Sunday, May 20, 2001
[ RAINBOW BASEBALL ]
‘Coach Les’ The cap shook as he tipped it to the crowd, and the proud soldier slowly circled the bases one last time.
safe at home
The old coach returns to
Rainbow Stadium, scoring
one last time>>FOR THE RECORD
>>NEWS SECTION: Aloha Coach Les
>>SEE ALSO: ALOHA LESBy Kalani Simpson
Star-BulletinFirst his son got out of the golf cart that carried the legend and touched first base to the haunting tune of Israel Kamakawiwoole's "Over the Rainbow." And then his daughter dramatically did the same at second. And finally, to a huge ovation, his wife waved and bowed to the crowd, standing on third.
The emotion crested.
One by one, it dawned on those in the stands. The realization hit them somewhere between first base and when he called Carl Furutani and his other assistants over for hugs:
The coach was going to touch home plate.
Symbolically, emotionally, finally.
One last time, the coach was going to touch home plate.
"Poignant," fan Tom Kennedy said. "I had a tear in my eye."
And the chicken skin swept over the stadium that Les Murakami built.
Murakami returned to Rainbow Stadium last night, returning as the coach, as the architect, wearing the old green and orange he made famous.
The coach's comeback added yet another accomplishment to his resume of triumphs: He made University of Hawaii baseball a big deal again.
It was like the old days. They kept walking up. They kept coming in. The clickity clack of turnstiles never got a rest.These were Murakami's people. They wore the old rainbow and a lighter shade of green.
Some had flecks of orange in their attire and gray in their hair.
And they hugged like they were coming home.
They were.
Because so was the coach.
"That's why we came here," said Lori Fuchigami.
The speeches were nice. The accolades deserved. The gestures appreciated.
But nothing could replace Les Murakami wearing his uniform one last time.
Then, finally, the cart inched forward, and stopped. The cane appeared. A hand reached for it. The cane touched the plate.
The coach was home.
"Touching. Nice. Awesome," said Hannah Lima-Sooto. "Chicken skin. That was awesome, because after what happened to him, out of a tragedy came something good.
"Before he full-on retire, he got to see his team."
And then, Les Murakami slowly drove off into the sunset.
His Rainbows ran onto the field. The crowd cheered.
The loudspeaker played "Centerfield."
And all was right with the world.
Honors and championships earned by coach Les Murakami in his career: For the record
TITLES
>> Western Athletic Conference Championships: 1980, 1982, 1984, 1987, 1991, 1992.
>> NCAA Regional appearances: 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993.
>> College World Series: 1980, runner-up to Arizona.
HONORS
>> WAC Coach of the Year: 1987, 1991.
>> NCAA District Coach of the Year: 1986.
>> Lefty Gomez Award: 1981.
>> Hawaii Sportsman of the Year: 1977, 1980.
BIG LEAGUE
Seventy-two Rainbows who played for Murakami have signed professional contracts. Ten played in the major leagues, and they're listed with position, team and year drafted:
Glenn Braggs outfielder Milwaukee 1983 Mike Campbell, pitcher Seattle 1985 Chuck Crim, pitcher Milwaukee 1982 Larry Gonzales, catcher California (Anaheim) 1988 Chuck Jackson, outfielder Houston 1984 Mark Johnson, pitcher Houston 1996 Scott Karl, pitcher Milwaukee 1992 Joey Meyer, first base Milwaukee 1983 Jay Spurgeon, pitcher Baltimore 1997 Bruce Walton, pitcher Oakland 1985
UH Athletics
Ka Leo O Hawaii