Call it happenstance or call it luck, but a day after I started predicting the future of Eastern athletics as my last hurrah I was already right on one of my predictions.

Eastern head football coach Bob Spoo will return for the 2009 season.

Spoo joked with me about if I thought he would retire – I didn’t, or at least not yet – and he said he was excited to come back next year and hopefully for a few more with the Panthers.

Spoo is the face of the Panthers’ football program, and he deserves to go out on his terms and with a winning season.

But back to predicting the future of Eastern athletics.

Return to the postseason

Eastern’s baseball team made a late push at the end of the 2008 season to capture the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Expect more of the same this season. The Panthers return almost their entire team, and those returning players are bringing back a wealth of postseason experience.

The only question mark could be relief pitching with the graduation of a few seniors, but head coach Jim Schmitz said he was pleased with the performance of some of his younger pitchers during the fall season. Add in the starting pitching of Tyler Kehrer and Josh Mueller, the bat of Brett Nommensen and a now veteran team, and that equals more postseason success.

H-O-R-S-E

Eastern’s athletic Web site features a new poll question two-to-three times a month. The most recent involves the most competitive and exciting game of H-O-R-S-E between a Panthers’ women’s basketball player and a Panthers’ men’s basketball player.

The matchup between Megan Edwards and Tyler Laser took the fans’ vote with an Ellen Canale-T.J. Marion battle a close second.

This shouldn’t be the end of the HORSE question.

Whether it happens or not, Eastern’s athletic department needs to pursue this idea. It would be a great promotion.

If Eastern’s athletic department is serious about increasing fan attendance at games, this is one event that could draw a crowd. Make it a team event.

An Edwards, Canale and Dominique Sims team pitted against Laser, Marion and Romain Martin would be entertaining and phenomenally athletic.

Besides, who doesn’t love a good game of HORSE?

Paint it blue

One of Barbara Burke’s main goals as athletic director is to increase attendance and school spirit – a laudable idea. However, attendance has remained stagnant through the first month of basketball games.

Burke wants to “paint Lantz Arena blue,” and if more students don’t start showing up she might take the initiative into her own hands. With a paintbrush.

Some of the Blue Crew members – of which there are a few diehards – like to come to the games with face paint already applied.

Other fans might end up blue a different way.

If you don’t want to be reminiscent of an extra in “Braveheart” once Burke gets you across the face with some blue paint at the door, then show up to the games decked out in Eastern gear. The Panthers’ women are on a roll at home with 13 wins in a row. Get out and support them.

What to do about men’s basketball

Eastern’s men’s basketball team has been in the cellar of the OVC the past three seasons. The Panthers record those years (23-63) haven’t been pretty. The Mike Miller era wouldn’t be labeled much of a success.

But he’ll be back next year – and probably in 2010.

The Panthers have a 3-6 record so far this season and a 1-1 mark in the OVC.

But wins against a Division III school (Manchester College), a way down Tennessee State (lost to a D-II team) and Western Illinois (streaky this season) aren’t the greatest of wins – not a quality win in the bunch according to RealtimeRPI.com.

Miller will be back next season though for two reasons.

The Panthers will win 10 games- his high as Eastern’s head coach – and the fact eight players on the team are new will be used to substantiate the contract extension.

The right decision? No.

And that’s that.

My days covering Eastern athletics are finished.

All of my predictions won’t come true, but just think, I’m already 1-for-1.

Scott Richey can be reached at 581-7944 or at srrichey@eiu.edu.