Sports Watch
WHERE has the aloha spirit gone? I'm not just talking about the senseless murder of seven innocent souls that makes sports so trivial a pursuit this week. Hooliganism has
no place at Rainbow
football gamesI'm also talking about a few senseless jerks who embarrassed the 50th State with their loutish behavior at the Hawaii-Texas Christian football game last Saturday at Aloha Stadium.
It's nice that the crowd has really gotten into the game this season to help the Rainbows as a "12th Man."
On one particular play in the second quarter, the fans yelled so loudly that TCU got called for a delay-of-game penalty and was forced to punt.
That's what coach June Jones envisioned when he asked fans to get involved.
Sadly, some beered-up hooligans are spoiling it all. They heaped abuse on the TCU players and pep squad.
"The behavior of some of the fans sitting by me was just embarrassing," said Howard Hamada, a UH fan at the game.
"It was like a jungle out there," said TCU running back Andrew Hayes-Stoker. What an image of Hawaii he's taking back with him.
It's all right to yell and stomp as loud as you can. But one has to draw the line at hurling insults and using foul language.
Worse, one crude joker even dumped his beer into a cheerleader's purse. Obviously he had too much to drink, wasting a brewski like that.
THEN there was this fan who jeered quarterback Dan Robinson as he was heading back to the locker room after the game.
He repeatedly screamed the "F" word at the other Rainbows, who were telling him to cool it.
It got so bad that a couple of players nearly climbed into the stands after the guy. The nearest stadium usher stood by helplessly, not that she could have done anything about it.
Fortunately, another spectator came over and grabbed the guy. They had a wrestle hold on each other until the police finally broke it up. The guy just walked away as the police questioned the good Samaritan.
The bad thing about it all was that it seemed like it was forever before the cops came. Here was a guy who clearly disturbed the peace and got away with it.
If I were the UH officials, I would have been worried sick that some of the players almost went after the irate spectator, even if it was justified.
Who can forget the ugly scene in 1996, when two UH players went into the stands after a heckler. It was a black eye for the football program.
What's scary is that it nearly occurred again.
ALOHA Stadium manager Eddie Hayashi said that he was aware of what happened and that stadium officials will meet with their security people and police to address the problem of crowd behavior, which is becoming more abusive.
Beefing up security by the visitors' bench would be one way to deter unruly behavior.
But you'd think these rowdies would know better and be more responsible for their actions rather than having to be told to behave.
Fortunately, stadium officials have a week to work on improving the situation because the Rainbows are at San Jose State this Saturday.
They're all must-win games now for the football 'Bows, if they want to keep their bowl hopes alive.
But it'll be a struggle because the 'Bows don't seem to know the way to win at San Jose. They haven't won there since 1958.
Why, I was almost a kid back then.