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Sports Watch

By Bill Kwon

Saturday, October 28, 2000

Agbayani story
worth repeating

OH, well. The New York Yankees spoiled the Benny Agbayani Story. It would have been great -- and Hawaii's sports story of the year 2000 -- if Benny had been the World Series hero for the New York Mets. But it was not to be.

Still, when you think about it, the 50th State has had much to brag about in this, the first year of the 21st century.

The rags-to-riches story of Agbayani's season is still a compelling one, even if the Mets didn't win the Series.

Benny's story has already been well-chronicled. But, it's still worth recalling, once more with feeling.

His RBI double off Orlando Hernandez gave the Mets their only victory in the World Series. He made front-page news with a photo in all of the Big Apple newspapers, including the staid New York Times. I mean, if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.

He hit a dramatic game-winning home run in the 13th inning in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series against the San Francisco Giants.

As an added player on the roster because the game was in Japan, Agbayani hit a pinch-hit grand slam home run in the 11th inning to give the Mets a split of their season-opening doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo.

Not bad for someone whom the Mets had said would be sent down to their Triple-A farm club in Norfolk, Va., once they returned to the states.

An injury to a Met teammate gave Agbayani a two-week reprieve on the roster. And Benny stayed and played on.

To the point where he helped the Mets win the NL pennant and had a 13-game hitting streak in postseason play.

And where, when Bobby Valentine was asked if he was going to sit Agbayani out against "El Duque," who's death on right-handed batters, the Mets' manager was baffled by the question.

"I never considered him not playing. We're here because of him," Valentine said.

Agbayani wasn't the only one from Hawaii who made headlines this season.

AT the same time when Benny was the toast of New York City in the postseason playoffs, Angela Perez Baraquio became the first Asian-American to be named Miss America.

Making it a Filipino trifecta, Olympic boxer Brian Viloria also captured our fancy.

What else?

Well, there's Leslie Lam, who was named Mrs. America.

Yokozuna Akebono (Chad Rowan), now even more of a dominant force in sumo.

University of Hawaii's Wahine volleyball team continues to be unbeaten. And likely to remain so until it's time for the regionals.

Undefeated prep powerhouse St. Louis High can brag about having three former star quarterbacks now starting for Division I football teams: Jason Gesser (Washington State), Darnell Arceneaux (Utah) and Timmy Chang (Hawaii).

Perhaps the nation's best lineman on the nation's No. 1 football team hails from Hawaii -- Nebraska center Dominic Raiola.

And, less we forget, Playboy's December Playmate of the Month -- Cara Michelle -- is from Molokai. So I'm told.

The only downer locally in the year 2000 is the reversal of fortune that's plaguing coach June Jones and his Hawaii football team.

What a difference a year makes. In 1999, they were Hawaii's No. 1 sports story of the year, the talk of the town and the country. They were incredible.

Now, they're just trying to salvage what's left of an already disappointing season.

Now, they're just trying to be credible.

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Bill Kwon has been writing about
sports for the Star-Bulletin since 1959.