Fast Break
College football
Eastern will play at Qwest Field
Eastern Washington University will offer its local fans a chance to take a road trip to watch a home game the fall.
The Eagles, who announced their 2009 schedule on Thursday, will travel to Seattle to take on Big Sky Conference rival Portland State in Qwest Field on Oct. 31. The game, which is believed to be the first Eastern has played in Seattle in its 100-year football history, is part of an 11-game schedule that includes four other traditional home games at Woodward Field.
EWU athletic director Bill Chaves said the decision to play a game in the home stadium of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks was based, in part, on the fact that nearly 2,500 Eastern alumni live west of the Cascade Mountains, with an estimated 1,500 residing in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties.
“We are glad to be able to bring Eagle football to Seattle, where we have a tremendous alumni base,” Chaves said. “The game will also afford our team the opportunity to play in an NFL stadium.”
Ticket prices for the Portland State game will be announced later, along with those for the four home games in Cheney, starting with the opener against Western Oregon on Sept. 5.
Women’s basketball
Ducks pick Westhead
Paul Westhead, who has won titles in the NBA and WNBA, has been hired as the women’s head coach at Oregon.
The 70-year-old Westhead replaces Bev Smith, who was let go last week after the Ducks went 9-21 this season.
Westhead most recently was an assistant for the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder. He was dismissed along with head coach P.J. Carlesimo in November after the Thunder started the season 1-12.
Westhead guided the Los Angeles Lakers to an NBA title in 1980 and the Phoenix Mercury to the WNBA championship in 2007.
Smith, a former All-American as a player for the Ducks from 1978-82, was 123-121 in eight seasons as the coach.
Mower racing
Grass cutters have no shame
In an effort to continue to legitimize the sport it brought to America in 1992, the U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association (USLMRA) has announced the creation of the USLMRA National Lawn Mower Racing Hall of Fame & Museum of America.
“Every legitimate sport and endeavor has a Hall of Fame,” said Bruce Kaufman, USLMRA Founder and President, also known as “Mr. Mow It All.”
“Now lawn mower racing takes its rightful place along such noble American pastimes as baseball, country music, motorcycle racing, pinball, juggling, trivia and quilting with a place to honor ingenuity and ‘mowtivation.’ ”
The location of the hall of fame will be announced July 4.
Lawn mower races feature riding lawn mowers – with cutting blades removed – at speeds up to 60 mph.