THERE are afternoons during the scenic drive from Kaaawa when I still find myself reaching for the radio dial. Curran move takes
spice out of driveIt didn't take me long to discover my limited range in music was no match for the 90 minutes I spend each day going to and fro from home. During the fourth or fifth year of my commute, I often woke up in the newspaper parking lot with drool on my chin, singing, "He was born in the summer of his 27th year."
You can see how desperate I had become and why I was in need of some other form of entertainment to get me over the Kahekili and through the Pali Tunnel without driving off the ledge.
Enter the Bobby Curran radio talk show.
Never had I listened to anyone I disagreed with more, which is probably why these shows survive over the long run. Sure, you've got your regulars, whose job it is to agree with the point of view of the host. But it's the ones who can't believe what they're hearing, who are the true lifeblood of talk-radio. I often found myself laughing out loud at some of the points of view from Curran's listeners.
"Not only is Anthony Carter a sure first-round pick in the NBA Draft, he may be a lottery selection. He's that good."
"It's not going to be too long before a team like Auburn or South Carolina pays Paul Johnson a visit. The former offensive coordinator for Hawaii is that good."
AND of course, there's the old Les Murakami theme. Callers recently proclaimed the old Rainbows were back. Curran was on the rooftop calling for the critics of Murakami.
"If you're going to rip him when things aren't going well, then you should praise him when things are better. Not only is Hawaii a sure thing to make the WAC Tournament, they may compete for the championship as well. Hawaii is that good."
About a month ago, Curran moved his show to the morning, making my afternoon drives to Honolulu much longer ones. Why he wanted to go head-to-head with powerful Perry and Price is beyond me. But hey. What do I know about radio?
Despite my rarely agreeing with anything he said, there's little question Curran carved out a niche for himself in the afternoons. He was able to break a little UH news, talk to the coaches about the upcoming practices and keep local sports fans up to date with what was happening on the continent.
SURE, I'm being a little selfish. Curran's new time slot precludes me from ever hearing him again. My idea of an early wake-up call is around noon.
But what am I to do? I miss listening to former radio analyst Rich Miano and his piercing comments about the UH defense. Won't it be curious to see how Miano the Coach differs from Miano the Announcer?
By the way, I heard Don Lindsey is going to call Curran every Monday morning next fall to second-guess Miano. The former UH coordinator will have his satellite dish in place to catch the Rainbow games. "No matter where I am. No matter what time it is, you tell Bobby Curran to expect a call from me."
Now, that's talk-radio. Maybe I can convince Curran to run the rebroadcast in the afternoon. I'm not sure what's on these days, although I did have a case of deja vu when I heard Karl Kawachi's voice during a recent afternoon program. But it was just a tease.
Instead of hearing an historical perspective of UH sports _ the guy ought to teach a class _ he was talking about some insurance policy. "Yikes," I said, as I pushed in a CD left by my daughters. Without Curran, even the Spice Girls were a better alternative.
Paul Arnett has been covering sports
for the Star-Bulletin since 1990.