Air Bud put down after missing critical free throws
FRESNO—With his team trailing 87-86 with four seconds left in overtime, Air Bud missed two key free throws, leading team officials to make the difficult decision to take him to the locker room and put him down. “It is clear that his basketball skills just aren’t what they used to be,” said coach Dirk Robinson as he loaded two buckshots in his double-barreled Remington shotgun. “We hate to have to see him go on like this.” Air Bud, who won the hearts of many fans after heroically leading the Fresno High School Knights to a championship thirteen years ago, has seen his shooting percentage plummet the past decade, leading to questions about his playing ability. “It’s hard to have to say goodbye,” said teammate Philip Casey. “It’s rare to see such a talented basketball-shooting, soccer-playing, baseball-catching, football-tackling, volleyball-spiking dog.



