Murakami enjoys There's something special about Opening Day in baseball.
Opening Day
By Cindy Luis
cluis@starbulletinIt starts in Little League, with tee-ball players whose too-big caps slide down and cover their eyes, and whose pant legs bunch down around their ankles, just above those first pairs of soft cleats.
The caps and uniforms fit better at the college level, but there is still the same excitement surrounding Opening Day. It was like that last evening when Hawaii began its 33rd Division I baseball season, and its 20th at Murakami Stadium.
That first hot dog. That first bag of boiled peanuts. That first pitch.
Nearly half of the turnstile crowd of 2,120 (3,526 tickets issued) missed Rainbow starter Chris George's first pitch, thanks to just two ticket windows being opened and an underestimation of the interest in this year's Rainbow squad. Included in those who missed the first three pitches was retired UH coach Les Murakami, who arrived in his wheelchair with a 3-0 count on Matt Thayer, UCLA's first batter.
But Murakami, recuperating from his stroke in 2001, liked his view last night from behind home plate in the scouting box. He and wife Dot enjoyed hamburger plates and sodas as the Rainbows rallied from deficits of 3-0 and 5-4 to give second-year coach Mike Trapasso his second consecutive Opening Day victory, 11-5 over the Bruins (2-3).
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hawaii infielder Brian Finegan let the ball slip by as UCLA's Casey Janssen slid safely into second base last night.
"It's good to be here," said Murakami, who was 1,079-569-4 in 30 seasons with the Rainbows. "I plan to come to as many games as I can."
Murakami said he's feeling better as he continues his rehab. So is his successor Trapasso, who finished his first season at 16-40.
"I'm surprised how relaxed I felt coming into this game," said Trapasso. "Last year was a lot of anxiety. I know we're headed in the right direction. Regardless of what happened tonight, we know we have 55 more games. And I feel like this team will give a good effort every time.
"Opening Day always feels good, no matter what level, no matter what year. You get so amped up for it. If you could only keep that same enthusiasm for the 30th, the 40th, even the 50th game, you have a chance to have a really good season."
Trapasso said there was a new attitude for this year, from a starting lineup with five first-year players to a switch in home dugouts. After 19 seasons on the third-base side, the Rainbows were camped out in the first-base dugout "because it's cooler," said Trapasso.
Particularly impressive in their debuts were newcomers Brian Finegan, a junior shortstop, and freshman second baseman Isaac Omura. Finegan had five putouts from short, while Omura nailed a fast ball for a bases-loaded triple off the wall in center, some 370 feet out, that highlighted a four-run fifth.
"It felt good," said Omura, an all-state player at Mid-Pacific. "I think I was used to pressure situations in high school. Playing for Coach Dunn (Muramaru) was nerve-wracking. After the first at-bat, it was just another game."
"It was exciting, but the nerves were definitely running through us all," added Finegan, a transfer from Cuesta (Calif.) Junior College. "It was fun to play against somebody else. Whatever I can contribute offensively, I try to do.
"Coming from a winning program, I definitely feel like our guys want to win. They brought in some good guys, brought in a lot of winners this year. Hopefully, we can keep winning."
It was a good day for Trapasso, who finished it the same way he started: undefeated.
UH Athletics
