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Here's what I liked - things went south early and often for the Eagles Friday, and it seemed like after every bad play Eastern coach Beau Baldwin was on camera.

If you expected to see expressions of anger or disbelief, you were disappointed. Baldwin, whose team few expected to get to this stage, was the picture of calm. I submit that Baldwin had a lot more to do with the Eagles' pluck than their flashy red turf.

Before the game each coach was asked by ESPN to allow a camera into the pregame locker room.

"Uh, no thank you," said Keeler.

"Sure," said Baldwin.

I can only hope Friday's win will lead to greater fan support in Cheney. The Eagles had my support Friday.

Of course, there is some potentially bad news.

The Eagles lose just four starters on defense and one on offense - and it's not Jones. Eastern will be plenty salty in 2011.

Ursus A. Horribilis wrote:Fritz is a friend of mine. He writes a good article.

Others have kept it close to their hearts, and many – former players and coaches – were in Frisco to inhale the moment. Among them was Sigurdson, once a linebacker at EWU who now coaches at South Kitsap High School, from whence he sent his alma mater Renard Williams, the redoubtable defensive tackle. So was Rob Friese, a high school principal in his hometown of Menlo, Wash., but 25 years ago a salty Eagles defensive back and smart-aleck lyricist of “Save Eastern,” the wry anthem that played hourly on the campus station when the program was fighting for its life. So was Jim McElwain, 16 years an Eastern player and coach, who wouldn’t have been able to attend a year earlier because his job as offensive coordinator at Alabama under Nick Saban would have had him engaged for a different championship.

“When you think about it,” McElwain said, “it was a microcosm of Eastern itself: People want to count you out, and you just kind of hang in there.”

“I go back to when my son was little,” Zornes said, “and we went to a Gonzaga-Loyola basketball game when Loyola had the two All-Americans (Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble). We walked up and bought a ticket at the door and sat with 900 other people. That hasn’t been 25 years ago. All it takes is something like this.”

Yet whatever happens, it’s hard to think it will top the singular feeling of what has happened. McElwain admitted as much to his boss.

“You’re actually happier about this than our win a year ago,” Saban teased.

“Come to think of it,” McElwain replied, “you’re probably right.”

Ursus A. Horribilis wrote:Fritz is a friend of mine. He writes a good opinion article.

Instead, the Eagles did as they’ve done all year – finesse a cannonball through a keyhole.

“When you think about it,” McElwain said, “it was a microcosm of Eastern itself: People want to count you out, and you just kind of hang in there.”

kalm wrote:A nice wrap up article from the Missoulian's Griz beat writer Fritz Neighbor. Figured I share the conference and regional love with Griz Nation one last time before we go back to hating each other again.

Here's what I liked - things went south early and often for the Eagles Friday, and it seemed like after every bad play Eastern coach Beau Baldwin was on camera.

If you expected to see expressions of anger or disbelief, you were disappointed. Baldwin, whose team few expected to get to this stage, was the picture of calm. I submit that Baldwin had a lot more to do with the Eagles' pluck than their flashy red turf.

Before the game each coach was asked by ESPN to allow a camera into the pregame locker room.

"Uh, no thank you," said Keeler.

"Sure," said Baldwin.

I can only hope Friday's win will lead to greater fan support in Cheney. The Eagles had my support Friday.

Of course, there is some potentially bad news.

The Eagles lose just four starters on defense and one on offense - and it's not Jones. Eastern will be plenty salty in 2011.

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