MAYBE it's because his wife, Thea, had just returned from a vacation in Vietnam, which, by the way, isn't one of my top 10 places to visit. UH fans: Just grit
your teeth and move onBut University of Hawaii coach Fred vonAppen apparently had that Southeast Asian country in mind when he came up with the quote of the week, as far as I'm concerned.
Asked about Saturday's trip to Colorado State, vonAppen replied, "We're venturing forth by Vietnam Thursday to Fort Collins. It's a long trip and a daunting task."
Considering that the Rainbows are 30-point underdogs, I wish they could take a slow boat to China instead.
Shut out, 24-0, by the Air Force in their last outing, the Rams figure to be steaming and ready to vent their spleens on the football 'Bows. So don't look for Hawaii to end its WAC losing streak on the road -- now at 17 and counting -- this week.
It's bad enough that the Rainbows are down to their third-string quarterback. They have to face a CSU team that's hopping mad at being blanked for the first time in 14 years.
"We were puzzled why Colorado State didn't get into the end zone," vonAppen said, when asked about the Rams' stunning loss to Air Force. "We saw Colorado State make a ton of big plays offensively but falter when they got to the short grass."
VONAPPEN termed the Rams' defeat an "anomaly." But, then, he always had a way with 50-cent words.
"It's like one of those test questions that a professor will allow you to throw out," he said. You know, a freebie, even if you get it wrong.
Whatever, vonAppen added, "It makes it grim for the next one on their schedule, which is us."
So it's grim-and-bear-it time for the Rainbows.
Surprisingly, the team's spirit is pretty good, vonAppen said. And Rainbow football fans should remain upbeat, too, no matter how badly the 'Bows get beaten Saturday.
Even though vonAppen is tired of hearing about the Rainbows' WAC losing streak, he realizes that until they do something about it people will continually bring it up.
"I think the law of averages will prevail," vonAppen said. "Sooner or later we're going to win on the road. When we play well enough, we will."
Don't count on the law of averages this week, though. At best, if the defense plays inspired football, the 'Bows might keep it close, maybe even beat the point spread.
But win? No way.
IN football, there are must-win games and can't-win games.
The game against UNLV was a must-win game, so the loss was disappointing. But this week's encounter against Colorado State falls in the can't-win category. So no one should feel it's the end of the world. I don't.
The way I figure it, the Rainbows have three can't-win games on this year's schedule -- Colorado State, BYU and Notre Dame. Air Force and San Diego State come close, but since both games are at Aloha Stadium, the 'Bows have a shot. A slim one, but still a shot.
Minnesota was beatable because the game was here and the opener for both teams. And the Rainbows proved it to be so. Cal State Northridge fell in the must-win category and the 'Bows were right on the money in that one, too. Nobody thought Wyoming was a can't-win game except the Cowboys.
After Colorado State, the 'Bows return home for a game the following Saturday against Fresno State, a team in the beatable category.
So a defeat at Fort Collins isn't something UH fans should dwell on or stew about.
Just move on to the next game.