A GRIP ON SPORTS

We've reminisced here before about Sunday papers, how they were always little magazines crammed full of stories to read. But there is one other aspect of that we may have forgotten to touch upon, though we will this morning. They were – and still are – at their best when they bring you an unexpected story or two. A little gem at the bottom of a mound of the predictable. It's that aspect we celebrate today as our blog is sprinkled, like a ruined doughnut, with colorful stories you probably didn't expect on a crowded weekend. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

When I started this morning, the temperature outside was in the mid-30s. Now it is in the mid-40s. Oh the power of sunshine. Now if the sun could only make up for no Mariner game and little other news to link. Read on.

A GRIP ON SPORTS

Over the course of covering Washington State football for five years, I dealt with a diverse group of players. There were small ones, big ones, tall ones, short ones, fast ones and not-so-fast ones. They all sort of melded together in the memory banks after awhile. But one guy stood out for something he used to do on the sidelines at practice. And now that guy is in the news again. Read on.

Eastern Washington strong safety Matt Johnson was drafted in the fourth round of the National Football League draft by the Dallas Cowboys.

Here is Johnson's reaction to the good news: http://www.dallascowboys.com/multimedia/multimedia_center.cfm?id=FA39BF0C-A51E-FB49-370429B89D4B9678

Please join me at noon, right here, for a live chat on Eastern football. In the meantime, here are links to some recent EWU-related stories, including last night's announcement by former SMU quarterback Kyle Padron that he has been cleared to play football this fall at EWU.

I'll try to answer your questions on EWU football in a one-hour live chat at NOON THURSDAY on spokesman.com

Just go right here to spokesman.com, then to SportsLink, and the prompt will appear.
  

We'll see you Thursday!
  

We are halfway through spring drills at Eastern, and also with our eight-part series on the different unit. Here's a link to my story today on the offensive line . Tomorrow, space permitting, you can expect the same treatment on a defensive line that should be very strong.

Meanwhile, I spent Tuesday afternoon at practice, which everyone agreed was the most physical of the spring,

The Eagles opened spring drills Tuesday afternoon, and here's my story from Roos Field, where I will be again this afternoon (wearing snow boots, judging by what I see outside this morning). I will also be sending regular Tweets, so please follow me at @srjimallen.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Big Sky Conference is gearing up for spring ball…

On the day of their first spring practice , the Eastern Washington Eagles completed their coaching staff Tuesday with the hiring of running backs coach Kiel McDonald.

McDonald is the third new coach Eastern has hired since last season. The Eagles earlier added cornerbacks coach Cherokee Valeria and tight ends/offensive tackles coach Brian Strandley.

Eastern opens the first of 11 spring football practices Tuesday at 4 p.m. at Roos Field, and all are open to the public. For a preview of spring ball, here's my story from Sunday. I plan to attend most practices and all scrimmages, culminating in the Red-White spring game on April 28. Also, I will send tweets from practices and scrimmages, so follow me at @srjimallen on Twitter.

Filling a hole that had been vacant since the beginning of last season, Eastern Washington hired Cherokee Valeria as cornerbacks coach, the school announced Wednesday.

Valeria replaces Torey Hunter, who was hired by Idaho in August.

The NCAA has notified Eastern Washington that wide receiver Tyler Hart has been granted a sixth year of eligibility.

Expected to be a slot receiver and returner for the Eagles last season as a senior, he missed EWU’s first three games, but returned to catch a nine-yard pass versus Montana State. But he lasted only three plays against the Bobcats before he was injured again and lost for the season. Hart was also lost for the year with a broken scapula in EWU’s fourth game of the 2008 season.

I've just returned to my hotel after filing my story on Eastern Washington's season-ending loss to Montana in the Big Sky conference baksetball semifinals. In the end, the script played out the same as two previous Eagle losses to the Griz, who kept pounding the ball inside, drawing fouls and going to the line. Thirty-two times.

I caught up with the Eastern Washington men's basketball team at their practice Sunday evening, and they feel tournament-tested after their big win Saturday afternoon over Idaho State. Look for a preview of the gam in Tuesday's paper. The team left for Missoula this morning to prepare for their Big Sky semifinal game at Montana Tuesday night at 7,300-seat Dahlberg Arena, which can be a pretty intimidating place:

Eastern Washington's rousing Senior Night win last night over Idaho State (check out Dan Pelle's great photo essay here) was not only a big win for the program and first-year head coach Jim Hayford, it means that fans will get one more chance to see seniors Cliff Colimon, Laron Griffin, Cliff Ederaine and Tremayne Johnson. The tip-off for the quarterfinal against ISU is at 2 p.m. Saturday at Reese Court, and tickets may be obtained at www.goeags.com or by calling 1-800-325-7328.         

If the Eastern men's basketball team wants to stay at home, it needs to win tonight against Idaho State in order to stay there tonight for an even bigger game Saturday - the Big Sky Conference quarterfinals. Tipoff is at 6 p.m. at Reese Court.

With a huge road win last night, Eastern Washington clinched a spot in the Big Sky Conference tournament. We told you that much in this morning's paper, but not the reason, which are losses the same night by Northern Colorado and Sacramento State.

…and almost everyone else in the Big Sky Conference (sorry, NAU). The Eagles get three games in six days, including two against Idaho State and one at Portland State. So where will the Eags wind up in the postseason? It's way too complicated, but if they can at least win two of these next three, it's a good bet the Eagles will host a first-round conference playoff game on March 3.

Thanks to a stirring win last night over Northern Colorado, the Eastern Washington men's basketball team will be in a nice frame of mind for Saturday's Bracket Buster game at UC Irvine. They also got some help Wednesday from Weber State, which defeated reeling Montana State, and from Portland State, which handed Sacramento State its 10th conference loss and put the Hornets on the brink of elimination from the Big Sky Tournament. So, what are the Eagles' chances for postseason play?

For the stat geeks out there, here's a look at Northern Colorado, which visits Eastern Washington for an important Big Sky game Wednesday night. The Bears are coming off a 77-64 overtime win over Montana State, and boast the 27th best field-goal percentage in the country at 47.7 percent