Fast Break

Baseball

Bowie Kuhn dies

Bowie Kuhn, the bespectacled lawyer who oversaw baseball’s transformation from sport to a business of free agents making multimillion-dollar salaries, died Thursday. He was 80.

The former commissioner died at St. Luke’s Hospital in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., following a short illness, spokesman Bob Wirz said.

Hockey

Chiefs playoff schedule set

The Spokane Chiefs will host the third and fourth games of their first-round Western Hockey League playoff series against the Everett Silvertips on March 27 and 28.

The Chiefs, who have clinched the fourth seed in the U.S. Division, will travel to the top-seeded, division champion Silvertips for the first two games, March 23 and 24.

Everett will have home-ice advantage with Game 5, if necessary, on March 30. Game 6, if necessary, would be April 1 in Spokane and Game 7 would return to Everett on April 3.

Tickets to the third and fourth games in the Spokane Arena will go on sale Monday at the Chiefs ticket office at 535-PUCK or TicketsWest at (800) 325-SEAT.

Basketball

Hoopfest signup open

Team registration for Hoopfest 2007 is open.

Entry forms are available at all Bruchi’s restaurants, Thomas Hammer Coffee locations and Yoke’s Fresh Market locations. Teams may also register at Hoopfest’s new online registration at www.spokanehoopfest.net

The guaranteed registration deadline is May 7. The event is June 30 and July 1.