MONEY DOESN’T BUY TITLES

By Fred Guzman
ESPN550.com

Money, as the Beatles reminded so many years ago, can't buy you love. And, as we have repeatedly found in the most free-market of our sports leagues, money can't buy baseball titles, either.

Take the New York Yankees, as prime example. Baseball's freest-spending franchise routinely carries a an annual payroll of $200 million, but it's been eight years since the Yankees last won a ring.

During that championship drought in the Bronx, the Arizona Diamondbacks, Florida Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals have won titles and the likes of the Tampa Bay Rays and Colorado Rockies have reached the Fall Classic.

A more recent example of how money alone doesn't guarantee titles is the Detroit Tigers. Many instantly conceded Detroit the AL Central crown after acquiring both slugger Miguel Cabrera and pitcher Dontrelle Willis. Those signings pushed the Tigers' payroll to $137 million and slightly over the luxury-tax limit.

It took a while for Cabrera to get going. He finished with team highs of 37 homers and 127 RBI, but by the time he got hot the Tigers were dust.

The Tigers got off to a 2-10 start and never recovered, staggering to a 74-84 mark and a last-place finish in the five-team division they were supposed to dominate.

Willis was a total disaster. The left-hander appeared in just eight games, averaging three innings per start, while compiling an 0-2 record with an astronomical 9.38 ERA. Willis earned a demotion to the minors for a significant part of the season.

So don't concede anything to the New York Yankees yet. All together now: Money can't buy you love … or guarantee a title.

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TRIO ON RECRUITING RADARS

By Fred Guzman
ESPN550.com

At least three current high school seniors with Maui ties appear to be in line to receive Division-I football scholarships for next season.

Baldwin defensive end Mana Rosa has verbally committed to Oregon State and has told us he intends to enroll at that school despite offers from several other colleges – including Colorado, Utah and UNLV.

The 6-2, 240-pounder gave an excellent account of himself during last week's Hawaii/Polynesia vs. Mainland Bowl game at Aloha Stadium. Rosa had three tackles, all for losses and including one sack, and forced a pair of fumbles.

Simione Vehikite is starting to attract attention. A standout linebacker and fullback, Vehikite transferred from Lahainaluna to Kapolei last spring.

An impressive showing in the all-star game, during which he registered five tackles, caught the eye of USC linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr., who said the Trojans will make a pitch for the 6-1, 243-pounder.

Vehikite made 119 tackles this season, including 10 sacks and 12 tackles for a loss. He also averaged 10 yards per carry.

After being overlooked early in the recruiting process, Baldwin defensive end Jordan Pu'u-Robinson has recently received scholarship offers from the likes of Washington State, Utah State, Wyoming and Idaho.

Topping Norton's and USC's list of local recruits, of course, is Punahou linebacker Manti Te'o, who has scheduled visits to BYU, Stanford and USC. Te'o – ranked No. 7 overall and the No. 1 linebacker in the national recruiting ratings -- previously visited Notre Dame and UCLA.

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TRANSFERS BOOST BOWS

By Fred Guzman
ESPN550.com

After compiling an 11-19 debut record following his belated hiring as head coach last year, Bob Nash is showing what he can do if given the time and opportunity to recruit.

The University of Hawaii basketball team improved to 5-3 last night and, again, a pair of talented newcomers from the junior college ranks played a key role in the victory.

The most celebrated of the pair is 6-foot-7 swingman Rodney Flemings, a highly touted prep player who spent one season at Oklahoma State before earning JC All-America honors last season.

Flemings was initially hampered by a tender ankle, but he's been living up to the hype as he has gotten healthier.

On Saturday, Flemings erupted for 37 points in a 75-55 romp past Eastern Washington, making 16 of 23 shots from the field. Last night, Flemings he scored 20 on 7 of 14 shooting and added seven rebounds in Hawaii's 85-75 win over Chicago State.

But the biggest star for Hawaii was forward Petra Balocka, who had 21 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Balocka's story is also interesting. A native of Lithuania, he moved to the state – not the country – of Georgia to play his prep hoops and spent two seasons as a standout player at a Texas JC.

Hawaii now has an eight-day break before returning to action on Dec. 23 against UC-Riverside.

The Rainbow Wahine, meantime, are in the midst of a long layoff. UH won for only the second time in nine games on Dec. 7, defeating UC Irvine 74-46, and don't play again until Friday night against Washington State. Sophomore point guard Keisha Kanekoa led the way with a 19-point, 11-rebound, six-assist performance in the victory and was named to the all-tourney team.

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WAHINE ROUTED; BOWS ROMP

By Fred Guzman
ESPN550.com

In what only can be described as a humbling and sobering setback, Stanford made easy work of the Rainbow Wahine in Saturday's regional final.

The second-ranked Cardinal routed the seventh-seeded Hawaii in emphatic fashion, needing just 89 minutes to demolish UH 25-19, 25-9, 25-18, dominating every aspect of this mismatch in Fort Collins. Colo..

Stanford advanced to the Final Four, which starts Thursday in Omaha. UH goes home with a 30-4 record that included a comeback four-game win over Purdue on Friday.

Stanford will meet third-seeded Texas in one national semifinal match, while top-seeded and unbeaten Penn State will take a 36-0 record against No. 4 Nebraska in the other semi. The Nittany Lions have yet to lose a set all season.

While things ended poorly for the Rainbow Wahine, things went very well for the UH men's basketball team thanks to a stunning offensive performance by newcomer Rodney Flemings later in the evening at the Stan Sheriff Center.

The highly-touted junior college transfer surpassed the hype by scoring 37 points in leading Hawaii to a 75-55 win over Eastern Washington.

A 6-foot-7 swingman, Flemings made 16 of 23 shots from the field, displaying a varied game that include gravity-defying dunks, dazzling moves to the hoop and a surprising soft left-handed shot from the perimeter.

The win improved UH's season record to 4-3 going into tonight's home game against
Chicago State. The tip-off is set for 7:05 p.m.

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TOUGH TIMES? NOT FOR CC, K-ROD

By Fred Guzman
ESPN550.com

As most of us know, from listening to the news reports and watching the value of our homes and 401(k) accounts shrink on a daily basis, we are in the midst of tough economic times.

Even the NFL, the gold standard by which all American pro sports leagues are measured, is not immune to the recession. The league is cutting 10 percent of its headquarters staff, eliminating about 150 of its 1,100 employees.

Earlier, the NBA, Major League Baseball and NASCAR announced layoffs.

And there are reports that the Arena Football League, which has grown in popularity and attendance during the past decade, is contemplating the cancellation of its 23rd season in 2009 with an eye of working toward a more economical single-entity business model in 2010.

But some baseball teams appear to be immune from – or are ignoring -- the difficult financial times.

Earlier this week, the Yankees made a seven-year, $161 million offer to land free-agent left-hander CC Sabathia and have followed that up with a five-year, $81 million offer in an effort to secure the services of free-agent right-hander AJ Burnett.

The Mets signed closer Francisco Rodriguez to a three-year deal worth $31 million, plus incentives. And the lowly Washington Nationals have offered free-agent first baseman Mark Teixeira an eight-year $120 million contract.

Recession? What recession?

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CC CASHES IN WITH YANKEES

By Fred Guzman
ESPN550.com

After all of the talk about CC Sabathia wishing to remain in the National League and staying close to his West Coast home, it came down as it almost invariably does – in both business and sports -- to money.

I don't say that as a criticism or any sort of indictment. It was just proof positive, once again, that money talks and just about everything else walks.

The most prized pitcher in this year's free agent class is going to end up in pinstripes. To put it simply, the Yankees made Sabathia an offer he couldn't refuse.

After initially offering him a six-year, $140 million deal, the Yankees sealed the deal by adding another year and bumping the value of the contract to $161 million – by far the biggest contract for a pitcher in baseball history. And the contract allows Sabathia to opt out of the deal after three years.

Those numbers dwarf the six-year, $137 million package the New York Mets gave another talented lefty, Johan Santana, last off-season.

So much for returning to Milwaukee. So much for San Francisco's late bid to lure CC back to his Bay Area roots. And so much for general manager Ned Colletti's comments about Sabathia telling him over the weekend about his desire to play for the Dodgers.

The Yanks aren't through with their off-season free-agent shopping spree. They also are expected to make serious bids for the likes of AJ Burnett and Ben Sheets in addition to making a one-year, $10 million offer to retain Andy Pettitte.

Burnett reportedly has been offered a five-year, $85 million by the Yankees, who also are rumored to be on the verge of offering Sheets a one- or two-year deal. And did we mentioning that New York has made a one-year, $10 million to retain Andy Pettitte?

Can a team buy a World Series title? The Yankees have done it before and, quite obviously, they're seeking to do it again.

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TOUGH SETBACK FOR HAWAII

By Fred Guzman
ESPN.550.com

This was going to be one of those victories that University of Hawaii football fans were going to be talking about for years.

But a not so funny thing happened to UH en route to an apparent win over a team that already had assured itself of a berth in a BCS bowl game.

Depending on your perspective, either 13th-ranked Cincinnati rose to the challenge or Hawaii simply collapsed down the stretch.

Either way, the Bearcats rallied for 19 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to make up a 14-point deficit for a 29-24 win at Aloha Stadium.

After just about everything that could go right did for UH en route to a 24-10 lead after 45 minutes: Quarterback Greg Alexander was on the mark with his passes. The defense was containing Cincinnati's attack.

And then, just about everything that could go wrong did during the decisive four quarter.

The play that triggered the turnaround came with 5:05 left in the game and UH leading by four. On first down deep in its own territory, UH inexplicably called on Daniel Libre to run the ball wide to the left. Libre fumbled and recovered the ball in the end zone, giving Cincinnati a safety and forcing UH to give the ball right back on a free kick.

Cincinnati promptly scored a touchdown and, as a resulted, will be taking an 11-2 record into its New Year's Day showdown against ACC champion Virginia Tech in Miami.

UH did receive a consolation prize, of sorts: A chance to play against Notre Dame in the Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve. But for the moment, that's small consolation, isn't it?

WAHINE ADVANCE The sixth-ranked Rainbow Wahine swept their way through Los Angeles. Next stop in their itinerary: Fort Collins, Colorado.

Hawaii roared into the regionals of the NCAA women's volleyball tournament with a pair of impressive victories in the sub-regional rounds..

On Friday, the Rainbow Wahine opened with a 25-19, 25-11, 25-22 romp past Atlantic Sun Conference champion Belmont.

On Saturday, UH pounded out a 25-21, 25-18, 25-22 win over 12th-ranked and sub-regional host USC. Jamie Houston's 17 kills and freshman Kanani Danielson's double-double of 11 kills and 15 digs led Hawaii, which improved its record to 30-3.

Friday's turnout was about 200; Saturday's was 1,019, with a surprisingly large portion of the crowd rooting for the visitors from Hawaii. Hawaii applied for and was denied the opportunity to host a sub-regional, despite again leading the nation in average attendance with well over 5,000 fans per game.

UH will next play against 10th-seeded Purdue (26-8) on Friday. Second-seeded Stanford (28-3) will face 15th-seeded Florida in the other regional semifinal.

HOOPS UDATE: Things haven't gone as well for the UH women's basketball team this season, although the Rainbow Wahine did improve their record to 2-7 last night with a 74-46 rout of UC Irvine in the third-place game of a tournament in Tempe, Ariz. Sophomore point guard Keisha Kanekoa led the way with a 19-point, 11-rebound, six-assist performance in the victory and was named to the all-tourney team.

The UH men, winners of three straight, face a major basketball challenge tonight on the road against Illinois of the Big Ten.

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BIG REGULAR-SEASON FINALE FOR UH

By Fred Guzman
ESPN550.com

In a lot of ways, this Saturday's regular-season finale against Cincinnati is a de facto bowl game for the University of Hawaii football team.

The Bearcats will roll into Aloha Stadium with a No. 13 national ranking, a 10-2 record and -- as the champion of the Big East conference – are assured of the first BCS post-season berth in school history.

On a related note, Cincinnati head coach Brian Kelly, who has attracted a lot of attention for various vacancies, earlier this week declared that he's not going anywhere.

Kelly had already become a hot coaching prospect after turning Central Michigan into a contender during a three-year run at that MAC school after having guided Grand Valley State to a pair of back-to-back Division-II national titles.

Cincinnati finished with 10 wins and a No. 17 national ranking in his first year last season and has lifted the football program to unprecedented heights this year.

But all of that said: Who will UH play in the hometown Hawaii Bowl on Dec. 24th?

The Hawaii Bowl has a tie-in with the Pac-10 for that conference's sixth choice. But only five Pac-10 teams are currently eligible. If Arizona State beats Arizona this week, the Sun Devils will earn a trip to Hawaii.

If not, organizers of the event will have to do some scrambling to attract an attractive opponent. Not many of those exist. A team from the MAC, or Conference USA, or the Sun Belt isn't likely to excite many local fans.

But Notre Dame, even with a mediocre 6-6 record, would. Just a little something to think about … and hope for.

LITTLE GUYS: There's more to the BCS than just determining which two teams will meet in the national championship game. There are four more big-time bowls – the Rose, Sugar, Orange and Fiesta – that sort of use the BCS system to determine their pairings.

If – and only if – a team from a second-tier conference happens to go unbeaten and finish in the Top 12 of the BCS rankings, will it get a whiff of the glory and money from one of those major bowl games.

That's how Utah, Boise State and, most recently, Hawaii ended up in a major bowl game.

The picture, however, has been complicated this year as four of the nation's Top 12 teams, according to the BCS rankings, come from second-tier conferences.

But the BCS largesse goes only so far. Only one of those unbeaten schools will get a chance to eat the at the BCS table reserved for the big boys from the major conferences.
That distinction will belong to No. 6 Utah of the Mountain West.

The other two -- No. 9 Boise State of the WAC and No. 12 Ball State of the MAC – will have to settle for eating at the kiddie table.

Boise State will play either in its hometown Humanitarian Bowl or against No. 11 TCU of the Mountain West in the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego.

No. 12 Ball State, which still has to play Buffalo for the Mid-America title on Friday, will probably end up playing in either the Motor City Bowl or the GMAC Bowl.

There had been talk of matching up Boise State and Ball State, but the Cardinals didn't want to concede the home field advantage to the Broncos.

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RAINBOW WAHINE ON THE ROAD … AGAIN

By Fred Guzman

Anyone who follows women's volleyball – and, in Hawaii, that's more than any other place in the country – it didn't come as a surprise that the Rainbow Wahine will again be on the road for the start of this year's NCAA tournament.

Disappointed, perhaps, but not surprised.

Despite being seeded seventh in the 64-team field and again leading the nation in average attendance, UH was assigned to the USC sub-regional.

So, Hawaii will be the only seeded team in the country that will not be hosting a sub-regional when it takes a 28-3 record on the road for Friday's opening-round match against Atlantic Sun champ Belmont, which comes in with a mark of 25-7.

Unseeded USC, with a 16-11 record, will be hosting a sub-regional for a sixth straight year. The Trojans will open against the San Diego, which won its third straight West Coast Conference crown and finished with a 23-4 mark.

The reason why UH was again snubbed in its bid to host a sub-regional? The cost-conscious NCAA selection committee doesn't want three teams traveling to the middle of the Pacific.

As a result, UH has been shipped off Colorado State, Texas, Long Beach State and Louisville in each of the previous four years. Not surprisingly, UH hasn't reached the final four since hosting the first two matches in 2003.

Going to LA is better than being assigned to play out East and running top-ranked and unbeaten defending champion Penn State sooner rather than later. For that, I guess, we should be thankful. I guess.

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BCS SYSTEM: WHAT A MESS!

(Dec. 2): I've never been a fan of the BCS system, stating on many occasions that a more accurate description would be the BS system. This week is one of those times.

To be fair, an unprecedented concentration of power in the Big 12 South has created a mess that no one could have predicted.

The human element in the BCS formula – the USA Today and Harris polls -- vaulted Texas into second place with a slight lead over No. 3 Oklahoma.

But the six computer ratings that constitute one-third of the formula, sided with Oklahoma, after the Sooners posted a 61-41 road win over Oklahoma State. What makes this so weird, of course, is that Texas earlier beat Oklahoma 45-35.

Because the Big 12 opted to use the BCS poll as the tie-breaker in the case of a three-way tie for first place in one of its divisions (remember that seventh-ranked Texas Tech beat Texas to create the logjam), that means the Longhorns have been left out of this week's Big 12 title game.

That also means Texas must pray for Missouri to upset Oklahoma to have even a remote chance of playing in the BCS title game. Emphasis on the word remote.

This is not the first time that a highly-ranked team winning a head-to-head game was left out of the national title picture.

Florida State has twice been the beneficiary of such scenarios. In happened in 1993 when the 'Noles lost to Notre Dame but finished ahead of the Irish in the polls and it happened again in 2000, when Florida State lost to Miami and finished ahead of the Hurricanes.

In other words, it's a flawed system. Let's get rid of it.

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HAWAII WILL BE HOME FOR HOLIDAYS

(Dec. 1): It wasn't the prettiest of games. But in a season that started in such ugly fashion, Hawaii's 24-10 win over visiting Washington State was attractive enough.

For one thing, the victory clinched a berth for UH in the Dec. 24 Hawaii Bowl. For another, it enabled Hawaii to finish in a three-way tie for second place with Nevada and LaTech in the WAC standings.

Not bad for a team that lost all of its key offensive players and its head coach, was picked to finish fifth in the WAC and faced four teams that were or are ranked in the Top 25.

In the process, Boise State claimed yet another WAC title – finishing its perfect regular season by erupting for 48 points in the second half in a 61-10 rout of Fresno State. Nevada beat LaTech 35-31 to create the logjam for the runner-up spot.

As a result, Hawaii's date this week with No.13 Cincinnati will serve as an appetizing regular-season finale instead of must-win game against the recently-crowned Big East champ.

Leading Hawaii against Wazzou was Greg Alexander, a JC transfer who started the season-opener against Florida, lost the job, won it back and is now firmly entrenched as the team's QB for the immediate present and the future.

Alexander threw for 315 yards and a pair of touchdowns in addition to rushing for a team-high 43 yards on 14 carries. Defensively, Hawaii held the Cougars to 196 yards as the linebacking tandem of Solomon Elimimian and Adam Leonard each
registered 10 tackles.

LUNAS OUSTED: Although their school is located literally right down the road from Aloha Stadium, the Radford Rams spent the first two weeks of the state football tournament doing some serious island-hopping.

Thanks largely to a sensational first-half performance by Shawn Putman-Curry, the Rams – following trips to Kauai and Maui -- will be making the shortest of
bus rides for Friday's Division-II championship game against defending champion Iolani, which advanced with a 24-8 win over Campbell.

And, as a result, Lahainaluna – last year's runner-up – will be staying home following a 33-27 loss to the Rams.

Putman-Curry is a 6-foot-1, 205-pound senior with excellent size, speed and hands. And he put all of those on display Friday night at War Memorial Stadium.

He put in a full night's work in the first half alone, making eight catches for 126 yards and accounting for all three of his team's touchdowns – two on receptions and another on a run – for a 21-7 lead at intermission.

Lahainaluna scored a pair of late TDs on passes by Jake Manning to make things interesting down the stretch. But an onside kick was recovered by – who else? – Putman-Curry and the Lunas closed out their season with a 7-3 record.

In the D-I final, it will be defending champ Leilehua versus top-ranked Punahou. Leilehua, which eliminated Baldwin last week, rallied to beat Kahuku 17-10 in overtime. Punahou barely held on for a 34-28 win over Farrington.

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TARHEELS VS. IRISH IN MIT FINAL

The two headline players in this year's EA Sports Maui Invitational will be on
display in today's 5 p.m. championship game at the Lahaina Civic Center.

Tyler Hansbrough, the reigning national player of the year, didn't play at all for
top-ranked North Carolina in Monday's opening romp past Chaminade.

And the 6-9 senior, who has been nursing a couple of injuries, saw limited action
in yesterday's 98-69 semifinal win over Oregon, but still managed to score 16
points in 19 minutes of duty.

Hansbrough did most of his damage from the free throw line, making 12 of 14
attempts.

Luke Harangody, who joined Hansbrough on the pre-season All-America team,
was the pivotal figure in eighth-ranked Notre Dame's dramatic 81-80 win over No.
6 Texas in the other semifinal game.

The 6-8 junior forward finished with 29 points and 13 points as the Fighting Irish
barely held off the Longhorns, whose AJ Abrams nearly won the game on a
running half-court shot that hit the front of the rim as time expired.

That brought to an end to what frankly has been the only close game in the 25th
edition of the tournament.

In yesterday's other games, St. Joseph's pulled away from Indiana, 80-54, and
Alabama dominated tournament host Chaminade 78-56.

In today's other matchups: St. Joe's and Alabama meet at 9 a.m. for fifth place,
Texas and Oregon tangle for third place at 11:30 and Chaminade meets Indiana
for third at 2 o'clock.

All four games will be aired on Maui's ESPN 550.

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FOUR GAMES, FOUR ROUTS

The truth of the matter was that the opening day of the Maui Invitational didn't
produce a single exciting game, as all four ended up with runaway scores.

But that could – and should – change today at the Lahaina Civic Center, particularly
in a pair of semifinal games featuring three of the top eight ranked teams in the
country.

Even with reigning national player of the year Tyler Hansbrough sitting out the
game, No. 1 North Carolina romped to a 115-70 win against over-matched
tournament host Chaminade. Danny Green led the way for the Tar Heels with 26
points.

Hansbrough dressed for the game, but was held out for precautionary reasons. He
is suffering from a shin injury and coach Roy Williams didn't want to take any
chances with his ailing big man in a game that UNC was going to dominate from
start to finish.

But Hansbrough will be in the lineup against Oregon in today's 4:30 semi. The
Ducks pulled away after a slow start for a 92-69 win over Alabama as freshman
center Michael Dunigan scored 18 points and Joevan Catron had 17 points and 13
rebounds.

In the 2 p.m. semifinal it will be a showdown between No. 7 Texas and No. 8 Notre
Dame.

The taller, faster and stronger Longhorns overwhelmed Saint Joseph's 68-50.

And Notre Dame had absolutely not problem against rebuilding in-state rival
Indiana. The Fighting Irish eased to an 88-50 win over a team featuring four
freshman as starters and a total of eight first-year players on the roster.

In today's consolation games: St. Jose's meets Indiana at 8:30 and Chaminade
challenges Alabama at 11 a.m.

The tournament runs through Wednesday, with the championship game set for a 5
p.m. tip off.

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INVITATIONAL FEATURES TOP TEAMS

It's easy to get caught up in the hyperbole surrounding a big event. But in the
case of the EA Sports Maui Invitational, which begins a three-day run this
morning at the Lahaina Civic Center, it's hard to over-state the quality of what's
regularly – and accurately -- described as the nation's premier early-season
basketball tournament.

The 25th edition of the event will feature three teams ranked among the Top Ten
in the country: No. 1 North Carolina, No. 7 Texas and No. 9 Notre Dame.

The tournament also features two marquee plays in reigning national player of the
year Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina and fellow pre-season All-America Luke
Harangody of Notre Dame, the returning Big East player of the year.

Today's matchups: Saint Joseph's versus Texas at 10 a.m. and Indiana versus
Notre Dame at 12:30. In the late session, the top-ranked Tar Heels face
tournament host Chaminade at 4:30 followed by Oregon versus Alabama at 7.

BIG WINS FOR UH ON COURT, GRIDIRON

The sixth-ranked Rainbow Wahine won their 11th straight WAC women's
volleyball tournament title by defeating New Mexico State in four games last night
at the Stan Sheriff Center. Next stop for UH: the NCAA tournament.

And the Hawaii football eam now needs just one more victory to become bowl
eligible following a 49-17romp past Idaho on Saturday night at Aloha Stadium.

UH can clinch a berth in the Hawaii Bowl by defeating Washington State, which
registered only its second victory of the season by defeating winless Washington
in overtime in a game some sarcastic souls were describing as the Crapple Cup.

LEILEHUA OUSTS BEARS; LUNAS HOST RADFORD

There were no miracle comebacks by Baldwin this time. After rebounding from
big early deficits four times en route to a 7-0 MIL record, the Bears again fell
behind early on Friday night.

But Leilehua, the defending state Division-I football champion, were simply too
good of a team to fold after jumping out to a 21-0 lead just slightly more than
eight minutes into the game.

Leading the way for the Mules was junior quarterback Andrew Manley, who
accounted for all of his team's touchdowns in the 34-15 victory by throwing four
TD passes and running for another.

While Baldwin closed out its season with an 8-2 record, Leilehua lived to play
another week. The Mules will meet Kahuku in this Friday's D-I semifinals at Aloha
Stadium, with top-seeded Punahou facing Farrington in the other game.

In D-II, second-seeded Lahainaluna drew a first-round bye and will host Radford
on Friday at War Memorial Stadium. Radford advanced by posting road win over
previously unbeaten Kauai High. On the other side of the bracket, top-seeded
and defending champion Iolani will face Campbell.

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UH CRUISES IN VOLLEYBALL OPENER

(Nov. 21): The nationally sixth-ranked Rainbow Wahine had absolutely no problem in advancing into the semifinals of the WAC volleyball tournament by pounding on Boise State 25-15, 25-16, 25-17 last night at the Stan Sherriff.

Hawaii should face a stronger challenge at 7:30 tonight against Idaho, which swept Nevada 25-20, 25-21, 25-18.

In yesterday's other quarterfinal games, top-seeded New Mexico State swept Fresno State. The Lady Aggies will next meet San Jose State, which rode a 19-kill performance by Colleen Burke to beat Utah State in five sets.

The final is set for 3 p.m. on Sunday.

While the Rainbow Wahine are bidding for their 10th straight WAC tournament title, the UH football team will trying to move closer to bowl-eligibility when it plays host to Idaho on Saturday night at Aloha Stadium.

Hawaii must win two of its remaining three games – all at home – to qualify for the Hawaii Bowl.

Idaho brings a 2-9 record into the game following last week's 45-10 loss to unbeaten and nationally ninth-ranked Boise State.

A familiar name has made a positive contribution to Idaho's defensive unit. Former Baldwin standout Jojo Dickson is a sophomore linebacker for the Vandals, registering 31 tackles this season.

The UH basketball teams are off this week, hopefully working on improving themselves following dismal starts. The men are 1-2 while the women are winless in three outings.

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MORE SUPER FIELDS AHEAD FOR MAUI INVITATIONAL

(Nov. 20): I'll be the first to admit that I've become spoiled when it comes to the EA Sports Maui Invitational. Year in, year out, there isn't an early-season tournament held on a single site that attracts better fields and provides more quality basketball than does this annual event held within the intimate confines of the Lahaina Civic Center.

This year's 25th anniversary event, which tips off a three-day run on Monday morning, is no exception. In addition to unanimous pre-season No. 1 North Carolina, led by reigning player of the year Tyler Hansbrough, this year's field also includes seventh-ranked Texas and No. 8 Notre Dame, led by pre-season All-America and reigning Big East player of the year Luke Harangody.

And the quality of the competition will remain high for the next two years. The 2009 field includes the likes of Gonzaga, Louisville, Wisconsin, Vanderbilt, Marland and Arizona. The 2010 field, which was announced yesterday, will feature U-Conn, Kentucky, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Virginia and Washington.

Back to this year's event: All 12 games will be aired on Maui's ESPN 550 and televised on one of the various ESPN networks. The first-round match-ups: St. Joseph's vs. Texas at 10 a.m.; Indiana vs. Notre Dame at 12:30, North Carolina vs. host Chaminade at 4:30, and Oregon vs. Alabama at 7 p.m.

Ho, hum. Just another killer field for the Maui Invitational.

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WILL TYLER BE READY FOR INVITATIONAL?

(Nov. 19): It was supposed to be a marquee match-up between the two most winning programs in college basketball history. Instead, it turned out to be an utter – and predictable – mismatch.

Even without reigning player of the year Tyler Hansbrough, top-ranked North Carolina had not problems in beating up on Kentucky. Doing most of his damage inside, Deon Thompson scored 20 points in leading the Tarheels to a 77-58 win.

The big question now is whether Hansbrough will be available to play in the EA Sports Maui Invitational, which tips off a three-day run on Monday at the Lahaina Civic Center.

The answer appears to be a definite maybe that Hansbrough will play Monday against Chaminade and less certain for Friday's tune-up game at UC Santa Barbara.

Hansbrough finally began to practice this week, but was held out of yesterday's game as a precautionary measure. Hansbrough is suffering from a stress reaction on his right shin.

With one big man seemingly on his way back, the Tarheels could have lost another. Freshman 7-footer Tyler Zeller suffered a wrist injury that had coach Roy Williams speaking in pessimistic tones after last night's romp past the Wildcats.

North Carolina also is without its best perimeter defender, Marcus Ginyard, until December because of foot surgery.

But even with such talented players unavailable, North Carolina is living up to its pre-season unanimous ranking as the nation's top team.

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MIL CHAMPS PREPARE FOR STATE TOURNEYS

(Nov. 14): There will be no Friday Night Lights at War Memorial Stadium this week, but they'll be back on in full force and with our full attention the following two weeks.

Next Friday, Baldwin will play host to defending Division-I state champion Leilehua, which advanced to states by spanking Waianae, 32-0, in the third-place game of the OIA tournament.

The Bears will be seeking to avenge a close loss to the Mules in last year's semifinals.

Leilehua is led by Andrew Manley, who is generally regarded to be the best quarterback in the state although still only a junior.

The following week, second-seeded Lahainaluna will face the winner of the first-round game between Radford and Kauai High in the quarterfinals of the D-II tourney.

Radford was dominated by Campbell in the OIA D-II title game, while Kauai is the state's only unbeaten team. The Lunas reached the state final last year before losing to Iolani, which is again back as the top seed.

The remaining berth in the state D-I tourney will be determined tonight, when Punahou and Saint Louis square off for the ILH title with only the winner advancing to the big show.

Remember those two big-time prep teams that visited the Valley Isle for early-season games? Both are enjoying outstanding seasons. Edison, which dominated the Lunas, is currently fifth in the Orange County rankings. Mission Viejo, which decisively beat Baldwin, is sixth in one of the nation's richest regions of prep talent.

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HOPES RISING FOR RAINBOW HOOPS

(Nov. 13): Playing pretty much with what he inherited because his late hiring prevented an effective recruiting effort, Bob Nash suffered through an 11-19 in his debut season as head coach.

Yet, despite losing seven seniors that accounted for 80 percent of the scoring and 64 percent of the rebounding, and despite there being no seniors on the current 15-player roster, there's a sense that the UH basketball team will be better this year.

We'll get a chance to see if that optimistic impression is correct as the Bows open the season by play three games in four days. UH faces USF on Friday night and then meet Cal State Fullerton on Sunday as part of the Tip Off Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Hawaii will then host Idaho State on Monday in a game that will start at 11 p.m. as part of ESPN's Tip-Off Marathon, featuring 14 televised games over 23 hours.

Much of the elevated expectations at Manoa revolve around the highly-touted Roderick Flemings – billed by Nash as the best UH recruit since Anthony Carter.

The 6-7 swingman was a first-team JC all-America as a sophomore last season at Weatherford College of Texas, averaging nearly 21 points, 12 rebounds, 3.4 rebounds and 2.7 steals as a sophomore.

The top returning player – and only returning starter – is 6-9 junior forward Bill Amis, who is expected to dramatically increase on his 8.5 point and 4.6 rebound averages of last season. The top additions: Lithuanian forward Petras Balocka, forward Brandon Adams and point guard Hiram Thompson, returning from a two-year church mission.

My guess? UH, featuring a more athletic team and playing at a higher tempo, finishes with 17 wins and breaks even in the WAC. Not great. But a whole lot better than last year.

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UH GETS HEAD START IN RECRUITING

(Nov. 12): The immediate goal for Hawaii to become bowl-eligible, which will require two wins in the remaining three regular-season games.

But the coaching staff has also been busily at work in laying the foundation for the program's future by taking a proactive approach to recruiting.

For all the success June Jones enjoyed at UH, he was a less-than-enthusiastic recruiter.

UH didn't generally kick their recruiting efforts into high gear until after the end of the season, which – in the modern world of college football – is often too late. And there was a running joke about somebody giving Jones direction to the talent-rich North Shore.

But new head coach Greg McMackin has taken a different approach. As a result, 16 athletes have already made verbal commitments to sign with UH – and a high percentage of those being local kids.

The team remained on the mainland between recent games at Utah State and New Mexico State, allowing UH coaches to attend practices in SoCal, the Bay Area and Las Vegas to further assess some of their recruits. And some have remained on the mainland, taking advantage of the team's bye week.

The persistence paid off this week when Kevin Williams, a highly-touted cornerback from Los Medanos JC in the East Bay, accepted an offer from UH. Williams was widely recruited and will bring sub-4.4 speed to Hawaii's secondary.

UH also has landed commitments from two standout defensive players from nationally-ranked Long Beach Poly.

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BALDWIN STAGES ANOTHER COMEBACK

(Nov. 10): How many lives does a Bear have? Based on this year's prep football results, we can safely assume at least four.

That's because the Baldwin Bears staged their fourth unlikely comeback of the season – twice at the expense of King Kekaulike and once each against Kamehameha-Maui and Lahainaluna..

After suffering an earlier heart-breaking loss to the Bears at War Memorial Stadium, Na Alii appeared to have Baldwin on the ropes in Saturday's Upcountry rematch by capitalizing on a pair of turnovers for a 14-0 lead less than five minutes into the game.

But Kekaulike also paid for its mistakes, letting the Bears back into the game and to escape with an eventual 30-27 victory that extended Baldwin's run against MIL opponents to 36-0-1 since 2004.

A 14-yard scoring pass from Buta Wilhelm-Ioane to Sheldon Leong with 3:59 left gave Baldwin the lead and the Bears' defense barely held on as Kekaulike's game-tying field goal attempt was well off the mark to cap a game featuring five lead changes in the second half alone..

Baldwin tailback Kainalu Garso rushed for 140 yards on 21 carries, helping the Bears to finish the regular season with marks of 8-1 overall and 7-0 in the MIL. Baldwin's only loss of the year came against visiting SoCal powerhouse Mission Viejo.

For all of their late-game heroics, you have to seriously wonder if the Bears can continue pulling off miracle comebacks against the likes of Leilehua in the state Division-I football tournament.

Baldwin will host the defending state D-1 champs in a Nov. 21 quarterfinal game at War Memorial Stadium. Leilehua advanced by routing Waianae 32-0 in the third-place game of the OIA tournament.

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BALDWIN, LUNAS SET FOR STATE TOURNEY

(Nov. 4): They don't yet know exactly who they will be playing, but Baldwin and Lahainaluna do know when and where they will begin their bids for state football titles.

The good news for local fans, in these days of expense air fares, is that both teams will open their bids before the home folks at War Memorial Stadium.

Baldwin was seeded third in Division-I and will meet the winner of the OIA third-place game between defending state champion Leilehua and Waianae in a first-round game on Nov. 21. The Bears have lost in the semifinals of the previous two state tournaments to the eventual state champion.

The top seed in D-I went to the ILH champ – either Punahou or St. Louis – and second seed to the OIA champ – either Farrington or Kahuku. Kealakehe of the Big Island was seeded fourth.

In D-II, Lahainaluna received the second seed and will draw a bye in the opening round before facing the winner of the Kauai High vs. OIA No. 2 team – either Radford or Campbell – in the semis on Nov. 28.

The top seed went to ILH champ Iolani, which defeated the Lunas in last year's D-II title game. Kauai High was seeded third and the OIA champ fourth.

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DISMAL PERFORMAN BY UH

(Nov. 3): It was supposed to be one of those stepping stone games – albeit on the road --for Hawaii in its bid to post a winning record and earn an accompanying berth in the hometown Sheraton Hawaii Bowl.

Utah State, after all, has been a perennial have-not since joining the WAC and came into the game amid rampant speculation that Brent Guy was on his last lap as head coach despite having one year left on his contract. Guy had compiled a dismal 7-36 record, including 1-7 this season.

So much for recent history and anticipated victories, as well. UH faltered badly on Saturday in suffering a 30-14 to the Aggies.

Trailing 20-7 going into the final period, Hawaii managed to pull to within a TD on QB Greg Alexander's 9-yard run with 7 minutes left in the game. But the Aggies added a field goal and a final TD to seal the deal.

Indicative of UH's frustrations was a miscue that took place late in the game. Malcolm Lane appeared headed for a TD on a return when he inexplicably lost the ball with no one within tackling distance. That mistake didn't have a bearing in the final outcome, but reflected the kind of day it was for Hawaii in Logan, Utah.

By falling to 4-5 overall, Hawaii must win three of its remaining four games to become bowl eligible.

UH remains on the road this week, facing another WAC weakling at New Mexico State. Hawaii will then have a bye, followed by home games against Idaho, Washington State and Cincinnati.

UH would appear to be favorites in its next three games, for sure, but Hawaii can't afford to take anything for granted. Not after its dismal performance over the weekend.

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ALEXANDER GETS STARTING CALL

(Oct. 31): In the spirit of the recently concluded World Series, here's our take on the quarterbacking situation with the Hawaii football team.

Coming out of the bullpen and delivering a sensational outing in a relief role last week, UH right-hander Greg Alexander earned the starting job for tomorrow's game at Utah State. After platooning starter Inoke Funaki and Tyler Graunke at QB, head coaach Greg McMackin opted to give Alexander a shot against Nevada.

The junior JC transfer delivered in a big way. Alexander completed 17 of 22 pass attempts for 205, including a game-winning 24-yarder to Malcolm Lane with 20 seconds left, in a 38-31 win over the Wolfpack. As an extra reward, Alexander was named WAC player of the week for his efforts.

Funaki, who has started six games this season, will also play against the Aggies, according to McMackin. An offensive package has been designed for Funaki, who is a more talented runner than he is a passer. But Alexander showed he could run the ball a bit, as well, against Nevada.

In another position-related development, the versatile Ryan Mouton will start at slot back after making five catches for 58 yards last week. Mouton's, the team's standout starting free safety, is now scheduled for 10 to 15 snaps as a nickel back in selected situations.

UH is a seven-point favorite on the road against a Utah State team that last week suffered a difficult 30-28 loss to visiting Fresno State on a 58-yard field goal as time expired.

UH will remain on the mainland following Saturday's game, traveling to El Paso to prepare for next week's game against New Mexico State, located 42 miles up the road.

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SHANE VICTORINO: CHAMPION!

(Oct. 30): Shane Victorino is a champion, and those of us who llive on the island and state he so proudly calls home, couldn't be prouder in return.

When closer Brad Lidge struck out Erik Hinske for the final out of the protracted Game 5, securing Philadelphia's 4-3 victory over Tampa Bay, it marked the first time a player from Maui won a World Series.

As is the came with so many of you, I have many memories of Shane. He was a restless kid who could never stay still. Every mental picture I have of Shane as a kid is of him running somewhere … fast.

Victorino learned to channel that restless energy into sports. We all knew he was an amazing athlete – as good as any to come out of the Valley Isle – following a career in youth and prep sports during which he excelled at anything and everything he tried.

Football. Soccer. Track. And, of course, baseball. He didn't shoot hoops in high school, but he was unstoppable in the menehune ranks..

But did anyone really expect this? Shave Victorino: starting center fielder and a clutch performer for a team that ended 28 years of frustration by capturing the World Series in five games? And particularly after a rocky start to a career he began directly out of St. Anthony.

Victorino had to negotiate some detours and potholes on the road to last night's victory in his sport's biggest and brightest stage. But Shane always believed in himself, even when there were times of serious doubts and discouraging career setbacks.

Thanks for the memories, Shane Victorino. And for providing all of us with an example of the values of perseverance and good, old-fashioned hard work .

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DON'T BLAME BUD FOR GAME 5 SUSPENSION

(Oct. 27): Poor Bud Selig. Among certain members of the media and many fans, baseball's commissioner can never do anything right. If absolutely anything goes wrong in baseball, the knee jerk reaction is to blame Selig for the mess.

Think I'm kidding? What's up with the criticism of Bud in the wake of his decision to suspend play in Game 5 of the World Series.?

Hello, Bud-bashers: The man had absolutely no other alternative but to initially try to get the game in and, later, to suspend the contest because of the torrential downpour.

Really, now: Would you allow the outcome of a potential decisive game of a World Series to be shortened by rain? Of course not. And neither did Bud.

So the two teams will try to resume the game today, weather permitting – and the initial forecast is not favorable.

The Phils jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a bases-loaded single by Maui's Shane Victorino.

But the Rays rallied as their two most noted sluggers – Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena – broke out of prolonged slumps by each driving in a run. The pair came into the game with a combined 0-for-29 drought with 15 strikeouts between them.

If and when play resumes today, the Phils will pinch-hit for ace Cole Hamels.

If the Phils post a series-clinching victory, all will be forgotten. If they don't, and the Rays somehow manage to come back to win this series, we may be talking for years about how Mother Nature threw the Phils a curve.

And some will simply blame Bud.

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BEARS KEEP STREAK ALIVE WITH MIRACLE WIN OVER LUNAS

(Oct. 26): Seldom do highly-anticipated sporting events lived up to the pre-game hype. On Saturday night before the biggest crowd of the season at War Memorial Stadium, the football showdown between Baldwin and Lahainaluns – in the words of my broadcast buddy, Barry Helle – surpassed the hype.

In the years to come, the Bears and their backers will fondly recall how they overcame an11-point deficit to rally past the Lunas for a 29-28 victory thanks to a 75-yard punt return by Mikey Webb with 51.9 seconds left.

The Lunas, and their loyalists, will painfully remember this game as a victory that got away. Lahainaluna has now lost six straight to the Bears, a skid dating to 2004. Many of those game have come down to the wire, with Baldwin finding a way to pull out a close victory.

Saturday night's game was no exception. As has become a habit their habit this season, the Bears again overcame a slow and mistake-prone start to pull off a comeback win. This time, Baldwin put itself in a hole by throwing five picks in the final half alone – two of them returned for touchdowns by Bryson Williams and Cole Loewen – and trailed 25-10 at intermission.

But Baldwin's defense picked up the pace in the second half. Webb forced a fumble with a mega-hit on Lunas QB Jake Manning that Wyatt Burns returned 45 yards for a score late in the third quarter..

A 39-yard field goal Ivan Delaney gave the Lunas a 28-17 edge with 3:04 left. The Bears responded with a 33-yard scoring hookup between QB Buta Wilhelm-Ioane and receiver Sheldon Leong to pull to within 28-23 with 2:04 remaining.

The Lunas were forced to punt after three plays, setting the stage for the play of the season. Webb, benefiting from some great blocking, streaked up the left sideline on a 75-yard dash, allowing Baldwin to extend its MIL unbeaten streak to 35 games in addition to clinching the league's Division-I title and a berth in the state tourney.

The Lunas' loss kept alive Kamehameha's D-II title hopes. Lahainaluna is 4-1, but the Warriors right behind at 3-2 going into this Saturday's game against the Lunas at War Memorial Stadium. Kamehameha tuned up for the big game with a 49-3 romp past the Trojans. In other weekend action, King Kekaulike defeated Maui High 33-19.

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FORMER MIL SOCCER STANDOUTS ENJOY BANNER SEASONS

(Oct. 21): Things haven't gone nearly as well for the Rainbow Wahine soccer team as most folks expected going into this season.

With nine starters and 16 players back from last year's 15-5-2 NCAA tournament squad, Hawaii was the overwhelming favorite to defend its first WAC title. Instead, UH is currently 5-5-4 overall and 1-1-1 in the WAC.

But the one consistent factor throughout an up-and-down, injury-riddled season for Hawaii has been the play of senior forward Taryn Fukuroku, who leads the team with four goals and five assists.

The Maui High grad assisted on one goal and scored the sudden-death game-winner in overtime on Sunday, lifting UH to a 2-1 win over San Jose State. For her efforts, Fukuroku was named WAC offensive player of the week for the second time this season.

Fukuroku is just one of several former MIL standouts enjoying banner seasons at the college level. Here's a few others:

Seabury grad Tye Perdido leads Gonzaga with five goals and recently was named MVP of the Gonzaga Nike Classic.

Baldwin grad Blake Nunes is the leading scorer for Sacramento State and has twice been named to all-tourney teams. His brother, Brady, also plays for the Hornets. Ex-Baldwin goalkeeper Erin Ichimura is having a solid season for Pacific of Oregon.

Maui High's Sammy Akinaka is at BYU-Hawaii, while Baldwin's Chad Nishikuni and Jensen Takiguchi, along with Kamehameha's Josh Nitta, are starters for Chaminade.

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DON'T BELIEVE THE PRO FOOTBALL HYPE

DON'T BELIEVE THE PRO FOOTBALL HYPE

(Oct. 15: I loved the way the three most over-hyped storylines imposed on us by the talking heads this NFL season took a beating last week.

Over-hyped storyline No. 1: The NFC East is by far the best division in pro football. Really? So how do you explain all but one of its four teams managing a victory against inter-divisional opponents in Week 7.

Washington was beaten by previously winless St. Louis. Dallas lost in overtime to long-time punching bag Arizona. And, on Monday night, the New York Giants were clobbered in Cleveland.

Only Philly managed to win, and the Eagles actually had to rally for an eventual victory at San Francisco.

Over-hyped storyline No. 2: This is the Cowboys' year. Really? Following a promising 4-0 start, some Dallas has lost its last two games – first at home to Washington and next on the road against the Cardinals.

And, to make things painful worse, starting quarterback Tony Romo could be out for up to a month with a broken pinkie on his throwing hand and cornerback Adam (Pacman) Jones has been suspended for at least four games because of another off-field incident.

Over-hyped storyline No. 3: The invincibility of the defending Super Bowl-champions. Really? To quote the denizens of the Dog Pound, who serenaded the Giants as Cleveland closed in on a 35-14 victory: Over-rated! Over-rated!

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SHANE AGAIN PLAYS STARRING ROLE FOR PHILS

(Oct. 14): Shane Victorino was at it again last night.

The kid from Maui continued to shine on baseballs brightest stages with another big-time performance in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series.

Shane's two-run homer with one out in the eighth inning, enabling the Phillies to tie the score at 5-all.

Matt Stairs then capped the four-run outburst with a two-run shot of his own, lifting the Phillies to a 7-5 win over the Dodgers and a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven series for the National League title.

Although small by big-league standards at 5-foot-9, 180 pounds, Victorino has swung a hugely productive bat during the post-season. In fact, his 11 RBI is the most by anyone in the playoffs, two more than L.A.'s Manny Ramirez.

In an earlier series against Milwaukee, Victorino hit a memorable grand slam homer against CC Sabathia.

The post-season hot streak is actually a carryover from Victorino's sizzling showing down the home stretch of the regular season.

During his final 15 games, Victorino went 26 for 59 at the plate for a .441 average while collecting five doubles, three homers, scoring nine and driving in seven.

And he was at it again last night, helping the Phillies pull to within one victory of reaching the World Series for the first time since 1993.

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UH WINS IN TUNEUP FOR BOISE STATE

Were it not for a turnover-filled home loss to San Jose State a few weeks ago, this Friday's nationally televised game at Boise State would have been for first place in the Western Athletic Conference.

Instead, a seemingly improving University of Hawaii football team faces a must-win situation if it harbors any serious hopes of defending its WAC title. And, as history has shown, visiting victories on the Smurf Turf are a very rare occurrence, indeed.

Hawaii evened its season record at 3-3 and improved to 2-1 in the WAC with a well-balanced, 24-14 home victory over LaTech. The nationally 15th-ranked Broncos are 5-0 overall following a 24-7 win over Southern Miss.

Inoke Funaki appears to be growing into his unexpected role as starting quarterback for UH. In Saturday's victory, Funaki threw for a career-high 224 yards and two touchdowns while also running for another. But this was not about Funaki alone.

The defense forced four turnovers and rushed LaTech's starting quarterback into completing 11 of 29 passes. The special teams were magnificent. UH blocked a field goal attempted and forced a fumble on a kickoff return that eventually led to a touchdown.

UH is definitely showing signs of improvement. But has improved enough to challenge Boise State on the road? We'll find out this Friday night, won't we?

In other weekend games involving WAC teams: New Mexico State posted a surprising 48-45 road win over Nevada, San Jose State eased to a 30-7 win over Utah State, Fresno State dominated Idaho 45-32.

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HISTORIC WIN MAKES UH RELEVANT IN WAC

(Oct. 6); At a time when many of its fans were fearful of the worst, Hawaii responded with one of the best wins in the football program's history.

Hawaii rolled into Bulldog Stadium with a 1-3 record and as a 22-point underdog against 22nd-ranked Fresno State. UH left "The Valley" with a stunning 32-29 victory as Mike Kelly converted a 33-yard field goal in overtime. The result marked the first time Hawaii had defeated a ranked opponent on the road while it knocked the Bulldogs out of the national rankings and dealt a serious blow to their WAC title hopes.

After squandering a potential win at home the previous week against San Jose State by committing six turnovers, UH capitalized on five turnovers this time around to again become relevant in the WAC.

Hawaii's special teams came through, big time, with Ryan Mouton scoring on a 90-yard kickoff return and Kelly making four field goals.

But this upset victory belonged most to maligned quarterback Inoke Funaki and a coaching staff that obviously tweaked the UH playbook to capitalize on Funaki's strength as a runner. Funaki scrambled for 79 yards on 14 carries. More importantly, he made no major mistakes while completing 17 of 25 pass attempts for 170 yards and two touchdowns.

A road win over Boise State in two weeks, given Saturday's performance, is now not entirely out of the realm of possibility. But first, UH must get past Louisiana Tech this Saturday night at Aloha Stadium.

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SHANE DELIVERS ON GRANDEST STAGE

(Oct. 3): Some of us remember him as a high-strung kid, scampering all over Iron Maehara Stadium on any day his older brother, Mikey, was playing ball.

Many of us remember him as a multi-talented standout at St. Anthony, where he starred in football, soccer, baseball and track. He still holds state sprint records, despite limited training because he was playing baseball at the same time.

But now all of us will remember Shane Victorino for he did last night in Philadelphia.

The pride of Maui soared when Victorino, who earlier had doubled, hit a grand-slam homer off CC Sabathia in the second inning, propelling the Phils to a 5-2 victory.

Victorino added another double and stole a pair of bases in leading his team to a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five National League playoff series.

Quite a day for the 5-foot-8, 180-pound center fielder, who has emerged as one of the most popular players among demanding Philly fans because of his intensity, hustle and production.

The fact is that he's been on a tear for awhile the past three weeks.

He came into the playoffs in the midst of a 15-game binge during which he closed out the regular season by going 25 for 55 at the plate – a .455 average – while collecting nine extra base hits, scoring nine runs and driving in seven. He also stole four bases and had six multi-hit games over that span.

But yesterday, Maui's Shane Victorino delivered on his grandest stage yet.

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QUARTERBACK QUANDARY AT UH

(Oct. 2): One of several things that puzzle me about the UH football team his season is how decisions have been arrived regarding the quarterback position.

The part about Tyler Graunke being suspended, I understood. The kid wasn't taking care of business in the classroom, and needed a kick in the pants to get him back on track academically.

But how things have played out since then are befuddling, to say the least.

JC transfer Brent Rausch was named the starter two weeks before the season-opener at Florida, but was scratched because of an injury. Another JC transfer, Greg Alexander, got the start and predictably struggled. So did Rausch in a relief role, with returning junior Inoki Funaki finishing out with an adequate showing against the Gators' reserves.

On that basis, Funaki started against Division-I-AA Weber State, but it was Gruanke who rallied UH to its only win of the season. Graunke then started, but left early with a hand injury, in a lopsided road loss against Oregon State.

With Graunke still not fully recovered, Funaki started and played well early in last week's loss to San Jose State. But Funaki tossed three second-half picks and suffered a fumble before being pulled for Gruanke, who couldn't deliver a victory this time.

UH plays this Saturday at 22nd-ranked Fresno State, and Funaki again is the scheduled starter with, I imagine, Graunke the likely backup.

But if Rausch and Alexander were at one time deemed to be the top two quarterbacks in the program, why have they become forgotten men? Just wondering?

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INEVITABLY, KIFFIN FIRED BY RAIDERS

INEVITABLY, KIFFIN FIRED BY RAIDERS

(Oct. 1): The inevitable end to a strained relationship was initially wrapped up in a one-sentence press release: Lane Kiffin has been released as head coach of the Oakland Raiders for cause.

Later in the day, Raiders' owner Al Davis held an unusual and unprecedented press conference during which he categorically built a case for Kiffin's dismissal, accusing him of "disgracing the organization" and repeatedly calling his former coach "a flat-out liar."

The point of the exercise was to show why the Raiders should not be held liable for paying the balance of Kiffin's contract, with Davis repeatedly noting that Kiffin was fired for cause and not performance – although the young coach compiled a 5-15 record during his brief stay in Oakland.

I don't who is right and who is wrong in this mess, but I do remember a favorite saying of my father: You have your story. He has his story. And the truth is usually somewhere in between.

So, for the moment, offensive line coach Tom Cable ascends to the head job, seeking to turn around a team that is 1-3 after squandering leads of 12, 13 and 9 points over the past three weeks,

More from the NFL: Going into Week 5 of the season, there are only three unbeaten teams left standing. They are: the reigning Super Bowl champion New York Giants, Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans.

On the other end of the scale are four winless teams. They are: the Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans and St. Louis Rams.

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FOR SOME COACHES, BYE WEEK MEANS BYE-BYE

(Sept. 30): Beware of the bye week if you are an NFL head coach skating on thin ice. It's the most logical time to make a switch, giving his successor time to make changes designed to turn around a team.

That's why, to no one's surprise -- including his own -- Scott Linehan became the first coaching casualty of the season when he was fired by the winless St. Louis Rams the day after a fourth straight lopsided loss.

And that's why the long-rumored firing of Lane Kiffin became a reality earlier today.

The Rams have been outscored 147-43 this season and have allowed at least 30 points in seven straight games dating to last year. Linehan was 11-25 in his first head coaching job, losing 17 of his last 20 after going 8-8 in his first year.

Defensive coordinator Jim Haslett, who spent six seasons as a head coach in New Orleans will replace Linehan on an interim basis.

The 33-year-old Kiffin was only in his second season with the Raiders, but ran afoul with team owner Al Davis.

Oakland is off to a 1-3 start and has squandered leads of 12, 13 and 9 points over the past three games, dropping Kiffin's record in Oakland to 5-15. Offensive line coach Tom Cable is expected to take over.

All of which again proves that the bye week, for some folks, can turn into bye-bye week.

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HAWAII SELF-DESTRUCTS IN LOSS TO SPARTANS

(Sept. 29): In case you haven't noticed, the Greg McMackin era isn't off to a great start for the University of Hawaii football program.

UH has managed a single victory in four games so far this season, that coming at the expense of Division-I-AA Weber State – and Hawaii had to stage a second-half rally to claim that solitary win.

Along the way, UH had suffered earlier road losses to then fifth-ranked Florida and Oregon State, which just last week stunned top-ranked USC.

But on Saturday night, playing at home against a team it had to beat in order to be regarded as a valid contender to defend its WAC title, Hawaii instead self-destructed.

UH paid dearly for committing six turnovers – including five after intermission – as the Spartans rallied from a 17-7 halftime deficit to a 20-17 victory before a frustrated crowd of 36,766 at Aloha Stadium.

In fact, Hawaii turned the ball over in each of its first four possessions of the second half, twice on interceptions and twice on lost fumbles.

Jared Strubeck, who had made just three of his previous nine field goal attempts this season, converted a 50-yarder early in the fourth quarter to tie the game and then made a 47-yarder with 1:49 remaining for the win.

The going gets tougher for UH this week, when it pays a visit to 25th-ranked WAC rival Fresno State, which is coming off a 36-31 road win over UCLA.

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ECONOMIC WOES IMPACT PREP SPORTS

(Sept. 25): Although there will be more than a little howling from those who are interested in prep sports, the proposed $800,000 in cuts to high school athletics is small potatoes in the big financial picture.

In the wake of a 10 percent, across-the-board reduction in the Department of Education budget mandated by Gov. Lingle in the face of the economic slowdown, the DOE will be required to cut $69 million from its annual budget for 2009-10 and 2010-11.

At this point, as many as 110 DOE employees could be laid off under a proposed $31.5 million budget that still falls far short of the amount Lingle is considering pulling away from the public education system.

To their credit, the state's various public school leagues – including the MIL – have approached the DOE with proposed cuts.

An earlier DOE proposal would have essentially eliminated junior varsity sports, but that idea was subsequently rejected in August by a 7-4 vote of the Board of Education.

Although JV programs were saved, that didn't resolve the larger issue: Namely, where would the required cuts come from.

The executive directors of the four public school leagues worked together to come up with a list of potential reductions. Their proposal includes cuts in transportation, supplies and equipment.

The costs associated with transportation are of a particular concern for the MIL, which includes schools on Molokai and Lanai, as well as in the remote area of Hana.

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RAMS’ WOES RUN DEEPER THAN QUARTERBACK

(Sept. 24): So the St. Louis Rams have installed the veteran Trent Green as their starting quarterback, replacing Marc Bulger? So what? A change in QB's is not going to cure what ails the Ram.

Head coach Scott Linehan's decision will not alter the course of what promises to be a truly dismal season for St. Louis.

In fact, the move is most likely the last desperate act by a desperate man who just might be coaching his last game of the Rams, who are 0-3 and have been out-scored 29-116 this season.

This, after going 3-13 last year. St. Louis is 11-24 during Linehan's brief tenure, going steadily downhill since an 8-8 campaign in his first year at the helm.

But the Rams have steadily sunk – and stunk -- since then, and now the head coach is under fire from fans and been put on notice by owner, Chip Rosenbloom.

Granted, Bulger has not looked good this season, throwing only two touchdown passes in three games. He completed 18 of 31 for 184 yards, one TD and a pick in last week's 37-13 loss to the battered Seattle Seahawks.

But I contend that no one would have looked good behind that awful St. Louis offensive line. Bulger has been sacked 11 times this season and 97 times in his past 31 starts It's hard to be an effective passer while laying flat on your back.

So now, it is the 38-year-old Green's turn to become the human tackling dummy for the sorry Rams when they host Buffalo this week. Good luck, Trent. You're going to need it.

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FAVRE ALONE, IS NOT ANSWER FOR JETS

(Sept. 23): Obviously, it's too early to tell for any of the teams involved, but could the Jets possibly have come out on the short end of the quarterback drama that resulted in Aaron Rodgers becoming the starter at Green Bay, Chad Pennington at Miami and the legendary Brett Favre at New York?

San Diego's 48-29 dismantling of the Jets last night demonstrated that the addition of Favre alone isn't enough to assure that New York will ascend to contender status in the highly-competitive AFC.

Favre's numbers were solid enough. He completed 30 of 42 passes for 271 yards and three scores. But he also tossed a pair of interceptions and probably should have had another two picked off.

At the age of 38, Brett's years are numbered, which means that for New York's decision to pay off, the Jets must win now. Last night, they appeared to be a team in flux.

Rodgers also was on the losing end this weekend, as Green Bay suffered its first loss of the season, 27-16, at the hands of the talented Cowboys. But Rodgers' play has calmed a lot of fears among Packer fans about the club's decision to let Favre walk.

But the happiest QB following Week 3 was Miami's much- and unfairly-maligned Pennington, who guided his new team to the biggest upset of the young season -- a 38-13 road rout of the New England Patriots.

Yes, it's admittedly too early to draw conclusions. But those Week 3 results at least make you wonder, don't they?

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LATE FIELD GOAL LIFTS BEARS OVER KEKAULIKE

(Sept. 22): Baldwin's unbeaten run in MIL football remained intact, but not without some high drama on Saturday night at War Memorial Stadium.

King Kekaulike capitalized on some costly Baldwin turnovers to score a pair touchdowns but then committed several equally costly penalties on the decisive drive to set up a game-winning 39-yard field by goal by Cee Jay Santos, giving the Bears a 25-22 victory.

The win improved Baldwin's record against MIL opponents to 31-0-1 since 2004 by out-gaining Na Alii 267-166 and registering a 20-9 advantage in first downs thanks, largely, to a ground game led by Kainalu Garso, who rushed for 175 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries.

But Kekaulike hung in tough, playing to a 7-all tie after the first period and leading 14-13 halftime, taking that one-point edge into the final period.

Baldwin registered a safety about three minutes into the fourth quarter to take a 15-14 lead and expanded that edge to 22-14 on Garso's nine-yard run with 6:09 left.

But the scrappy Na Alii bounced right back as Taylor Rodrigues hooked-up with quarterback Aronne Santos on a 36-yard pass play and tied the score on a two-point conversion by Edrian dela Cruz with 3:27 remaining.

The two Division-I rivals will square off again in the regular-season finale on Nov. 8.

Division-II front-runner Lahainaluna encountered few problems on Friday night in romping to a 41-6 win over the Trojans as QB Jake Manning ran for two touchdowns and passed for another, while tailback Bryson Williams ran for a pair of scores.

Two games are on tap this week, with Kekaulike visiting Maui High in a D-I game on Friday while the Trojans host Kamehameha in a D-II matchup on Saturday. Both games will be carried on Maui's ESPN 550.

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VICTORINO DELIVERS IT WHEN COUNTS MOST

(Sept. 18): The mark of a good baseball player, some say, is to deliver when it counts most. But that measure, Shane Victorino of Maui is a very good player.

The Phillies' center-fielder again came through in a big way for his team last night, delivering his third straight multi-hit game.

By going 3-for-4, stealing a base and scoring a run, Victorino helped his team extend its season-high winning streak to six games in a key 6-1 victory over Atlanta.

The win kept the Phillies a half-game ahead of the New York Mets in the National League East and a full game up on Milwaukee for the final playoff spot.

The other two contenders also posted victories yesterday, the Mets holding off Washington 9-7 and the Brewers beating the Chicago Cubs 6-2.

Philadelphia slugger Ryan Howard's power surge has deservedly received the most attention. Howard has been on tear, driving in a run again last night to give him 29 RBI in his last 21 games and increasing his major-league leading season total to 137.

But Victorino's contributions shouldn't be overlooked on a team that also features such marquee names as reigning NL MVP Jimmy Rollins and all-star second baseman Chase Utley.

After trailing New York by 3.5 games going into last Thursday's action, the Phillies have won six straight to vault past the Mets. During that span, Victorino has gone 13-for-23 – that's a .565 batting average – while scoring four runs and driving in five.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

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FROM HOT HIRES TO HOT SEAT

(Sept. 17): Remember when NFL trend was the hiring of young, untested head coaches? Well two of those coaches have gone from hot young things to being on the hot seat.

Based on comments made this week by St. Louis owner Chip Rosenbloom, we can assume that Scott Linehan's job is on the line if the Rams don't make a major turnaround. Well, get that resume ready Scott, because you appear to be history.

The Rams were 3-13 last year and have opened this season by suffering back-to-back drubbings – 38-3 at Philly in Week 1 and 41-13 at home last week against the defending champion New York Giants in a game during with St. Louis was outscored 28-7 in the second half and gave up six sacks.

Perhaps the Rams can end their drought in Seattle against the injury-battered Seahawks. If not, don't be surprised if Linehan is looking for work by Sunday night.

Then, there's the strange saga of Lane Kiffin and the Oakland Raiders.

In one of the more dysfunctional pairings in recent memory, it has been clear for a while that owner Al Davis and Kiffin despise each other. In fact, there were reports before last week's game that Kiffin would be fired on Monday regardless of the outcome of the Raiders' game in Kansas City.

A 23-8 road win over the woeful Chiefs seemingly only delayed the inevitable and Davis could drop the axe if Oakland fails to deliver what would qualify as upset win this week in Buffalo against one of the league's early-season surprise teams.

In the immortal words of the Man in Black, Jerry Glanville, never forget that NFL stands for Not for Long.

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WHAT A GAME! WHAT A WEEK!

WHAT A GAME! WHAT A WEEK!

(Sept. 16): If ever Monday Night Football game brought an NFL week to a fitting conclusion, this was it. But this was merely an extension of what transpired the day before, when the unexpected was almost routine.

There were at six comeback victories on Sunday, with Indianapolis rallying past Minnesota, Denver past San Diego with the help of a blown call, San Francisco past Seattle in overtime, Washington past New Orleans, Buffalo past Jacksonville, and Carolina past Chicago.

And let's not even get into the nine games won by road teams – an NFL oddity.

Monday's see-saw affair featured seven lead changes, with Dallas finally emerging with a 41-37 victory in a game that was truly deserving of being described as a shootout.

This was a game that surpassed the substantial hype and featured sensational offensive performances and featured any number of strange twists and turns.

In the end, you could say that Tony Romo of the Eagles out-dueled Donovan McNabb of the Eagles. Romo completed 21 of 30 passes for 321 yards and three touchdowns, including a 72-yard hookup with Terrell Owens, who now ranks behind only Jerry Rice in career TD receptions.

But McNabb was also exceptional, hitting on 25 of 37 for 281 for 1 score in addition to effectively evading a persistent pass rush until the Cowboys finally corralled the elusive QB during Philly's final series – when it counted the most.

There two teams don't play again until the regular-season finale on Dec. 28. If the rematch was played this week, it would be fine by me.

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REALITY BITES: UH SUFFERS SOBERING SETBACK

(Sept. 15): Saturday's game at Oregon State was when we were going learn just how good – or bad – the University of Hawaii football team would be this season.

Well, reality bites. What we found out was that UH is not very good, at least not by the admittedly unfair standard set last year when Hawaii went 12-0 during the regular season before suffering a lopsided loss to Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

More to the point, however, is that Hawaii doesn't appear good enough to challenge for the WAC title against the likes of pre-season favorites Fresno State and Boise State.

Things got off to a promising start as Hawaii scored on its opening possession on a 16-yard run by Kealoha Pilares.

But things went rapidly downhill from there for UH as Oregon State romped to a 45-7 victory that left Hawaii bruised and battered – both literally and figuratively.

Quarterback Tyler Graunke completed just 12 of 27 attempts for 118 yards and suffered two picks before leaving in the third quarter with wrist and thumb injuries. Inoke Fuanki replaced him, and was 4-of-8 for 36 yards and a pick.

The most sobering stat was that UH, which annually ranks among the nation's most productive teams, generated just 211 yards in offense – its worst total since 1998.

Early exits by tailback Leon Wright-Jackson, who re-injured his foot on the first play, and left tackle Keith AhSoon, who went down with a knee injury in the first series, obviously impacted UH. But, just as obviously, this is an offense that is clearly out of synch.

Hawaii has a week to regroup and heal its wounds before opening their WAC schedule against visiting San Jose State. Let's see if UH makes good use of that time.

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A DEFINING FOOTBALL TEST FOR HAWAII

(Sept. 12) I've been saying for months that this would be the game that defined the University of Hawaii's football season. And nothing that's transpired since has prompted a change of mind.

Deep down, we all knew UH was out of its league in a season-opening road test against fifth-ranked Florida. And, it was equally predictable that Hawaii would defeat Division-I-AA Weber State in the home opener. So this was the week when we could really evaluate where UH stood as a football team.

Oregon State is 0-2 going into tomorrow's game at Corvallis, the result of a 36-28 upset road loss to Stanford and suffering an anticipated 45-14 road spanking at the hands of Penn State.

But the Beavers are going to be an inspired bunch tomorrow. Not only is this the home opener, but 16 players are originally from Hawaii and five of their coaches either are from the Aloha State or coached at UH.

Hawaii will have its most experienced QB running the offense. Tyler Graunke is back in the good graces of head coach Greg McMackin and finally secured the job that should have been his from the start. Graunke came off the bench and rallied UH from a 10-point halftime deficit to a 36-17 victory, completing 13 of 20 attempts for 218 yards and three touchdowns.

The bottom line: If UH can win at Oregon State, it's a sign that they can win critical future home games at Boise State and Fresno State and truly contend for the WAC title.

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GRAUNKE TO THE RESCUE IN COMEBACK WIN

(Sept. 8): Granted, it's an over-simplification. Still, it's tempting to describe Tyler Graunke's football fortunes with the University of Hawaii as having gone from the outhouse to the penthouse in a matter of weeks. Actually, to the lobby might be more like it.

The program's presumptive starting quarterback following the departure of the record-breaking Colt Brennan, Graunke did everything in his power to get on the bad side of the coaching staff over the ensuing months. He messed up in class, falling behind in his academic work and prompting new head coach Greg McMackin to suspend him during the spring and again this off-season. There were also reports that he wasn't staying focused off the field.

That opened the door for three less experienced players to push past Graunke in the starting QB derby. Greg Alexander, Brent Rausch and Inoke Funaki all got a shot at the job with little success.

On Saturday, Graunke came off the bench and to rescue. He threw for 218 yards and three touchdowns after entering the game in the second half, rallying Hawaii from a 10-point halftime deficit to a 36-17 win over Division-I-AA Weber State at Aloha Stadium.

So, it is being presumed that Graunke will be at the controls of the UH offense this week, when Hawaii faces a tougher challenge on the road against Oregon State, a team in desperate search of its first win following a pair of road losses – a heart breaker at Stanford and a 45-14 thumping on Saturday at No. 19 Penn State.

VOLLEYBALL: A new star has been born at the University of Hawaii. In anything, highly-touted freshman Kanani Herring has surpassed the hype. The 5-foot-10 outside hitter was named the most outstanding player in the Volleyball Challenge after three remarkable performances in leading 11th-ranked UH to the tournament title with a 25-11, 25-17, 25-23 win over Cincinnati last night.

Herring had 13 kills, hitting .571 and collecting nine digs – all match highs. Herring also had 21 kills and 16 digs in Thursday's five-set win over No. 12 Minnesota and followed that up with 15 kills and six digs in Friday's sweep of Wyoming.

Next for UH is the Chevron Invitational, which opens a three-day run on Thursday. Hawaii will host St. Mary's on opening night. Pacific and Washington are also entered.

SOCCER: The UH picked up its first soccer win of the season yesterday, but it didn't come easy. The Rainbow Wahine trailed 3-2 at halftime despite a goal by former Maui High standout Taryn Fukuroku before rallying to a 4-3 win over Drake on Kelli-Ann Chang's sudden-death goal in the 103rd minute in a tournament at Albuquerque, N.M.

The Rainbow Wahine return to action tomorrow, facing tourney host New Mexico. Then, it's off to Stockton, for another tournament with matches against Pacific and USF.

Much was -- and is expected -- of a UH team coming off a season in which it compiled a school-best 15-5-2 record, earned an NCAA tournament berth and is projected to win the WAC crown this year. But the Rainbow Wahine got off to a slow start, suffering losses to Long Beach State and 23rd-ranked Denver at home last week.

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IS FUNAKI REALLY THE ANSWER?

(Sept. 3): When it comes to University of Hawaii quarterback Inoke Funaki, I have highly mixed feelings and opinions.

Am I happy that Funaki is getting a shot at starting this week against Weber State following a solid performance, albeit against third-stringers, in last week's 56-10 road rout at the hands of fifth-ranked Florida?

By all means, yes.

We saw this kid lead Kahuku High to a pair of state championship as a gutsy and inspirational run-oriented quarterback.

Following his return from a a two-year church mission, we've seen him patiently and maturely wait his turn behind, first, Colt Brennan and Tyler Graunke and, more recently, behind newcomers Greg Alexander and Brent Rausch.

And we saw him come in late in Saturday's mismatch and complete 8 of 11 passes for 110 yards and UH's only touchdown of the game.

Do I think he's the answer to Hawaii's needs at that critical position?

Not really, and particularly if Hawaii plans to continue with a pass-oriented offense. Remember, though, the spread offense can be easily adapted to a more mixed attack or, as we've seen at some schools, even a run-oriented system.

Do I believe Funaki will permanently win the job?

No. I think that there's a very good chance that Graunke, for all of his missteps in the classroom and his immaturity off the field, is best suited to run this offense this year. And I wouldn't be surprised if he's in that role as early as next week, when UH visits Oregon State.

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NO SURPRISE: GATORS OUTCLASS HAWAII

(Sept. 2): There are fans of the University of Hawaii football team, I am told, greatly upset and embarrassed by the team's performance in Saturday's season-opener. To which I can only respond: You've got to be kidding me. What did they expect?

If it wasn't clear before, it should be painfully apparent now. When it comes to playing against teams from the powerful SEC, UH is definitely out of its league.

After being hammered 41-10 by currently top-ranked Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on the first day of the year, Hawaii was routed 56-10 by fifth-ranked Florida on the first day of the college football season.

After a promising first period, which ended in a 0-0 tie, the hometown Gators erupted for four second-quarter touchdowns and went on to swamp mistake-prone Hawaii. Florida, favored by 35, easily covered the spread by capitalizing on six UH giveaways – including a pick that was returned for a touchdown.

The game also exposed Hawaii's lack of experience of offense – particularly at quarterback. Greg Alexander got the start, and struggled. Brent Rausch got a show, and struggled as well. Third-stringer Inoke Funaki looked the best, accounting for UH's only TD on a 13-yard pass to Greg Salas with 1:37 left in the game.

Almost by the process of elimination, Funaki was named the starter for this week's home opener against Weber State, a Division-I-AA team that should be almost as far out of its league against UH as Hawaii was against Florida.

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BUSY WEEK ON UH SPORTS FRONT

(Aug. 28): The University of Hawaii's fall sports campaign kicked off last night at Waipio Soccer Stadium, the Rainbow Wahine begin their volleyball season tomorrow against the defending national champion at the Stan Sheriff Center and the UH football team is on the road to meet a high-profile opponent on Saturday. Now, for the specifics:

Hawaii blew leads of 2-0 and 3-1 and went on to suffer a 4-3 overtime loss to visiting Long Beach State. And it was a local girl, former Mid-Pac standout Mariko Strickland, who forced the game into extra time by putting away a loose ball that rattled around the UH penalty area following a corner kick.

Kim Silos scored her second goal of the match three minutes into the extra session, ending a 14-game home winning streak that dated to the regular-season finale in 2006.

UH will try to rebound for the painful setback when it hosts Denver at 4 p.m. Monday.

In volleyball, 12th-ranked Hawaii opens against top-ranked Penn State in a 7 p.m. match. The 21st annual Wahine Volleyball Classic also features sixth-ranked UCLA and Ohio.

The UH football team went through drills in Atlanta yesterday in preparation for Saturday's opener against fifth-ranked Florida with still no word on which of Hawaii's two untested quarterbacks will get the starting call.

Brent Rausch originally was awarded the job before suffering from discomfort in his throwing arm. That opened the door for Greg Alexander, and he seems to be the front-runner this point after taking 45 of the 57 snaps during yesterday's drills at Georgia Tech practice field.

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UH MAY CALL AUDIBLE ON STARTING QB

(Aug. 27): Did you hear the news? The starting quarterback for the University of Hawaii for Saturday's football opener against nationally fifth-ranked Florida could be an untested junior college transfer. Wait, you ask, what's so new about that? Let me explain:

Two weeks ago, the coaching staff settled on Brent Rausch – a third-year sophomore – as the successor to the record-breaking Colt Brennan.

It was quite a story, considering that Rausch was playing eight-man football for a small high school based in the California desert just three years ago.

But Rausch came down with tenderness in the right forearm and biceps of his throwing arm, causing him to miss three practices and take a limited number of snaps during yesterday's final session prior to the team's departure for the mainland.

That's opened the door for the other JC kid, fourth-year junior Greg Alexander, to possibly start against the Gators. Making the most of his second chance, Alexander completed 11 of 12 passes during yesterday's throwing drills.

Now, we're told, the starting QB for Saturday's game could be a game-time decision.

Head coach Greg McMackin is putting a happy face on this latest development, saying the two candidates were "this close" in their fall competition and that both have received about the same number of reps during camp.

Waiting in the wings is Tyler Graunke, who blew his chance at opening the season as the starter by receiving a team suspension for academic reasons. Graunke has since been reinstated, but is not part of the 66-player travel roster, although he will be given a chance to compete for the job when the team returns from Gatorland.

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Live sports on radio

Friday, Aug. 29

Prep football: Baldwin vs. Mission Viejo, 7 p.m., ESPN 550

Saturday, Aug. 30

College football: Hawaii at Florida, 6:30 a.m., FoxNews 900

Pro baseball: Phillies at Cubs, 9:20 a.m., ESPN 550

Prep football: St. Anthony vs. Kohala, 7 p.m., ESPN 550

Pro baseball:

Sunday, Aug. 31

Pro baseball: Dodgers at Diamondbacks, 1:35 p.m., ESPN 550

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OLYMPIC FORMULA: GOLD EQUALS GREEN

OLYMPIC FORMULA: GREEN EQUALS GOLD

(Aug. 26): There are some people who still harbor the false illusion that the Olympics are exercises in the purity of amateur sport.

Others, who know better, yearn for the good old days, when the perceived amateurs of the United States competed against the undercover pros of the Iron Curtain teams.

That, too, was a bogus illusion. Most American athletes were just as subsidized – by virtue of college athletic scholarships, service in the armed forces or affluent parents – as their counterparts from Russia, East Germany and the like.

After banking more gold medals than any athlete in Olympic history, swimmer Michael Phelps will now seek to break the bank on the endorsement front.

Speedo has already given Phelps a $1 million deal. He also has a deal with Visa and it won't be long before his image appears on a cereal box.

Visa has also issued a new card featuring gold-wining gymnast Nastia Liukin.

Jamaica's Usain Bolt wasn't posing photos with his golden Puma track shoes prominently displayed at face level for free, either.

All are following in the footsteps of predecessors such as Bruce Jenner, Carl Lewis, Mark Spitz and Mary Lou Retton in making careers out of their Olympic fame.

Chinese athletes will receive about $50,000 each for gold-medal performances. Canadians are paid from $19,000 for a gold medal to $9,000 for a bronze. Other countries offer luxury vehicles and/or homes as incentives for success.

So, as you see the latest group of stars cash in on their athletic feats, remember this simple Olympic formula: Gold equals green.

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FOR HAWAII, A GOLDEN TIME FOR SPORTS

(Aug. 25): People are fond of talking about the good old days. But if you're a resident of Hawaii and a fan of sports, the good old days are taking place right now. It's hard to imagine are more productive time in the history of the Aloha State. A brief recap:

The Waipio All-Stars became the second team from Hawaii to win the Little League World Series yesterday, capping their title run with a 12-3 romp past Mexico just one day after staging a stunning comeback by scoring six runs in the sixth, and final, inning to post a 7-5 victory over Lake Charles, La., in the US title.

Watching their game on TV from the Phillies' clubhouse was another Hawaii boy – Maui's Shane Victorino.

Perhaps inspired by the boys from Waipahu, Victorino collected hits in the ninth and 11th innings, scoring on a game-tying single and then a walk-off homer Pedro Feliz in a key 5-2 win over the Dodgers.

The victory enabled the Phillies to move within a half-game of the Mets in the National League East.

Yesterday also marked the closing of the Beijing Olympics, during which Hawaii athletes took home a combined 10 medals.

Capturing gold medals were decathlon champ Brian Clay of Kaneohe, men's volleyball star Clay Stanley of Hawaii Kai, and women's soccer striker Natasha Kai of Kahuku.

They were not alone in earning trips on the medal podium.

Four players with Hawaii ties were members of the silver-medal women's volleyball team – UH alums Robyn Ah-Mow Santos, Heather Bown and Kim Willoughby as well as Punahou grad Lindsey Berg.

Punahou product, goalie Brandon Brooks, was a member of the US water polo team that earned a silver and two ex-UH athletes – Justine Smethurst and Stacey Porter – were members of the Australian softball team that took a bronze.

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