I've been meaning to get back to this thread just to update all you helpful folks on my findings.

Details and photos are here

In short, I diassembled my hub and found that everything was extremely clean and not gunked up at all. Pawls were a little dented and one planet was chipped, but that was it. I think my sticking problem came from not tightening a bearing lock nut enough, leading to it tightening itself on the bearings (YIKES!!) because I was able to recreate that problem. Either that or it was that chip off the planet getting caught on something, but I couldn't tell.

@Salubrious, I took the pawls, planets, and clutch from your hub and measure the pawls the best I could to come up with two sets that were most matched in size. Your hub also looked to have a lot less mileage than mine. I can't thank you enough for your contribution.

So, my SW now runs better than ever. As expected, the right combination of shifting/engagement technique and the right parts makes these things happy. That being said, I enjoyed the SW for a couple weeks and I've just swapped the rear wheel back out for the AW one I'd been running in the meantime. I'll be keeping the SW safe for when my needs of the bike become less abusive and demanding (i.e. no longer banging around hilly Ann Arbor on a daily basis). It is easier to keep up with traffic when you're not chasing pawl engagement for half a revolution after a shift. My Sports seems to be happy with the AW, as I am. Now that I've had a chance to compare, I actually think the AW's ratio spread suits me better now that more of my current commute involves flat ground. Although I have a 48/20 tooth ratio, I find that this thing accelerates as if it weighs half as much as it does (this was the case with the old hub as well). It has always been such a delight to ride, whether sailing along with cars or plootering about in the park. Even when compared to my nicer, lighter, and more-geared bikes.

Again, thank you all so much for you help. Cheers!