Atta boy, Norm, way to buck up

University of Hawaii head football coach Norm Chow vehemently asserts that he’s up to the job and has no intention of quitting, just two days after his public comments seemed to hint otherwise.

Chow insists that his initial comments were meant in jest, and misinterpreted. The 67-year-old coach is in the second season of a five-year contract that pays him $550,000 a year. His exasperation is palpable as the Warriors struggle through an 0-8 season. But a true leader, which a head coach should be, is able to transform frustration into motivation. Let’s hope that Chow moves closer toward that goal, especially for the sake of his players — young men who look up to him, on and off the field.

AFL all-star game here could be regular event?

Saturday’s Arena Football League all-star game at Neal Blaisdell Center was a lively affair — perhaps one that should be repeated annually, sort of like the National Football League’s annual Pro Bowl.

Though not nearly as popular as the NFL, the AFL is a viable and expanding football league — albeit in miniature form — that has been around since 1987, with secondary, affiliated leagues that at times included a Honolulu team.

Before Saturday, the AFL’s only other all-star game was in 1993 in Des Moines, Iowa, as a fundraiser for area flood victims. The game here, which was streamed live on ESPN3, was sort of a tune-up for the players and coaches before another such game this weekend in China, where an AFL affiliate is expanding to next year.

Perhaps Hawaii tourism officials could convince the AFL to have an all-star game here every year. It could be one more reason for tourists to visit Hawaii, and entertain residents as well.