UNHAPPY PROS

They'll be sorry they left Hawaii

With this year's Pro Bowl preceding instead of following the Super Bowl, members of the teams vying for the NFL championship will not risk injury. As for players for the also-rans, they may not be motivated to make the trip to the Jan. 31 all-star game hosted by Miami. First to opt out: Miami Dolphins tackle Jake Long and Chicago Bear linebacker Lance Briggs. “;With making the Pro Bowl no longer including a free trip to Hawaii,”; notes Profootballtalk.com editor Mike Florio, “;look for more players to start limping as the month unfolds.”;

NEED DIRECTIONS?

How to hurt your political ratings

With his public approval ratings already quite low, President Barack Obama would do himself a favor if he did not spoil the evening of Feb. 2 for fans of the popular “;Lost”; by having his State of the Union speech on the same night as the show's final-season premiere. Fans of the series, which is filmed in Hawaii, have been making their case, but the White House has not said yet whether it will accede to their wishes.

PACIFIC TRAVELS

Welcome back, Madame Presi ... er, Madame Secretary

No doubt she'd rather be hearing “;Aloha, Madame President”; than “;Aloha, Madame Secretary.”;

Still, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has garnered plenty of prestige representing U.S. interests—and she'll be in Hawaii tomorrow, part of a whirlwind tour of this part of the world.

On her brief visit here, Clinton will be giving a speech on Asia-Pacific relations, meeting with leaders of the Pacific Command and discussing U.S. forces in Okinawa with Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada. Other stops on her Jan. 11-19 Pacific trip are New Guinea, New Zealand and Australia.

The former first lady is no stranger to Hawaii, having visited while husband Bill was president, but it has been a while. One of her most visible appearances was in July 1993, when the family spent a week here.