He was a few thousand klicks away from the non-action, returning to Dallas from a clinic in Houston. As I figured he would, SMU assistant football coach Jeff Reinebold knew a lot about the pseunami yesterday and wanted to learn more. That's him, knowledgeable and inquisitive ... especially about anything having to do with Hawaii.

We were supposed to talk about him and his situation, but as is often the case, our conversation turns into him interviewing me.

The former University of Hawaii defensive line coach asked about The Big Wave That Never Came, and then about The End Of The Great Honolulu Newspaper War. Two scary stories; one with an anticlimactic but happy ending, the other with a final chapter still to be written in the coming weeks.

As usual, he spoke as an empathetic and encouraging friend, overjoyed that we all dodged a bullet yesterday.

Now, the question is, can he? Or is it perhaps too late?

Reinebold underwent surgery last week to remove cancerous tissue caused by malignant melanoma. He has another operation scheduled for Wednesday; after this one he will learn more of the seriousness of his condition. It's a lot scarier than a tsunami that never shows or the possibility of losing a job.

It started with a sore that wouldn't heal a few weeks ago.

“;I figured it was just board rash,”; says Reinebold, who hit the beach every chance he could when here for the Hawaii Bowl in December. “;But it wouldn't go away.”;

JERRY GLANVILLE dubbed the bronzed, often shirtless Reinebold with the title Sun God. It stuck.

Now the irony is all too obvious and sad. A man who drew strength and inspiration from the solar rays—and more so the people who live under them 12 months a year here—has the most dangerous form of skin cancer.

He's taking it on in the style those who know him would expect.

“;People automatically connect cancer to death,”; Reinebold says. “;But I look at it as something I've been given because I can handle it.”;

Yes, certainly an element of bravado. But he is sincere when he calls the affliction “;a gift.”; He says it makes him cherish life and those around him even more than he did before. And that was a lot.

Some folks would have you think Reinebold was just an attention-hogging wannabe Hawaiian when he was here. But I found him articulate, interesting, relevant, generous and—most importantly—genuine, especially in his love for Hawaii.

He also has a stamp of approval from David Maeva, who played for Reinebold and became one of his best friends. I don't think Maeva has much tolerance for phony Polynesians.

Another of Reinebold's closest friends is Brian Kajiyama; Reinebold championed his ascent from fan to graduate assistant, which Kajiyama achieved despite having cerebral palsy and using a wheelchair. Now it is Kajiyama's turn to support Reinebold.

“;The e-mails I get from him are so inspirational,”; Reinebold says.

Reinebold's treatment includes visualization, so in his Dallas office he closes his eyes, listens to Bruddah Iz, and “;goes home”; to his favorite Hawaii beaches.

On these visits, the rays can only heal Sun God.

Reach Star-Bulletin sports columnist Dave Reardon at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), his “;Quick Reads”; blog at starbulletin.com, and twitter.com/davereardon.