No one will ever out-hit a football team of players from Hawaii.

Regardless of the final score, that simple fact will be reinforced tonight when the state's best high school players, augmented by others with Hawaii ties, takes on an all-star team of elite talent from the mainland.

As Manti Te'o says, “;I think people know we enjoy the contact part of the sport.”;

Both squads pass the eyeball test (it looked like a Division I college practice). And this is likely the best collection of local prep talent ever assembled.

The team from the continent has the speed edge, for sure. But the Hawaii/Polynesia-Mainland Bowl is much more than a Kawika and Goliath story. It's a big opportunity for exposure for some great local talent.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann helped put this event together. I like his attitude during a radio interview yesterday.

“;No sked 'em, go get 'em,”; said hizzoner.

» Oscar De La Hoya should have retired from boxing a long time ago. He could've become a movie star or U.S. congressman—or both—by now.

The list of great fighters who go out before losing their skills to the point of embarrassment is short, even when they have great post-boxing opportunities.

» Pro Bowl rosters will be announced next week.

Too bad the game probably won't be here when Samson Satele makes it in 2010.

» Frank Shorter's affinity for Hawaii goes beyond his fondness for the Honolulu Marathon.

Shorter, the 1972 Olympic gold medalist who was inducted into the marathon's Hall of Fame yesterday, also started coming here because of relatives residing here, including aunt and uncle Doris and Jim Stackhouse.

» Hawaii football fans should've saved that overrated chant since it might come in handy for Notre Dame in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl.

Yeah, the Fighting Irish are great for the gate and ratings and all that, but they're also the most overhyped sports team of at least the past decade. If they beat UH on Christmas Eve it will be ND's fifth winning season in the last 10.

» Jake Ingram = at least 10 years in NFL.

Long snappers this skilled are extremely rare, and Trusted Scout tells me he'll be drafted.

UH pro liaison Rich Miano says he's in the Senior Bowl.

» Local track official Dick Sutton saw Bryan Clay win the decathlon in Beijing.

He also heard him thank the people in Hawaii who got him started. This was during his acceptance speech for the Jesse Owens award at the USATF national convention in Reno, Nev., last weekend.

» I've been a Sam Bradford fan for two years, but how can you deny Tim Tebow a second Heisman after what he did to then No. 1 and unbeaten Alabama in the SEC championship last week?

That, my friends, is what you call a signature moment.

» I voted for Texas Tech's Mike Leach for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year award. Tell me why you think I'm wrong.