Full-Court Press
THERE hasn't been much to talk about the last five years and you can't help but wonder if it's too late now. It’s time for
Murakami to deliverDespite Hawaii having a good opportunity to secure its first postseason baseball appearance since 1993, the buzz at Rainbow Stadium is only ho-hum.
Tonight's series opener with New Mexico is as pressure-packed as any this last half-decade. A sweep of the Lobos could ultimately lead the Rainbows to the NCAA tournament.
Hawaii hasn't had a good look at the College World Series since losing to eventual national champion Pepperdine in a 1992 West Regional final.
Reputation carried the Rainbows to the 1993 Central Regional at Texas A&M, but that's where one regal era ends and a sad saga begins. The hardest chapters in the life of veteran UH head baseball coach Les Murakami have occurred over the past several seasons.
From 1994 to 1998, Hawaii was a dead-average 143-134 overall and a disappointing 58-85 in league play. Hawaii has had some early season success against solid Pac-10 competition, but the Rainbows have faded more times down the stretch than the favorite at the Kentucky Derby.
This lackluster run has led to a steady decline in interest from the casual fans, who fill in the empty seats quite nicely when things are going well.
Even the most loyal Murakami supporters have dwindled. There are a variety of reasons for their departure. Age is certainly one of them, which makes it imperative for Hawaii to revitalize its fan base with younger faces eager to see entertaining play.
IT must be unsettling for Murakami to look at the thinning crowds and wonder where everyone has gone. In 1993, an Easter Tournament game with Wichita State set the Rainbow Stadium attendance mark at 4,312. A whopping 5,320 tickets were distributed.
This year's series with top-ranked Wichita State drew well by recent comparison. But the top crowd of 2,741 reflects the loss of interest in this once proud program.
UH administrators can whip out a list of reasons for this recent demise, but one stands tall above the rest -- winning. Hawaii hasn't done nearly enough of it lately.
This has not only hurt the program's standing locally, but on the conference front as well. Hawaii hasn't been bowl-bound that often in football since joining the WAC in 1979, or made numerous NCAA appearances in men's basketball.
But one thing that was as certain as Manoa mist: Hawaii qualified for the regionals in baseball. The Rainbows even made it to the College World Series nearly 20 years ago.
Unfortunately for Hawaii, the Rice Owls are now Mr. Reliable in WAC baseball, leaving the Rainbows in a difficult spot. Granted, college baseball isn't as big a bread winner as football or men's basketball. But in these tough gender-equity times, baseball can't afford to dip too deep or too often into the well of red ink.
THE fact Hawaii is still fighting to make the WAC Tournament speaks volumes of how far the mighty have fallen. The Rainbows probably need to take two to secure one of the slots in the league event. Turn that double play and the possibility of a regional appearance takes flight.
If the Rainbows stumble, however, then hard questions need to be asked of Murakami. It's up to him to get the program moving back to where it once was. Maybe that begins tonight, maybe not. But if it doesn't, perhaps it's time for Murakami to write the final chapter of his days at UH.
Paul Arnett has been covering sports
for the Star-Bulletin since 1990.