THIS and that to chew on over lunch: This time, NBA owners
in driver’s seatSo the NBA has canceled the first two weeks of the season. Does anybody really care?
I mean, Michael Jordan is retiring, Charles Barkley is a respected elder statesman now and Dennis Rodman doesn't surprise anyone anymore.
No games?
No problem for the owners. Their television money will come in from NBC and Time-Warner this year. They'll get paid whether games are played or not.
Of course, they'll have to give the networks free games or a bundle of cash over the next several years as a payback when the league starts up again, but hey, what's a few billion among billionaires, right?
Besides, for a guy like Ted Turner, who is a major stockholder in Time-Warner and also owns the Atlanta Hawks, it's all bookkeeping anyway.
The owners have the bargaining chip they need this time.
If only they were so smart when they started handing out huge contracts to guys like Juwan Howard and Shawn Bradley in the first place.
As for the players, how long do you suppose most of them can hold on to their free-spending lifestyles when the checks stop coming?
This league has been heading for a shakedown the last five years. It looks as though that will finally happen.
Don't be surprised if the season is canceled entirely.
This is going to be a great weekend for sports fans. Outside of the week of Thanksgiving, when it seems as though everything is happening at warp speed, this might be the best weekend of the year.
Where do we start?
How about prep football. Iolani running back Joe Igber goes after the state record for touchdowns in a career. He needs two to break the record of 45, held by St. Louis School alum George Ornellas. By coincidence, Igber goes for the record Friday night against the Crusaders.
Also Friday night are seven homecoming games in the Oahu Interscholastic Association, with another Saturday night.
Some great rivalry games there: Waipahu at Campbell in the Cane Knife Game; Pearl City at Aiea; Farrington vs. McKinley.
Now that's fun.
Moving on (and this is just a partial listing), there's the JN Automotive Hydrofest at Pearl Harbor, the UH men's and women's basketball Midnight Ohana at the Stan Sheriff Center, Wahine soccer matches against San Diego State and Nevada-Las Vegas, rugby scrums at Kapiolani Park, the Rainbow football team plays Brigham Young and, best of all, the World Series starts Saturday.
Speaking of the UH football team, here's hoping its ailing kicking game recovers.
Not since junior high have I seen a team struggle so much kicking the ball and covering its kicks.
I probably couldn't coach kids to handle those tasks properly, but quite frankly, I don't understand why the Rainbows can't kick or cover.
I watched McKinley play Leilehua last Saturday night. Neither school has a multimillion-dollar football budget or players on full scholarship, and yet the Tigers and Mules were a combined 8-for-8 on PATs in the game.
Further, in the two OIA games that night, kickers were 10-for-11 on PATs and Mililani's Kyle Fukuchi kicked a 34-yard field goal to boot. No pun intended.
Why then have the Rainbows only been able to convert the kick on two of their five touchdowns this year?
I say this only half-jokingly: Jessica Kisor of Kalaheo High converted 17 of 19 PATs last season. She currently is playing volleyball at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore.
Can she transfer?
