We’ve all dreamt it I’m sho. Having that one super power that will take us over the top. The man amongst men. The woman amongst women. Would be nice right?
Well, instead of just talking about and dreaming about it, let’s put it on paper and make it a goal. You know what they say, write down your goals and you will achieve them. Soooo, post your ideal super power below and it shall become reality. K, maybe not, but play along won’tcha?
At first, I thought of the most logical choices:
* Flying/Teleportation: Going on a trip, anywhere in the world be sa-weet! * Living forever: I am Team Edward after all… * Invisibility/X-Ray Vision: duh! Ya bettah axe somebody rayboyjr why. Joking!
But the more and more I think about it, I think my superpower would simply be to make fo’ real kine money with the wave of my hands. See, I’m easy.
Why? Well, because if I had an unlimited amount of cash flow, I would personally own my own jet or teleporting machine to travel. I could just buy a hyperbaric chamber to live (almost) forever. I could just pay to get an invisibility suit or x-ray goggles. Well, if they ever existed. So you see, with money out of thin air, I could just about do what I want. Muhahahaha!
I know, it ’s the root of all evil, but what they hey, we’re living in the fantasy world right now.
So what’s your superpower wish? Post it below and I’ll buy it for ya!
P.S. Tomorrow night, the UH Rainbow Men’s Basketball Team takes on Cal Poly at 8PM at the Stan Sheriff Center in the Oceanic Time Warner Cable sponsored ESPN Bracketbuster game. Oceanic will be passing out an eco-friendly tote bag for the first 2,000 fans. Come on down if you can! (The Wahine are also in action earlier that night, taking on La Tech at 5PM.) Go Bows!
Oceanic Time Warner Cable/ESPN Eco-Friendly Tote Bag
The real title was actually “Fave Friday: Comedians” for dis one, but I just had to… (see bottom if you have no idea what I’m talking about).
In Wednesday’s blog, some of you peeps started talking about old school joints like Gems or Holiday Mart/Daiei, etc., and it made me want to blog about it. Unfortunately, I beat myself to the punch. LOL! Shmall kine forgot that I already did um befo’! *blush*
Instead, let’s do a somewhat newsworthy one. Comic legend Bill Cosby is in town for a couple of shows this weekend. Is he one of your faves? Let’s list ours up. Hurr’s mine:
* Jim Gaffigan – my all time favorite! Wifey bought us tickets when he came to town. HILARIOUS! He also seemed like a nice guy too when we met him to take photos after the show.
* Dave Chappelle – a close second! I would sooooo go watch him if he came here. I’m proud to say that I was his fan way before he blew up.
* Ellen DeGeneres – smart, witty, and most importantly funny! Seems genuine too! Loves it!
* Chris Rock – edgy, funny, a little racist though. LOL! Love his comedy specials!
* Martin Lawrence – ditto the above. Wonder what he’s up to these days. Mah-innnn!
* Dane Cook – used to be one of my fave plays on my iPod. Popularity seems to have majorly plummeted(?)…
* Brian Regan – old school comic that used to make me laugh on Letterman.
* Paula Poundstone – another old school comic. Actually dragged some friends to go watch her when she was doing a show at Pipeline. LOL!
Tanioaka’s Interview On a side note, I’m scheduled to meet with the good folks at Tanioka’s on Monday for a short interview for Part II of my up-coming “Poke Paradise” article (read Part I here). If you have any questions you’d like me to ask, lemme know! Also, if you have any suggestions on what poke you think I should try from there, let me know too!
Talk to me!
* Post your fave comic(s) below.
* Please help me congradumalate my sis for her good play at the Sony Open Pro-Am da odda day. She played with David Toms, and, from what she tells me, he’s a real southern gentleman type. Gotta love those celebs/athletes who keeps it real! Goooo David! (Read her blog about it here.)
* Again, if ya gots any questions you’d like me to ask to the Taniokas, holla!
* Any American Idol chatter out dea? I really liked Jermaine Sellers (for his voice), Skiibo Ski (for his personality), and most importantly, General Larry Platt (for his lyrical geniusness!).
Shoots! Have a great weekend y’all! See ya on the flipside!
Following up on last week’s fairly active topic of Hawaii’s Worst Parking Lots, let’s go with the next logical topic: Hawaii’s roads. I bet we’ve all got our strong opinions on this one eh?
So goh’on! Post your choices in the comment area below. Hurr’s mine!
Anywhere on H1 during rush hour or when there’s an accident - Gaaaaaaah! I have no words.
Piikoi Street - trying to catch this to get to Lunalilo Street to get on the H1 Westbound is B-A-N-A-N-A-S!
Lunalilo Street- missing lights because of baboons blocking the intersection from Piikoi. D’oh!
Kalanianaole Highway – not so much for the traffic, but because of the traffic lights. I remember when I used to make this drive to town and I counted the number of lights. It was insane (in the membrane). Like 20 or 30 something!
Hana Highway- sending some love to the neighbor islands. This one only because it’s so windy (not the air kine windy) and crazy l’dat and when you get stuck behind one slow drivah… PAU!
While we’re on the topic of roads, who in the heck thought that that onramp off University Ave (eastbound) was a good idea!?!? First of all, in order to merge onto the H1, you have to go like 0-60 in 2.8 seconds. Plus there is an exit (University) right after your onramp. Bad planning I tell ya! I digress.
I know I’m missing a lot. Chime in below willya!?
Happy VHO7V Friday and have an awesome lonnnnnng weekend k? Shoots!
P.S. I know it’s a little late (I just download the pics), but mad props to local boy Brian Viloria (@BrianViloria) for successfully defending his IBF light-flyweight title by defeating Jesus Iribe by unanimous decision in a 12 round war. Check out the pic and action packed 12th round video below.
It’s no coincidence that the word Victory is in Shane Victorino’s name. Losing is not even in his vocabulary. As a gifted athlete growing up, he’s always been on the winning end in sports. As a 28 year old young adult, it’s no different. He was an integral member of the world champion Philadelphia Phillies last season, has won the Gold Glove award, and was recently named to the Major League All Star Game, the first positional player from Hawaii to be bestowed the honor. And to think… this is just the beginning!
Victorino actually started his athletic career almost out of necessity. As an extremely active child with ADHD, his parents enrolled him in sports to feed his energy and keep him engaged. The decision proved to be a good one as Shane went on to star at Maui’s St. Anthony High in 4 sports: football, soccer, track and baseball. And, although he was offered a full ride scholarship to the University of Hawaii for football and baseball, Shane got the blessing of his family and chose to pursue a career in baseball when the Los Angeles Dodgers came a callin’ in 1999.
After years of minor league ball, the San Diego Padres claimed him from the Dodgers in 2002 via the Rule 5 draft (“Major league teams must protect players on their 40-man rosters within three or four years of their original signing. Those left unprotected are available to other teams as Rule 5 picks.” – http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/columnists/askbarule5.html), where he actually saw some time in the bigs (36 games). Eventually, he was returned to the Padres (as part of Rule 5 stipulations), before being drafted again, via Rule 5, by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2004.
The losses of starters Bobby Abreu (trade) and Aaron Rowand (free agency) made room for Shane to display his skills in the outfield and ultimately earn a starting spot in 2007.
Info about Victorino from a Phillies display at Philadelphia Airport
During a recent home series against the Florida Marlins, I was able to catch up with our All Star from the islands about his personal life, his career and everything else in between. Enjoy!
Personal Life:
Edward Sugimoto) We’ll start off with an easy one: What’s a typical day in the life of Shane Victorino in Maui?
Shane Victorino) In Maui? Typical day in the life of Shane Victorino in Maui? Woo. You know what? That probably would’ve been just getting up in the morning, getting up to the beautiful weather, of course there in Hawaii, our beautiful island of Maui, and just spending time with the family. That would be now, but back when I was a kid, it was probably, get up, go to school. After school’s done, go to sports – whatever practice it may be – soccer, football, whatever was going on at the time, baseball, track, and after that’s done, go home and spend time with the family.
The author and Shane Victorino
Edward Sugimoto) A couple years ago (March 30, 2007), you became a father (daughter Kali`a Makenna Victorino). How does that feel?
Shane Victorino) Oh I love it! I love being a dad. My little girl Kalia, she’s a little rascal. My mom guys always told me, sometimes it comes full circle. My mom and dad did a wonderful job with me as a kid, and now I get to see what I was probably like, and see my genes go to work on my daughter. She’s a handful so I can only imagine what I was like for my mom and dad.
Edward Sugimoto) Speaking of your dad, he’s a Council Member back in Maui. Did he give you any kind of words of wisdom or leadership advice?
Shane Victorino) Um, you know what, dad’s one of those guys where I think, in the position that he’s in, and some of the things that he’s done in the community, you know he always told me work hard, and when you go out there, you work hard, you show people that you can be a leader, not by talking about it, but by going out there and doing things the right way. Giving back to the community and so on and so forth. So to have dad in that position I think it’s nice and you know he loves what he does, he loves always giving back and working for the community, when he got into the Councilman position he was very excited.
The author and Shane Victorino
Edward Sugimoto) You mentioned being in baseball, you were an Eagle Scout, Football (star in Soccer, Basketball and Track too). Is there anything you CAN’T do?
Shane Victorino) Anything I can’t do. (*laughs*). You know what’s funny, I never did surf. I never did surf growing up. That’s the one thing I think everybody always kinda questions like coming from Hawaii, how it is to surf and yada yada yada, but I always told myself, when my friends went to the beach, I went to the baseball park, I went to the football field, I went to the soccer field, you know I wanted to go get better playing spots, so I think that helped me differentiate myself from some of the things that, you know, if I went and spent a lot of time at the beach and surfed, it would’ve took away from me trying to be a good athlete that I am today.
Edward Sugimoto) Speaking about baseball, we (Hawaii) have Tony Rego, Sid Fernandez, and Benny Agbayani from back in the day. Today we have like the Little Leaguers from Waipio, you, Tyler Yates (Kurt Suzuki). Is this just the beginning of Hawaii talent coming into the league?
Shane Victorino) Yeah. I think Hawaii is definitely going to be a place where scouts are gonna come. Myself, Kurt Suzuki, you said Tyler Yates, Brandon League. I mean I can keep going down the list. More and more kids are in the minor leagues, so it’s definitely one of those things where Hawaii’s gonna become a state where I think a lot of people are gonna look, go there and look for talent, and look for baseball talent. The thing is Hawaii has so many talented kids, it’s just that a lot of them don’t want to go away. A lot of them miss Hawaii, and yada yada, and I always say to myself, if my family’s healthy, eveybody’s doing great, Hawaii’s Hawaii. It’s not gonna change. If you get the opportunity to go away, go to the (eastern) states and do some things, hey take the chance. You know what, your home will always be home. It ain’t gonna go nowhere.
The author and Shane Victorino
Edward Sugimoto) You’re highly involved in the community, both in Philadelphia and in Hawaii. And you have a Celebrity Golf Classic (to raise funds and awareness for Hawaii Children’s Cancer Foundation) coming up in November I believe (November 21st at the Maui Prince Makena Resort)? What makes you care so much about your community?
Shane Victorino) Well, I just think that being in the position that I’m in today, you know, growing up there in Hawaii, I never really saw too much of these kinds of things. Being in the sport that I’m in, I have a lot of teammates who host charity events, and for me, I was always taught that any way you can give back, it’s just one of those things, if you can give back, why not? If you can make an impact on somebody’s life, why not? And I think that when I got into the level that I got last year, I told myself, you know what, it’s time for me to try and make something happen in Hawaii. We’ll raise money for certain causes. Last year it was Alzheimer’s, this year it’s Hawaii’s Children’s Cancer research. So any way I can give back, I think is one of those things where I’ve always uh. You know when you’re in a position, like they say, “well you’re a professional athlete, you should give back.” Well, sometimes I think that we’re in a position that we don’t have to give back, but we’re in a position where we can help to make the community build and I think that’s what we do and that’s why I love doing these charity events.
Shane doing an interview with a reporter at UFC 101
Edward Sugimoto) How’d you like the fight last night (UFC 101 was at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia)? We saw you!
Shane Victorino) I loved it! (*turns to camera*) Right on! Good job BJ! I was definitely excited. He definitely represented Hawaii. I think he worked hard. He was really, really focused on this fight and wanted to make an impression. I think that was what I saw out of him. He had that drive, he had that desire, he had the BJ Penn attitude. I think he really worked hard for this fight. He wanted to prove to people again that hey, you know what he’s still known as one of the best guys.
Edward Sugimoto) You probably have a lot of fans from Hawaii in for the fight and probably here for the game today. Are you pretty amped up about that?
Shane Victorino) Yeah, no I’m excited. I saw a few Hawaiian flags flying in the stands the last couple nights, so, it’s definitely nice to have the support and love from the Hawaii people.
Baseball Life:
Edward Sugimoto) You had a full ride scholarship to UH for Football. How difficult of a decision was it to turn that down and pursue a career in baseball?
Shane Victorino) It was very tough. It was one of those things, uh, you know my mom definitely wanted me to get a good education, and she definitely pushed that. She sent me to a private high school (St. Anthony in Maui) for a reason and that was to get a good education and to hopefully do well in sports and so on and so forth. But when that day came, it was definitely tough. But I told my mom, I said, “Mom, college will always be there. I may never have another chance to go pro.” So it was definitely a tough decision, but when I made a decision, I told myself I’m gonna go ’til I can’t stop. I wanted to go there and I wanted to work hard. As they always say, until they take the jersey off your back, I don’t want to quit. There were times yeah definitely through the minor leagues, there were struggles, and there were times I wanted to come home, but my dad said, “Hey just remember, you coming back home, you’re never going back.” That was words of advice that I’ll always remember. If I gave up when I wanted to, I may never get another chance to play pro ball, so I stuck with it, worked hard. But going back to the question, it was definitely a tough decision, but like I said, I told my mom, “Mom, education was gonna be there, college ain’t going nowhere.” You know, I can go to college when I’m 35, 40 years old. Hopefully I had a good career. I can go back to college when I’m done. So it was definitely tough, but I talked mom out of it, and I was able to go and turn pro, and hey, I’m having a wonderful time so far.
Victorino info on the billboard
Edward Sugimoto) The Phillies. You guys are all pretty aggressive, work hard. Is that something Coach (Charlie) Manuel stresses?
Shane Victorino) Yeah, um, you know what, Charlie is one of those guys where he lets you play. He’s the kind of manager that you want to play for. A guy that’s gonna let you go out there and gonna let you play the game that you play. Not gonna put too much stress on you, he’s not gonna bash you in the media. He’s gonna come and call you in his office if he wants to talk to you about things. So, when you come to the field every day, you know what you have out of your manager, and that’s the kind of guy you want. A guy who’s gonna be in your corner, not a guy that’s gonna yell at you, stress you out even more than what this game already does. He’s the kind of manager that we call a player’s manager. He takes care of his players. He goes out there, he wants his players to do their best. He’s got two rules: it’s to be on time and play hard (and hustle). You can’t ask much more out of a manager than that.
Phillies logo in the Phillies dugout
Edward Sugimoto) You wear a rarely fashioned double eared helmet. Is this because that’s how we used to play back in the day or just ’cause you’re a switch hitter?
Shane Victorino) Well, yeah, no, I did that in the minor leagues, and when I got to the big leagues, I put the one flap on for a while and it was kinda like I felt uncomfortable. So I told myself, why change? I did it in the minor leagues, I did it in Little League, why not keep it up? Plus, being a switch hitter, I don’t want to carry two different helmets, so some of those things factor in.
Shane Victorino sporting the double-eared helmet
Edward Sugimoto) Do you have a preference (right handed or left handed batting)?
Shane Victorino) No. There’s times you feel good from the right, there’s time you feel great from the left side. So you just gotta keep playing in this game. You play 162 games for a reason. You’re gonna go through your ups and downs, you’re gonna have your slumps, you’re gonna have your struggles, but you just go out there and keep working.
Edward Sugimoto) #8. Is there a reason why you chose that number?
Shane Victorino) Um, you know what, my brother was #8 in high school, my mom’s born on January 8, so 8 has some significance. I was 8 in high school. When I first got here, they gave me #8 so I was lucky enough, and I really didn’t have to ask for #8, but I was given #8 my first year here. It’s definitely a number that has ties to me.
Edward Sugimoto) Congratulations on winning the Gold Glove last season. Do you take pride in your defensive skills as much or more than your batting skills?
Shane Victorino) I definitely take pride in my offense a little more I think. But I mean I take pride in my defense too. I think defense is such a great factor in a ball game. You can never struggle. You should never slump on defense. You’re gonna go through struggles at the plate. You’re gonna go through 0 for 30s, you’re gonna go for 2 for 50s, but on defense you should never struggle because that’s not something where you gotta worry about hitting, you gotta worry about seeing the ball. You just gotta worry about staying focused, making good plays, and going out there and playing hard.
Shane manning the outfield (I know… kinda blurry!)
Edward Sugimoto) What’s the biggest rush. Homerun? Stolen base? Diving catch?
Shane Victorino) You know what, they all have their different life. Of course if you hit a walk-off homerun, that’s more exciting. When you make a diving catch in the game, that’s exciting. You steal a base in a big big situation, so you know, every one has its own weight I think. But for me, I would say, hitting a home run in a crucial situation, I think to me would be the most exciting thing.
Edward Sugimoto) You became the first Hawaii-born positional player in the All Star game. You had the support of Philadelphia, Hawaii, and everybody else (Both Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell and Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle showed their support, and South Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter even went door to door to solicit votes). You had 15.6 million Internet votes which set a record (previously held by Evan Longoria in 2008 at 9 million). How does that make you feel to have so much support?
Shane Victorino) It made me feel great. That really showed what Philly fans, what Hawaii fans, and what the passion of baseball has. The blessing that I had to be able to be voted in, to get that amount of votes, almost double what the guy the previous year had I think, was such an amazing thing. It really showed how much Philly fans and people around the world really care I guess about how I play the game and how I approach the game, so it was definitely a nice thing.
Edward Sugimoto) You had a hit in the All Star game. Explain your experience, the whole experience.
Shane Victorino) Everything was great. Every bit of it was what I expected. There were a few things, of course getting to meet President Obama again, just listening to the 5 living presidents talk before the game on the big screen about All Stars among us, people who are helping the community. Every moment had its catch, and being introduced as a starter, and then going out there and getting my first hit in my first at bat in my All Star game, or my first All Star game, so, it was some fun times.
Edward Sugimoto) On Friday, the Phillies inducted Harry Kalas into the Phillies Wall of Fame. After a recent homerun, you pointed to the booth where he used to sit. Kalas has a history in Hawaii (with the US Army and as a Hawaii Islanders announcer). What kind of an impact did he have on you?
Shane Victorino) He had that voice that I remember growing up as a little kid watching Inside the NFL at my grandma’s house, thinking to myself, who’s voice is this I’m hearing? And then when I came here in ‘05, I remember hearing his voice when I got called up and I’m like, hold on, this is the guy’s voice that I used to hear when I was a little kid when I used to watch Inside the NFL, NFL Films. You know, it was just like, woah, this is the man. This is the guy, Harry Kalas, the guy that I remember growing up watching Inside the, you know NFL Films, and hearing that voice. To actually meet the guy in person, we definitely had a bondage. I remember one of my walk off homeruns, he said Victorino No Ka Oi. That was one thing he would always call me. “Hey! Victorino No Ka Oi!” You know he would always say that. He definitely had his roots to Hawaii. His first wife was from Hawaii, he definitely started with the Islanders, did some broadcasting there, so he definitely had some roots to the islands.
Shane Victorino
Edward Sugimoto) What does the future hold for Shane Victorino?
Shane Victorino) What does the future hold huh? Just try to be the best player I can be. To go out there and try to keep succeeding, try to keep getting better. In this game, there’s always room for improvement, and I think you go out there and work hard every day, that’s all I can say. I try to go out there and work as hard as I can, and try to play as hard as I can because you never know what could happen. Tomorrow may be my last day, today might be my last day. I might get hurt and never play again. But as long as I’m giving 100%, that’s all I can ask about myself.
Edward Sugimoto) You have any words of advice for your young fans out there?
Shane Victorino) Yeah. I think the kids in Hawaii, like I said earlier, I think a lot of Hawaii kids don’t understand, and they struggle with the fact of leaving home. To me, my advice to them is hey, if you get the opportunity, leave. Take the chance, see what’s out there. Work hard as a little kid and work hard now because when you work hard now, it’ll help you in the end. I was one of those kids where I was blessed by God. I had a lot of natural abilities. I didn’t work as hard as some of my friends, and I always say to myself if I did, how much better a player would I have been when I first got to the big leagues? But you know, I think with hard work and dedication, a lot of things can happen.
Edward Sugimoto) And how about your general fans? Message to them?
Shane Victorino) General fans? Thank you guys for everything. Thank you for voting me to the All Star game. Just enjoy. I think when you come to watch our team, that’s what we do. We go out there, we have fun, we try the best we can, and we play the game hard, and we just try to go out and win every night.
…
Right back atcha Bruddah Shane. Mahaloz for making all of us in Hawaii so very proud. Keep on playing the game with that intensity and heart and only good things will come. But I’m sure you already know this, as failure has never been in your vocabulary. V is for Victorino. Victorino No Ka Oi!
Me and Bruddah Shane
…
Ed’s Notes:
Shortly after this interview, Victorino strangely got ejected from the game (in centerfield!) by home plate umpire Ed Rapuano for throwing his arms up in the air (following a bad call). The Phillies lost the game and was ultimately swept by the Marlins, further diminishing their lead in the NL East.
Yikes.
A couple games later, in a matchup against the Chicago Cubs, he was doused with beer by a rabid Cubs fan – while trying to make a routine catch.
Eek.
Could it be? Could my interview with Bruddah Shane, in some strange way, possibly have put some kind of curse on the Phils? No. Can’t be! Riiight?
Thankfully, the Phils broke out in a big way, going 14-5 since then and is now sitting atop the NL East with a handsome 7 and a half game lead (as of 08/31). So you can actually say that this interview gave them good luck going into the post-season! You’re welcome fellow Philly fans!
A big Mahaloz to: Ted Nakamura, Leonard Nakahashi, Shane’s mom, Josh Goldberg of the Beverly Hills Sports Council, Greg Casterioto and Deanna Sabec of the Phillies organization, Bari Carroll, and of course Bruddah Shane Victorino.
Another quality post that I’m sure will get 1000s100s10smaybe 1? comment below… Riiiight? But seriously, it’s Friday, so I thought I’d give y’all a break from thinking and send those of you – who are remotely interested in Fantasy Football – into the weekend with some mindless giggles. As you may or may not have known, we’ve started our inaugural WWE Fantasy Football League draft with 10 brave participants…
1 – che
2 – bB
3 – Coconut Willy
4 – S Ticket
5 – kuya.d
6 – World Wide Ed
7 – NeedaHobby
8 – BananaFysh
9 – soogs
10 – mypassionbucketisfull
and in that order, we’ve been drafting aimlessly (or at least I have). You can click on the link below to watch the results in real time, or as often as we can get to it.
Check out how the teams are starting to stack up below. In the comment area below that, feel free to laugh, cry, yell in anger or otherwise harass us with your tips, advice, words of wisdom, or silence. Hopefully, not the silence part though. And WWE playaz, feel free to trash talk up in hurr as well.
che
QB Peyton Manning
RB Adrian Peterson
RB Ryan Grant
WR Desean Jackson
WR Santana Moss
R/W Felix Jones
R/W
TE Tony Gonzalez
K
Bench Ben Roethlisberger
Bench
Bench
Bench
Bench
DEF Pittsburgh
bB
QB Matt Ryan
RB Michael Turner
RB Darren McFadden
WR Calvin Johnson
WR Greg Jennings
R/W Derrick Ward
R/W Braylon Edwards
TE
K Stephen Gostkowski
Bench
Bench
Bench
Bench
Bench
DEF New York Giants
Coconut Willy
QB Drew Brees
RB DeAngelo Williams
RB Thomas Jones
WR Steve Smith
WR Roy Williams
R/W Willie Parker
R/W Julius Jones
TE Antonio Gates
K
Bench Hines Ward
Bench
Bench
Bench
Bench
DEF
S-Ticket
QB
RB Matt Forte
RB Clinton Portis
WR Wes Welker
WR Bernard Berrian
R/W Marion Barber
R/W Beanie Wells
TE Dallas Clark
K
Bench Matt Schaub
Bench Lance Moore
Bench
Bench
Bench
DEF
kuya.d
QB Tom Brady
RB Maurice Jones-Drew
RB Kevin Smith
WR Dwayne Bowe
WR Vincent Jackson
R/W Joseph Addai
R/W Steve Breaston
TE
K
Bench Kevin Walter
Bench
Bench
Bench
Bench
DEF Baltimore
World Wide Ed
QB Jay Cutler
RB LaDainian Tomlinson
RB Brandon Jacobs
WR Marques Colston
WR Brandon Marshall
R/W Terrell Owens
R/W Knowshon Moreno
TE
K
Bench Jamal Lewis
Bench Carson Palmer
Bench
Bench
Bench
DEF
NeedaHobby
QB Philip Rivers
RB Steven Jackson
RB Ronnie Brown
WR Larry Fitzgerald
WR Anthony Gonzalez
R/W Santonio Holmes
R/W Reggie Bush
TE Chris Cooley
K Jason Elam
Bench
Bench
Bench
Bench
Bench
DEF
BananaFysh
QB Donovan McNabb
RB Frank Gore
RB Pierre Thomas
WR Andre Johnson
WR Reggie Wayne
R/W Chad Ochocinco
R/W Ray Rice
TE Greg Olsen
K
Bench Domenik Hixon
Bench
Bench
Bench
Bench
DEF
soogs
QB Aaron Rodgers
RB Steve Slaton
RB Marshawn Lynch
WR Randy Moss
WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh
R/W Larry Johnson
R/W Donald Brown
TE Jason Witten
K
Bench Donnie Avery
Bench
Bench
Bench
Bench
DEF
mypassionbucketisfull
QB Kurt Warner
RB Chris Johnson
RB Brian Westbrook
WR Roddy White
WR Anquan Boldin
R/W Cedric Benson
R/W Eddie Royal
TE
K
Bench Tony Romo
Bench
Bench
Bench
Bench
DEF
Don’t you want that 10 minutes of your life I wasted back? Sorry! Shoots! Have a good weekend y’all!
Alright alright! It’s another exciting day up in hurr. Can you feel it?
I’d like to first start off by welcoming you new readers who found your way here via my floating head on the cover of today’s paper. Hope you like what you see and decide to check back often! I would also like to send mad love to all y’all regular (dare I say daily?) readers! Majahloz for being a loyal member of our little WWE `ohana we got goin’ on ova hea!
Earlier this month, I asked you to post your questions for Mr. Shane Victorino to my blog. You see, your boy had the unique opportunity to meet and interview our beloved All Star and I wanted to take some of your questions with me, as we did with Bruddah BJ Penn. Well, I finally had the chance to edit, transcribe, and Youtube the puppy, and, below, is the fruit of our loins, er labor. Enjoy!
[bB ]: Did you have any baseball heroes and did you collect baseball cards of them?
I collected baseball cards, but I didn’t have really no baseball heroes growing up. I was very big into every sport I think. I never really focused on baseball, but I watched it definitely as a kid, but you know I never really was like “baseball’s gonna be my passion,” you know growing up as a kid. And of course now it is my passion, it is my job, it is my career, yeah I never really had any baseball heroes.
(Ed’s notes: Sorry beeBz, I got rayboyjr’s question mixed up with yours! *blush*)
[hemajang]: Does Shane have any thoughts about life after baseball.
Life after baseball. Right now, you know what, I’m trying to line myself up with some things. You know things that you brainstorm. Hopefully I’ll have a long enough career, and hopefully I’ll save enough money that I make during my career and hopefully get to retire and sit back on the beach, but no, I definitely want to uh, you know anytime in this business I think you meet so many people you know, you just, you try to keep getting better and you try to keep learning and you always listen to people’s advice and try to get the best advice you can.
[Matt ]: what’s it like when he runs into other Hawaii boys in the league?
What’s it like? I mean it’s just like you know it’s one of those things where it happens everywhere. You know how Hawaii is. We’re very family oriented, we always stick together. Like last night for instance, going over to support BJ (at UFC 101), going around the league and facing guys like Tyler Yates, and Brandon League, and playing against Kurt Suzuki. You feel good because you see a fellow “Hawaiian,” a guy that you know, hey, there’s not many of us out there that get the opportunity to do what we’re doing. You know you feel good for the guys that get the opportunity to go out there and do that.
[kuya.d ]: What do his teammates ask him to bring back for them from Hawaii?
Um, you know what, a lot of them always ask about the pineapples. Hawaii’s got great pineapples. We got a lot of guys on our team that love pineapples. You know I brought President Obama… I gave him macadamia nuts and chocolates during the All Star game, so, you know stuff like that, little things like that that you bring home from Hawaii.
[NeedaHobby ]: did he know Kurt Suzuki growing up and does he keep in contact with him?
Yeah, no yeah. In fact we just spoke last night during the fights. He text messaged me over the phone and we definitely, I did play against him growing up. He was a couple years behind me. I think he was a sophomore when I was a senior. But I definitely played against Kurt. It’s definitely exciting to see another guy, another fellow Maui boy in fact, do well and with guys like Tyler, with Brandon, you know just seeing the state of Hawaii do well in baseball.
[rayboyjr]: Which current Major League player(s) are you a big fan of? Have you asked for autographs or game-used stuff from them after a game?
Yeah, no I get autographs from as many guys as I can. I never know how long I’m going to be playing in this game. I think when you go out there every day, playing with guys like Albert (Pujols), playing with guys like Jimmy (Rollins), Chase (Utley), and being friends with guys like (Ryan) Howard, you know being friends with the guys on my team, especially, you know, we got so many guys that are good on our team. I’m definitely a guy that likes to talk to people, and say hi and get to know people, so…
[zzzzzz]: Has he got any of his teammates hooked on Spam Musubi? Is PETA still giving him grief about Spam Musubi being his favorite food?
No PETA’s not giving me a hard time yet this year, but Scott Eyre, one of our relievers, he’s big into SPAM. He bought me some SPAM last week and we actually fried it up and ate it. Yeah we have some fun around here.
[skycastles]: Boxers or briefs?
Boxers or briefs? No answer on that one (*laughs*). No answer to that one. A little too much for me. (*laughs*)
(Ed’s notes: Never again sky! Nevahhhhhhh agaaaaain! )
[Dave Oi]: What do you miss most about Maui in particular (not necessarily Hawaii)…besides family & friends.
What do I miss most about Maui in particular? I think uh, the beautiful weather, the beautiful beaches. Just paradise. I definitely miss that. The Jersey shore is about an hour from here, and it’s definitely not walking out to the white sandy beaches of Hawaii and uh, you know, it’s definitely different living on the east coast. But like I always said, if everybody’s healthy and my family’s doing well, home will always be home. But when I retire, that’s where I plan to be, I plan to be back home in Hawaii. I make my house right now what we consider the 9th island, and that’s in Las Vegas in the off season. When all is said and done, I definitely want to move home to Hawaii again.
[snow]: Does he feel that, coming out of a small state like Hawaii, he was at a disadvantage trying to break into the major leagues? Or might that have somehow worked in his favor?
Um, I say yes and no. It might’ve worked in my favor, but yet it might not have. I think once you get to where I’m at, when you get drafted, I think that everybody’s on uh, you know there’s guys that are, you know a different level, 1st rounder 2nd rounder, but you know what, to me, when you get drafted, everybody has a shot. If you work hard, you play the game the right way, you try to go out there with the right approach. You know I’ve seen a lot of guys get drafted after me, a lot of guys get drafted before me that didn’t get to the big leagues, so I think it depends on the individual, the character of the individual. Everybody has a chance. It might’ve helped me in a way being from Hawaii, but I think everybody gets a fair shot.
[YN]: what’s the weirdest request he has ever gotten from a female fan?
Weirdest request. Boy, you get some weird ones. Some I can’t talk about on camera, but some of the things you get asked to do, especially by female fans, it’s like, I can’t do it. It’s just not realistic. You know being around and having a passion for the game and fans loving you I think is such a nice thing. The most I do is sign balls you know and do little things like that.
[uncle jimmy]: Shane’s arrival and rise to a starting spot pretty much coincided with the re-emergence of the Philly Phranchise. try ask him if Pilly peopo consider him a good luck charm.
*modest laugh* I guess yes and no. I think this team’s a good team, but I think we all work together, we work hard. You know it might’ve been just a coincidence, but you know what, I appreciate the opportunity that I get to play here in this lovely city. And it’s one of those things where you never take it for granted.
…
If it sounded like I was kinda rushing, I really was. I had taken up a good part of his warmup time with my previous two sections and could tell he was getting a bit antsy. As you can hear towards the ending, some peeps started to trickle into the dugout as well! Apologies if I skipped your question but I think I got most of the non-duplicated ones in dea.
Look for the complete video interview and article at AroundHawaii.com on September 1st!
Hope you enjoyed it yo! Lemme know what you thank!
For those who get one holiday tomorrow (Statehood/Admission Day), enjoy! See y’all on Monday k? Shooots!
By popular demand (from about 3 of you), we’ve started up a WWE Fantasy Football League and are calling all interested playaz. If you’re interested, please email me at world.wide.ed@gmail.com and I’ll send you all the league info.
The good news is that I really suck, so you’re at least guaranteed a 2nd to the last place finish.
In the meantime, can you help a brutha out and post your suggested top 5-10 draft choices in the comment area below? From what I’m hearing Adrian Peterson is the consensus #1. I have the 3rd pick in my work league (there’s a trophy anderrything!) and am wondering what kinda gems I could get there.
Other possible things to post below could be your fantasy sports victory or defeat stories, your draft strategies, making a party out of your draft day, your favorite fantasy player, your favorite NFL team, etc.
Yeah, I realize this is a pretty narrow topic and probably won’t get much action below, but it’s a good excuse to further our WWE bonding outside of this blog no?
The Playaz (so far) * bB * kuya.d * NeedaHobby
* S-Ticket
* Me
As part of my UFC 101 weekend in Philadelphia this weekend, I’ve been in contact with Shane Victorino’s management company (shout out to Josh Goldberg at Beverly Hills Sports Council) to see if I can’t line up an interview with our proud Phillie All Star that very same weekend. Josh says that we’ll make it happen so I’mma keepin’ my fingers crossed!
In anticipation of this interview, let’s collect your questions, much like how we did with your BJ Penn ones: Post any questions you’d like to ask Shane in the comment area below and I’ll take them up with me to ask Shane himself. Then, we’ll do a post-interview blog with your questions (much like how we did with the BJ ones)! Sound good? Comment away!
A special thank you to Ted Nakamura who connected me to Leonard Nakahashi who connected me to Shane’s mom, who connected me to Josh at BHSC. Mahalo Ted, Leonard, Shane’s mom, Shane, Josh, and BHSC!
Late last month, your boy manned up and checked yet another item off the ol’ “bucket list”: Compete in the Hawaii Tinman. On Sunday, July 26th, the 2009 Tinman Triathlon was in full effect and, bright eyed and bushy tailed, I was there yo. Having a couple of marathons already under my belt, I was going into the Tinman thinking it would be another cakewalk. Boy was I mistaken!
The “just have fun” mentality will quickly eat you alive in the Tinman competition if you aren’t properly prepared. Below are the lessons I’ve learned as a first timer that I’d like to pass along to all y’all. Enjoy!
* Take it serious! – unlike the marathon, there are a lot less “just for fun” participants, as made obvious by my finishing rank! LOL! Being fairly athletic and in reasonably good shape does not equal Tinman success. Not training seriously will not only be dangerous to your health, but frustrate the bejesus outta you (when your muscles don’t agree with what your mind is telling them).
* Train! – I would recommend training each activity/concentration successively, in addition to individually. In other words, it’s good to swim until the cows come home, but you should follow it up with a bike and then a swim. Yes, on the same day. My cheater friend Bari (who also did the Tinman with me) wisely took it a little more serious than I and participated in running and biking groups that met up on the weekends. The Heavy Breathers group in the Hawaii Bicycling League has a biking group that goes out on Saturday mornings and the Honolulu Marathon Clinic has a running group that goes out on Sunday mornings. He fully recommends joining them.
* Give yourself time to train – not only is the entrance fee more expensive the later you apply, you need sufficient time to prepare for what your body will go through. We decided to START TRAINING just two months before the race. With busy schedules and other life activities already planned (like that trip to Alaska), my once a week training schedule (at best), definitely did not cut it.
* Get ready to invest – if you’re “newbs” like us and going into it from scratch, be prepared to shell out some pretty pennies in order to get the party started. The bicycle (no, a mountain bike doesn’t count!), helmet, tri-shorts (specially padded swim trunks that are waaaay too tight), no-blister socks, goggles, water bottle, water bottle holder, miscellaneous bike tools/kits/bags, etc., are just some of the things to think about. And that doesn’t include the $80-100 entrance fee. And BTW, don’t laugh at the mountain bike comment. I actually briefly considered doing that (using the mountain bike I already owned) to save me some money. That, and using my snowboarding helmet as a bike helmet. LOL!
* Run the course – don’t use the day of the race to practice running the actual course. Go to Queens and swim the 750 meter (wall to wall to wall) ocean course. Bike the 24+ miles (40K) to and from Hawaii Kai. Jog the 6+ mile (10K) Diamond Head circle. All BEFORE the race! Extra special bonus points if you do all of them back to back as if it were race day. Click here for the specifics on the course paths. Since Bari and I were a little behind schedule, we ended up driving the course by car the day before. Don’t be us.
* Get a good night’s rest – never underestimate the value of a good night’s sleep the night before the race. If you’re a night owl, you might want to consider sleeping early several nights in a row to help your body get used to sleeping at an early hour.
* Fuel up – eat enough food to last you until the late morning/early afternoon hour, as that will probably be your next meal. As they say, eat bananas to help with cramping and carbo-load a couple days before race day.
* Arrive early (Check in starts at 4AM) – if you arrive too late (especially if this is your first time), you will be scrambling around, trying to figure out what you’re supposed to do and where you’re supposed to be. You will probably also have a hard time finding a place to rack your bike once everyone else has settled in and found their spots.
Your view of the check in area pre-race
* Be prepared – unfortunately, the folks at the Tinman only make your packet available about a week before the race (I could not find a PDF version of it on their site). There is a lot of valuable information in there that you’ll want to read before race day. Your various race numbers (for your bike itself, for your back for the bike portion, for your front for the run portion, sticker for your helmet, etc.) are also in there. Familiarize yourself with what they are and where they go. It also says to mark your left arm and left leg with your number (for the swim portion) before you arrive, but there are volunteers there, the morning of, with markers to help with that. Concerned for our health, Bari and I went to Longs and picked up a non-toxic marker and did it ourselves. The choice is yours.
* Make sure you can handle rough surf – Before the race, Bari’s dad told us that the waves were expected to be 3-5 that morning at Queens. Not sure if it actually got that big, but there was definitely a bit of washing machine action going on. Rough water swimming in the ocean is A LOT harder and different than in your local pool, or even flat water swimming in the ocean for that matter. Since the water was probably the only possible place I could die (if I rested), I concentrated on training my swimming the most. Probably 98% to my 1% bike and 1% run. Although I HIGHLY recommend training the swimming fo sho, I would also say that you need to devote more than 1 and 1 on your bike and run. :\
Bari and I struggling at Manoa pool early on
* Stay away from the wall (during the start) – for some reason, the officials for Bari’s group made them go all the way back against the wall. The combination of the crowd and the rough waves and the reef did not bode well for Bari’s foot as he opened up a gash on the bottom prior to starting.
* Enter the water later – if you’re a weak swimmer or don’t have much water endurance, what in the heck are you doing competing in the Tinman!? Hehe. But seriously, if you’re a weak swimmer or don’t have much water endurance, don’t hurry to get to the starting line within your group (you start in groups based on experience, age and gender). You may end up burning up your energy trying to stay afloat for up to 5 minutes until your start time. Plus, if you stay towards the rear of your group, there’s a better chance of the water being less rough and crowded. Well, at least until the group behind you catches up! LOL!
* Buy a good bike! – thanks to my great friend who shall remain nameless, Bari thought it would be a good idea to buy a bike for me from a Craigslist ad. Later, we discovered that we’ve been duped and that the puppy was actually one from Walmart. So even when I was flying it at full blast on the highest gear, everyone continued to whiz right by me. WTH!? Don’t take any chances. Get a good, Tinman quality bike from the beginning, especially if you plan on competing more than once. If you’re not sure, some of the local bike shops may rent bikes out. Here’s the rental information from The Bike Shop.
* Hydrate, especially during the bike portion! – there are NO aid stations during the 24+ mile bike portion of the race. Be sure you have a water bottle or two filled with your favorite fluid (other than hard liquor ). I had one bottle of Gatorade and that wasn’t enough, just FYI. If you’re in the same situation, be sure to partition out half for going to Hawaii Kai and the other half for coming back.
Heartbreak Hill in Hawaii Kai – generally speaking, the midway point for the bike ride [Photo Credit: wifey]
* Have a great support system – having your friends’ and family’s support before, during and after the race is priceless.
Kari, Miko and moms waiting patiently (and I stress patiently ) for my arrival. [Photo Credit: wifey]
Wifey snaggin’ some action shots [Photo Credit: Kari Ohara]
Still in good spirits (for some reason) on Heartbreak Hill [Photo Credit: Kari Ohara]
The cheering section! Ahaha! [Photo Credit: wifey]
Making me crack up on the way back down Heartbreak Hill [Photo Credit: wifey]
* Kiss your bum g’bye! – after sitting on a teeny seat for that long, your butt and “special areas” (if you’re a man) will undoubtedly get sore. I’m just sayin’.
* Wear gloves – I underestimated the value of a pair of gloves for that long of a bike ride. Though it was just tender and didn’t quite blister for me, I can see it being a problem for others.
* Be careful on the bike dismount – if you didn’t train properly (or even if you did!), when you dismount your bike, be aware that your legs will be J-e-l-l-o. This happened to me as well as my unnamed friend Bari, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there were actually some who ate it coming off of the bike. Just be aware.
* Transitions, transitions, transitions! – Our transition times were just plain ridiculous. Streamline your in-between time to shave precious minutes off your overall time.
* Don’t take pictures – unless you’re a dedicated writer/blogger extraordinaire (like me) , don’t stop to smell the roses. Taking mental notes and stopping to take photos during this race is not a good idea for your finishing time. Lesson learned. But then again, we wouldn’t have any wonderful shots like these now would we? *grin*
The start of the run on Kapahulu next to the Honolulu Zoo
Looking back on Monsarrat Ave, on the way towards Diamond Head
Leaving the first of 3 aid stations at Kapiolani Community College (the 2nd was at the beginning of Elepaio St and the 3rd was at Triangle Park)
Much like the Honolulu Marathon, you’ll head down 18th Ave towards Kilauea.
At this point, my legs were shot. The reason why this photo is looking up towards Diamond Head is because I was walking backwards! Ya gotta do what ya gotta do right?
Fighting the heat on Kilauea before turning right on Elepaio St.
Again, much like the marathon, you go up Kahala Ave towards the finish.
Tourists taking in the sights on Kahala Ave
Aloha story: you see the fella in the blue jogging in the photo above? During the race, he came over and decided to keep a brutha company and jog along with me towards the finish. He was just exercising and wasn’t even in the race! What a nice gesture, especially being that since 5:55AM that morning, I was pretty much on my own. It was nice to have someone to finally talk to. After chatting a bit, we found out that we shared a mutual friend in fellow Honolulu Advertiser blogger Melissa Chang. I Tweeted @Melissa808 after the race to please thank her friend and found find out that his name was Russell. Mahaloz Russell for your company and encouragement!
The fountain off Kalakaua Ave near Kapiolani Park
Cones leading to the finish line
Allllmost there! [Photo Credit: Kim Asano]
Alas! The goal is in sight!
Funny story:DJ Maleko, who was emceeing the finish line area, called out my name and said that I should’ve taken this picture after I finished, not before!
So thar ya have it! I hope this helped you future Tinman-ers at least a little. If you have any questions, feel free to post them in the comment area below.
A special Mahalo to my blog commenter M, and all of the staffers at The Bike Shop and McCully Bike for the pre-race help/tips! Doumo Arigatou (Mr. Roboto) to Kari Ohara, Miko Ohara, Kim Asano, moms, pops, wifey and wifey’s family for the support before, during and after the race! Big ups to the Tinman peeps for putting on this glorious event and the 100s of volunteers (and race participants as well) who showed their support during the race! Props to Russell for being my last leg jogging partner! And a final grazie to the Carrolls for the hospitality before the race and a wonderful lunch after.
I (guess I) can’t forget to send some love to Bari Carroll for motivating me to train for this thang against my will. You be a-ight I guess… Nah, thanks B!
Bari and I – 2009 Tinman Finishers!
See ya guys in the water next year???
P.S. Wanna see our progress from newbs to average Joes? Check out Bari’s (slightly biased) editing magic in our Tinman journal/video documentary! Don’t watch if you’re squeamish about pale, topless men. Consider yourself warned!
OK so I was obviously a bit MIA yesterday (and Friday for that matter). Apologies… your boy was busy healing his wounds from “competing” (and I use that term lightly ) in the 2009 Tinman Hawaii triathlon.
Gonna (hopefully) blow this out into a full-blown article on AroundHawaii.com, but until then, I wanted to share some tidbits for those of you who are interested in “competing” in the near future. Enjoy!
Still in good spirits on Heartbreak Hill at the 2009 Tinman Triathlon
* Get ready to invest – if you’re a “newb” like me and going in from scratch, be prepared to shell out some pretty pennies in order to get the party started. Bicycle (mountain bike doesn’t count!), helmet, tri-shorts (specially padded swim trunks that are waaaay too tight), no-blister socks, goggles, water bottle, water bottle holder, miscellaneous bike tools/kits, etc., are just some of the things to think about. And that doesn’t include the $80-100 entrance fee.
* Take it serious – unlike the marathon, there are a lot less “just for fun” participants, as made obvious by my finishing rank! LOL! Being fairly athletic and in reasonably good shape does not equal Tinman success. Not training seriously will not only be dangerous to your health, but frustrate the bejesus outta you (when your muscles don’t agree with what your mind is telling them).
* Train! – I would recommend training each activity/concentration successively, in addition to individually. In other words, it’s good to swim until the cows come home, but you should follow it up with a bike and then a swim. Yes, on the same day.
* Be prepared for rough surf – Before the race, someone told me that the waves were expected to be 3-5 that morning at Queens. Not sure if that was true, but there was definitely a bit of washing machine action going on. Rough water swimming in the ocean is A LOT harder than flat water swimming in the ocean or in your local pool fo sho.
* Buy a good bike! – thanks to my great friend who shall remain nameless, Bari thought it would be a good idea to buy a bike from a Craigslist ad. Come to find out the puppy was from Walmart. Um yeah. So even when I was flying it at full blast on the highest gear, everyone continued to whiz right by me. WTH!?
* Hydrate, esp during the bike portion! – there are NO aid stations during the 20 something mile bike portion of the race. Be sure you have a water bottle or two filled with your favorite fluid.
* Be prepared for a sore bum – after sitting on a teeny seat for that long, your butt and “special areas” (if you’re a man) will undoubtedly get sore. I’m just sayin’.
* Be careful on the bike dismount – if you didn’t train properly (or even if you did!), when you dismount your bike, be aware that your legs will be J-e-l-l-o. This happened to me as well as my unnamed friend Bari, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there were actually some who ate it coming off of the bike.
* Transitions, transitions, transitions! – Our transition times were just plain ridiculous. Streamline your in-between time to shave precious minutes off your time.
* Don’t take pictures – unless you’re a dedicated blogger extraordinaire (like me) , don’t stop to smell the roses. Taking mental notes and photos during this race is not a good idea for your finishing time. Lesson learned.
So thar ya have it! I hope this helped at least a little. A special Mahalo to M for the pre-race tips!
Now that the first time, just-for-fun itch is under the belt, there is no doubt that I will take it VERY seriously next time and own it the next time around.
Talk to me!
* Any tri-ers or racers in general have anything to share with the WWE `Ohana?
* Did this blog make you the tad bit interested in possibly racing the Tinman one day?
* If you were to judge yourself, would you say you’re strongest at swimming, biking or jogging?
* Is there anything that you’d like to accomplish one day? What’s on your bucket list?
With most of our guys out for Saturday’s game, we had our lowest scoring output (22) and suffered our first loss of the season . We rebounded with style in Sunday’s game however, with 61. Not sure why they didn’t list our high scorers for Sunday’s game, but from what I heard, Neal and Todd went off. I’ll rejoin the team this week, after a weekend rest for the 2009 Tinman, to see if we can’t do some damage leading into the playoffs…
We’re entering the final regular season games with the playoff picture clearing up: HMSA, Oceanic and MidWeek have clinched berths. The final berth will be between ESPN1420 and KHON; if they both finish 4-4, ESPN will advance via the head-to-head tiebreaker. Both teams own the head-to-head tiebreaker over The Advertiser (3-4).
This weekend’s schedule Saturday, Aug. 1
6:30 p.m. — KGMB vs. Oceanic; KHON vs. Star-Bulletin
7:30 p.m. — ESPN1420 vs. Oceanic; KHNL vs. MidWeek
8:30 p.m. — Advertiser vs. HMSA
My co-worker was laughing at me the other day when I told her that I’m really into Rockapella. Some also find it hard to believe that I dig on country music. What other secrets can we pull outta me? We shall see. But not without y’all sharin’ too!
Flo Rida or Twista - there’s just somethin’ about Flo Rida’s beat that makes me wanna get up and dance. Twista’s flow is insane! Respect.
Jason Mraz – cool cat with mellow, catchy grooves. Seeing that he’s a genuinely sincere/nice person when we met him at the Road Runner Music Hall just solidified my respect and admiration for him.
Colbie Caillat – kinda da kine for me to admit this, but sistah’s got some good kine jams. I like that she’s from Hawaii and that she seems to still be grounded after all of her success. Trying to line up an interview with her one of these months. Wish me luck!
Rockapella – can’t think of any other a capella group as talented as these bruthas! I need them to redo their lyrics to “Where In the World is Carmen Sandiego?” and sing “Where In Hawaii Is Edward Sugimoto?”!
O.A.R. – My alt rock ear gets its fill with this group. Love the brass infusion!
How about the local acts?
Ekolu – Lukela Keala’s voice is a thing of beauty!
Koa ‘Uka – ultimate party song band. Makes me wanna skank. I still wanna see them in person.
Justin Young – soulful voice with a laid-back, humble personality. Deservedly goin’ places now that he’s rollin’ with sistah Colbie.
Na Leo – spine-tingling harmonies, memory inducing hits. Don’t get no bettah.
Fiji – his live appearances are like no other! He knows how to get a crowd going fo sho!
Share your fave groups below yo!
P.S. Wish me luck in the Tinman this Sunday y’all! The bummahz part is that we play the Advertiser that night in our Media Basketball league and my legs will be shot. D’oh! If we lose, I won’t hear the end of it from Queenie, WesNaks and Bruddah Kwon (and maybe even StevieT! ) LOL!
Happy VHO7V Friday y’all! Have a good weekend and I’ll see y’all on Monday!
Leading scorers:
Advertiser: Dave Dondoneau 12, Lance Kwon 11. KGMB: Chris Archer 12. KHNL: Aaron Brooks 11. Oceanic: Neal Matsumoto 16, John Tavai 11, Ed Sugimoto 10. KHON: Rob DeMello 12, Ryan Hirata 12, Joe Udell 10.
Sunday, July 19, 2009 Results:
Advertiser 44, Star-Bulletin 29
KGMB 30, KHNL 25
KHON 63, MidWeek 47
HMSA def. ESPN 1420, forfeit
BYE – Oceanic Time Warner
Leading scorers:
Advertiser: Chris Simpson 13, Dave Dondoneau 11. KHNL: Travis Suan 13. KHON: Ryan Hirata 18, Kanoa Leahey 18.
K, maybe not, but play along won’tcha? 
![Heartbreak Hill in Hawaii Kai - generally speaking, the midway point for the bike ride [Photo Credit: wifey]](http://www.world-wide-ed.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/2009-08_tinman-tips003.jpg)
![Kari, Miko and moms waiting patiently (and I stress patiently :P ) for my arrival. [Photo Credit: wifey]](http://www.world-wide-ed.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/2009-08_tinman-tips004.jpg)
![Wifey snaggin' some action shots [Photo Credit: Kari Ohara]](http://www.world-wide-ed.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/2009-08_tinman-tips005.jpg)
![Still in good spirits (for some reason) on Heartbreak Hill [Photo Credit: Kari Ohara]](http://www.world-wide-ed.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/2009-08_tinman-tips006.jpg)
![The cheering section! Ahaha! [Photo Credit: wifey]](http://www.world-wide-ed.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/2009-08_tinman-tips007.jpg)
![Making me crack up on the way back down Heartbreak Hill [Photo Credit: wifey]](http://www.world-wide-ed.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/2009-08_tinman-tips008.jpg)
![Allllmost there! [Photo Credit: Kim Asano]](http://www.world-wide-ed.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/2009-08_tinman-tips018.jpg)
