Monday, August 31, 2009

Vick's anti-climactic return

By Fred Guzman
ESPN550.com

In the interest of full disclosure, it's only fair to let you know that I'm rooting for Michael Vick to succeed in his return to the NFL. The man, in my view, has paid his debt to society and should be allowed to pursue his profession without being dogged – pun intended – by activists and media types who refuse to move on.

Having said that, we shouldn't be surprised about the media over-reaction to this story – before and after his debut in Philadelphia. Seldom has so much been made about so little. Vick was in for six snaps in his first live action after spending a large part of the past two years in prison.

Vick completed all four of his pass attempts – two of them of the shovel variety – for 19 yards. He ran once for a yard. That's it. Yet, the over-analysis is overwhelming.

With No. 1 QB Donovan McNabb completing 21 of 36 attempts for 244 yards and one touchdown, Philadelphia edged Jacksonville 33-32.

Vick was warmly received by the Philadelphia fans and predicted ugly protests by animal rights groups failed to materialize – again exposing two major media story lines as bogus.

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Monday, August 24, 2009

Kekaulike rebounds with win

By Fred Guzman
ESPN550.com

Bouncing back from a season-opening football loss at home, King Kekaulike rallied from an 8-7 halftime deficit to an 18-8 road win over Big Island favorite Kealakehe on Saturday.

Charles Spencer led the way for Na Alii, rushing for 157 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown jaunt with 10:15 remaining in the game. Andrew Conti's 25-yard field goal with 2:37 left sealed the deal for Kekaulike.

The final weekend of non-league games for MIL teams takes place this Saturday, with Lahainaluna playing host to Kauai High at 12:45 under the hot sun in the Imu and Maui High entertaining Waimea at 7 under the lights at War Memorial Stadium.

Kauai quarterback Trey Shimabukuro completed TD passes to four different receivers in the first half as the Raiders jumped out to a 40-0 halftime lead and cruised to a 47-7 win over visiting Honokaa on Saturday.

Waimea is coming of a 14-6 loss against visiting HPA on Friday.

The MIL season kicks off on Friday, Sept. 4, with Maui High facing the Lunas and, on the next night, Kekaulike hosting Baldwin.

Last year's two state Divison-I tournament finalists both lost over the weekend.

Kahuku dominated defending champion Punahou, limiting the Buffanblu to 91 yards for a 24-14 win. Kahuku linebacker TJ Tito had five of his teams seven sacks.

Mililani jumped out to a 21-3 halftime lead and held on to defeat defending runnerup Leilehua and all-state QB, Andrew Manley, 21-18.

And PJ Minaya tied former Saint Louis School and University of Hawaii standout Timmy Chang's state record by throwing for eight touchdowns as Pac-Five beat McKinley by the basketball-like score of 66-40.

In other high-profile games, top-ranked Saint Louis eased past Kaimuki, 35-7, No. 5 Kamehameha-Kapalama crushed Kailua 34-2, eighth-ranked Waianae romped to a 41-21 win over No. 7 Kapolei, and Castle easily handled No. 9 Iolani 42-21.

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Kekaulike rebounds with win

Bouncing back from a season-opening football loss at home, King Kekaulike rallied from an 8-7 halftime deficit to an 18-8 road win over Big Island favorite Kealakehe on Saturday.

Charles Spencer led the way for Na Alii, rushing for 157 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown jaunt with 10:15 remaining in the game. Andrew Conti's 25-yard field goal with 2:37 left sealed the deal for Kekaulike.

The final weekend of non-league games for MIL teams takes place this Saturday, with playing host to Kauai High at 12:45 under the hot sun in the Imu and Maui High entertaining Waimea at 7 under the lights at War Memorial Stadium.

Kauai quarterback Trey Shimabukuro completed TD passes to four different receivers in the first half as the Raiders jumped out to a 40-0 halftime lead and cruised to a 47-7 win over visiting Honokaa on Saturday.

Waimea is coming of a 14-6 loss against visiting HPA on Friday.

Last year's two state Divison-I tournament finalists both lost over the weekend.

Kahuku dominated defending champion Punahou, limiting the Buffanblu to 91 yards for a 24-14 win. Kahuku linebacker TJ Tito had five of his teams seven sacks.

Mililani jumped out to a 21-3 halftime lead and held on to defeat defending runnerup Leilehua and all-state QB, Andrew Manley, 21-18.

And PJ Minaya tied former Saint Louis School and University of Hawaii standout Timmy Chang's state record by throwing for eight touchdowns as Pac-Five beat McKinley by the basketball-like score of 66-40.

In other high-profile games, top-ranked Saint Louis eased past Kaimuki, 35-7, No. 5 Kamehameha-Kapalama crushed Kailua 34-2, eighth-ranked Waianae romped to a 41-21 win over No. 7 Kapolei, and Castle easily handled No. 9 Iolani 42-21.

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Friday, August 21, 2009

‘Lightning” Bolt strikes again

By Fred Guzman
ESPN550.com

Who says lightning doesn't strike in the same place twice?

For the second time in five days, the remarkable Jamaican sprinter Usain "Lightning" Bolt lived up to his nickname by breaking – make that, destroying – his own record at the World Championships being held in Berlin.

On Sunday, he shattered the world mark in the 100 meters with a time of 9.58. Yesterday, on the same track, he again clipped .11 seconds off the global standard in the 200 with a clocking of 19.19.

Today, Bolt celebrates his 23 birthday having set world marks in each of his last major title competitions, going back to last summer's Olympic Games in Beijing.

Consider that most sprinters hit their peak in the their late 20s. Scarier still is that the 6-foot-5 Bolt is just beginning to master the art of getting out of the starting blocks.

The other big story of the World Championships is the drama surrounding an 18-year-old from South Africa who is being investigated by the sport's international governing body on whether she meets the requirements to compete as a woman.

Caster Semenya easily won the 800 earlier this week. As noted by an IAAF spokesman, "this is a medical issue, not an issue of cheating."

The organization is awaiting the results of varied and complex tests to determine the teenager's gender, although her father and grandmother insist she is physically a woman.

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Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Favre returns … as a Viking

By Fred Guzman
ESPN550.com

Here we go again! It had been all of three weeks since Brett Favre was in the headlines, and the record-breaking quarterback has changed his mind yet again about playing football this season.

The 39-year-old Favre signed a two-year deal with a potential maximum value of $25 million to come out of his most recent mini-retirement to play for the Minnesota Vikings – the arch-rivals of his long-time team, the Green Bay Packers.

With Favre seemingly out of the picture, inconsistent holdover Tarvaris Jackson and newcomer Sage Rosenfels had been battling for the starting job with the Vikings.

Rosenfels did a solid job in the exhibition opener, completing 10 of 13 attempts for 91 yards and guiding Minnesota to scoring drives on its first two series in a 13-3 win over Indianapolis.

Jackson went 7 of 15 for 39 yards in the opener and was scheduled start Thursday against Kansas City.

But with Favre signing after conveniently missing all of training camp, the Rosenfels-Jackson duel has been rendered meaningless.

The Vikings, by the way, have a cupcake early-season schedule. Minnesota's first five games are at Cleveland, at Detroit, San Francisco, Green Bay, and at St. Louis. Those five teams had a combined 19-61 record last year.

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Monday, August 17, 2009

Bolt shines; Tiger doesn’t

Fred Guzman
ESPN550.com

Two of the world's greatest athletes were on center stage Sunday. Jamaican sprinter Usian "Lightning" Bolt in the world championships in Berlin. American golfer Tiger Woods in the PGA championship at Chaska, Minn.

Bolt lived up to his nickname and the hype, shattering his own world record in the 100 meters by registering an astounding 9.58 – against a slight head wind, no less.

He slashed .11 of a second off the mark of 9.69 he set at last year's Olympics in Beijing. Tyson Gay set an American record of 9.71 and was left in the dust. Another Jamaican, Asafa Powell, finished a distant third in 9.84.

Tiger's day had a very different – and unusual -- ending. For only the first in 15 times that he took a lead into the final round of a major, Woods folded. He repeatedly missed the types of mid-range putts that have become his trademark, and shot a closing 75.

Tiger's playing partners in final rounds generally are overwhelmed by his aura. Not Y.E. Yang. The 37-year-old South Korean – less than a year out of qualifying school -- was unflappable, firing a 2-under 70.

Yang finished at 8-under for a three-stroke win that ended Tiger's bid to win a major this season. So the Great One, with 14 to his credit, will have to wait until next year before renewing his run at Jack Nicklaus' career mark of 18.

MIL ROUNDUP: MIL teams went 0-for-3 during the opening weekend of the prep football season in games against visitors from the OIA.

Kamehameha-Maui came closest to registering a victory, rallying from an early two-touchdown deficit to gain a 20-20 tie with a pair of fourth-quarter TD passes by Bryson Souza. But Anuenue scored with 45 seconds left to pull out a 26-20 victory.

In Saturday's other game, Baldwin struggled to get its offense in gear for much of the game and suffered a 20-9 loss to Kailua at War Memorial Stadium. Clinton Aina scored touchdowns on 2-yard run and a 50-yard interception return for the Surfriders.

Kekaulike had no answer for Kalaheo QB Phil Tauai. The stocky 5-9, 205-pound senior hrew for a pair of touchdowns and ran for another in leading the Mustangs to a 34-7 road win over Na Ali'i.

Kekaulike is the only MIL team scheduled to play this week, visiting Kelakehe, which is coming off a 49-14 loss to Kahuku.

In other games from around the state: Jeremy Higgins threw for 397 yards and six scores, completing 26 of 30 attempts, in leading Saint Louis to a 48-35 road win over Waianae. Andrew Manley threw for 270 yards but suffered two picks for Leilehua in a 23-20 win over Radford. And Pac-Five's PJ Minaya, threw for seven scores – four of them to Darin Kamealoha, in a 48-19 win over Kaimuki.

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Thursday, August 13, 2009

Central Maui ousted from regionals

By Fred Guzman
ESPN550.com

The Central Maui Little League All-Stars had a chance to take care of matters on their own. A win in their final pool game against Northern California would have put then into the semifinals of the Western Regionals.

But Loomis-Eureka jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning and held on for a 5-3 win, improving its tournament record to 4-0, outscoring its opponents by a 26-5.

The loss took Central Maui's fate out of its hands. Now, Maui needed some serious help in the form of a decisive victory by Arizona over Nevada in order to go through.

By the fifth inning of last night's game in San Bernardino, it appeared as if Central Maui's prayers were about to be answered.

Having allowed more than three runs, Nevada lost its chance to advance courtesy of a runs-allowed tie-breaker edge over the Maui boys. But Nevada then scored five in the seventh, rallying to a 12-9 victory that put it in the semis and knocked Central Maui out of contention.

Central Maui showed a lot of grit in its final outing. Rossi Abordo pitched brilliantly after coming on in relief. Noa Apolo hit his third homer of the tourney. And Central Maui loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the six before hitting into a game-ending grounder.

SOCCER: Hawaii's Brian Ching started for the US in its World Cup qualifying match at Mexico. The Americans jumped out to a 1-0 lead nine minutes in, but ended up suffering yet another loss at Azteca Stadium on a late goal as Mexico pulled out a 2-1 victory. The US is now 0-23-1 in games played in the 7,200-foot altitude of Mexico City.

SHANE GOES DEEP: Shane Victorino did his part in welcoming legendary right-hander Pedro Martinez in his debut for the Phillies on Wednesday. Victorino tripled in the first inning and homered in the third, scored twice and drove in a pair of runs in helping the Phillies to a 12-5 road romp past the Chicago Cubs. It was Victorino's ninth homer of the season and his eighth triple, tying him for second place in that category in the National League. His 135 hits also rank sixth in the NL, which his batting average currently stands at .310.

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Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Central Maui suffers setback

By Fred Guzman
ESPN550.com

The Central Maui Little League All-Stars had a chance to clinch a spot in the semifinals of the Western Regionals.

But Loomis-Eureka of Northern California jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning and held on for a 5-3 win. The NorCal champions improved their tournament record to 4-0, outscoring its opponents by a 26-5 margin.

The loss came despite Noa Apolo's third homer of the tournament, and took Central Maui's destiny out of its hands and put the team on hold pending the result of a game of later game between Arizona and Nevada.

Central Maui needs Arizona to post a lopsided win over Nevada in order to advance in the six-team tournament.

The semifinals will be held on Friday. The championship game is set for Sunday, with the winner advancing to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Penn.

On the major-league front yesterday, Kurt Suzuki went 1-for-4 for Oakland in 3-2 loss to Baltimore, while Shane Victorino went 0-for-4 for Philadelphia in a 4-3, 12-inning victory over the Chicago Cubs.

On the soccer front, Hawaii's Brian Ching started for the US in its World Cup qualifying match at Mexico. The Americans jumped out to a 1-0 lead nine minutes in, but ended up sufferind yet another loss at Azteca Stadium. The US is now 0-23-1 in games played in the 7,200-foot altitude of Mexico City.

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Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Central Maui beats Utah, 4-0

By Fred Guzman
ESPN550.com

With Josh Nobriga tossing a four-hitter with eight strikeouts and Noa Apolo hitting a first-inning homer, the Central Maui Little League All-Stars claimed their first victory in the Western Regional tournament with a 4-0 win over Cedar City, Utah, at San Bernardino, Calif.

Central Maui needs to post another win Wednesday against Eureka of Northern California to have any chance of advancing out of pool play. You can follow the action on ESPN 550 starting at 9:30 a.m.

The top four of the six teams qualify for the semifinals that begin Friday. The championship game is Sunday, with the winner advancing to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Penn.

On the big-league front yesterday, Maui's Kurt Suzuki collected a pair of hits – including a double – while scoring twice and droving in a pair of runs, helping the Oakland Athletics to a 9-1 romp past Baltimore.

Suzuki, who has recently been swinging a hot bat, improved his season average to .283. He has 28 doubles and nine homers while scoring 52 runs and driving in 53.

Shane Victorino and the division-leading Phillies were idle yesterday before opening a key road series against the Chicago Cubs.

Victorino is batting .312 with 133 hits, 28 doubles, 75 runs and 50 RBI for the defending World Series champion Phillies, who hold a 3.5-game lead over Florida in the National League East.

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Monday, August 10, 2009

Central Maui drops second game

By Fred Guzman
ESPN550.com

The Central Maui All-Stars ran into a steamroller that goes by the name of Park View Little League.

The powerhouse team from Chula Vista, Calif., romped to a 15-2 win over Central Maui yesterday, slugging eight homers in four innings, at the Western Regional tournament in San Bernardino. Joshua Nobriga got into the longball act by homering for Central.

Park View is turning this regional into an internal home run derby, having hammered nine in a 27-1 opening rout of Cedar City, Utah. Park View has outscored foes by a combined 42-2 in just eight total innings as a result of the 10-run mercy rule.

On Friday, it was a classic case of too little, too late for Central Maui, which couldn't overcome an early 6-0 deficit and suffered a 7-4 loss to Glendale, Ariz.

Noah Apolo got Central Maui on the scoreboard with a solo homer in the fifth and Keanu Chang hit a two-run homer to spark a three-run rally in the bottom of the sixth, and final inning.

Central Maui will take an 0-2 mark into Tuesday's game against Cedar City. The first pitch is scheduled for 9:30 and you follow the action on Maui's ESPN 550. Central Maui closes out pool play of Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. against NorCal champ Eureka.

The top four teams in the six-team regional play in Friday's semifinals, winner Sunday's title game advances to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

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Thursday, August 6, 2009

Suzuki muscles up for Athletics

By Fred Guzman
ESPN550.com

During his three seasons as a member of the Oakland Athletics, Kurt Suzuki has earned a lot of respect for many areas of his game.

His patience at the plate. His consistency behind the plate. His surprising ability run the bases for a catcher. The role of slugger, however, has not been one of them. But that may be changing.

For the second night in a row, the Baldwin High grad went deep, lifting his season total to a career-best eight home runs. Suzuki is also slugging percentage of .533 over the past eight games.

On Tuesday, Suzuki hit one-out solo homer in the first inning in support of Gio Gonzalez, helping the A's to a 6-0 win over the Rangers.

Last night, he delivered one of Oakland's four homers as the last-place Athletics again beat the contending Rangers, this time by a score of 7-5.

By going 1-for-3, Suzuki upped his team-leading hit total to 108, which ranks second among all major-league catchers, and upped his average to a highly respectable .280 to go with 46 runs and 50 RBI.

Meantime, Shane Victorino had a double in four at-bats in Philadelphia's 7-0 win over Colorado.

Victorino's .317 average ranks eighth in the National League. He's also in the top ten in a variety of offensive categories. He's tied for second the NL with 131 hits, fifth with 74 runs, sixth in triples with six, ninth with 28 doubles.

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Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Central Maui All-Stars on ESPN 550

By Fred Guzman
ESPN550.com

The Central Maui Little League All-Stars take center stage in the West Regionals.

And, we're delighted to report, ESPN 550 will be airing all of Central Maui's games live from San Bernardino, Calif.

The live coverage will begin with Friday's 1 p.m. showdown against Glendale, Arizona.

That will be followed by games at 5 p.m. Sunday against Southern California, at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday against Utah and 9:30 a.m. Wednesday against Northern California.

The top four of the six teams will qualify for next Friday's semifinals with the championship game set for Sunday, Aug. 16, at 2 p.m.

At the big-league level, both of Maui's players currently in the majors had productive performances yesterday.

Kurt Suzuki hit a solo homer in the first inning, giving Gio Gonzalez all the support he needed, as Oakland blanked Texas 6-0. It was Suzuki's seventh homer of the season.

Philadelphia center fielder Shane Victorino returned to the starting lineup after missing several starts because of a bruised knee.

Victorino responded by collecting a pair of hits in four at-bats, raising his season average to .316. He also threw out a runner out at second base, but the Phillies suffered an 8-3 home loss to Colorado.

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Monday, August 3, 2009

Hawaiian regains state paddling title

By Fred Guzman
ESPN550.com

This time, Hawaiian Canoe Club left nothing to chance.

Beaten by just three points last year following a controversial disqualification, Hawaiian used a familiar formula in romping to the state paddling championship by a 60-point margin on Saturday. It was Hawaiian's eighth title in the last nine years.

Napili also got in the championship act by taking top honors in the smallest-club A Division.

Kihei Canoe Club finished second, 34 points behind Puna, in the AAA. Another Maui crew, Lae Ula Kai, also was second by a single point in AA, which was won by Keaukaha.

In the big club division, Kai 'Opua from the Big Island placed a distant second to Hawaiian with 295 points. Kailua from O'ahu was third with 293. Lanikai, which ended Hawaiian's run of seven straight titles last year, finished fourth with 273.

Hawaiian racked up points early in the youth races and maintained the lead through the open adult and masters races. Hawaiian won four races: boys 12, girls 14, girls 15 and women novice B.

In the 13 youth races, Hawaiian piled up 156 points. No other club scored more than 90 in the youth races.

It was the 11th time in the last 12 years that Hawaiian scored the most points in the youth races at the state regatta.

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