Brown back
in Ravens camp
Chris Brown is controlled crazy in that way all linebackers are. But he's not crazy crazy -- as in fantasizing he's going to beat out Ray Lewis for a starting spot with the Baltimore Ravens as a rookie this year.
Brown, the free agent from Kahaluu, Damien Memorial and the University of Hawaii, doesn't entertain thoughts of replacing the other starting inside linebacker, Edgerton Hartwell, either. Not yet, anyway.
"There are two spots, because we run a 3-4. But the two starters are the real deal," the 5-foot-11, 240-pound Brown said in a phone interview from Baltimore yesterday. "But the backup, Bernardo Harris, is a 10-year veteran. I respect that, but it's time for the new kid. I'm trying to win that spot to back up Ray or Ed."
Brown got his first taste of pro ball two weeks ago when the Ravens had a minicamp. The team returned to camp Monday.
"It's going good. I'm just having a hard time getting adjusted to the (six-hour) time difference," Brown said. "It's a lot different from Hawaii."
With the Warriors, none of Brown's teammates would dare tell him to do pushups during the middle of practice. But Lewis had Brown down doing 50 when Brown forgot a play.
"It doesn't matter who you are. He said, 'Hey, 54, what's that last call?' I was, 'Ah, Ray, I don't know.' He knows me as Chris, but all rookies are by their numbers on the field," Brown said. "Even (first-round draft pick) Terrell Suggs."
Brown's position coach is Mike Singletary, one of the best linebackers ever.
"He knows his stuff. For an old guy he's in great shape," Brown said. "When we do drills, he pretends he's the running back and does the drills with us. His knowledge of the game is unbelievable. He's hard on us too. He'll even put down Ray if Ray does a bad job. He won't hesitate to say, 'Ray, get your ass back there and do it again.' "
Brown has found the Ravens similar to the Warriors in one way.
"We focus a lot on the punt team. That's the pride of our special teams, like it is in Hawaii," he said. "I'm on every special team. That's a way I know I can make the team. You have to earn your way."
He returns home to Hawaii next month then goes back to Baltimore for the start of preseason camp July 27.
False alarm on renewals: It will be some time before the counting is done, and when it is UH athletic director Herman Frazier does not expect the numbers for season-ticket renewals for football to be low -- despite a media report yesterday based on incomplete information.
"Routinely there is a small percentage of shortfall," Frazier said. "We don't expect that to be a large number."
As of yesterday, UH's ticket office had processed close to 19,000 renewals. But several thousand renewals have yet to be counted, partly because the ticket office is undergoing a computer software upgrade.
"We project the final count to be somewhere in the area of 23,000," associate athletic director Tom Sadler said. "We also have not accounted for new sales that totaled 1,200 last year."
Fun-raisers: Na Koa booster club president Don Murphy said several fund-raising events are upcoming:
>> Hokulia golf event, June 1-2, on the Big Island. Golf at Mauna Kea Course ($100 golf, $50 reception) and Hokulia Course ($250 golf and reception) with coach June Jones. Contact Gareth Sakakida, 833-6628.
>> Pigskin Pigout, July 17 at Murphy's Bar & Grill. Fully-hosted buffet ($100) and auction items.
>> Kickoff Celebration, Aug. 15 at Stan Sheriff Center ($100).
Contact Murphy at 531-0422 for more information about Na Koa events.
Short yardage: The football budget is expected to be finalized tomorrow, Jones said. Jones also expects to develop plans for charter flights for the six road games soon. He said yesterday there is nothing new on his contract negotiations nor on the hiring of a defensive coordinator. ... The Sporting News 2003 College Football Yearbook is ranking several UH players among the nation's best at their positions: cornerback Kelvin Millhouse (18th), guard Uriah Moenoa (19th), defensive tackle Isaac Sopoaga (20th) and wide receiver Britton Komine (20th). ... TSN college football editor Tom Dienhart also said he considered ranking the Warriors defensive line and defensive backs among the top ten units nationally, but decided not to.