If Rich Hill were an IPO, he would be DoorDash.
His debut season as University of Hawaii baseball coach was an undisputed public success: first winning Big West record in 10 years of membership; as many victories on the road as at home; and large, energetic crowds at Les Murakami Stadium.
But the concern about first steps is ensuing stumbles. Here’s what needs to happen to keep the Rainbow Warriors on the ascending path:
>> The batting structure is a house of cards. A makeshift roof was installed this year to keep the pillars in place. But that’s a Band-Aid on a gash. There has been talk, as early as the preseason banquet, about building a new facility. But the season came and went and the ’Bows still are without a fully functional batting-practice complex. The ’Bows’ offense did it with timely hitting and mirrors this season. It could use a steel frame. And a roof that’s not a B-52’s hook phrase.
>> The 14-year-old DomoTurf is similar to a sportswriter’s physique: lumpy in all the wrong places. Maybe it had something to do with the bounced ball that resulted in UH first baseman Jacob Igawa’s chipped tooth and Kardashian-sized upper lip. A decade-and-a-half under the Manoa sun also has bleached the turf, making it difficult for visually challenged spectators to pick up ground balls during day games.
>> If the turf cannot be changed, then maybe turf can be added to the dirt mound. When it rains in Manoa, which is every day there’s a sunrise, the dampened mound creates balance and plant-foot issues for pitchers. It was a couple of years ago when the home-plate area was converted to artificial turf. (Although it is a curious sight when hitters still swat their cleats to dislodge phantom dirt of batter’s box past, or when umpires dust off the plate.) Now it’s time for the mound to be converted. Hill, who helped create the Tony Gwynn Legacy Tournament, is a visionary with great design ideas for a new turf. UH just needs to find the money to install one.
>> Baseball, unlike football or basketball, did not get a new wardrobe when UH’s apparel contract shifted from Under Armour to Adidas last summer. But the ’Bows deserve style points for adding players’ names to the back of some jerseys, and making retro Kelly green and Sheridan orange uniforms part of the weekend ensemble. Second baseman Stone Miyao even was allowed to customize his uniform to shorts-like pants. Hill said all players will be dressed alike in next season’s Adidas uniforms. Hill, a self-styled uniform snob, is helping with the designs. The hope is the uniforms will be as impressive as the sketches.
>> The majority of the Big West coaches want a postseason tournament. But it takes three things: 1) a plan in which it will protect the regular-season winner and not have the bottom seed devalue three months’ play; 2) a format that is economically feasible, and 3) somebody making a proposal. While there has been much talk, there has not been an actual proposal to come before the presidents of the 11 Big West universities. Can’t vote without a ballot.
>> This past weekend, the ’Bows faced Cal Poly’s Jason Frank, one of the league’s top relievers. Frank chose Cal Poly because of the civil engineering program. But instead of initially playing for the intercollegiate team, he joined Cal Poly’s club program. Two years later, he joined the Mustangs. The lesson was … there’s a club league for baseball? In men’s volleyball, there are more club teams than intercollegiate programs. Two generations ago, UH had a junior varsity men’s basketball team. Henry Hollingsworth famously started his career with the JV Rainbows. An idea was floated several years ago to have George Rush, the former City College of San Francisco coach, serve as commissioner of a football league involving Hawaii’s community colleges. Maybe a club baseball league involving UH and the community colleges would help in developing local talent. The next Jason Frank might be a student in KCC’s culinary program.
>> With elevators only going to the second level of three-tier Murakami Stadium, future orthopedic-knee patients need help. UH officials already eye-rolled this scribe’s suggestion of installing escalators or stairlifts. It is time to consider vendors who can bring the Warrior Dogs and garlic fries to the upper-level fans. One other consideration: stockpiling food supplies. Because of shipping backlogs and ingredient shortages, pretzels and churros were unavailable for a large part of the home schedule.
