THE modern Olympics began in Athens 100 years ago, and as far as Honolulan Jack Sullivan is concerned, that's where they'll end. The tireless soccer promoter is heading for Athens - Georgia, that is - to see the U.S. women's soccer team which he loudly and stridently predicts will win a gold medal. Says Sullivan, "No other team, World Cup, Olympics, men's or women's has been this good." This ignores the fact that other countries traditionally have fielded teams superior to those of the United States and may well do so again. He's not worried about "soccer hooliganism" either because localite Rags Scanlan is part of the security force in effect at the games. And since the soccer venue is in Athens, rather than Atlanta, Sullivan will likely miss out on most of the transportation snafus inflicted on press and public alike. S.F. Examiner writer John Crumpacker came up with a sub-title for the Charlie Daniels song one gymnast used in her routine: "The Devil Came Down to Georgia." Added Crumpacker, "And They Made Him Head of Transportation." ...RECENTLY we gigged Punahou grad Steve Case when the giant Internet firm he founded, America Online, informed a would-be e-mail user in Hawaii that the service was good only in the United States and Canada. Tsk, tsk. This on the heels of his raising the cost of phone hook-ups for neighbor island subscribers. Now AOL has come under fire again, this time for not allowing postings in languages other than English among newsgroup users, many of whom are soccer fans wishing to chat about the Olympics in their native language. After a threatened boycott, AOL reversed itself and is now allowing non-English postings. Question: Didn't Case learn anything growing up in Hawaii? ...
THAT was quite a dinner gathering hosted by former Colony Surf (and Michel's) G.M. Hans Strasser and wife at Hoku's in the Kahala Mandarin the other night. In the gathering were Richard Hartman, president of ITT Sheraton for North America and his wife; Adm. R.J. Zlatoper, Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet and his wife; and Hertz "Superstar" Billy Williams with wife Ramona ... Its grand opening at the Blaisdell Concert Hall isn't until Sept. 12, but already tickets for "Les Miserables" are in such demand that it's been extended through Sept. 28...
FOR about as long as I can remember there's been a move afoot to talk the U.S. Postal Service into coming out with a stamp to honor Duke Kahanamoku, and what better time to resurrect it than during the Olympics where Duke reigned supreme? Carol Sword heads up the latest move and is holding a rally Sunday morning in front of the Duke statue in Waikiki. If they do come out with such a stamp, it should be self-adhesive - no one could lick the Duke ...
