Friday, January 30, 2009

FINALLY, A WIN FOR UH

By Fred Guzman
ESPN550.com

A put-back basket by Petras Balocka as time expired enabled the University of Hawaii basketball team to end several droughts.

The 54-53 victory over Louisiana Tech ended a five-game losing streak and a nine-game road skid, as well as a combined 18 games in which the men's and women's teams, as well as the men's volleyball squad, had failed to register a win.

Roderick Flemings led the Bows with 17 points, including three treys, as UH improved its marks to 10-10 overall and 2-6 in the WAC.

Hawaii continues its road trip tomorrow at New Mexico State. The game will be aired on FoxNews 900.

In other WAC hoops action last night, Utah State improved to 20-1 overall and 8-0 in the conference with a 72-61 home victory over Nevada, regarded as the Aggies' prime challenger in the WAC. Also, Idaho defeated Boise State 63-59 and New Mexico State beat San Jose State 89-81.

The Rainbow Wahine will seek end their seven-game losing streak tonight at Utah State and play against at Idaho on Sunday. The women are a dismal 3-16 overall and 0-6 in the WAC.

Facing an equally daunting task is men's volleyball team. Off to a 1-6 start, Hawaii will play host to nationally second-ranked Cal State Northridge tonight and tomorrow at the Stan Sheriff Center.

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Monday, January 26, 2009

BALDWIN BEATS LUNAS IN OT

By Fred Guzman
ESPN550.com

I attended an basketball game on Friday night and a free-throwing shooting
contest broke out. In a showdown that was as sloppily played as it was intense
and dramatic, Baldwin needed overtime to hold off visiting Lahainaluna 61-56 in
one of the two marquee hoops matchups of the MIL weekend.

The game featured 38 turnovers, 54 fouls, 73 free throws and ultimately was
decided on the charity stripe as the Bears made 32 of 42 attempts while improving
their MIL Division-I record to 6-0. The Lunas made only 12 of 31 free throws and
dropped to 4-2.

Leading the way for Baldwin was its backcourt tandem of Micah Shibano and
Lincoln Seto. Shibano hit a trio of treys, jump-starting Baldwin to an 11-1 lead
slightly over two minutes into the game. Seto scored 19 of his 23 points in the
second half, making 13 of 15 from the stripe.

Ty Carter spearheaded Lahainaluna's offense, finishing with 18 points.

In the other major hoops matchup, Seabury Hall's unbeaten mark in D-II remained
intact following a pair of close, hard-fought wins over visiting Molokai. On Friday,
the Spartans posted a 46-42 win and followed that up with a 43-40 victory on
Saturday as 6-4 SO Dylan King scored 17. Seabury is 5-0. Molokai is 2-2.

Meantime, the Lunas' girls continued their dominance of the MIL. The state's
fourth-ranked team romped to 56-22 win over second-place Baldwin.

SOCCER: After jumping out to an impressive start that included victories over both
King Kekaulike and Kamehameha, the Baldwin girls find themselves on hold to see
if they will earn a berth in the state Division-I soccer tournament.

Kamehameha, which struggled out of the gate, romped to a 4-0 win over Baldwin
on Saturday, improving its record to 9-1-2 and can clinch the MIL D-I title by
winning out its remaining two matches. Baldwin finished at 10-3-1.

At 6-2-1, Kekaulike needs some help to win the title but can claim a trip to states
by winning out its remaining five matches.

The MIL boys' team with the best record does not compete in D-I. Instead, that
distinction belongs to Seabury Hall – a D-II team that improved its league mark to
8-1-1 with a 7-1 trouncing of the Lunas.

Things are still up in the air for the D-I title, but Kamehameha and King Kekaulike
are both bound for states. Kamehameha posted on of its more impressive wins of
the season on Saturday by defeating Baldwin 4-1.

PADDLING: Kamehameha won the boys and mixed teams divisions, while the girls
team placed third in Saturday's regatta at Lahaina. Baldwin won the girls' race. All
three of Kamehameha's teams are first in the season standings.


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Wednesday, January 21, 2009

VICTORINO GETS $3.1M DEAL

You can take Shane Victorino's name from the list of baseball players who were
among the 111 that originally filed for salary arbitration.

The starting center fielder of the defending World Series champion Philadelphia
Phillies has agreed to a one-year, $3.1-million contract for the coming season.

And that's not all. The 28-year-old Victorino also has been named as one of eight
outfielders on the provisional U.S. roster for the upcoming World Baseball Classic.

Over the weekend, Victorino joined fellow Valley Isle big-leaguer Kurt Suzuki of
the Oakland Athletics in headlining the Maui Baseball Expo for local youth players.

Victorino is coming off the best season of his major-league career, capped by a
strong post-season performance that featured 13 RBI as the Phillies captured their
first World Series title since 1980.

Shane, a little guy by big-league standards, came up huge during the stretch drive
of the regular season and even bigger during the post-season, driving in a team-
record 13 runs

In addition to collecting a Gold Glove for his defensive skills, Victorino batted .293
with 14 homers, 102 runs and 58 RBI. His 36 steals ranked sixth in the National
League.

He also gained the respect and admiration of the demanding fans in Philly with his
effort and his flair.

Also avoiding arbitration was Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Tyler Yates of Kauai. The
right-hander was 6-3 with a 4.66 ERA last season.

In most years, more than half the players who file reach agreements before the
swap of proposed salaries, which took place on Tuesday. Among the 110 players
who filed last year, just eight went to hearings and clubs won six of those.

The only players who won were Howard, who made $10 million, and Mets lefty
Oliver Perez, who made $6.5 million. Perez is now a free agent.

Players with three to six years of major-league service are eligible, along with the
top 17 percent by service time of players between two and three years.

Hearings will be scheduled for Feb. 1-21 in Arizona. Maui's Shane Victorino need
not make reservations. He's got a job and huge pay raise for the coming season.


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Tuesday, January 13, 2009

OUTLOOK CLOUDY FOR KAPALUA

By Fred Guzman
ESPN550.com

Dark clouds lingered over the Plantation Course at Kapalua on the final day of the Mercedes-Benz Championship, with Australia's Geoff Ogilvy winning top honors by a resounding six strokes.

The overcast skies were, in some ways, a reflection of the rising concern locally that the PGA Tour may take the event elsewhere when its contract with Kapalua expires following next year's event, as does Mercedes-Benz' sponsorship agreement.

PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem did nothing to dispel the worries when he spoke in veiled terms in response to questions regarding the future of the event and where it is played.

There have been persistent rumors making the rounds that the tour is seeking to move the tournament to another location.

One hopeful scenario has the event staying on Maui but moving to one of the Wailea courses. Others say a more likely move would be to the mainland -- which almost certainly means somewhere in California or Florida.

And there's also a concern about a potential domino effect that could take place if the Mercedes were to leave Maui, and what impact that would have on the future of the Sony Open, the first full-field tournament of the season held the week following the event at Kapalua?

The answer to that question has major ramifications to the golf industry throughout the state.

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Monday, January 12, 2009

OGILVY WINS MERCEDES-BENZ TITLE

By Fred Guzman
ESPN550.com

Geoff Ogilvy capped a wire-to-wire win in the Mercedes-Benz Championship by closing with a 68 to finish with a six-stroke victory in the season's first PGA event.

The Aussie closed the books at Kapalua's par-73 Plantation Course at 24-under par with a score of 268 to claim the $1.1 million first prize in the winner's-only tournament.

Ogilvy, who had shot impeccable golf during the opening three rounds, struggled a bit early on Sunday. But Ogilvy then went on a scoring binge, put up an eagle on the ninth hole and followed that up with birdies on five of the next holes to regain a commanding lead en route to his fifth career tour victory.

Davis Love III and Anthony Kim, who closed the deficit to one stroke in early in the final round, tied for second at 274. Hawaii's Parker McLachlin tied for 24th in the 33-player field -- 18 strokes off the pace -- and earned $64 thousand.

The final round was played under overcast skies, which was fitting considering that future of the event at Kapalua seems to be under a cloud.

In interviews conducted during the tournament, PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem spoke in veiled terms when discussing the future of the Mercedes-Benz Championship remaining at its current home of 11 years.

There have been persistent rumors that the tour is seeking to move the tournament elsewhere after Kapalua's contract and Mercedes-Benz' sponsorship deal with the PGA expires following next year's event.

There also has been speculation that the event may remain on Maui, but move to one of the courses at Wailea. Others say that if there is a move, it would be to the mainland -- which almost certainly means somewhere in California or Florida.

Then there's the concern about a potential domino effect. If the Mercedes-Bench championship is relocated to the mainland, how would that impact the future of the Sony Open, the first full-tour event of the season held on Oahu the week following the Mercedes-Benz?

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Friday, January 9, 2009

BOWS PAY FOR ICY SHOOTING

By Fred Guzman
ESPN550.com

We should be thankful that this game wasn't available on television.

>From printed reports and anecdotal accounts we were spared the sight of the University of Hawaii's inconsistent men's basketball team putting on their absolutely worst performance of the season last night.

Playing before an intimate gathering of 652 fans in Moscow, Idaho, the Bows suffered a 67-47 road loss to the improving Vandals.

Kashif Watson's 19 points and Mac Hopson's 14 led Idaho, which improved to 8-8 overall and 2-1 in the WAC.

Rodney Flemings had 16 points and was the only bright spot for UH, which made a dismal 29.8 percent from the field and dropping to 9-6 overall and 1-2 in the conference. And no one struggled more with his shooting than Lasha Parghalava, who made only 2 of 13 from the field – including 1 of 8 from 3-point range.

The Bows will try to end an eight-game road losing streak as they continue a trip that includes games at San Jose State on Saturday and Boise State on Monday.

Of ongoing concern for the Bows is the health status of two key players. Petras Balocka was limited to nine minutes because of a strained groin and starting point guard Hiram Thompson did not play because of a bad hamstring.

In other WAC men's action, pre-season favorite Utah State improved to 14-1 with a 50-37 win over Louisiana Tech, Boise State battered San Jose State 84-64 and Nevada defeated New Mexico State 79-71 in overtime.

Things didn't go any better for the UH women. The mistake-prone Rainbow Wahine plunged to 3-11 following a WAC-opening 78-50 loss at Fresno State. Hawaii contributed to its demise by committing 25 turnovers.

On a more positive note, Hawaii opened the men's volleyball season with a sweep of visiting Ohio State. Joshua Walker had 17 kills while Steve Hunt had 13 kills and 10 digs in the 30-27, 30-24, 31-29 win over the Buckeyes.

Hawaii plays USC today. The Trojans lost in five sets to Penn State in last night's other match at the Stan Sheriff Center.

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Wednesday, January 7, 2009

HAIKU’S BARGER WINS SURF TITLE

By Fred Guzman
ESPN550.com

The best young surfer on the planet: That's the distinction earned by Haiku's Kai Barger after he won the Billabong World Junior Championships in Australia.

Barger beat Jadson Andre of Brazil in the final, after having defeated Marc Lacomare of France in the semis and Australia's Matt Wilkinson in the quarters at North Narrabeen..

Barger belongs to a group of young surfers from the Valley Isle that also includes Dusty Payne and Granger Larsen -- both of Lahaina – that are making their mark at the international level of the sport.

>From the surf to the links: After two days of practice rounds, the Pro-Am portion of the Mercedes-Benz Championship will be held today at the Plantation Course. Among the celebrities taking part in the event is pro football Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway.

The tournament proper begins a four-day run on Thursday.

On the prep front, the MIL hoops season tipped off last night .

In boys action, Rory Souza's 14 points led Kaahumanu Hou to a 46-33 win over St. Anthony and Terani Richmond accounted for half of his team's scoring, finishing with 20 points in Kamehameha's 40-32 win over Maui High. In girls action, Maui High defeated Kamehameha 44-32 behind Amanda Black's 12 points.

A busy soccer schedule today, with five matches on tap – including the unbeaten Baldwin girls facing Lahainaluna starting at 5 p.m. at War Memorial Stadium.

In basketball, King Kekaulike visits Baldwin, with the girls playing at 6 p.m. and the boys at 7:30.

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Tuesday, January 6, 2009

BOWS PULL OUT A THRILLER

By Fred Guzman
ESPN550.com

After a near-perfect start, Hawaii raced out to a 24-11 lead by making 11 of its first dozen shots. But UH then couldn't buy a bucket during a six-minute scoring drought down the stretch, blowing that early 13-point edge and trailing by four with just 33.3 seconds remaining.

Somehow, the Bows pulled out a thrilling and unlikely 65-64 conference victory over Louisiana Tech last night at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Kareem Nitoto launched and made a 24-foot shot for his first three-pointer of the season, pulling Hawaii to within one with 24.6 seconds left.

After LaTech missed the front end of a one-and-one, Bill Amis grabbed the rebound and gave the ball to Nitoto. The point guard drove the lane and dished the ball out to the right corner, where Amis calmly swished a 15-footer for the lead with 8.1 seconds remaining.

Hawaii still had to survived a couple of near-misses in the waning seconds to improve its records to 9-5 overall and 1-1 in the WAC.

On a night that Petra Balocka was limited to a pair of minutes because of groin injury and Lasha Parghalava did not suit up because of a back injury, others stepped up for UH.

Amis finished with 17 points, five rebounds and five assists. Paul Campbell – a 6-10 center -- had his best game at UH, finishing with 13 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks. And Rod Flemings, the team's leading scorer, had 13 as did Adher Mayen.

UH next plays on Thursday at Idaho, which is coming off a 70-61 loss to conference favorite Utah State. Also last night, New Mexico State edged host San Jose State 75-73.

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Monday, January 5, 2009

A FEW SURPRISES IN THE NBA

By Fred Guzman
ESPN550.com

Just when you begin getting comfortable with the status quo in life and in sports, a development or two happen that shakes things up.

Take the NBA as just the latest example. The common logic is that the Eastern Conference is improved, but still lacks the depth of the West.

Defending champion Boston and Cleveland are regarded as a class apart in the East, with Orlando receiving some grudging attention. In the West, the Lakers are regarded as the clear-cut best but there are a whole lot of good teams within the conference capable of giving anyone major rubs during a playoff series.

The common logic went out the window for at least a day on Sunday when both Boston and Cleveland were the victims of major upsets on the road, while the LA Lakers held serve at home to gain possession of the NBA's best record.

The New York Knicks, losers of eight straight, shocked the Boston Celtics 100-88 behind Wilson Chandler's 31.

Washington stunned the Cavaliers 80-77 despite LeBron James' 30 points, 10 assists and six rebounds. But LeBron also was called for traveling at a key point late in the game.

The Lakers improved to 27-5 by extending their winning streak to six games with a 100-86 win over Portland behind Kobe Bryant's 26 points.

And in another major surprise, Memphis ended a 13-game losing streak against Dallas by defeating the Mavericks 102-82 behind OJ Mayo's 21 points.

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Friday, January 2, 2009

DID BCS GET IT RIGHT?

By Fred Guzman
ESPN550.com

So, who's No. 1? The BCS system is supposed to identify thr top two teams to battle for that distinction.

But some folks – particularly those with West Coast and/or Texas roots – are convinced that the very best college football teams in all of the land will not be on the field for Thursday's BCS title game at Miami.

Florida and Oklahoma, the teams that did receive the invitations, have excellent resumes, for sure. But, frankly, no better than either Texas or USC – both of which also suffered a single loss during the regular season.

The only blemish on USC's record was a 27-21 loss at Oregon State on Sept. 25. The Trojans have been totally dominant ever since, capping its season with a 38-24 romp past Penn State in yesterday's Rose Bowl.

Quarterback Mark Sanchez led the way by throwing for 413 yards and four touchdowns, as well as running for another, while senior linebacker Kaluka Maiava, a former Baldwin standout, was named the game's defensive player of the year.

The knock against USC was that the Pac-10 was believed to be weak this season. But USC's decisive win against Penn State – the Trojans led 31-7 at halftime -- helped the Pac-10 finish with a 5-0 record in the post-season as Oregon, Oregon State and Arizona all beat ranked opponents while Cal also added a victory. So much, I guess, for the lack of quality teams in the Pac-10.

Then, there's strange case involving Texas, which was left out of the Big 12 title game despite having beaten Oklahoma head-to-head because of an obscure tie-breaker based on BCS rankings. The Longhorns get a chance to show their stuff on Monday, facing Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl.

So, who's No. 1? I'm not sure. Are you?

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