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Sidelines Kalani Simpson |
Football fever runs
high at first practiceEDITOR'S NOTE: Mr. Simpson was found stumbling incoherently through the streets of Moiliili yesterday, in a scene much like the infamous Martin Lawrence "exhaustion" episode. We expect him to recover fully in time for his next column, but until then he will be under heavy sedation, receiving lots of fluids. The following was pieced together from the raving reported by attending emergency personnel, and scribbling found in a notebook he clutched to his chest with what he repeatedly referred to as his "kung fu grip."
FIRST day of college football practice. Best day of the year. Football starts again. Field. Green. Beautiful. Wonderful.
Football. Starting. Again.
Timmy Chang: "It was just a rough day today."
Guys stretching. Helmets strapped. The first day of football. Ohhh, yeah!
Chad Kalilimoku. Enormous. Leopard-skin hairdo. Inspired.
Idea -- new UH media relations campaign:
"How do you spell Sopoaga? N-A-G-U-R-S-K-I."
Bronko Nagurski.
Tom Harmon.
Red Grange.
Jim Thorpe.
Football. College football.
Very first day.
June Jones: "Offensively we're going to try to have everything in probably by the first week, that we're going to have. Their heads will be swimming for another week after that."
Kevin Jackson. Much bigger. Forget lifting weights. Looks like he's been eating weights.
"I just ate a lot. Worked out every day. Hit it real hard. Really dedicated."
Still first in the running drills.
"It's hard to put on weight, but I was just taking advice from some of the bigger guys around here, especially a lot of the local guys, you know. Huge, big plate lunches. Whatever I could get my hands on."
Poi?
"Little bit. Little bit of poi. But lotta lotta rice. Any kind of meat I could get my hands on. Anything fish, and pork. And I love the kalua pig."
Kalua pig.
Football. Starting. Again.
Hyrum Peters: "It was great!"
Four TV camera crews. Fans on the hill.
Travis LaBoy. With the first-team defense. Travis LaBoy. Sitting out conditioning drills.
Tony Akpan. Under jersey, a Rainbow Classic shirt.
A.J. Martinez: "I heard that Coach Jones was a pretty chill guy, just kick back, so it was pretty much what I expected."
Football. First day.
Lenny Boatner's mom. Slow, syrupy Mississippi drawl: "This is so awesome!"
Hyrum Peters. Lance Samuseva. Lono Manners. Running barefoot at the end.
Timmy: "Just a great day coming out to the field and dressing up."
Hyrum: "I'm happy it's over. Tomorrow will be a better day."
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Kalani Simpson can be reached at ksimpson@starbulletin.com
