Sidelines
’Bows march slowly
in step with coachTHEY say even the longest journey begins with a single step, and UH baseball's first tentative footfall came on opening night. Coach Les sat through another ceremony, the stadium became his forever, and the Rainbows responded with a miracle win over college baseball kingpin Florida State. It had started. It was all in front of them. The outfield was filled with impossible dreams once again.
And then, reality set in.
But if opening night was a single step, the Rainbows are walking now.
Easy, let's be careful, it's just walking. We shouldn't get too excited yet. This journey hasn't gotten any shorter. But a sweep over Pac-10 power UCLA -- a sweep! -- lets us know the long road ahead could be a fun one. Again.
The gap in talent was evident against the Bruins, and the Rainbows won't overcome that with fighting spirit alone every night. They'll shuffle and stumble and fall along the way.
But Mike Trapasso has them believing (I love his phrase "psychology of winning"), as they put one step in front of the other.
He has them walking again.
>> It has been about a year since we've done this, and since we jammed it up last time (the contest, not the result), let's do it over again and get it right.
Who is Hawaii's best sportscaster?
Now, the rules: no Jim Leahey, no Don Robbs, no Les Keiter, no Larry Price. No legends! These guys are above the fray, so let's open it up a little and have some fun with this.
Pick your favorite local TV sportscaster, and why you like them best, and send your vote to ksimpson@starbulletin.com or write to me care of the Star-Bulletin.
Winner(s) will be announced in a future column suitable for framing or starting small fires.
>> For some strange reason (possibly the threat of lawsuits) my columns seem to generate a surprising number of responses from lawyers.
>> Thursday night, Tulsa at Hawaii, WAC showdown, the rematch, the season's first sellout?
>> And since so many (newspaper, television, even UH itself) insist on calling the basketball 'Bows the "Warriors" -- they are NOT the "Warriors" -- is it OK for the rest of us to refer to the official Warrior teams as Rainbows?
>> (Sound of my phone ringing.)
>> The ironic thing is I first disliked the new "rainbow" license plates because I liked the old alii "warrior" plates better -- especially the blue and pink ones.
>> Janka Gabrielova is worth the price of admission.
>> And if you don't know who that is, find out quickly.
>> Congratulations Mililani on the championship sweep in soccer. Truly a great accomplishment. In contrast, the highlight of my high school soccer career came when backup goalie Jason Kipilii stopped a penalty shot and then howled to the heavens with triumph: "We going McDonald's!"
And I'm not sure which was the bigger thrill for him.
>> Championship fencing coming to the Blaisdell? I'm there!
Kalani Simpson's column runs Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays.
He can be reached at ksimpson@starbulletin.com