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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Grip on Sports: EWU takes center stage, for a day at least

EWU men’s basketball coach Jim Hayford was deservedly given a boost in pay, again. (Associated Press)
A Grip On Sports

FRIDAY: Here we are in the middle of July and we are offering a post chock full of Eastern Washington University news. That’s a bit unusual.

Now before all you Eastern fans start bellyaching – I’m looking at you Steve – about my choice of words, I didn’t say that was a bad thing. Unusual isn’t bad.

Kim and I went to a movie the other day – “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” – and I would say it was unusual. It was also really good. As a matter of fact, one of my favorite movies of the summer.

So unusual is OK. It’s just not all that often Eastern announces a raise for its basketball coach. Sure, the school gave Jim Hayford a raise last season and, since then, his team has earned an NCAA berth, so back-to-back bumps seems like a good idea. I’ve been told the school has also come up with more money for Hayford’s assistants, which is a good thing considering how small the pile of money for them had been. The best way to build continuity in a successful program is to ensure everyone involved stays in town. Eagles’ athletic director Bill Chaves is trying to do that.

One guy who would like to get the heck out of Cheney with a diploma is Vernon Adams, the former EWU quarterback. But the diploma part is becoming a bit problematic. The school released its list of graduates yesterday and Adams’ name was conspicuous in its absence. As Jim Allen explains, that complicates matters for Adams as he tries to earn a starting spot in Eugene with the Oregon Ducks. The degree has always been the crucial aspect of Adams’ move, as he can’t take advantage of the NCAA’s graduate-transfer rule – which waives the usual year of sitting out – without the, you know, graduate part.

One guy who did get out of Cheney, though Hayford gave him a blessing as he walked out the door, is Tyler Harvey. The nation’s leading scorer was drafted in the second round by the Orlando Magic and has been playing summer league for them. But for most of the truncated schedule he’s been playing second fiddle to the Magic’s first-round picks. Not yesterday. Orlando rested some guys and asked Harvey to take over. He did, scoring 24 points and dishing out a handful of assists.

Finally, for you EWU football fans – and again, I’m speaking to you Steve – the school released the starting times for its games. The latest start is a 6:05 home game Sept. 26 against Sacramento State. The rest of the games – other than the televised 5 p.m. opener at Oregon – are your typical times between noon and 3 p.m. I wonder if they need anyone for a postgame call-in show. Those are pretty nice start times.

Mariners: Want a sure thing? Well, there isn’t one in baseball but recently Felix Hernandez against the Angels has been pretty darn close.

The King handcuffed them again last night as the M’s opened a four-game series with a 7-2 victory.

Think a 7-2 victory was a walk in the park? Should have been, actually. But the M’s do nothing easy this season. Danny Farquhar, recalled yesterday in a flurry of roster moves, couldn’t find the strike zone in the ninth and Carson Smith had to be summoned.

Smith earned a save because he came in with the bases loaded (the tying run has to be at least in the on-deck circle for a one-out save).

The biggest part of the roster changes? Jesus Montero, who has destroyed the Pacific Coast League this season, was recalled as J.A. Happ agreed to be sent to Bakersfield so it could happen. Happ, who won’t start for at least 10 days or so due to the All-Star break, has to report to Bakersfield, which earns him my eternal admiration as a true team player. As for Montero, he’ll play against left-handed starters.

Megan Rapinoe, one of the stars of the U.S. Women’s National Team and the Seattle Reign, will throw out the first pitch Sunday. Or do soccer types call it the “first field?”