Sidelines
Night had long fallen. The lights were soft, the music was rich, the mood was warm. The people were happy. The Spring Challenge was over. The pizza eating contest was over. And Timmy Chang was still signing. Timmy Chang was still smiling. Timmy Chang still
signing and smilingHe was asked if his hand hurt from signing too much, if his mouth hurt from smiling too much. And he laughed warmly, which is his way. And continued to sign. And continued to smile.
And it was very apparent that June Jones had chosen the right man for the job.
"Timmy Chang is the best person for our team," affirmed senior receiver Channon Harris.
Timmy Chang (he signs his name "Timmy Chang," which is good enough for me) is still on his way to becoming the greatest quarterback he can be. He went 1-for-9 in last night's scrimmage. He wasn't always sharp this spring. He has lots of potential to live up to.
But no one took more pictures with kids than Timmy Chang. No one signed more autographs than Timmy Chang. At one point, the line for his signature (and you can measure these things accurately when they're on a football field) was 35 yards long.
Over and over and over, they came. He is the one. If there was any question, it was answered yesterday. The people love Timmy Chang.
And patiently, pleasantly, he is the right man for that job.
That's what yesterday's University of Hawaii Warrior Spring Challenge was all about. Fans.
It was a circus. It was silly. It was giddy. It was zany. It resembled something out of the "Battle of the Network Stars."
But it worked.
People laughed. People smiled. It was the kind of stuff -- silly relay races and the like -- that get the best reactions when competitors cheat or fall down. And by the time the wide receiver/defensive back "fast man's obstacle course" rolled around, the Warriors were happy to oblige at both.
All it needed was Howard Cosell. And UH special teams coach Dennis McKnight did his best.
A small boy gave 365-pound Shayne Kajioka a "Mean Joe" moment, handing him a Diet Pepsi.
There were approximately 87 small kids in Laanui Correa jerseys running around.
Coach Cav -- offensive line wizard Mike Cavanaugh -- arrived late for the tug of war between the offensive and defensive lines, never got set in his stance (he had his weight up too high), and got dumped on his head as the defense won.
Luckily, Cav rebounded to scarf down two pieces of pizza at once during the pizza-eating contest.
"I thought all that stuff was going to be kind of weak at first," Harris said. "But the coaches knew what they were talking about. It was actually all fun."
The athletic department got 2,200 people in the door. They met the players, saw a few funny games, watched the football part, stayed for the concert.
Somewhere, Timmy Chang is still signing. Still smiling.
Kalani Simpson's column runs Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays.
He can be reached at ksimpson@starbulletin.com