A Grip on Sports: Once a year for 40 years is consistency, right? The Wet Dog Fur Open also featured consistently horrendous golf and great times

A GRIP ON SPORTS • There is a Mount Rushmore of trophies in my home. Four that rise above all the ones for the batting titles, softball MVPs and basketball tournament titles won over the decades. Four trophies, each adorned with a bronze or silver dog, symbolizing a team victory in the only major golf tournament played in Spokane: The Wet Dog Fur Open.

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• Well, it’s a major to us in the same way the Players Championship is a major for the Tour’s players. Or more appropriately, “Caddyshack” is an Academy Award-winning film. None of that is true.

Actually, calling The Wet Dog Fur Open a golf tournament isn’t true either. It started more akin to a Spokesman-Review and Spokane Chronicle sports department one-day retreat. And has morphed into an alumni reunion.

Golf? That’s an excuse. Or a vehicle for a day of bonding.

Today, after this column is done, I’ll pack my well-used clubs – well-used as in old, not as in used-often in the past year – in the back of the car along with my son Tyler’s, and we will head north. Into the past.

Jeff Jordan will be there. The former S-R sports editor is the founding father of the Dog Fur. The man who received the 1985 postcard telling him his sports department sucked wet dog fur. The guy who wandered over to the S-R department I ran at the time, graphics, and asked if I would help with organizing the darn thing.

Unlike all the other times Jeff asked me for something work-related, I said yes. Jeff got the word out. Reserve the second Monday of June for a golf tournament. Save $25. Give Vince a check. We’ll tell you the teams later.

The first two years of the Dog Fur we played two-person alternate shot. For the uninitiated, that means just what it sounds like: Hit a shot, then blame your teammate when they can’t recover from behind the Liberty Lake Golf Course tree it landed behind.

The first year Jeff, who reserved the right to do such things after giving me all the tough assignments, paired me with another sports department expatriate Dan Webster. Both of us had volatile tempers. The hope? Flying sparks. Instead, we got along well and finished second.

Soon, the tournament evolved. Four-man best ball became the format of choice. It also grew exponentially, as more and more non-sports folks wanted to be part of the hangover. And, yes, that was what the tournament became. One of those party buses, cruising along the course, stopping only to either miss a putt or pound another gin and tonic.

My father-in-law, an L.A. City fire captain of some repute, would make the trip north to play. One year, our group came to the 14th tee. I needed to get one more drive in (the rule then – and now – is every team must use at least three drives from each player). I actually hit a long, straight one across the intimidatingly deep Liberty ravine. Heard the liquid courage saying “put your club away old man – we’re using mine.” Fred voicing a bad word, then proceeding to hit a laser across the same small fairway dip, past my ball and within a few yards of the green.

We used his drive. And, though my memory stopped working after that, I don’t believe we used my last one until a pop-up on 18 went 50 yards and we had to. Kim and her mom Kay picked us up – designated drivers are always mandatory – and Fred made me ride with Kay. I pointed out his cowardice for years.

But drinking wasn’t the main point. Camaraderie was. And is. For the first 20 years or so, even after Joe Palmquist moved into the sports editor seat and I moved back into the sports department, I was in charge of the money. The tee-times. Most importantly, the hat or shirt design. Former editorial cartoonist Milt Priggee did some. So did our incredible artists Anne Heitner and Molly Quinn. Heck, one year, after a snafu meant no artwork was available, I designed a shirt.

It was awful. I mean as bad as that one wedge I hit at Meadowood that almost killed a teammate. I may just wear that shirt today. Or bring a handful of my favorites and change every few holes.

After 40 years there is a deep trove of memories built by the Dog Fur. Fred’s presence. My lifelong friend Kent flying up to play one year. My friend Steve playing and never hitting a ball more than 6-inches off the ground. Pairing with three basketball dads to win in 1995 and 1996. (They were then banned).  Winning again with different dads in 1999. And, in a Phil Mickelson-way, winning as “an old guy” in 2005.

The trophies? They are in the bookcase next to my office desk. A place of honor. Befitting in a way. They honor a great group of teammates. A grand group of coworkers. And a major golf event. For us, anyway.

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WSU: Before we get to the links, former S-R staffer Jim DeFede wrote a piece about the Dog Fur in today’s sports section. I have to link it somewhere and this seems appropriate. Why? Everyone who has covered the Cougars for the S-R since 1985 has played in the Dog Fur except one guy who will remain nameless. It was too gauche for him. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Jon Wilner has a column in the Mercury News that explains why the Big 12 is backing a CFP proposal that seems to hurt the conference. … Utah State has more respect this offseason. … Utah is out recruiting. As is everyone else, including Colorado State. … In basketball news, the Oregon State women lost just about everyone before last season. Rebuilt and won the WCC tourney title. This offseason? No one left. … The Arizona State men will do things differently next season. … Is it possible the Mountain West will add Grand Canyon in the fall? … In baseball news, Oregon State’s offense has been on fire. Helped the Beavers do something unprecedented in the regionals. But can it hit Florida State’s pitching? … How powerful is Arizona’s good-luck charm? … College softball and its players deserve better. Better umpiring. The first game of the final series between Texas Tech and Texas, won 3-1 by the Longhorns, was marred by a phantom obstruction call that gifted Tech its run. And an umpire interference on a key missed seventh-inning strike call crushed the Red Raiders two ways. Wow.

Gonzaga: Tonight’s NBA finals opener will mark a milestone. The first time two former GU players will start against each other in the championship series. Andrew Nembhard with the Pacers and Chet Holmgren with the Thunder. Theo Lawson has a story marking the occasion. … We linked Jon Wilner’s latest basketball rankings for next season – the Zags are 19th – when it appeared in the Mercury News. It runs on the S-R site today.

Preps: I’m playing today with Dave Nichols, who is much better writer than golfer (sadly, such is the case with me as well). Dave has a story about the annual baseball feeder games that help determine the all-state game participants. … Mead High’s Isabella Brischle won the annual Doug “Pop” Bender Scholarship awarded by the Inland Empire Softball Hall of Fame, of which I was a proud inductee a few years ago. That news leads off the latest S-R local briefs column.

EWU: The CFL is about to begin. Which means it is time for Dave Cook to write a story about Eastern’s quarterbacks in the league. And the matchups between them. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Montana football added to its roster. … The Big Sky and Summit conferences announced the matchups for their basketball challenge. We have stories about them from Montana State, Weber State and Portland State. … Northern Colorado men’s basketball coach Steve Smiley is in agreement on a contract extension. … What is going on with Sacramento State? The school seems to want to move up the NCAA ranks quickly.

Indians: Dave returns with his coverage of last night’s 8-5 loss to Hillsboro at Avista Stadium.

Velocity and Zephyr: John Allison has a notebook of USL news.

Mariners: The offense is what we thought it was. Or at least it has been recently. The M’s lost 3-2 last night to visiting Baltimore, their sixth loss in nine games. … Logan Gilbert made another rehab start. 

Storm: An assistant coach may or may not have yelled an obscenity at Jewell Loyd during a recent game. It is being investigated. Wow.

Sounders: We wrote about the protest T-shirts the players wore Sunday. Turns out the Sounders’ owner was ticked. And, according to reports, lit into the players in a profanity-laced post-match tirade. Ted Lasso it was not.

Kraken: If the rest of the games are anything like Wednesday night’s, the NHL finals will be incredibly fun. The host Oilers trailed 3-1 at one point, rallied to force overtime tied at three and scored the game winner with seconds left in the extra period.

PWHL: The recent signing by Seattle’s expansion team is a big deal.

Seahawks: Analysts and commentators be darned. Mike Vorel feels the Hawks will be better than they think. … There is no quarterback controversy in Seattle. Sam Darnold is the man, heat or not. There is, however, a chance for Jalen Milroe to learn. … This is a big year for WSU alum Abe Lucas.

Horse racing: Sovereignty won the Kentucky Derby. Skipped the Preakness. What will we see from the horse in Saturday’s Belmont?

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• It should be beautiful today. Maybe a bit hot, but that’s OK. Most of the participants are over … well, they are older. And heat loosens up the atrophied muscles. In theory. Until later …