A Grip on Sports: An anniversary takes a bite out of the ancient lie you are only as old as you feel

A GRIP ON SPORTS • When you are, well, let’s say “older,” it doesn’t take much to make you feel old. Sometimes it’s a bruise from out of nowhere. Sometimes it’s smell from the fridge. And sometimes it’s an anniversary of sorts.

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• The summer of 1975 was half-a-century ago. The first summer when I could truly call myself a college student. The summer after my first college baseball season. The first summer back home, reconnecting with high school friends.

My only NIL deal was with my dad. He controlled not just my name, image and likeness but, because he was also my bank, my time as well. And I was going to spend it that summer running his business, so he could have a vacation.

That didn’t bother me. Many of my friends were home from college too.

Pat, from San Luis Obispo. John, from Loyola. Joe, from I-don’t-remember-where. And Mark, who ran with us, had just graduated from our old high school and was still in town.

Despite the responsibility heaped onto this 18-year-old’s shoulders, out nights were still free. Well, free after Mark’s shift at the local Mann Theater ended.

Which brings us back to the little thing that made me feel old this week. This story in the S-R’s feature section. The 50th anniversary of “Jaws.”

Can it be 50 years since Steven Speilberg’s adaption of Peter Benchley’s novel (which I had read the summer before) transformed cinema? At least transformed cinema box office? No way.

Fifty years since Robert Shaw scratched his nails on the chalkboard. Since Roy Scheider decided they were going to need a bigger boat. Since America was scared out of its gourd – and loved every minute of it.

But more importantly, for the basis of this reminiscence, 50 years I’ve been telling one story about the movie. Over and over.

It has to do with Mark’s job at the local fourplex. We couldn’t begin our nightly partying – hey, we were young and stupid – until Mark’s shift ended. And, with Jaws showing on a couple screens at his theater, that time varied.

One of our traveling troupe would show up at the front of the theater, get Mark’s attention and, if he was able to leave, off we would go. If not? Mark would waive us to the back, opened a door, allowed us to sneak in. And sit down in one of the theaters watching the first summer blockbuster ever.

It was in those repeated viewings of intermittent scenes that allowed me to discover a continuity error. For shame Mr. Spielberg. How could you have one victim be barefoot in a dinghy and, after the shark’s attack, his purported bloody leg stump has a tennis shoe on it?

The first time we noticed this anomaly, we blamed it on the favorite herb of the era. The next time we realized it was actually a mistake. We immediately pulled out our phones, took a video, posted it and it went viral, making all of us wealthy influencers.

Ya, sure. Our discovery was spread by the virus of the time, word of mouth. Or gossip, if you will.

No matter. Mark would finally clock out, we would all leave through the same door and pile into Pat’s Fiat 124 Sports Coupe and head out for a night of revelry. We may or may not have cruised Pasadena Blvd. May or may not have partied at my house, ended up on the roof overlooking the L.A. basin, sung Beach Boys songs. May or may not have slept not one bit before I headed out to work with a worse pain in my head then Quint felt when the shark bit him in two.

There’s no way it’s been 50 years “Jaws” came out. No way I’ve been telling the same story that long. And certainly no way it’s been five decades since I learned Amity, as you know, means friendship. Is there?

• Speaking of 1975, the best catcher in baseball back then was the guy whose baseball card resides in my wallet. Not Carlton Fisk, Boston’s crazy arm-waver, who helped the Red Sox make the Series that fall. Nor Thurman (fixed from earlier) Munson, even if the New York media tried to sell that story during the ’76 World Series.

Nope, it was Johnny Bench, the best catcher I ever saw. Until maybe right now.

Bench was a beast. The perfect example of power hitting blended with defensive skill and a brain that guided a less-than-stellar Big Red Machine pitching staff. The perfect catcher. In my mind, at least.

Now there is another one. Playing in Seattle of all places. Cal Raleigh.

Raleigh has two huge advantages on the Hall of Famer from the ‘70s. And one huge disadvantage. Bench hit righthanded. Raleigh is a switch hitter. Bench either had to catch for the Reds or play, badly, in the outfield or at first base. Raleigh can DH. Those two data points make Raleigh even more valuable to the M’s than Bench was to the Reds.

But when it comes to careers, Bench’s will probably end up being better in one regard. He was a crucial part of four Cincinnati World Series teams, helping to win two of them (1975 and ’76).

Raleigh? He has less of a chance of doing that then he does of catching Bench’s career marks of 389 home runs and 1,376 runs batted in, numbers that seem far away in 2025. Not his fault, of course. And he’s done more than his share of pushing the franchise toward that goal, on and off the field, from using his voice to signing a long-term deal at below market value.

He’s the baseball version of “Jaws.” It’s not his fault the Mariners’ ownership is the closest thing to “Jaws 3-D” we’ve seen.

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WSU: Around the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Jon Wilner’s mailbag is in the S-R this morning. He covers a lot of ground. … So does John Canzano on his Substack notebook. … Wilner also passes along a West Coast football recruiting notebook in the Mercury News. … We have a national one to link in The Athletic as well. … We mentioned more than once the Wisconsin football player who left and went to Miami, bypassing the transfer portal in the process. Now the Badgers have filed a complaint in a Wisconsin court, alleging the Hurricanes tampered with Xavier Lucas and his contractual status with Wisconsin. … Recruiting never stops, especially in June. Washington still has targets coming in this month. … So does Utah. … The Huskies will also have new-look uniforms in the fall. … Oregon’s athletic director has a new contract extension. It comes on the heels of the Ducks’ first year in the Big Ten. … USC legend Reggie Bush suffered a loss in court. … Arizona has a bridge between past and future on staff. … In basketball news, Washington’s offseason seems to have adjusted expectations for the Husky men. … Utah State added a couple of assistant coaches. … Utah’s coach sees the House settlement as transformational. … Oregon softball has added a shortstop via the portal.

EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, the Sacramento State defection continues to resonate. As does its destination. … A Northern Colorado football player is back after leukemia treatment.

Indians: The Northwest League’s second half is underway and Spokane is undefeated. Tied for first. Thanks to Jared Thomas, who belted a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth and gave the Indians a 5-3 win over first-half champion Everett.

Mariners: You probably know why we compared Raleigh and Bench above. It has to do with home runs before the All-Star break. With two more Friday in a 9-4 win at Wrigley Field, Raleigh has 29 this season, passing Bench’s 1970 mark for a catcher of 28. I took a quick look at how many of Raleigh’s were hit when he was actually catching and came up with 27 (I believe he hit two as a DH). Then I checked Bench’s 1970 stats. As far as I can tell he hit at least two playing another position and quite possibly three as he switched mid-game one time he homered. So it’s a wash. … Luke Raley returned to the roster Friday from his injury. To make room, the M’s designated for assignment Rowdy Tellez. … Emerson Hancock has made some adjustments that have worked. … Hey, it’s not just the Mariners (and their fans) who dislike the Astros.

Kraken: New general manager Jason Botterill has been working toward this spot in his career since he was a freshman at Michigan at 17-years-old. … The Stanley Cup finals’ TV ratings were not as good as last year – or the Nation’s Cup.

Sonics: Who is the playoff Pacers’ MVP as the NBA finals moves to a game seven? Folks in these parts might say Andrew Nembhard, who seems to shine when Indiana wins. Most would mention Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers’ best player. But we pass along a story today that lays out the case for Pascal Siakam.

Storm: There is no love lost between Seattle and Las Vegas, mainly because the Aces feature former Storm standout Jewell Loyd. So it is satisfying for the Storm any time they win against the Aces, as they did on the road last night 90-83.

Sounders: The Club World Cup is flawed in major ways. But what happened in Seattle the other night showed it also holds promise. Promise of one day being a showcase for the game. … Inter Milan plays at Lumen Field today. I know one really interested Inter fan.

Reign: A long layoff looms but before that happens Seattle must face the Utah Royals on the road today. The match will be televised in Spokane on SWX (2 p.m.)

PWHL Seattle: The franchise named Steve O’Rourke as its head coach Friday.

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• My dad turned 50 in 1975. His 100th birthday would be coming up in a couple weeks if he was still with us. A lot happened in his first 50 years. And even more in the 50 years since. Until later …