While working on today’s column yesterday, I reached out to Bryan Clay. I wanted to ask the 2008 Olympic decathlon champion who is a product of Castle High School his thoughts about Caitlyn (formerly Bruce) Jenner, who like Clay won the decathlon gold for the U.S. Jenner did it in 1976. Clay and Jenner have made public appearances together in the past. Clay responded by text after deadline last night. Here’s his comment: “I am friends with Bruce and stayed […]

Scott Harding made quite an impression on Jeff Reinebold, the former University of Hawaii assistant who is now special teams coach of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL. Harding worked out for him , as a receiver and punter, while Reinebold was visiting this week. “I’ve had the opportunity to see some great punters, Reinebold said. “What he does is uncanny, to be able to kick with both feet and on the run. His accuracy with the ball and ability […]

Dan Washburn, an author who has written a book called “The Forbidden Game: Golf and the Chinese Dream” will be featured at a panel discussion Wednesday at noon at the East-West Center. Don Wallace of Honolulu Magazine will moderate, and it is open to the public and admission is free. Here are some updates having to do with recent columns: Update I: The No. 1-ranked Hawaii Pacific men’s tennis team fell short of winning the Division II national tournament. One […]

The NCAA women’s water polo tournament doesn’t start until Friday morning, but Hawaii already has a winner. Taylor Molde was named the sport’s Elite 89 winner for her sport at a banquet Thursday evening at Stanford, Calif. Molde is a sophomore from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, planning to major in engineering. Hawaii opens play against USC on Friday.

Unlike Marcus Mariota, Manny Pacquiao was not born and raised in Hawaii. But Pacquiao, in large part due to his Filipino nationality, is hugely popular here. With Mariota on the cusp of being drafted in the first few picks of the NFL Draft on Thursday and Pacquiao taking on Floyd Mayweather on Saturday in Las Vegas in the biggest boxing match in decades, I wonder how they rank in popularity with sports fans in Hawaii. My guess is most rank […]

It’s unfortunate for the University of Hawaii basketball program that Gary Payton was suspended from his job at Fox Sports 1 after being slapped with a lawsuit claiming he assaulted a woman in January. It is my opinion — and that of any clear-thinking UH leader — that Payton is now not a suitable speaker at the men’s basketball banquet Wednesday. It would be very sad if Payton is innocent and wrongly accused, but UH can’t afford to take the […]

Our sports editor, Paul Arnett, watches a lot of golf. He just returned from the Masters, and he was at the Lotte Championship at Ko Olina this week. I asked him after Sei Young Kim made those two fantastic shots to win the tourney what is a reasonable percentage for a pro golfer to make that 18-foot chip that forced the playoff. He estimated 10 percent, or less. Sounds reasonable to me. Now, obviously that 156-yard 8-iron a few minutes […]