Quick Reads

Honolulu sportscasters Paul Guanzon and Joe Moore interviewed Muhammad Ali at the Kona airport in 1976. Photo courtesy of Mike Hildenbrand. In 1999 when ESPN counted down the top 50 athletes of the 20th century, Muhammad Ali was third to No. 2 Babe Ruth and No. 1 Michael Jordan. If we’re talking merely dominating a sport, Ali’s in the right spot. But if the panel had voted based on impact on the world in general, Ali would’ve or should’ve been […]

Former University of Hawaii athletic director Ben Jay will be announced Friday as athletic director at Academy of Art, a Division II school in San Francisco, according to sources. Academy of Art competes in the PacWest conference, which includes Hawaii Division II schools Brigham Young-Hawaii, Chaminade, Hawaii Pacific and Hawaii-Hilo. Jay was unavailable for comment Thursday. Here’s a column I wrote when he was forced to resign from UH.

Some folks say it’s not a coincidence that Jim Steeg — the one person most credited with developing the Super Bowl into the extravaganza it is today — left his job as the NFL’s top exec in charge of special events shortly after the 2004 Patriots-Panthers game, which was most famous, or infamous, for its halftime show featuring the baring of Janet Jackson‘s breast by Justin Timberlake at the end of a duet. If that less-than-one-second incident did lead to […]

Over the weekend Dustin Antolin became the first Mililani High School alumnus to be called up to the Major Leagues. The Toronto Blue Jays right-handed pitcher made his first appearance Monday night. He relieved in the third inning of the Jays’ 13-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. Antolin allowed three runs in two innings, including a home run among four hits. But he did notch a strikeout. Hopefully he gets a chance to redeem himself soon. On Sunday, Antolin […]

Here are some DeForest Buckner quotes from Curtis Murayama on Thursday that did’t make it into our coverage on draft day, as the defensive end from Maili, Punahou and Oregon was picked by the San Francisco 49ers with the 7th overall pick in the first round. Regarding other players from Hawaii in the draft: “It’s not just me in the draft from Hawaii. There’s Kamalei Correa and Kaimi (Fairbairn) who was my teammate (at Punahou). There are other guys representing […]

Good news and bad news. First the bad news. Security is pretty lax at the University of Hawaii athletic department. A couple of people were able to sneak into the offices late last night without a key or any burglary skills. The good news is they didn’t take anything. They left something. It’s a big green rock, with the “H” logo, left along with a note for the UH football coaches. Pride Rock is no longer just something borrowed from […]

University of Hawaii football practices with Nick Rolovich as head coach are like they were when June Jones held the post: You never know what star, past or present, might show up to watch. San Diego Chargers linebacker and Heisman Trophy runner-up Manti Te’o from Kahuku and Punahou was there today with Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett, MVP of this year’s Pro Bowl. Bennett is married to a local girl and lives in Hawaii Kai. Bennett and Te’o are […]