Worst Purchase; Can’t Buy Out Neil
A bit of dis and dots: Worst purchase I ever made (and that’s saying something): The UH football pay-per-view package this season. It was like paying someone to come to your house every weekend to smack you in the head …
Not sure which direction the powers that be in Manoa want to go after the boughtout “retirement” of Coach Greg McMackin, or what their criteria may be for finding a replacement, but to me, as a former sports writer who has known him for years, assistant coach Rich Miano has everything you want in a head coach, with both substance and pizzazz … Then again, I’ve been saying Norm Chow deserves a head coaching job for years …
And hopefully the salary will be something we can afford, and leave some cash for academics. Interesting research by Duke University, reported in the Dec. 12 issue of Time, found that while university professors’ salaries increased 32 percent since 1985 (at 44 schools studied), football coaches’ pay went up 750 percent. I love college football, but that’s just not right …
Heard from a reader who wondered if we could offer Gov. Abercrombie a buyout similar to Coach Mac’s. Sorry, only voters can remove him from the big office on the Capitol’s fifth floor in 2014 …
For Hawaii fans looking for another team to cheer this bowl season: Several local boys had big roles in the success of my other school, the U of Oregon Ducks make that the Rose Bowl-bound Ducks. Wade Keliikipi of Waianae was part of the starting rotation at defensive tackle, and he’s just a sophomore. Redshirt Koa Ka’i from Kamehameha turned heads, also at defensive tackle. The Ducks’ Pac-12 champion squad also includes sophomore offensive lineman Mana Greig of Kailua/Saint Louis, redshirt freshman linebacker Isaac Ava of Ewa Beach/Saint Louis, freshman defensive back Bronson Yim of Saint Louis, and sophomore linebacker Keloni Kamalani of Kamehameha-Maui … And I’m hearing great things about former Saint Louis quarterback Marcus Mariota’s progress. The freshman hasn’t played this season while “redshirting” and playing on the practice squad, but my source says coaches are impressed with his smarts, character, speed and arm strength …
OK, enough sports … Fascinating read: Patrick Buchanan’s column in this issue about a new book based on writing by former President Herbert Hoover, asserting the U.S. did everything it could to provoke a Japanese attack everything but pull the trigger first. What’s amazing is that after so much has been written about Dec. 7, 1941, as well as its lead-up and aftermath, so much continues to come out that is new …
Hard to believe, but I just celebrated 17 years as MidWeek‘s editor. Time flies when you’re working at the best job in the world, and in a company full of good people who care so much about what we do …
This is likely my last column before the new year, so let me take this opportunity to wish you and yours a stress-free Christmas season isn’t that one of the definitions of “merry”? and a great 2012 …
And thanks for reading
