It’s time to choose who will be the new UHH AD. Trumbo, McNally era ends a new begins. The current financial situation for UHH Athletics is in dire need of fixing and repairing. The current economic woes with tourism dollars shrinking will add to the current problem. Now, not knowing too much about the other two finalists it would be hard to ascertain if they are good choices. However, we believe Bob Wagner make the most sense. The current AD will have to be a fund raiser. NO and if or buts. Now there was a lot of excitement that Kathleen McNally brought when she was hired from the mainland and there were expectations of her as a major fundraiser. However, those expectations came up short.
We know Hawaii is in the middle of the pacific with its different business cultural environment and practices. Majority of the businesses are smaller in general. Hence, who better to gather the allegiance of the business community than a former UH Coach Bob Wagner. Wagner has the ties on the Big Island due to him being a resident here at Kamehameha. He has a presence, and who could forget him giving us victories over BYU!
He still has ties with NA KOA the UH Warrior Football Boosters and many business owners on Oahu. In addition, I assume he has made a few friends with Kamehameha Schools and Bishop Estate. He has more experience than the interim AD, and will run a good ship. He is a known quantity with a lot of connections and friends. A brand new AD from the mainland is not the sensible solution in this economic situation; it will take 3-4 years for a new mainland AD to establish business connections.
UHH better not drop this pass or fumble this situation by making the same mistake twice. Let’s move to put Bob Wagner in charge of the UHH athletic department for the betterment of UHH Athletics and the community!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Friday, December 26, 2008
Free Market System Destroying Sports In America
As news spread of Mark Teixeira signing a big contract with the New York Yankees, sports fans wondered how far is this going to go? America is the land of opportunity and free enterprise. No longer do you have to manage a good ball club to build an empire. You do it with business savvy. Now we know that the Yankees signing of the big three of Sabathia, Burnett, and now Teixeira doesn't guarantee a championship, right?
But it does guarantee people in the seats, and a ton of merchandise. A lineup that will be similar to an all star team. Adding those three to an already stacked team will make the E Empire the envy of modern sports. It seems that this move is risky business if the Yankees don't win the championship, they already have. Not the world series type but the revenue champion. You see, clearly all the young impressional generation coming up will start to join the dark side. When they become buying units as adults, the empire wins in the form of merchandising and allegiance.
Get them while they are young. Advertisers and sponsors will follow also. The salaries owners are dishing out have outpaced inflation so much it reminds me of everything that is surrounding our economic circumstance. A BIG FREE MARKET BUBBLE that must contract somewhere, sometime in the near future. We saw it in the internet, real estate, mortgages, and now sports. Something has to give. Fans can not go on indefinitely supporting the money that goes into sports.
College sports is big business, there are a few institutions and conferences that monopolize the money and keep the power in their grasps. Is this what college sports should be about. With the advent of cable tv and now high definition, revenue from these delivery systems will endow these schools and conferences even more. Advertisers, however will be curtailed as the economy slows down. Advertisers are the ones that foot the bill for College sports. Consumers buying these advertiser's products are what is driving the revenue.
If the economy slows down, then this may cause a domino effect, causing revenue in professional sports and college sports to a screaching halt. Hence another bubble burst, then how are those salaries going to get paid? Capitulation, reverting back to sanely salaries that made sense. Time for sports in America to get back on track and figure out - why we play the game? Money sometimes yes, but insane money, no!
But it does guarantee people in the seats, and a ton of merchandise. A lineup that will be similar to an all star team. Adding those three to an already stacked team will make the E Empire the envy of modern sports. It seems that this move is risky business if the Yankees don't win the championship, they already have. Not the world series type but the revenue champion. You see, clearly all the young impressional generation coming up will start to join the dark side. When they become buying units as adults, the empire wins in the form of merchandising and allegiance.
Get them while they are young. Advertisers and sponsors will follow also. The salaries owners are dishing out have outpaced inflation so much it reminds me of everything that is surrounding our economic circumstance. A BIG FREE MARKET BUBBLE that must contract somewhere, sometime in the near future. We saw it in the internet, real estate, mortgages, and now sports. Something has to give. Fans can not go on indefinitely supporting the money that goes into sports.
College sports is big business, there are a few institutions and conferences that monopolize the money and keep the power in their grasps. Is this what college sports should be about. With the advent of cable tv and now high definition, revenue from these delivery systems will endow these schools and conferences even more. Advertisers, however will be curtailed as the economy slows down. Advertisers are the ones that foot the bill for College sports. Consumers buying these advertiser's products are what is driving the revenue.
If the economy slows down, then this may cause a domino effect, causing revenue in professional sports and college sports to a screaching halt. Hence another bubble burst, then how are those salaries going to get paid? Capitulation, reverting back to sanely salaries that made sense. Time for sports in America to get back on track and figure out - why we play the game? Money sometimes yes, but insane money, no!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Two Former Hawaii Football Heroes Tied To UH Offense
It was a spectacular week for two familiar faces of Hawaii Football. Paul Johnson, head coach of Georgia Tech and Oregon’s QB Jeremiah Masoli.
Now, let’s start with Paul Johnson, if you were a die hard fan of the Rainbows back in the 80 -90’s you remember Johnson as the offensive coordinator for Bob Wagner’s offense. Wagner’s most heralded move in his UH coaching career. Johnson’s spread option offense made a spectacle of the WAC’s defenses. It became the savior that would take UH fans and the program to the next level. To be the best in the WAC you had to beat BYU, and until then you were just second rate. Well, then came Johnson’s coveted offense. The offense that had won Johnson a couple of National Championships at Georgia Southern, an offense that helped defeat BYU, not once, but twice and pushed UH Football into another stratosphere. Something Dick Tomey, Wagner’s predecessor could not achieve. Oh they came close so many times...
When Wagner left UH so did Paul. He found greener pastures at Navy. Unfortunately for Wagner he ended up at UTEP. Johnson took a mediocre program and turned it into a winner. Beating their armed forces rivals year in and year out. He had an astounding 11-1 record versus Army and Air Force. Oh by the way he also led a mediocre team to defeat Notre Dame. Fast Forward to 2008, taking a Georgia Tech Team that was supposed to have a losing season and finish at best in the middle of the ACC. On Saturday facing the preseason number one team, the Rambling Wreck side railed a proud Georgia team.
A proud Georgia program that exalted over rated jeers at UH in the 08 Sugar Bowl. Johnson has taken the GT offense with no seniors to number one in offense in the ACC averaging 377 yards and 3rd nationally in Rushing Offense (282). GT ended a seven year losing hiatus to Georgia, sound familiar? Johnson is in the discussions as possible national coach of the year (already been named ACC coach of the year). He has our vote. Skip to several years in UH offense (please exclude the Von Oppen era) to June Jones. Jones offense was different than the spread option attack of Johnson, and relied more on the pass versus the run. I believe in college sports you have to practice crop rotation. If you stay too long in one type of offense the conference figures out how to stop your attack and you head to mediocrity. Hence, bring in the option, then rotate to the run and shoot and then back to the option etc......
What about this Masoli, who is he? Born of Samoan ancestry grew up in Northern California, started as an offensive lineman but later converted to quarterback. His family later moved to Honolulu. He played Quarterback for St. Louis sharing time with Cameron Higgins now at Weber State, Masoli was also a Hawaii all state basketball player. After graduating from St Louis he went on to play at City College of San Francisco.
Wait, this Masoli story kind of ties it all together. June Jones tried to recruit Masoli as a defensive back, but Masoli was determined to play QB. Masoli led the City College of San Francisco to a National Junior College Championship in 2007 and threw for 3,065 yards and 26 touchdowns and 349 completions. He would then transfer to Oregon and fight for a right to play among half a dozen good qb prospects. Coming out of camp he was not a starter but someone high on the depth chart.
After some injuries to their starters the Ducks inserted Masoli and the rest is history. He has earned his spot. This Saturday in the biggest game of the season for Oregon and Oregon State, Masoli completed 7 for 11 passes, 274 yards and 3 touchdowns leading the ducks to a 65-38 win.
Wait how is Masoli tied to this story. Doesn’t City College of San Francisco sound familiar? Isn’t that the JC where Nick Rolovich went to and set several passing records and spent the last couple of years coaching and grooming JC QB’s to four year programs? The same Nick Rolovich that set some UH records and is the current QB coach at UH? Yes, it is and now you know the rest of the story……
Now, let’s start with Paul Johnson, if you were a die hard fan of the Rainbows back in the 80 -90’s you remember Johnson as the offensive coordinator for Bob Wagner’s offense. Wagner’s most heralded move in his UH coaching career. Johnson’s spread option offense made a spectacle of the WAC’s defenses. It became the savior that would take UH fans and the program to the next level. To be the best in the WAC you had to beat BYU, and until then you were just second rate. Well, then came Johnson’s coveted offense. The offense that had won Johnson a couple of National Championships at Georgia Southern, an offense that helped defeat BYU, not once, but twice and pushed UH Football into another stratosphere. Something Dick Tomey, Wagner’s predecessor could not achieve. Oh they came close so many times...
When Wagner left UH so did Paul. He found greener pastures at Navy. Unfortunately for Wagner he ended up at UTEP. Johnson took a mediocre program and turned it into a winner. Beating their armed forces rivals year in and year out. He had an astounding 11-1 record versus Army and Air Force. Oh by the way he also led a mediocre team to defeat Notre Dame. Fast Forward to 2008, taking a Georgia Tech Team that was supposed to have a losing season and finish at best in the middle of the ACC. On Saturday facing the preseason number one team, the Rambling Wreck side railed a proud Georgia team.
A proud Georgia program that exalted over rated jeers at UH in the 08 Sugar Bowl. Johnson has taken the GT offense with no seniors to number one in offense in the ACC averaging 377 yards and 3rd nationally in Rushing Offense (282). GT ended a seven year losing hiatus to Georgia, sound familiar? Johnson is in the discussions as possible national coach of the year (already been named ACC coach of the year). He has our vote. Skip to several years in UH offense (please exclude the Von Oppen era) to June Jones. Jones offense was different than the spread option attack of Johnson, and relied more on the pass versus the run. I believe in college sports you have to practice crop rotation. If you stay too long in one type of offense the conference figures out how to stop your attack and you head to mediocrity. Hence, bring in the option, then rotate to the run and shoot and then back to the option etc......
What about this Masoli, who is he? Born of Samoan ancestry grew up in Northern California, started as an offensive lineman but later converted to quarterback. His family later moved to Honolulu. He played Quarterback for St. Louis sharing time with Cameron Higgins now at Weber State, Masoli was also a Hawaii all state basketball player. After graduating from St Louis he went on to play at City College of San Francisco.
Wait, this Masoli story kind of ties it all together. June Jones tried to recruit Masoli as a defensive back, but Masoli was determined to play QB. Masoli led the City College of San Francisco to a National Junior College Championship in 2007 and threw for 3,065 yards and 26 touchdowns and 349 completions. He would then transfer to Oregon and fight for a right to play among half a dozen good qb prospects. Coming out of camp he was not a starter but someone high on the depth chart.
After some injuries to their starters the Ducks inserted Masoli and the rest is history. He has earned his spot. This Saturday in the biggest game of the season for Oregon and Oregon State, Masoli completed 7 for 11 passes, 274 yards and 3 touchdowns leading the ducks to a 65-38 win.
Wait how is Masoli tied to this story. Doesn’t City College of San Francisco sound familiar? Isn’t that the JC where Nick Rolovich went to and set several passing records and spent the last couple of years coaching and grooming JC QB’s to four year programs? The same Nick Rolovich that set some UH records and is the current QB coach at UH? Yes, it is and now you know the rest of the story……
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