A Grip on Sports: Two subjects from two ends of the pro sports spectrum highlight a Sunday that promises to be near perfect

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Short and Sweet. That’s what follows in this space today.

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• The short? Jalen Brunson, generously listed at 6-foot-2 by the New York Knicks. A lefthanded guard with quicks and quirks and, now, an NBA title. As well as a permanent key card to the city that never sleeps.

It was Brunson who finished every big possession throughout the playoffs for the Knicks. Who led the way and finished off the Spurs in five Finals games, four of which included New York comebacks of some sort, including a record one. And it was Brunson who finished his night sitting at the postgame podium clutching two trophies, the team’s and his MVP.

He earned the right to hold both, with what he did the past month, bringing New York its first title in 53 years.

It’s for history to decide if Brunson’s performance in the title-clinching 94-90 win Saturday night in San Antonio is the best ever for a Knick. Heck, whether it is even the best-ever for a lefthanded Knick guard, topping Walt Frazier’s 36-point, do everything outing in New York’s first NBA title, back in 1970 – long before the 3-point line revolutionized the game.

But one thing is certain. Brunson accepted the charge of leading the Knicks’ charge every night against the young-and-dumb Spurs – is that too mean? – and reveled in it. Used it to his advantage, one as big as his over every San Antonio guard. Rose the spotlight’s wave to the top of the game.

The lasting memory of this 2026 NBA Finals? Not OG Anunoby’s tip in that won game four. Not the raucous, riotous Knick fans after last night’s win. No. It is Brunson slicing and dicing to the hoop over and over, finding a way to get the ball over the outstretched hands of 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama, kissing it off the glass and into the basket.

Not just once or twice or a hundred times. Time and time again. Enough, actually, to earn the right to kiss the gold ball late in the San Antonio evening.

Perfect.

• The Sweet? How about a story from the other side of professional sports? From the other side of the country? From the other side of life?

I’ve been saving an Athletic story about the long, fruitful minor league managing career of one Rick Sweet, waiting for the perfect moment to pass it along. A moment, like Sweet’s major league managerial chance, that I realized may never come.

Today seems good enough.

If Rick Sweet’s name means something to you, your connections to this part of the country, or any of the multitude of the minor league cities in which Sweet managed, probably run deep.

Maybe it’s Longview, where Sweet grew up. Or maybe it’s Spokane, where Sweet caught for Gonzaga back in the early 1970s. Or San Diego or Seattle, the two places he played most in his short Major League career. Or the multitude of cities and countries and back roads he has spent the past 36 years as a minor league manager.

Sweet is on the cusp of something, OK, sweet. Bittersweet, actually. He needs about 50 more wins to ascend to the top of a list no minor league manager ever sets as a goal: Win more minor league games than anyone. Ever.

But that’s what awaits the 73-year-old Sweet near the end of this year’s Nashville Sounds’ season. Or next. The Brewers’ Triple-A team will win a game and it will be Sweet’s 2,531rd as a minor league manager. He will pass Stan Wasiak – yes, it is OK to say “who” out loud – and sit atop a list that is anything but dubious, though others might see it that way.

After all, every manager, including Sweet, wants to test himself at the top of the game. To wear an MLB uniform and make decisions in an MLB ballpark.

It’s never happened for the former GU catcher. And, this late in the game, there is little chance it ever will.

Funny, because that’s what Sweet’s long, successful career has been all about. For others. He’s been able to win more than 2,400 games because he’s not just good at it, he’s great at helping others reach their potential.

Players and coaches who have sat in the same dugout have gone on to succeed at the highest levels, all propelled by the lessons Sweet taught.

Perfect? No. But it’s been Sweet’s life.

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WSU: Rosemary Longisa was the favorite in Saturday’s NCAA 1,500-meter race in Eugene. And that can, along with the Oregon heat, add a layer of difficulty to winning a title. No matter. She led most of the way, pulled away late and won the championship. … I have no empirical evidence but I believe there have been more stories in the S-R about Kyle Manzardo than any former Cougar athlete since Gardner Minshew. Or Klay Thompson. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Jon Wilner ranks the quarterback rooms for the conference. The Cougs’ is third on his Mercury News list. … CBS Sports sees the rebuilt Pac-12 as the best Group of Whatever football conferences in 2026. … USC is adding another title in its football front office. Director of AI. … Recruiting never stops. Ask Arizona. … In basketball news, Kyle Smith likes his Stanford roster. … Lute Olson has to be the Abe Lincoln of Arizona’s Mount Rushmore, right?

Gonzaga: The Sweet story we wrote about above has a historical GU connection. The other story we’re linking today is not just modern, it is forward-looking. Megan Howard and Julia Pentasuglio examine how a proposed NCAA rule change will impact the Gonzaga men’s soccer program.

EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, the future of Northern Arizona athletics was the topic of discussion between alumni, boosters and administrators Saturday.

Preps: If you didn’t know, high school cheerleading is a competitive sport. That has changed in the past decade or so into a sport for girls and boys. Liam Bradford has this story on the Ferris High program that will have seven members go on to compete in college. … Grant Fink used to grace the GSL’s baseball fields as a player at Mead High. Now he’s gracing the Cleveland Guardians’ dugout as the team’s hitting coach.

Indians: Two home runs from Max Belyeu powered Spokane to another win in Eugene, an 11-2 decision over the host Emeralds. Dave Nichols has more in this story.

Velocity: Another road match. Another loss. Spokane has yet to win away from ONE Spokane Stadium this season. It fell 1-0 Saturday at Lancaster Municipal Stadium in Antelope Valley, Calif.

Mariners: Colt Emerson hit another home run. That’s the good. The only good, as the M’s committed three errors, Luis Castillo couldn’t overcome them and Seattle lost 8-3 at the Nationals. … Randy Arozarena’s hamstring issue kept him out of the lineup. … The Double-A pitching stars? Still starring.

Seahawks: Former 49er linebacker Aldon Smith died Saturday while doing charity work in the Bay Area. He was 36 years old. … John Canzano’s column today covers a fishing trip. With NFL players. And a lot more.

Storm: We linked this Matt Calkins’ column on Kelsey Plum when it ran in the Seattle Times. It is on the S-R site this morning. We link it again.

World Cup: Folarin Balogun is emerging as the star of the U.S. Men’s National Team. A star the sport needs in this country.

Sounders: The World Cup brings money into the franchise’s coffers in a roundabout way.

NHL: The Knicks won the NBA title last night. The Hurricanes can win the NHL one tonight at home (5, ABC).

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• Nothing on my schedule today. Other than mowing the lawn. And fertilizing. And weed spraying. And barbecuing. And napping. And a couple other things. A nice, quiet Sunday. Until later …