A Grip on Sports: When even sports has a day that reminds us how fragile life can be, it makes sense to hold on to those around us as tight as possible

A GRIP ON SPORTS • The sports world usually isn’t the place for this. For a lesson in the fragility of life. It usually serves as an escape from such thoughts. But the past 24 hours or so, it only magnified them.  

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• Young life, as in 29. Middle aged, as in 47. Full, as in 75.

Brandon Clarke. Jason Collins. Charle Young. A trio of athletes who have shared their lives with ours in a variety of weight, all leaving us in a short span. And we are lesser. Hopefully, a bit wiser. A bit more aware the admonition about a blink of an eye is not just a hoary cliché but reality. For all of us.

Clarke passed through Spokane almost a decade ago now, spending two seasons at Gonzaga when the NCAA still had the quaint notion changing schools required an adjustment period. He came to our small corner of the world to improve his, leaving San Jose State, where his stardom was assured, to raise his personal bar. He did. The year spent not playing in games included playing in practice. And improving his game.

His year on the court? Nothing less than spectacular, on both ends. The numbers tell part of his story. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 16.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.3 blocks for the 2018-19 squad that come within a few minutes of a Final Four berth. Those averages included quite possibly the greatest NCAA tourney performance by a Zag, a 36-point outburst against Baylor.

But numbers, even the 3.3 blocks a game, can’t illustrate what his presence around the rim meant for Rui Hachimura, Josh Perkins, Zach Norvell, Killian Tille and the rest of his teammates.

Thanks to Clarke, they were able to play freer, more aggressive on the defensive end, safe in the knowledge he had their backs.

And he had their backs off the court as well, his upbeat, bubbly personality matching the hops he displayed erasing another futile layup attempt.

Clarke went on to experience the ups and downs the vast majority of NBA players do, from starring with Memphis to losing too much time to major injuries. This season was an example of that, and the last month saw Clarke experience issues off the court. Now he’s gone. His death is being investigated as a possible overdose. A fragile life possibly cut short by a scourge that has haunted our society seemingly forever.

Collins’ story is different. As is his connection to our community. He passed through once a year with his twin brother Jarron and the Stanford basketball team. He brought a presence on the court that built throughout his time with the Cardinal, culminating in a Pac-10 championship, a 31-3 record and a third-team All-American nod as a senior in 2001.

A 13-year NBA career followed, as Collins established himself as a force inside. And then outside, announcing in 2013 he was gay, a first for the league. He retired soon after and receded into the recesses of our minds, until recently coming forward with the news he was battling Stage 4 glioblastoma, a brain cancer that took my father-in-law from his family way too soon.

Eight months after making his cancer fate know, Collins is gone.

Young’s life was different. Like the other two, he was a mountain of a man. Big, strong, athletic, powerful. The Fresno-raised three-sport high school star seemingly fulfilled all his athletic dreams.

A key part of USC’s national championship team of 1972. A record-setting tight end with the Eagles. A Super Bowl champion with the 49ers, delivering an inspired speech at halftime of their 1981 win over Cincinnati. A part of the Seahawks as they rose from mediocrity to respectability.

And then a quiet retirement, years and years of it, finally ending earlier this week.

The trio were all blessed with innate athletic abilities. A mind that pushed their body to the limit and, occasionally, beyond. Skills, talents, reactions above the norm. And, yet, only one was able experience what seems fair to all humans, a long life.

Today is a day to mourn Brandon. Jason. Charle.

Tomorrow? The spin continues. The moon shines. The wind blows. And all of us need to remember the certainty that hit us today. Embrace every moment, every person, every experience that makes us who we are.

It’s all too fragile.

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WSU: Around the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Jon Wilner examines the conference’s thoughts on future expansion. He shares what he found, the idea of adding another full-time member would ease scheduling issues but few schools could raise the Pac-12 profile – and financial windfall. … You have questions about college football? We can pass along Stewart Mandel’s mailbag. It just might answer them. … If Lane Kiffin is involved with your question, the answer will be complicated. … Oregon made some front office promotions. … Colorado learned the start time for its game at Georgia Tech. … In basketball news, the Oregon State women added a junior college transfer. … UCLA doesn’t want to lose an NCAA national title-winning coach. So it gave Cori Close a contract extension. … The Washington men learned their Big Ten opponents for next season. … Tommy Lloyd has a plan to keep the Wildcats flush with inside forces. … San Diego State has changed its plan. The Aztecs have been mining Italy recently. … The NCAA softball tournament is about to start. … When the baseball tourney begins, will Oregon State get to host?

Gonzaga: We linked above Theo Lawson’s story on Clarke’s death. We do it again here in case you missed it. … Theo also ran down the reactions of Clarke’s Gonzaga teammates. And shared them with us. … There are many others stories as well, from national sources focused on the NBA to reports from places Clarke pass through on his life journey. … In a more basketball-centered vein, the Zags are working to assure the addition of another big. This one, Izan Almansa, comes with some professional experience, in and outside the United States. Theo explains how many eligibility hoops GU may have to pass through to make Almansa, a 6-10, 200-pound post available next season.

EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, Idaho State is headed to Eugene for the NCAA softball tournament. … There is an opening on the Weber State men’s basketball staff. … Northern Arizona’s women’s golf season has been odd. But successful. Now the Lumberjacks’ team, with only three healthy participants, has been disqualified at the NCAA’s Waco Regional. The individuals can continue on.

Preps: Playoffs continue, with baseball front and center for Dave Nichols on Tuesday. He covered Gonzaga Prep’s comeback win as part of this overall roundup.

Indians: Dave also monitored Spokane’s first game on its road trip. The Indians are in Oregon, where they topped the Hillsboro Hops 7-3.

Mariners: If not for the tragic events of Tuesday, we would have been celebrating a majestic drive from Cal Raleigh. A single. Ya, a single. It was almost as important, it seemed, as his 60th dinger last year. Or that one clinching home run. Or whatever. Snapping a 0-for-38 stretch. Allowing Raleigh to actually shower Tuesday after the game without his uniform on. Oh, the M’s also won, 10-2 in Houston. Dom Canzone hit a grand slam. … The Matt Calkins column on Luis Castillo? It’s on the S-R site today. Bryce Miller starts today, Castillo on Thursday.

Seahawks: The full schedule won’t be revealed until Thursday but the international games were announced Tuesday. The Hawks aren’t included.

Kraken: Seattle has hired an experience company to audit it operations.

Sounders: Next up for the Sounders? A chance to sweep the Earthquakes.

Golf: We love major golf tournaments. Even the PGA. Heck, when it’s played on a historic track like Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania, it’s even more of a fun watch. It starts tomorrow, so today the question on everyone’s mind? Who will win?  

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• I’ve had dogs who slept through thunderstorms, unaffected by all the noise and flashing lights. I’ve had dogs, big and little, who couldn’t abide them. Heck, our Great Dane needed medications to make it through. But last night’s experience was a first for me. Donut, all 20 pounds of him, sensed the storms coming from miles and miles away. Started shaking. Hid under the bed. Tried his best to hide within my chest cavity. All for storms that never got near our home. He didn’t settle down until about 2 a.m. And was up with me at 5:15. He’s still skittish, thanks to the wind that’s heralding today’s upcoming rain. He’s asleep. Under my desk. At my feet. On a little pillow. And I’m hoping all the typing I did earlier today with him in my lap doesn’t include more than a few dozen mistakes. Until later …