From Waipahu to Yankee Stadium

After bouncing from team to team since his 2003 debut with the San Francisco Giants, Waipahu pitching product Jerome Williams will premiere for the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday night at Yankee Stadium, to be televised by ESPN.

Noted for his puka shell necklace that he wears while playing, the 30-year-old right-hander finished his final tune-up Tuesday night with an Angels team in the California League.

Williams was sidelined for more than three weeks of spring training by a left hamstring strain. However, he was told by Angels officials that he will start against the New York Yankees.

After the Giants, Williams occupied the mound for the Chicago Cubs, Washington Nationals and several minor league teams. Good to see he’s still staying in the ol’ ball game.

They’ll probably sell milk, too

Move over, 7-Eleven and ABC Stores: There’s a soon-to-be new convenience store chain in town.

Tokyo-based Lawson Inc., which has almost 10,000 convenience stores in Japan, intends to open two outlets in Honolulu in June, as a way to test the waters here before possibly opening more.

The move obviously is a vote of confidence in Hawaii, as well as another sign of the state’s growing role in the world economy.

And, yes, Lawson Inc. doesn’t sound very Japanese, but that’s because its origins go back to 1939 in Ohio, when a dairy owner named J.J. Lawson started a store in Cuyahoga Falls to sell his milk.

It’s been a long and winding road for the company since.