Tuesday, September 30, 2008

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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Monday, September 29, 2008

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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Thursday, September 25, 2008

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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Wednesday, September 24, 2008

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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Tuesday, September 23, 2008

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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Monday, September 22, 2008

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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Thursday, September 18, 2008

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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Wednesday, September 17, 2008

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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Tuesday, September 16, 2008

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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Monday, September 15, 2008

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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Friday, September 12, 2008

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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Monday, September 8, 2008

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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Thursday, September 4, 2008

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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Tuesday, September 2, 2008

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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