---

Hard to hate the
Aloha State

SO now come several news reports, including in yesterday's Jacksonville paper (motto: "Are not!"), that Troy Aikman has spilled the secret that he wouldn't mind seeing the Pro Bowl disappear, and more than a few current NFL stars might feel the same way.

"I'm not supposed to say it," Aikman said, nevertheless saying it, during a media event in the week heading up to the Super Bowl, "but nobody wants to play in the thing."

I am shocked -- shocked!

This startling revelation tells us two things:

» The former Cowboys quarterback works for Fox, not ESPN.

» The State of Hawaii should have had Aikman on its side at the negotiating table, opposite the NFL, during last year's contract talks to keep the game here.

This is just another reminder that not only did we -- Hawaii -- save this "game," but that we're propping it up.

Twenty-six straight sellouts, a public relations bonanza, a made-for-TV feel-good celebration; yes, all that surrounds the Pro Bowl is wonderful. And yes, the game itself may have outlived its usefulness. And yes, a time may be coming -- the all-star game concept doesn't really work as well in football as it does in other sports, especially with multi-million dollar contracts on the line -- when this event will be no more.

But if it was in Orlando, it would already be gone.

That's the secret, you see.

Location, location, location.

"Everybody wants to go and be (in Hawaii), but nobody wants to play," Aikman said.

I particularly enjoyed Dan Marino's recollection that as a rookie he found out that the No. 1 rule of the Pro Bowl was that Marcus Allen did not want the ball.

Yeah, most of these guys aren't real big fans of the game itself.

But they go out there anyway. Why? Hawaii.

"You just look at the players that go," Aikman said, "the roster is filled with alternate players."

OK, most of them do.

"The guys that are voted in aren't even on the field," Aikman said.

OK, some of them do.

OK, so enough of them come to keep this thing going. To keep this NFL-athon intact. To keep 50,000 fans coming, to give several thousand more stars in their eyes throughout the week.

Why?

Hawaii.

And today is another success. Today it's three and a half more hours of meaningless fun. This game shouldn't work, but it does, and Hawaii is the reason why.

Hey now. We're an all-star, too.