Happy Birthday to Pupule Paul

Hauoli la hanau to my longtime co-worker and even longer time friend Paul Honda.

Here’s why I knew we were going to be pals when we met about 30 years ago: A mutual friend recruited me to play on his rec league softball team. Honda was the coach, and he fed us pizza after every game!

But it was more than just the free grub; Paul had the right attitude to lead a team of guys in their 20s in a rec league, which is rare. We were competitive and played to win, but not to the point of being jerks to each other, the umpires, or our opponents. We respected the game largely because Paul’s personality set the right tone. It’s no wonder Mr. Honda, aka Pupule Paul, is so good at coaching kids in basketball.

In addition to sharing passion for food, and when we were younger, playing basketball and softball, Honda and I have always both believed that high school football on Oahu should be divided into three classifications for the sake of competitive balance. I think it’s also a public safety issue. As another friend and colleague, Nick Abramo, has reported on HawaiiPrepWorld.com, we have reasons to believe a big step toward this could happen as soon as next year.