Michelle Wie wins; Waipio All-Stars lose

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

 

It was a bittersweet day for Hawaii's sports fans.

 

The bitter was the result of the Waipio All-Stars falling short in their bid to win the Little League World Series, suffering a 4-1 loss to a slick-fielding team from Japan in Sunday's championship game at Williamsport, Pa. 

 

Waipio became the darlings of Hawaii, as well as the rest of the nation, by repeatedly surviving elimination with a series of dramatic comeback victories. 

 

But the boys from Waipahu ran out of miracles against Japan, managing just four singles in the title game, bringing to an end a five-year title reign by American teams – including two  of them from the Aloha State.

 

The sweet came in the form of a second career LPGA tour victory for 20-year-old Michelle Wie, who captured the Canadian Open in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

 

Wie capped a wire-to-wire win by firing a 2-under 70 in the closing round for a three-shot victory to earn a paycheck of $337,500.  Wie opened the tournament with a 65 and followed that up with rounds of 69, 72 and 70 to finish with a 12-under 276.

 

Wie's first career win came in November at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Mexico during her rookie season.  Wie will next play in the Arkansas Championship, which begins Sept. 10, before heading back to school at Stanford.

 

BASEBALL: Shane Victorino went 0-for-4 on Sunday, but his Phillies posted a 5-0 win over NL West-leading San Diego as Cole Hamels allowed four hits and no walks over eight innings.  On Saturday, Victorino accounted for two of Philly's three hits, including a go-ahead triple, and threw a runner out at the plate in a 3-1 win over the Padres.  By sweeping the series, Philly is two games back of Atlanta in the NL East and holds a 1.5-game edge over San Francisco in the wild-card race.

 

Fans will have to wait until 2012 before they can again watch rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg.  The hard-throwing right-hander will have to undergo tendon replacement surgery on his throwing elbow. …  The Chicago White Sox will add Manny Ramirez to their roster today after claiming veteran slugger on waivers from the LA Dodgers.

 

UH FOOTBALL:  The University of Hawaii kicks off its football campaign on Thursday, hosting 14^th-ranked Southern California in a game that will be televised nationally on ESPN.  UH suffered a setback on its unsettled offensive line when projected starting center Brett Leonard was ruled out of the opener because of a knee injury.

Waipio stays alive with unlikely comeback

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

 

Talk about making the most out of a little.  The Waipio All-Stars were limited to just one hit yesterday, but still managed to rally for a 6-4 victory over Hamilton, Ohio, in an elimination game in the Little League World Series.

 

Waipio appeared done, trailing 4-0 going into the bottom of the fourth inning as a kid by the name of Brooks Robinson delivered a two-run double at the plate and held Hawaii hitless on the mound while striking out five.

 

But that's when Waipio staged the unlikeliest of comebacks.

 

Waipio capitalized on seven walks, three hit batsmen and its only hit – a three-run homer by Matthew Campos – for the win.  Five of those runs came with two outs in the fourth.

 

In a word:  Unbelievable.

 

But there's more.  Ezra Heleski, who hasn't taken the mound since Hawaii's state tournament, was the winning pitcher, entering in the fourth and shutting down Hamilton. He gave up one hit and struck out five batters.

 

That sets the stage for yet another elimination at Williamsport, Pa., involving the kids from Waipio, who will face Columbus, Ga., today at 1 p.m., Hawaii time. Waipio needs two straight wins in order to advance to Saturday's U.S. final.  And yet another win to reach the championship gme on Sunday.

 

But, hey, as Waipio proved yesterday, miracles can and do happen.

 

MIL FOOTBALL: A busy week of prep football on the Valley Isle:  Tonight, Baldwin plays host to Southern California powerhouse San Clemente at War Memorial Stadium.  On Friday, Maui High and Kamehameha tangle at War Memorial.  On Saturday, Lahainaluna visits King Kekaulike.  All three games are set for 7 p.m. kick offs and will be aired on ESPN 550.

 

UH FOOTBALL:  Brett Leonard appeared to have won the only remaining starting job on the University of Hawaii's offensive line.  That's before he suffered a sprained left knee during practice yesterday.An MRI indicated no significant damage, although Leonard will likely have to miss several practices and his status for next Thursday's season-opening against Southern California has to be in doubt.  If Leonard can't play in the opener, the spot will be filled by senior Bronson Tiwakak.   London Sapolu, who transferred from a junior college in January, and Chauncy Winchester-Makainai, a freshman, also will take some practice snaps at center.

What's next for UH athletics?

 

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

 

The Western Athletic Conference is on the verge of collapse following the recent defections of Fresno State and Nevada to the Mountain West Conference.  And there's a strong likelihood that Utah State will end up there, as well.

 

That has forced University of Hawaii administrators to seriously consider and pursue the option of becoming an independent in football and joining another conference for its 18 other athletic programs.  Under this scenario, UH could join forces with either the Big West or the West Coast Conference.

 

The Big West is comprised of nine schools, all based in California, and all but one of them, Pacific, are public institutions.  Its other members are Cal Poly, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge, Long Beach State, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Riverside and UC Santa Barbara.

 

Rainbow Wahine teams played in the Big West and its predecessor, the Pacific Coast Athletic Association, until joining the WAC in 1996.  The UH men's volleyball team currently competes with several of those schools under the banner of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

 

The WCC is made up of eight smaller church-affiliated schools.  It's members included Gonzaga, Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine, Portland, Saint Mary's, San Diego, San Francisco and Santa Clara.

 

Based on demographics and history, the most likely destination for UH would seem to be the Big West.

 

Meantime, WAC commissioner Karl Benson continues to act as if he actually has some leverage instead of being the skipper of a sinking ship.

 

Benson is publicly insisting that departing members Fresno State and Nevada are each accountable for a $5 million early exit fee.  And he's also demanding that the two schools must play in the WAC for another two seasons.  These are, of course, empty threats.  Fresno State and Nevada have both made it clear that they intend to leave the WAC, along with Boise State, following this academic year. 

 

If Utah State also leaves for the Mountain West, as is widely rumored, and Hawaii opts for independence in football and joins another league for other sports, Karl Benson's kingdom will have been reduced to nearly nothing.  Only four schools would remain under the WAC banner – Idaho, San Jose State, New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech.

 

Benson is merely angling for some sort of negotiated settlement while insisting that, at this point, "there have been no discussions" about an early departure by the defecting schools.  Hello, Karl Benson.  No discussions are needed.  Actions, in this case,  clearly speak louder than words.

Hawaii weighs options as WAC withers

By Fred Guzman

ESPN550.com

 

What now?  That's the question facing the WAC in the wake of defections that have left the league on the verge of collapse.

 

And for all of the strong comments and financial threats directed by commissioner Kent Benson at Fresno State and Nevada, those two schools are history. Boise State, had earlier announced its intention of bolting to the Mountain West.

 

As Benson, himself, put it: "In a 12-hour period, the WAC went from having a secure and prosperous future to once again not knowing what the future will bring." 

 

A week ago, the remaining WACschools pledged solidarity after receiving assurances that BYU would join the league in all sports except football.  Although BYU would become independent in football, the Cougars planned on playing Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah State on a regular basis.

 

The agreement included a $5 million exit fee for any school leaving within five years. That deal unraveled and the WAC was reduced to just six teams.  Also in question is the scheduling agreement with BYU, which could seek to strike a similar deal with the West Coast Conference or opt to remain in the Mountain West.

 

So the WAC must now land at least a couple of teams.  Among the candidates are the likes of Montana, UC Davis, Sacramento State, Cal Poly, Texas-San Antonio and Texas State.   The problem is that none of those schools can truly replace the three departing programs.

 

Here in Hawaii, there is a lot of hand-wringing and words of recrimination aimed at the defecting schools. 

 

But let's be real:  If the Mountain West had made UH the some offer it extended to Fresno State and Nevada, wouldn't you have considered it in Hawaii's best interest to accept?

 

Isn't the WAC being disingenuous in whining about losing two members when it worked for six weeks on a plan that would facilitate BYU's exit from the Mountain West?. 

 

Didn't the WAC also consider poaching UNLV and San Diego State?

 

And isn't Hawaii currently weighing its own options, including staying in the WAC, trying to get into a different conference and going independent, at least in football?

 

The remaining six schools are no longer bound to the agreement since Fresno State and Nevada left. They are free to leave, as well, without penalty -- although you suspect the main reason they are trying to stick together is so they can  receive the $10 million combined buyout.

 

Which only goes to show that there is no honor among thieves … or college presidents when it comes to big-time sports.  The only school to show any honor in this mess is Utah State, which was the first school approached by the Mountain West but decided to honor its solidarity pact with the WAC.