FRED vonAppen was about to hit the practice field yesterday afternoon when he noticed out of the corner of his eye a KHON-TV (Channel 2) camera crew rapidly approaching him like a "60 Minutes" ambush. A distraction
vonAppen doesn’t needHe was about to be asked his opinion of a poll conducted by the television station and a local newspaper that concluded more than half the 504 people polled thought vonAppen should be given more time as head coach.
First of all, vonAppen has been aware since early in the week that the poll was being conducted. He believed the station should have contacted him first, set up an appointment, and allow him to review the results before making a comment one way or the other.
"I've never hidden from anybody, so I didn't appreciate the Mike Wallace routine," vonAppen said after yesterday's practice. "I really don't have time for this kind of stuff or understand why a poll is even being conducted.
"The reporter asking me the questions is a guy who said on his show a couple of weeks ago that I should be fired, and I'm going to answer questions from him about some poll they dreamed up? He was probably disappointed with the results."
VONAPPEN did respond, giving a tight-lipped performance that reflected how he felt inside. Later in practice, the residual effects of the interview were felt by a local photographer, who was shooting pictures of vonAppen for the poll run in this morning's paper. VonAppen felt a file photo would do.
"I don't need this kind of attention or should be subjected to this as a coach," vonAppen said. "I'm trying to get an 0-9 team prepared to do something we haven't done since I've been here, and that's win on the road.
"I don't want my players standing on the sidelines talking about a poll when they need to be concentrating on getting better as a football team. It's a distraction we don't need."
If that wasn't bad enough, vonAppen didn't get a vote of confidence from athletic director Hugh Yoshida or school president Ken Mortimer in a "Fresno Bee" story run Thursday. Both said they would have to wait until the end of the season and talk it over before reaching a decision.
In 1997, Mortimer said he wanted to sign vonAppen to a three-year contract extension so there wouldn't be a crisis created every time a coach struggled.
Granted, a possible 0-12 season is cause for concern, but to even hint that a coaching change might be in order goes against the reason you extended vonAppen's contract in the first place.
Former UH head coach Bob Wagner also was quoted in the Fresno Bee story and he put it right: As long as the university continues to take the same approach toward football as it has in recent years, it won't matter who is the coach.
"I'm all for sitting down and reviewing the season with those in charge," vonAppen said. "I have plenty of things to say about changes that need to take place in order for us to be a successful Division I program.
"But to have to be continually subjected to whether I will be back here next year is a detriment to our players. They came here believing we would be the coaches. This uncertainty is similar to what we were going through last year."
WHAT Mortimer and Yoshida need to do is make a decision and stick to it. Either come out and say vonAppen is the man or cut him loose and be prepared to start from scratch.
This waffling goes to the very heart of true leadership and is the main reason for all the speculation. There wouldn't be a poll asking whether vonAppen should remain as head coach if the contract signed only a year ago was honored by school officials.
Instead, the poll might ask, "Do you think Hugh Yoshida or Ken Mortimer should be given more time after rolling over vonAppen's contract?"
Now, that's a poll worth conducting.
Paul Arnett has been covering sports
for the Star-Bulletin since 1990.