Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Further Review Premium
The fantastic freshmen got most of the headlines. But the unheralded nucleus of the University of Hawaii softball team — four senior starters — was just as important in the 2010 College World Series run.
It used to be that no lead was ever safe in college baseball. I was reminded about that Sunday afternoon by Howard Dashefsky when Oregon took a 10-run lead over Hawaii in the fourth inning. Dash played on the UH team that won a key game against New Mexico, 11-10, after the Lobos went up by a touchdown and a field goal. A couple of weeks after that the Rainbows were in the 1980 College World Series.
There was a time when it was nearly always the right choice to televise University of Hawaii men's volleyball over UH baseball in event of a conflict.
Following two years of WAC championships, University of Hawaii baseball heads into what could be a transition season ... just as its head coach, Mike Trapasso, has completed a transition decade.
There are some things to like about the pending alliance of the Mountain West and Conference USA if you're a University of Hawaii football fan. The biggest are security in numbers (for now) and the possibility of a beneficial TV contract.
Upon entering the Stan Sheriff Center the other night, I did something I can't remember having done before. I asked somebody who won an NBA regular-season game. Specifically: Did the Knicks beat the Timberwolves?
Could he have made a difference? Probably not a decisive one. But maybe.
Unless it’s a quarterback, when a pouting backup football player refuses to enter a game — which happens more than you probably think — sometimes we never see it or even learn of it, at least while it is relevant (if it ever is at all). When a substitute basketball player does that — even in a road game — everybody notices right away or finds out quickly. And it tends to matter more.
Want a Pro Bowl that is more like "real" football? Here's one possible solution. All or nothing. Instead of paying each winning player $50,000 and each loser $25,000, make it $75,000 and zero.
Maybe there is a current NFL star hiding out somewhere who doesn't want the Pro Bowl in Hawaii. Someone who really dislikes warm weather in January, great food, friendly people and watching whales and bikinis.
Not all Pro Bowl replacement players are the same. Everyone wants a piece of Cam Newton. He can't even go to the portable lavatory at Earhart Field without someone outside of it wanting to shake his hand.
Once again the contract linking the Pro Bowl to Hawaii is up for renewal since this is the last year of the current deal. The off-field action is a lot more serious than anything you'll see from the players at practices or even at Aloha Stadium this Sunday.
The Washington recruitniks say he's a lock to follow his father's cleatsteps to Seattle. Some Oregon fans disagree. And now, Manoa will be visited. So what does Shane Brostek have to say?
We'd seen a game in which Hawaii scored 100 points. We'd also seen the Rainbow Warriors pull off an overtime upset of a Top 25 team. But for pure entertainment value, none of UH's 10 previous wins this season matched Saturday night's whacky 91-87 victory over New Mexico State.
The f-word around lower campus at the University of Hawaii these days is facilities. You might not agree with this if you are strictly a spectator of arena sports, since the Stan Sheriff Center is a fine venue for basketball and volleyball … good enough for the L.A. Lakers, good enough for Olympic training, good enough for the volleyball final four (I’m not among those who say it should be here every year, but yes, certainly on a rotating basis).
That crush of cars exiting the H-1 at Waialae Avenue typical for the final day of the Sony Open in Hawaii — especially when Tadd Fujikawa makes the cut — wasn't the only congestion in the Kahala area early Sunday afternoon.
Overnight, the trending topic evolved from Matt Every puffer to Matt Every putter. Well, there's Jeff Maggert, too. They share the lead heading into today's final round of the Sony Open in Hawaii, Maggert the veteran and Every the young pro, two strokes ahead of Johnson Wagner, Charles Howell III and Brendan de Jonge.
The lack of leaderboard star power on the first day at the Sony Open in Hawaii had one media room wag wondering if the tournament had become a stop on the Nationwide Tour.
The grand opening continues for Norm Chow today, as the new University of Hawaii head football coach addresses the public at the Hukilau restaurant on Bishop Street. At noon, he introduces the bulk of his staff at the first meeting of the Downtown Athletic Club.
Maybe you're watching tonight on a big screen TV. Or you're really lucky, and you're actually at the BCS National Championship football game in New Orleans.
Joston Thomas has learned you can be consistent and entertaining.
You can be a grinder and have fun. You can be a team player and be flashy.
Oklahoma State beating Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl in overtime proves OSU should have been in the BCS National Championship game instead of Alabama?
Seriously?
Some of my favorite local sports stories this year featured the achievements of young athletes like Carissa Moore, Jerome Williams and Kolten Wong.
Gib Arnold's got his guys playing excellent team basketball right now. With victories over No. 14 Xavier and Clemson in the Diamond Head Classic, the Rainbow Warriors are performing with the synergy derived from everyone having gained a better understanding of their roles and believing in each other.
These Hawaii-less Sheraton Hawaii Bowls are pretty interesting. The matchups normally lack a certain wow factor, especially since they're missing the team most of the state cares about. But they usually end in dramatic fashion.
Yes, University of Hawaii football fans, there is a Santa Claus. Yes, grinches, there is a buyout clause. The honeymoon phase for new coach Norm Chow will last — for those of us who are reasonable, anyway — a couple of years while he attempts to rebuild the Warriors.
Has it really been nearly 20 years since Quentin Tarantino’s breakthrough (and still best) movie hit the screen? It seems Norm Chow’s been a candidate for the University of Hawaii head football coach that long, too. And, like the legendary Lawrence Tierney who portrayed the boss of Mr. Pink, Mr. Blue, Mr. Blonde and the rest, Chow’s reputation for crustiness sometimes overshadows an incredible body of work. One produced mostly in the shadows.
Most think of Jimmy Muindi as the competitor with the most Honolulu Marathon wins. But do you know who passed the seven-time champion on Sunday? Maybe not, unless you get up really early in the morning.
In this pigskin paradise, the University of Hawaii can build a dream coaching staff. Everyone who has surfaced as a candidate to be the new head coach has agreed to do what he always demands of his players: accept whatever role assigned, for the good of the team.
Another instant classic.
But what did you expect?
When Hawaii and USC meet in volleyball it’s like Alabama and LSU in football — except there’s plenty of scoring. And, similarly, maybe the team that played the best for most of the game doesn’t win it.
Ten years ago registration for the Honolulu Marathon — including that of entrants from Japan — was “way down,” according to spokesman Pat Bigold.
There was good reason.
It was just three months after Sept. 11, 2001.
The Stan Sheriff Center will host what has the potential to be the best and most memorable sports event of the year in Hawaii on Friday.
Until quite recently, Greg McMackin was not the retiring type.
Caretaker or long-term solution? When the University of Hawaii needed a new head football coach to replace June Jones in early 2008, the school went for both in selecting Greg McMackin to steer the state's most prominent sports team.
A perfect time for a beautiful sunset, telecast across the nation. Late Saturday afternoon, many of us needed a quick reminder about why it's great to live in Hawaii. When bad things happen to our sports teams, we still have the last laugh because of where we call home … even if we feel like crying.
It wasn’t the big crowd or the volleyball tradition that eventually got to Northern Colorado at the rockin’ Stan Sheriff Center on Thursday.
Five years and three Hawaii defensive coordinators ago the pride of Logan, Utah, did the best he could. But things didn’t go very well for the home team quarterback — or any of the Aggies — on that chilly day on Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium. The most talented football team in UH history routed Utah State, 63-10.
It doesn’t take long, does it?
The University of Hawaii should really do something special for everyone who showed up at Aloha Stadium for its football game Saturday against Tulane.
Perhaps one of the teams didn’t belong in the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Football State Championships Division II final Friday at Aloha Stadium. But it wasn’t ‘Iolani. … Waipahu has one of the largest enrollments in the state, and that’s what classification is supposed to be about — that, and size of the players.
On most football Fridays the big screen is filled with video of the Georgia Southern Eagles’ opposition for the next day.
Ever get pulled over and tell the policeman, “You got me, I was speeding, give me a ticket.” And the cop says, “Sorry, I don’t have enough information. Have a nice day. Drive safely.”
For this Manny, Manny being Manny means Manny doesn't show up ... at least when it comes to public appearances in Hawaii. But don't blame Manny Pacquiao, says the local promoter of one of the canceled events, Larry Rutkowski.
For a while, everything else could be forgotten during Hawaii's last Western Athletic Conference football game. For one half of football, things like lagging attendance, unmet expectations, coaches on the hot seat and the previous losses that led to it all -- for both teams -- were cast away so we could savor a game that went down to the final play.
You don’t have to be kama‘aina to be the University of Hawaii’s head football coach. You can be anyone from anywhere if you know what you’re doing.
Maybe every University of Hawaii basketball game should tip off at 11 p.m. The Rainbow Warriors are now 3-1 in these ESPN College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon games that start on one night and end the next morning.
Nothing like a little quarterback controversy to deflect the heat off a coach, who may or may not be unwillingly nearing the end of his term, eh? Actually, the two issues are intermeshed in the University of Hawaii football team's current situation.
This wasn't how it was supposed to end for Bryant Moniz, but it almost seemed inevitable. With all the injuries depleting his offensive line and receivers, it's a testament to Moniz's elusiveness and toughness that he didn't get badly hurt sooner than Saturday, in UH's 10th game of the season.
RENO, NEV. » Thankfully, for all concerned, that was quite possibly the shortest eve-of-the-game walk-through in football history. It was a mere 30 minutes of moving around the Mackay Stadium field for the University of Hawaii team in preparation for tonight's game against Nevada’s Wolf Pack.
RENO, Nev. » Joe Sellers knew Chris Ault way back in the 1960s, when a pistol was just a gun, not a trendy football offense.
As Kamehameha football coach David Stant walked off the Aloha Stadium field last week, an intended well-wisher told him good luck in states.
Never fear, University of Hawaii football fans. The Punahou Mafia is here. The hui that saved Rainbow Warriors basketball by bringing you the son of a coach who failed miserably at UH is ready for more bold covert action.
You can talk about flukey plays and maybe a bad official’s call here and there that went the other way. Because there were some. To the credit of University of Hawaii football coach Greg McMackin and his players, they didn’t do that. They didn’t make excuses; they accepted accountability.
Recruiting brings more angst than joy to a fairly large segment of the University of Hawaii football fan base. Today, on the eve of its home game against Utah State, some don't see a 5-3 team contending for a second consecutive conference championship. Instead of a large, solid and pretty house, they look deeper and perceive a rotten foundation that means the house will crumble.
College sports and pro wrestling don’t have a lot in common, but there is at least one shared aspect.
Not that long ago there was a University of Hawaii football team that barely beat four opponents with losing records (and, by any other definition, would not be considered "good" teams).
No one ever said controlling a stadium crowd is an easy job. You knew this and so did I — even before Monday's column and then hearing out the Aloha Stadium Authority board members and stadium manager Scott Chan this week, in the wake of the bloody fight in the stands during Saturday's UH football game.
In 2010, a longtime figure in local basketball circles was let go after three seasons as head coach of a University of Hawaii hoops team ... three years of losing more games than winning. Headed into this season, Dana Takahara-Dias faces a situation similar to Bob Nash's — in some ways.
Prior to the University of Hawaii football game on Saturday, I did something I do about twice a season. I stopped by a tailgate party before heading into work at Aloha Stadium. Ohana and friends listened to music, shared jokes and caught up with each other on a beautiful afternoon. Some enjoyed a few alcoholic beverages along with plenty of delicious food.
It was kind of like most of the season to this point. Surprises -- some good, some not so good. The University of Hawaii football team hasn't fallen into many patterns, other than the obvious ones of Bryant Moniz making a lot of plays and the puzzling continued problem on points-after-touchdowns.
Everything looked fine after the University of Hawaii football team opened the season with a win over Colorado — including special teams. UH had won the field-position battle decisively largely due to the kicking game. The special teams were living up to the nickname Strike Force.
Here's some Representing The 808 Trivia you may enjoy: Four NFL teams have starting centers from Hawaii, and three of them — the Raiders (Samson Satele), Lions (Dominic Raiola) and Saints (Olin Kreutz) — are on teams within a game of first place as the regular-season approaches its midpoint.
A new season means a new geezer for the University of Hawaii basketball team.
SAN JOSE, Calif. >> No need to start planning University of Hawaii football trips combined with Disney World vacations … not yet, anyway. Hopefully, and probably, never.
SAN JOSE, CALIF. » The simple thing to do would be to say it came down to the blocked kicks Friday at Spartan Stadium. But the simple thing isn’t always the right thing in football. There is rarely just one crystal clear reason for a result.
SAN JOSE, Calif. » Can anyone really blame San Jose State for not jumping at the chance to keep its football series with Hawaii going?
CONCORD, Calif. » Toughness. Conditioning. Being in the right place at the right time, all the time. Sacrifice for teammates.
The University of Hawaii football team’s annual Scout Bowl is about as good as it gets for free sports entertainment, this side of the spring practice finale.
Well, at least they got it correct in the end. And Karl Benson is right. That 22-minute officials’ review of a fairly routine situation during Hawaii’s victory over Louisiana Tech “was an embarrassment to the WAC.” The commissioner felt so bad about it that he issued a public apology to everyone involved on Tuesday.
Now, THAT was a big win. And in so many ways. I'd say Hawaii controlled the action at Louisiana Tech from the opening kickoff on Saturday, but it wouldn't be quite accurate.
Some will say it was overhyped because of the lack of offensive fireworks and the many turnovers. But it was truly the game of the year in Hawaii high school football, at least to this point of the season.
This game has never made sense. It's one of the reasons why the University of Hawaii got out of the Western Athletic Conference.
Is baseball art or science?
The movie “Moneyball” asks the question.
Ultimately, we already knew the answer: Neither — it’s a game.
Hawaii football fans of a certain age know first-hand that Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson's offense can beat Pitt ... or at least it could at one time. It was a challenge, but UH did it with a second-half comeback, in 1992.
You could say the University of Hawaii football team got the ultimate hangover cure in the UC Davis Aggies. But coach Greg McMackin chose not to do that.
If recent history means anything, starting the season 1-2 might not be a bad thing for the University of Hawaii football team.
LAS VEGAS » Eventually, visitors lose their sharpness here, if they had any to begin with. That's what the hosts count on. Casinos are designed to suck the normalcy out of you, and eventually drain your discipline and positive energy as well as empty your wallet.
If you ever played much basketball you know the feeling. Everything's going great, and then the ball hits a previously injured finger a certain way and a shock of pain screams through your body. But after a while it subsides and you play on like nothing happened, until the next time.
There’s a new America’s Team. America’s team to hate, that is.
The New England Patriots have passed the Dallas Cowboys as the NFL’s most unlovable, and gradually but absolutely evolved into football’s version of the New York Yankees.
It was once common that you could call a doctor and the physician would come to cure what ails you. Good luck trying that now. Although you couldn't tell from just looking at the highlights of the first week of the season, the house call will probably become a rarity soon on NFL kickoffs, too.
It got really quiet, really fast in the first quarter. Jim Vrechek, the University of Hawaii fan sitting to my left, asks if I think Greg McMackin needs to call a double timeout. Maybe. But if I were in his spot, down three touchdowns, I'd probably want a double martini, instead.
Is it possible for a 61⁄2-point favorite, playing at home, to hide in the weeds? It seems like Washington is doing a good job of sneaking up on Hawaii — from in front, not behind.
Understated and less than artistic at times, but extremely effective. Hawaii's special teams made a solid if not always eye-catching contribution to UH's season-opening 34-17 victory over Colorado on Saturday.
Too big.
And too good.
Don’t let Mike Sealy fool you with his aw shucks routine.
After the obligatory Luck-might-be-a-lock segment, an ESPN preseason special about Heisman Trophy candidates covered the gamut from catnap to deep coma subgroups, talking about various levels of sleepers for college football's highest individual honor.
Here’s how overanalyzed the lead-up to the University of Hawaii football season has become. One of the burning questions is if an opposing coach will wear pants to Saturday’s game.
Considering this has become the Summer of Suspension on the sports scene, it's time for a checklist of the latest ins and outs.
So far so good for the University of Hawaii volleyball team. The season-opening Chevron Invitational ended with three Wahine victories — Sunday's sweep of Arizona was surprisingly easy for UH and in particular its new starting setter, Mita Uiato.
It might be the most trite cliche in all of sports and yet, at the same time, somehow, a very intriguing phrase.
What does “leading by example” mean, anyway?
Taiwan? Who plays baseball in Taiwan other than over-age Little League stars? But it is, indeed, where Jerome Williams regained his mojo last year, where he learned to stop worrying and nibbling and trying to be crafty and just throw the fastball.
The watchers are being watched like never before. And that's great, whether we watchers like it or not. Those of us in the so-called mainstream of journalism don't always do well with criticism. We might not feel that it's constructive or fair. (Welcome to our world, say the newsmakers.)
Nuke it. Blow it all up and start over again. That’s the only remedy I can come up with for what ails big-time college sports, especially football.
They celebrated the end of their final preseason practice by sharing a French vanilla whipped cream pie. And a lot of laughs.
Like punters, snappers and the other kickers on the University of Hawaii roster, Kenton Chun is listed as a specialist.
Even successful people have at least one "what if" in a career. The questions are more profound for some. In Nani Cockett's case, it is, "What if she didn't have injuries that resulted in eight knee surgeries?"
Online newspaper reports from Ontario, Calif., confirm that the Hilo Senior Little League all-stars were the best team in the Western Regional Tournament last week.
It’s a perfect location. Right on Kamehameha Highway, next to a bus stop. Most importantly for owner/operator Junior Ah You, Tita’s Grill sits directly across the street from Kahuku High School. “Everything’s the same as when I went there,” says Ah You, of the school from which he graduated in 1968. “Only the gym is new.”
This Tim Tebow story has got legs — like Tebow himself, who is very good at running with a football. The question is his left arm: Is it NFL-capable and should Tebow be taken seriously as a potential starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos?
I've got a thing against using exclamation marks in newspaper stories. Today is an exception. Say it ain't so, Jonas! The word is that Jonas Umlauft, the star attraction of the University of Hawaii men's volleyball team, is leaning his angular 6 feet and 9 inches away from Manoa.
It used to be that no lead was ever safe in college baseball. I was reminded about that Sunday afternoon by Howard Dashefsky when Oregon took a 10-run lead over Hawaii in the fourth inning. Dash played on the UH team that won a key game against New Mexico, 11-10, after the Lobos went up by a touchdown and a field goal. A couple of weeks after that the Rainbows were in the 1980 College World Series.
There was a time when it was nearly always the right choice to televise University of Hawaii men's volleyball over UH baseball in event of a conflict.
Following two years of WAC championships, University of Hawaii baseball heads into what could be a transition season ... just as its head coach, Mike Trapasso, has completed a transition decade.
There are some things to like about the pending alliance of the Mountain West and Conference USA if you're a University of Hawaii football fan. The biggest are security in numbers (for now) and the possibility of a beneficial TV contract.
Upon entering the Stan Sheriff Center the other night, I did something I can't remember having done before. I asked somebody who won an NBA regular-season game. Specifically: Did the Knicks beat the Timberwolves?
That's the way you finish a rivalry … or just a long series of games against an opponent you might not play again in a long time, if ever.
Could he have made a difference? Probably not a decisive one. But maybe.
Unless it’s a quarterback, when a pouting backup football player refuses to enter a game — which happens more than you probably think — sometimes we never see it or even learn of it, at least while it is relevant (if it ever is at all). When a substitute basketball player does that — even in a road game — everybody notices right away or finds out quickly. And it tends to matter more.
Want a Pro Bowl that is more like "real" football? Here's one possible solution. All or nothing. Instead of paying each winning player $50,000 and each loser $25,000, make it $75,000 and zero.
Maybe there is a current NFL star hiding out somewhere who doesn't want the Pro Bowl in Hawaii. Someone who really dislikes warm weather in January, great food, friendly people and watching whales and bikinis.
Not all Pro Bowl replacement players are the same. Everyone wants a piece of Cam Newton. He can't even go to the portable lavatory at Earhart Field without someone outside of it wanting to shake his hand.
Once again the contract linking the Pro Bowl to Hawaii is up for renewal since this is the last year of the current deal. The off-field action is a lot more serious than anything you'll see from the players at practices or even at Aloha Stadium this Sunday.
The Washington recruitniks say he's a lock to follow his father's cleatsteps to Seattle. Some Oregon fans disagree. And now, Manoa will be visited. So what does Shane Brostek have to say?
We'd seen a game in which Hawaii scored 100 points. We'd also seen the Rainbow Warriors pull off an overtime upset of a Top 25 team. But for pure entertainment value, none of UH's 10 previous wins this season matched Saturday night's whacky 91-87 victory over New Mexico State.
The f-word around lower campus at the University of Hawaii these days is facilities. You might not agree with this if you are strictly a spectator of arena sports, since the Stan Sheriff Center is a fine venue for basketball and volleyball … good enough for the L.A. Lakers, good enough for Olympic training, good enough for the volleyball final four (I’m not among those who say it should be here every year, but yes, certainly on a rotating basis).
That crush of cars exiting the H-1 at Waialae Avenue typical for the final day of the Sony Open in Hawaii — especially when Tadd Fujikawa makes the cut — wasn't the only congestion in the Kahala area early Sunday afternoon.
Overnight, the trending topic evolved from Matt Every puffer to Matt Every putter. Well, there's Jeff Maggert, too. They share the lead heading into today's final round of the Sony Open in Hawaii, Maggert the veteran and Every the young pro, two strokes ahead of Johnson Wagner, Charles Howell III and Brendan de Jonge.
The lack of leaderboard star power on the first day at the Sony Open in Hawaii had one media room wag wondering if the tournament had become a stop on the Nationwide Tour.
The grand opening continues for Norm Chow today, as the new University of Hawaii head football coach addresses the public at the Hukilau restaurant on Bishop Street. At noon, he introduces the bulk of his staff at the first meeting of the Downtown Athletic Club.
Maybe you're watching tonight on a big screen TV. Or you're really lucky, and you're actually at the BCS National Championship football game in New Orleans.
Joston Thomas has learned you can be consistent and entertaining.
You can be a grinder and have fun. You can be a team player and be flashy.
Oklahoma State beating Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl in overtime proves OSU should have been in the BCS National Championship game instead of Alabama?
Seriously?
Some of my favorite local sports stories this year featured the achievements of young athletes like Carissa Moore, Jerome Williams and Kolten Wong.
Gib Arnold's got his guys playing excellent team basketball right now. With victories over No. 14 Xavier and Clemson in the Diamond Head Classic, the Rainbow Warriors are performing with the synergy derived from everyone having gained a better understanding of their roles and believing in each other.
These Hawaii-less Sheraton Hawaii Bowls are pretty interesting. The matchups normally lack a certain wow factor, especially since they're missing the team most of the state cares about. But they usually end in dramatic fashion.
Yes, University of Hawaii football fans, there is a Santa Claus. Yes, grinches, there is a buyout clause. The honeymoon phase for new coach Norm Chow will last — for those of us who are reasonable, anyway — a couple of years while he attempts to rebuild the Warriors.
Has it really been nearly 20 years since Quentin Tarantino’s breakthrough (and still best) movie hit the screen? It seems Norm Chow’s been a candidate for the University of Hawaii head football coach that long, too. And, like the legendary Lawrence Tierney who portrayed the boss of Mr. Pink, Mr. Blue, Mr. Blonde and the rest, Chow’s reputation for crustiness sometimes overshadows an incredible body of work. One produced mostly in the shadows.
Most think of Jimmy Muindi as the competitor with the most Honolulu Marathon wins. But do you know who passed the seven-time champion on Sunday? Maybe not, unless you get up really early in the morning.
In this pigskin paradise, the University of Hawaii can build a dream coaching staff. Everyone who has surfaced as a candidate to be the new head coach has agreed to do what he always demands of his players: accept whatever role assigned, for the good of the team.
Another instant classic.
But what did you expect?
When Hawaii and USC meet in volleyball it’s like Alabama and LSU in football — except there’s plenty of scoring. And, similarly, maybe the team that played the best for most of the game doesn’t win it.
Ten years ago registration for the Honolulu Marathon — including that of entrants from Japan — was “way down,” according to spokesman Pat Bigold.
There was good reason.
It was just three months after Sept. 11, 2001.
The Stan Sheriff Center will host what has the potential to be the best and most memorable sports event of the year in Hawaii on Friday.
Until quite recently, Greg McMackin was not the retiring type.
Caretaker or long-term solution? When the University of Hawaii needed a new head football coach to replace June Jones in early 2008, the school went for both in selecting Greg McMackin to steer the state's most prominent sports team.
A perfect time for a beautiful sunset, telecast across the nation. Late Saturday afternoon, many of us needed a quick reminder about why it's great to live in Hawaii. When bad things happen to our sports teams, we still have the last laugh because of where we call home … even if we feel like crying.
It wasn’t the big crowd or the volleyball tradition that eventually got to Northern Colorado at the rockin’ Stan Sheriff Center on Thursday.
Five years and three Hawaii defensive coordinators ago the pride of Logan, Utah, did the best he could. But things didn’t go very well for the home team quarterback — or any of the Aggies — on that chilly day on Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium. The most talented football team in UH history routed Utah State, 63-10.
It doesn’t take long, does it?
The University of Hawaii should really do something special for everyone who showed up at Aloha Stadium for its football game Saturday against Tulane.
Perhaps one of the teams didn’t belong in the First Hawaiian Bank/HHSAA Football State Championships Division II final Friday at Aloha Stadium. But it wasn’t ‘Iolani. … Waipahu has one of the largest enrollments in the state, and that’s what classification is supposed to be about — that, and size of the players.
On most football Fridays the big screen is filled with video of the Georgia Southern Eagles’ opposition for the next day.
Ever get pulled over and tell the policeman, “You got me, I was speeding, give me a ticket.” And the cop says, “Sorry, I don’t have enough information. Have a nice day. Drive safely.”
For this Manny, Manny being Manny means Manny doesn't show up ... at least when it comes to public appearances in Hawaii. But don't blame Manny Pacquiao, says the local promoter of one of the canceled events, Larry Rutkowski.
For a while, everything else could be forgotten during Hawaii's last Western Athletic Conference football game. For one half of football, things like lagging attendance, unmet expectations, coaches on the hot seat and the previous losses that led to it all -- for both teams -- were cast away so we could savor a game that went down to the final play.
You don’t have to be kama‘aina to be the University of Hawaii’s head football coach. You can be anyone from anywhere if you know what you’re doing.
Maybe every University of Hawaii basketball game should tip off at 11 p.m. The Rainbow Warriors are now 3-1 in these ESPN College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon games that start on one night and end the next morning.
Nothing like a little quarterback controversy to deflect the heat off a coach, who may or may not be unwillingly nearing the end of his term, eh? Actually, the two issues are intermeshed in the University of Hawaii football team's current situation.
This wasn't how it was supposed to end for Bryant Moniz, but it almost seemed inevitable. With all the injuries depleting his offensive line and receivers, it's a testament to Moniz's elusiveness and toughness that he didn't get badly hurt sooner than Saturday, in UH's 10th game of the season.
RENO, NEV. » Thankfully, for all concerned, that was quite possibly the shortest eve-of-the-game walk-through in football history. It was a mere 30 minutes of moving around the Mackay Stadium field for the University of Hawaii team in preparation for tonight's game against Nevada’s Wolf Pack.
RENO, Nev. » Joe Sellers knew Chris Ault way back in the 1960s, when a pistol was just a gun, not a trendy football offense.
As Kamehameha football coach David Stant walked off the Aloha Stadium field last week, an intended well-wisher told him good luck in states.
Never fear, University of Hawaii football fans. The Punahou Mafia is here. The hui that saved Rainbow Warriors basketball by bringing you the son of a coach who failed miserably at UH is ready for more bold covert action.
You can talk about flukey plays and maybe a bad official’s call here and there that went the other way. Because there were some. To the credit of University of Hawaii football coach Greg McMackin and his players, they didn’t do that. They didn’t make excuses; they accepted accountability.
Recruiting brings more angst than joy to a fairly large segment of the University of Hawaii football fan base. Today, on the eve of its home game against Utah State, some don't see a 5-3 team contending for a second consecutive conference championship. Instead of a large, solid and pretty house, they look deeper and perceive a rotten foundation that means the house will crumble.
College sports and pro wrestling don’t have a lot in common, but there is at least one shared aspect.
Not that long ago there was a University of Hawaii football team that barely beat four opponents with losing records (and, by any other definition, would not be considered "good" teams).
No one ever said controlling a stadium crowd is an easy job. You knew this and so did I — even before Monday's column and then hearing out the Aloha Stadium Authority board members and stadium manager Scott Chan this week, in the wake of the bloody fight in the stands during Saturday's UH football game.
In 2010, a longtime figure in local basketball circles was let go after three seasons as head coach of a University of Hawaii hoops team ... three years of losing more games than winning. Headed into this season, Dana Takahara-Dias faces a situation similar to Bob Nash's — in some ways.
Prior to the University of Hawaii football game on Saturday, I did something I do about twice a season. I stopped by a tailgate party before heading into work at Aloha Stadium. Ohana and friends listened to music, shared jokes and caught up with each other on a beautiful afternoon. Some enjoyed a few alcoholic beverages along with plenty of delicious food.
It was kind of like most of the season to this point. Surprises -- some good, some not so good. The University of Hawaii football team hasn't fallen into many patterns, other than the obvious ones of Bryant Moniz making a lot of plays and the puzzling continued problem on points-after-touchdowns.
Everything looked fine after the University of Hawaii football team opened the season with a win over Colorado — including special teams. UH had won the field-position battle decisively largely due to the kicking game. The special teams were living up to the nickname Strike Force.
Here's some Representing The 808 Trivia you may enjoy: Four NFL teams have starting centers from Hawaii, and three of them — the Raiders (Samson Satele), Lions (Dominic Raiola) and Saints (Olin Kreutz) — are on teams within a game of first place as the regular-season approaches its midpoint.
A new season means a new geezer for the University of Hawaii basketball team.
SAN JOSE, Calif. >> No need to start planning University of Hawaii football trips combined with Disney World vacations … not yet, anyway. Hopefully, and probably, never.
SAN JOSE, CALIF. » The simple thing to do would be to say it came down to the blocked kicks Friday at Spartan Stadium. But the simple thing isn’t always the right thing in football. There is rarely just one crystal clear reason for a result.
SAN JOSE, Calif. » Can anyone really blame San Jose State for not jumping at the chance to keep its football series with Hawaii going?
CONCORD, Calif. » Toughness. Conditioning. Being in the right place at the right time, all the time. Sacrifice for teammates.
The University of Hawaii football team’s annual Scout Bowl is about as good as it gets for free sports entertainment, this side of the spring practice finale.
Well, at least they got it correct in the end. And Karl Benson is right. That 22-minute officials’ review of a fairly routine situation during Hawaii’s victory over Louisiana Tech “was an embarrassment to the WAC.” The commissioner felt so bad about it that he issued a public apology to everyone involved on Tuesday.
Now, THAT was a big win. And in so many ways. I'd say Hawaii controlled the action at Louisiana Tech from the opening kickoff on Saturday, but it wouldn't be quite accurate.
Some will say it was overhyped because of the lack of offensive fireworks and the many turnovers. But it was truly the game of the year in Hawaii high school football, at least to this point of the season.
This game has never made sense. It's one of the reasons why the University of Hawaii got out of the Western Athletic Conference.
Is baseball art or science?
The movie “Moneyball” asks the question.
Ultimately, we already knew the answer: Neither — it’s a game.
Hawaii football fans of a certain age know first-hand that Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson's offense can beat Pitt ... or at least it could at one time. It was a challenge, but UH did it with a second-half comeback, in 1992.
You could say the University of Hawaii football team got the ultimate hangover cure in the UC Davis Aggies. But coach Greg McMackin chose not to do that.
If recent history means anything, starting the season 1-2 might not be a bad thing for the University of Hawaii football team.
LAS VEGAS » Eventually, visitors lose their sharpness here, if they had any to begin with. That's what the hosts count on. Casinos are designed to suck the normalcy out of you, and eventually drain your discipline and positive energy as well as empty your wallet.
If you ever played much basketball you know the feeling. Everything's going great, and then the ball hits a previously injured finger a certain way and a shock of pain screams through your body. But after a while it subsides and you play on like nothing happened, until the next time.
There’s a new America’s Team. America’s team to hate, that is.
The New England Patriots have passed the Dallas Cowboys as the NFL’s most unlovable, and gradually but absolutely evolved into football’s version of the New York Yankees.
It was once common that you could call a doctor and the physician would come to cure what ails you. Good luck trying that now. Although you couldn't tell from just looking at the highlights of the first week of the season, the house call will probably become a rarity soon on NFL kickoffs, too.
It got really quiet, really fast in the first quarter. Jim Vrechek, the University of Hawaii fan sitting to my left, asks if I think Greg McMackin needs to call a double timeout. Maybe. But if I were in his spot, down three touchdowns, I'd probably want a double martini, instead.
Is it possible for a 61⁄2-point favorite, playing at home, to hide in the weeds? It seems like Washington is doing a good job of sneaking up on Hawaii — from in front, not behind.
Understated and less than artistic at times, but extremely effective. Hawaii's special teams made a solid if not always eye-catching contribution to UH's season-opening 34-17 victory over Colorado on Saturday.
Too big.
And too good.
Don’t let Mike Sealy fool you with his aw shucks routine.
After the obligatory Luck-might-be-a-lock segment, an ESPN preseason special about Heisman Trophy candidates covered the gamut from catnap to deep coma subgroups, talking about various levels of sleepers for college football's highest individual honor.
Here’s how overanalyzed the lead-up to the University of Hawaii football season has become. One of the burning questions is if an opposing coach will wear pants to Saturday’s game.
Considering this has become the Summer of Suspension on the sports scene, it's time for a checklist of the latest ins and outs.
So far so good for the University of Hawaii volleyball team. The season-opening Chevron Invitational ended with three Wahine victories — Sunday's sweep of Arizona was surprisingly easy for UH and in particular its new starting setter, Mita Uiato.
It might be the most trite cliche in all of sports and yet, at the same time, somehow, a very intriguing phrase.
What does “leading by example” mean, anyway?
Taiwan? Who plays baseball in Taiwan other than over-age Little League stars? But it is, indeed, where Jerome Williams regained his mojo last year, where he learned to stop worrying and nibbling and trying to be crafty and just throw the fastball.
The watchers are being watched like never before. And that's great, whether we watchers like it or not. Those of us in the so-called mainstream of journalism don't always do well with criticism. We might not feel that it's constructive or fair. (Welcome to our world, say the newsmakers.)
Nuke it. Blow it all up and start over again. That’s the only remedy I can come up with for what ails big-time college sports, especially football.
They celebrated the end of their final preseason practice by sharing a French vanilla whipped cream pie. And a lot of laughs.
Like punters, snappers and the other kickers on the University of Hawaii roster, Kenton Chun is listed as a specialist.
Even successful people have at least one "what if" in a career. The questions are more profound for some. In Nani Cockett's case, it is, "What if she didn't have injuries that resulted in eight knee surgeries?"
Online newspaper reports from Ontario, Calif., confirm that the Hilo Senior Little League all-stars were the best team in the Western Regional Tournament last week.
It’s a perfect location. Right on Kamehameha Highway, next to a bus stop. Most importantly for owner/operator Junior Ah You, Tita’s Grill sits directly across the street from Kahuku High School. “Everything’s the same as when I went there,” says Ah You, of the school from which he graduated in 1968. “Only the gym is new.”
This Tim Tebow story has got legs — like Tebow himself, who is very good at running with a football. The question is his left arm: Is it NFL-capable and should Tebow be taken seriously as a potential starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos?
I've got a thing against using exclamation marks in newspaper stories. Today is an exception. Say it ain't so, Jonas! The word is that Jonas Umlauft, the star attraction of the University of Hawaii men's volleyball team, is leaning his angular 6 feet and 9 inches away from Manoa.
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