner also has this mailbag in that paper.

EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, Weber State’s Dillon Jones may just be the next Wildcat to shine in the NBA.

Preps: The track district meets continued, with Keenan Gray supplying the coverage. … Dave Nichols has a roundup of the rest of Friday’s postseason action.

Indians: Another game in Everett, another win. Spokane, like the weather, is getting hot. Dave has this story.

Mariners: It doesn’t look as if Bryce Miller is a flash in the pan. The right-handed starter was exceptional again yesterday. But it also doesn’t look as if the M’s offense is going to get untracked, no matter who is playing second base. Seattle lost 6-2 Friday at Atlanta after the bullpen collapsed. … Keep your eye on Mariner farmhand Jonatan Clase.

Kraken: Matty Beniers is ready for a relaxing break.  

Seahawks: The Hawks will have their OTA workouts this week. Here is what to watch.

Storm: Jewell Loyd is ready for whatever is ahead. Will that include Gabby Williams?

Sounders: It’s time to start playing the Cascade Cup. First up this MLS season for Seattle is the neighbors from the north, Vancouver.

PGA: We mentioned above what happened with the local golfers at the PGA. Jim Meehan has the story. … The cut almost claimed a lot of big names.

Preakness: Can Mage make it two Triple Crown wins in two tries?

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• We were cursing the gardening gods yesterday afternoon. But this morning, as we sipped our cup of coffee and looked out at the flowers in the pots and planters, we were much more benevolent. And less sore. Until later …