WAC coaches, media agree: UH is 5th

Where is everybody?

5th?? Really?

5th is not a surprising prediction because of all of the unknowns this year…however, a lot of those unknown players will step up to surprise those voters this year!

It made sense for Mac to offer Kaniela Tuipulotu a scholarship…he should be a good contributor to practices this year after he is healthy and he’ll be in the DT rotation next year.

Did I mention….

Top Ten??? 🙂

nueve

morning gang!

Garret & Lori – Happy Anniversary!

Garret – always enjoy your posts, keep’em coming

Happy Ann’y Garret and Lori!

Happy Birthday Mike!

Have a great day erryboddy!

HiHo….

Good Morning All! Half way to the weekend. 7 days til I have a 6 hour layover in HNL on my way to Lana’i.
Hope everyone has a good one.

Happy B-day Mike!
Happy Anniversary Garret!
Hello Tsaikos!

I didn’t want to hog the board, so I waited a little while.
The reason I don’t think 5th is good is because the question marks on are on the defensive side and we have a defensive guru as a head coach. I don’t remember what we were predicted to finish last year, but that would have been more understandable because we lost our offense and hired a defensive coach. That is the reason why I think we will be a lot better this year. Plus, we will probably have a definite number one QB that has a year in the system.

Amen, rage777. Did I mention FSU is staying in a really nice hotel for a good price?

Morning folks…
Did you here how Boise St got 27 different Olinemen playing time last season…I’m thinking UH played maybe half that.
Reload vs Rebuild???

Happy Birthday Mike!

Injuries on special teams might give RGM a chance to play this week.

Ian Smart will have an MRI performed today on a wonky knee he twisted in practice Monday.

It is all but assured that the former CFL special teams player of the year will not be with the Lions when they face the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday.

It could well be the ticket back on to the roster for Ryan Grice-Mullen after being banished for two games, though as a prospective designated import his chance to make an offensive contribution will be limited.

A pairing of Grice-Mullen and Trestin George will likely cover for Smart against Hamilton, making it seven different returners used in five games by the Lions, who had Tyler Ebell on the sidelines for the most part Tuesday.

The receiver in Grice-Mullen lights up when asked if he longs for the chance to make a dash for the wide side of the field on a punt return, arguably one of the tougher plays in the game but one a speed burner can turn into a touchdown if he gets to the edge.

“That’s you against 12 guys then, and that can be tough,” he said.

“It’s about staying in the scheme. You do what’s called and it sets up other stuff.”

Interesting how recruits who decide to not go to BYU end up not going on the missions they were talking about.

Earlier in the day, Mendenhall had shared a statistic (which he alludes to here): Of the 18 recruits in his four years who said they were going to go on missions, or were strongly considering missions, and chose college football programs other than BYU, only one has actually gone on a mission so far.

Dodd: Is he going to go on a mission?

Bronco: “My guess is he will not. And again, what the statistics show is one in [18 has gone on a mission]. Once they go somewhere else, they are not going to go. Sometimes the kids feel, because of the emphasis that I place on going, that they would feel uncomfortable [at BYU] if they didn’t, and so maybe that had something to do with it.”

PowderPuff:
July 29th, 2009 at 6:12 am
Amen, rage777. Did I mention FSU is staying in a really nice hotel for a good price?

really nice hotel?? I didn’t know they will be staying at the Sheraton.

interesting stuff. i guess thats why a lot of recruits like mendenhall, his honesty.

I never like BYU, but reading about the coach gives me a different perspective. If that is how he recruits, I have a much higher opinion of both he and the institution. Hopefully, we are the same at the UH…truthful, even if it hurt.

Good Morning Gangeez! 🙂

Fifth huh? No problem, it gives us more opportunity to sneak up on some teams and beat the crap outta them.

Garret-

Your golden, baby. Don’t worry about anything you post. I especially enjoy your “free play” stuff. Best of luck on that big contract.

Buffoman,

In Manti’s case, I’m not sure how many teams would have told him that he wouldn’t start as a freshman. At most schools he probably would have started as a freshman, or at least have had a good chance to start at some point during they year, so telling a 5-star recruit that he would sit on the bench is pretty unusual.

This article concludes that the SEC has the best overall football conference because they make the most money and they share that money among all teams. For example, it probably isn’t best for the Big 12 overall that Texas makes far more than the other Big 12 teams, but the big money for the SEC comes from their TV deal that is shared equally.

Article about how the MWC will not invite BSU to join them for at least a few more years. This is a good point, but things will be interesting when the MWC’s TV contract is up and the BCS contract is up…

It will not happen this year, next year, or perhaps ever. Unless the BCS throws out one more hurdle that the Pac-10, Big Ten or a prospective automatic qualifying league like the MWC needs to expand and hold a playoff, it isn’t happening.

And that has nothing to do with the quality and respect of Boise State.

It’s simply a matter of economics.

The MWC doesn’t want to cut another piece of its revenue pie from collective TV contracts, the BCS money or five bowls, as meager as that bowl money actually turns out to be.

Adding Boise State right now would cost MWC schools money.

There is also concern from the mid and lower tier of MWC schools that losses to TCU, Utah and BYU — and then Boise State — in league play would make an appearance in one of the league’s five bowl games much tougher.

Three of those schools — New Mexico, Wyoming and San Diego State — just replaced their coaching staffs, in part due to a lack of success against the Big Three in football. They do not welcome a Big Four.

Don’t the Pac-10, Big 12, SEC and Big Ten cannibalize each other all the time? Yes. But one or two losses in those leagues can still get you a shot at a BCS game. One loss in the WAC or MWC leaves you outside the BCS veil — regardless of how respected or ranked your league brothers are.

No non-BCS conference champion has ever gone to a BCS bowl with a loss. And probably never will.

morning everyone looking good today sun out limited clouds but still hot with high humidity. head for the ac ressorts babe

fifth eh good more incentive for the warriors to go out and man up. kicking arses this year going be fun.

Happy B-day Mike!
Happy Anniversary Garret!

Garret,

Inteesting stuff re: BYU’s Mendenhall and Manti Te’o. Based on that story, that coach is a pretty rare find in CFB today.

OTOH, one could make a pretty strong argument that Coach Mendenhall *really* likes the way the two years of “mission time” helps mature his players, esp. physically.

ShaneFalco,

Thanks for your insight.
If I ever meet Coach Mendenhall I’ll offer to sit down and have a cup of coffee with him and discuss those things. 😈

…also heard that hitting the Fire Bet at a Harrah’s property won’t earn you a 1099.

(back to regular programming)

Good morning Tsaikos…

Not worried about the 5th place prediction…that’s why you play the game….just have to train/practice hard and get out there and kick some butt. I actually like being the underdog…more incentive to win.

Happy B-Day Mike!!!
Happy Anniversary Garret and Lori!!!

d1-

Would Coach Mendenhall have a cup of coffee? I thought Mormons don’t drink coffee… 😉 In any case, he sounds like a guy with integrity, IMHO.

d1 – a $5 firebet will not get the paper but if you bet more than that, it will. Max on the firebet is $10. 2 friends hit and the casino took out the taxes immediately and paid out $7,500 instead of $10,000. They still received the tax forms but it showed they paid the casino. I guess the casino took care of paying the State and Feds.

Also note that this does no affect the Federal tax returns, still can offset the wins w/ loses.

5th place is reasonable as they could be anywhere between #3-#7 in my opinion. The most important thing in football is the O-Line and the D-Line and i don’t think those are strong parts of the team this year. Other then Estes it looks pretty average or even below average to me. I hope i’m wrong and they play out of their minds this year.

Secondly, I hope Coach Mac is blowing smoke when he says that we have one great player and everyone else is good. That just doesn’t make me feel really confident on our talent this year. That alone should be a red flag this season. I know they have potential but that statement doesn’t exude confidence if you know what i mean. I understand keeping it real but YIKES!!!!

Why would anybody install McAfee or Norton on their machines? Those things are just CPU hogs that cost a lot of money. They aren’t the best at scanning and they are horrible at cleaning.

This is just one persons opinion, but many others agree.

Michael, Michael, Michael – happy birfday to you!!!

Hope you have experienced riding your motorbike with the Colt Brennan helmet won by a certain other half.

We in the best place we can be — the underdog.

Yes, Coach Mack is smart enough to blow some smoke. Let folks think we are junk……and then bust them in da mouffff when nobody lookin’.

Go Warriors. Work hard. Kick azz.

BIK

Kazz,

I heard that Tomey chimed in, too. No can blame dem, the Cal State schools are *real* budget-conscious this year. 🙄

…but who isn’t? (SEC excluded)

Anyone interested in playing in a fantasy football with other tsaikos let me know.
We are looking for at least 2 more people to join our league. Any questions email me. djmitcho at yahoo dot com

Dirty Commish,
If you change your mind let me know. I’m always gotta look out for fellow Monarchs!

Stretch,

I hope we ALL get that kine “tax problem” in September! 😀

5th place projection can be a very effective way to motivate the players to excel and prove many, many individuals wrong.

good position to be in and conduct S&D missions in the WAC.

A-house,

S&D missions? 😯
Oh there you go, getting Kekoa all hot and bothered!

BYU coach was being honest.
I don’t think Pete Carrol promised Manti he would start at SC. In fact according to most mags Manti won’t start at ND when the season starts.

Question: would you start a true frosh Manti over a healthy Blaze & Brash?
Note not hating on Manti.

Brash is back at MLB….

also how could you name a true frosh as a starter before he even faces 1 D1 opposition in practice? The topic was promising a HS player a starting job.

as awesome of a HS career that Pisa had he didn’t start as a frosh…

Good afternoon Tsai-kos and Tsai-kettes,

Finally back at work and catching up on all the exciting work I missed last week…would rather be talking story at a tailgater…. soon though…

Does anybody know where I can pick up a couple pounds of ground lamb? Need it for a recipe… If not, I’ll buy some lamb and grind it myself…

Mahalo, SB

d1:

Maybe Kekoa will not see my post -hehe!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Braddah Mike !!!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to Garret and Lori !!!

The Anniversary lunch was *awesome* today.

Blackened ahi sashimi (yes, I know that is a contradiction, but it tasted really good)
Calamari (the best calamari that I’ve had in my life)
Coctel del mar (kind of like a seafood salsa with chips to eat it with)
Two kinds of bread (the brown bread was awesome)
Fish tacos (the specialty of the restaurant and the best fish tacos I’ve had anywhere), with french fries and steamed vegetables. We had two orders of this since this is the favorite for Lori and me

With the coupon we had, the *total* came out to $19. I tipped well and our server was so happy she gave us a box of the brown bread we loved to take home.

I’ve got a very happy wife right now! She just left to pick up Faith from summer school so I have time to recover from that meal.

Stretch,

I had a straight flush in Let It Ride at the Cal years ago and they had me fill out the tax forms for the $1000 bonus. The $3000 winnings from the regular $5 bet did not need to be reported, but the $1000 bonus from the $1 bet needed to be reported for some reason. So, the cutoff for some things may be well under $5k.

Happy Birthday, Mike…and Happy Anniversary Garret! “a happy wife…is a happy life” for you men. 🙂 Wow, you are lucky to get a straight flush on Let It Ride. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a LOW pair on that game before.

Garett just because one doesn’t start doesn’t mean he will sit on the bench all season. He could bust his arse and EARN a starting job or valueable PT like everyone else…

would JJ have said to a HS recruit he might have a chance to over take a senior bound Colt? NO way.. 5 star or not…

Garret,

Wow! What a great lunch! Where did you eat?

99

I think the good news about the WAC is that the conference is strong this year. I watched LT, Nevada, and Boise play last night on ESPN they all have some good, young talent. I think Hawaii will be right in there with everyone else but real success will depend on how everything and everyone comes together.

Bulla:

if Paipai has the speed, LB from left to right: Blaze, Satele, Falemalu – big ouch on runing backs.

SailorBlue,

Brigantine in Del Mar. We had an awesome table at a window that gave us a nice view of the race track. Lori brought home a fish taco, her side dishes, and the bread so she’ll be happy for dinner also!

If you sign up with their e-club and let them send you periodic e-mails, they send you a great free appetizer coupon. The appetizer is actually 3 appetizers and is not on their menu, you can only get it with that coupon.

We can go back next month because on your birthday month you get $15 off $30…that will make the meal even cheaper.

BigWave,

Recruiting QBs is a special case, which you know. There are three or four starting LBs and others rotate in, and there is just one QB who may not come out of the game.

You do have a point that Manti could have seen the field and I’m sure that he would have worked extremely hard and at least gotten some time on the field. I was just surprised with the recruiting strategy about telling recruits they had no chance to start, instead of saying that they would have a chance to compete for the position and the best players would play. If you look at the BYU coach’s statement, that would mean that the players with more years in the system would start no matter how good a recruit was…that seems like it is rewarding seniority instead of production.

Of course, BYU’s coach likes to test recruits to make sure they actually want to be there. So, he might have thought that Manti would have had a chance to start sometime during the season but didn’t want to say that to him. Just like how he describes his visits with recruits where he expects them to convince him that they want to be at BYU before he offers them a scholarship. Some recruits would be put off by his recruiting strategy, but maybe he doesn’t want those types of recruits.

When a newspaper reporter seemed didn’t like his playoff idea, Leach responded:

“I’m not off the mark here. You’re off the mark,” he said, as people around the podium erupted in laughter. “Everybody else does it this way. Texas high school state champion? 16 games. Division II champion? 16 games. Division III? Depending, because some of those guys will fudge on a game, 15 or 16 games. The NFL, the old guys? Even more than that. Everybody thinks that I went into a cave and carved all of this out.”

Garett it’s all good 🙂

I bet the BYU coach is just sour grapes and trying to pump up his own LB crew.. Best to have said “No Comment”.

poof!

Colin K. looks ‘Tick’ compared to his freshman year when he came out lookin’ like Ichabod Crane.

If our DE crew can break him in half a few times a quarter, it should soften him up for some prime time whacks from our LB corps as well. If we don’t, he could be wearing that preseason title at our expense.

A-House ~ Intell briefings will reveal the opponents weakness. The challenge word for eliminating the WAC competition this season will be *Surgical Strike*…The response, *Warriors Revenge!*

Peace Out!

Note to Kazz: The war paint goes on soon.

Note to D-1: It never bothers me to get ‘hot’ when it’s “Game On!”

I like the 5th place WAC prediction because UH should easily surpass that. I truly think we’ll challenge for the championship although a lot of players will need to step-up. As for BYU, I’ve got a question. Wasn’t that honor code in effect all those years way back when their players would pile-on, throw cheap-shots, taunt Hawaii players, etc.? In one case, they dragged a UH QB out of the end-zone to the one yard line even though only his ankles & feet were outside of the ‘zone–and got the call by the soul-less, dishonest & BYU-protective refs. I really don’t want to hear about their honor code if they can’t even adhere to it on the field.

In response to coments that need clarification from the 07/28/2009 blog:

Don Weir
don.weir@uhf.hawaii.edu
295-7969

I am the Executive Director of Na Koa Football Club and was hired on 03/01/2009. I came out of retirement to give back to the school and program that provided me an opportunity to play football and receive my degree.
My salary is a little more than 1/2 of that which is quoted in this blog (07/28/2009) including benefits.
I am an Ali’i member of Na Koa Football Club in terms of donation level and The Weir Family Trust (Colleen and Don Weir) is starting a Na Koa endowment on August 30, 2009 as part of my vision of sustainable support for the Na Koa Football Club.
It is the Na Koa Football Club; all proceeds directly impact the Warrior Football program. Ahahui Koa Anuenue (AKA) is a separate entity and it has all of the control over tickets and parking; ticket and parking revenues from all sports, including football, are used to pay the tuition agreement costs (only) of all student/athletes on scholarship.
Phone messages on the office phone are answered the same day (if possible) and on the cell phone within 4 hours. E-mails are answered the same day. This correspondence/communication timeline started on 03/01/2009.
The website will be pulled down and an ‘under construction’ sheet will take its place as the website had 3 year old information on it.
Ben Yee is my mentor and my friend for as many years as Na Koa Football Club has been in existence. He is invaluable in helping Na Koa Footbaqll Club streamline its operations, use General Accounting Principles in its fiscal responsibilities, tutor the Executive Director and new board members on the Na Koa Football community, and develop those connections to Warrior Football supporters, the University of Hawai’i Athletics Department, and the University of Hawai’i Foundation.
My goals are to help Warrior Football win the conference every year, win a bowl game every year, place UH Football into the top 25 Division 1 teams every year, and to graduate every senior UH Football player.
Every time I am asked to speak to members and non-members there are three points that I take to heart.
1. I graduated from the University of Manoa; it is my school and my responsibilty.
2. As a student/athlete I was supported by the UHAD; it is my athletic department (house) and my responsibility.
3. I played for the University of Hawaii; it is my team and it is my responsibility.

I look forward to hearing from all Warrior Football supporters. Contact me if you have concerns, ideas, or just want to talk story about UH football.

Dr. Don Weir Football 72-73 BA Manoa ’74
Executive Director
Na Koa Football Club
University of Hawai’i Manoa
cell 808-295-7969
office 808-956-4513
fax 808-956-8473
‘buy a ticket to sit in a seat, join Na Koa Football Club to be part of the team’

And yes comments is spelled with 2 m’s and football has no q

Jake Ingram was signed by the Patriots!

The Patriots announced the signing of Hawaii long snapper Jake Ingram, one of their two sixth-round draft choices.

Ingram (6-3, 235) began his college career as a walk-on defensive end in 2005 before making the move to a long snapper.

@Kekoa – you know what dude i hope you are right but i cannot see the defense holding him down and especially on the road in Nevada. I mean they had a great defense last year and couldn’t really handle him at home. The offense brought that game home. Now on paper this year the D looks average and Colin K brings an army of weapons. Not going to be pretty. Prove me wrong. Please do.

BTW…does anyone remember Marshall Faulk running crazy back then. I swear that no one could tackle him?? I would like to see a list of greatest performances against UH. I bet he would rank.

BYU and their honor code – I seem to recall a certain QB, who was Catholic, that did not honor the code much, but he still played – you know that one with the bum knee.

DWeir…

I don’t know if Na Koa is involved in all of this but some money needs to go to improving facilities or something. We probably have some of the worst athletic facilities in all of college sports and that is what attracts recruits to Hawaii. If someone was recruited between Oregon & Hawaii they would no doubt chose Oregon with state of the art stuff. I’m not saying we have to be like Nike University but we need to upgrade all facilities and wow that 17-18 year old recruit. We live in the Xbox generation and kids are attracted by what they see and touch. I know we have stupid state regulations and all but we need to figure out how to funnel some $$$$ to facilities. Am I wrong???

Don Weir,

I don’t know if this is too long a response on this blog as I am new at this form of communication. Let me know.

It’s jus’ right! Mahalo and welcome to the Warrior Beat!

Hi, everyone!

Dang, the humidity is back. Ugh.

Happy birthday Mike!

I do not know Don Weir..but I already like him…

JK ~ If I’m lyin’ – I’m dyin’ dude!

are you the sportscaster on O-16 doing softball games with Santi.

Happy Anniversary to Garret and Lori

G,
The Ching doantion is to specific projects.
I confuse myself sometimes.
What I meant by designating gifts is that a donation to the Athletic Dept may be used in numerous ways.
When supporters donate usually it is to a generic type fund such as this, or Na Koa Football Club, or to Letterwinners.
I am starting to see that many supporters want to donate to a specific project that they feel is important.
I am not sure how this is accomplished, currently. That is what I am going to ask about tomorrow or Friday.

Don Weir,

Welcome to the blog. Like your insights and keep them coming, you’ll fit in just splendidly. Your dedication certainly doesn’t hurt either.

Garret & Lori,

Happy Anniversary and the kiss of Fortuna for your contract.

Mike,

Happy Birthday and as yet, your most excellent adventure still to come.

wafan,

djmitcho commented earlier that he was amazed that it was cooler in Spokane today

Don is going to have to make at least one tailgate…

I view the interview by Mendenhall negatively. In the excepts that Garret posted he basically said that the only reason an LDS kid wouldn’t come to BYU is that they weren’t committed to the honor code and a mission. He said it wasn’t the football and he didn’t mention anything about the education.

Notre Dame is an excellent academic school. Say what you will about Weis but you can’t argue with his graduation rate and the success he has had getting his athletes to perform in the classroom. Nobody is doing it better, right?

No question that Notre Dame is a better school academically than BYU. US News has them ranked at #18 in the tier one universities for undergraduate education. They rank BYU at #118. Manti’s two other top schools, USC & Stanford rank #27 & #4 respectively. Why wouldn’t academics be a factor?

How about football? Notre Dame might not be as strong as BYU on paper right now, but it has unmatched tradition. Plus, as one of the few independents they always have a great schedule against many traditional rivals. BYU just can’t say that. Mendenhall was eager it seems to tell Manti that he wouldn’t start as a freshman. Not likely anyone else said anything different. The smart and honest thing to say is that the best player will play, period. If the kid comes in and is better than your three year starter why shouldn’t he get the nod?

I would be surprised if Manti figured he was going to start as a true freshman wherever he went. No question that the guy has talent though and if he can, he should.

There was that brouhaha at BYU with some recruits that might have included Manti, although it was kept fairly quiet. Maybe that colored Mendenhall’s comments. But it doesn’t seem very honorable or professional to speculate openly the way he did, especially since in doing so it sure seemed like he was attacking the eagle scout’s character.

G,
Scroll up for the address in this blog.

About Manti, I can tell you he made the choice that was best for him. I was part of the Varsity coaching staff at Punahou for the last 3 years and saw Manti both on and off the field. My recruiting take on Manti; this is one smart, big, tough, disciplined, ‘coachable’ young man that plays with an intensity from the heart

ND’s cachet
1. national exposure
2. making your own mark as a LB at a school better known for linemen and backs (including QB’s)
3. ability to change schools if head coach changes & mission has been completed with 4 full years of eligibilty left

I don’t think that anyone posted how CBS Sportsline ranked UH as the #29 team of the decade.

29. Hawaii: No matter how 2009 ends, this will be the most successful decade in Warriors history. So far it has included a Sugar Bowl, 74 victories, a Heisman finalist (Colt Brennan) and the leading passer in NCAA history (Timmy Chang). Thousands of miles from mainland football, Hawaii established itself as a quarterback factory and a BCS buster.

It is not a shock to me that the Dolphins have Bess as one of the players they wish to represent them to their fans.

The Dolphins literally – and figuratively – put down roots in Southwest Florida this afternoon. Dolphins players, alumni, cheerleaders, T.D., and team officials stopped at Germain Toyota in Naples signed autographs, posed for photos and yes, raised an aqua Dolphins flag high above the dealership.

And so began a new team initiative to reach out to current and prospective Dolphins fans in Collier, Lee and Charlotte counties. The team counts 1,200 season ticket holders from southwest Florida and hopes over time to increase that number, Dolphins CEO Mike Dee said.

The group that included wide receiver Davone Bess, tackle Vernon Carey, linebacker Akin Ayodele and running back Patrick Cobbs, then moved to Buckingham Community Park in Fort Myers for a football clinic and cheerleading camp for some 500 kids.

Bess said he likes participating in community events and meeting fans.

“They’re the reason why we do what we do. They’re a big part of why we’re who we are and our identity,” Bess said, “so it’s always good to go out and meet them and give back.”

http://blogs.trb.com/sports/custom/business/blog/2009/07/dolphins_plant_flag_launch_gam.html

“It’s (the predictions) motivating,” said defensive end Larry Hart, last year’s Defensive Player of the Year in the Conference and one of two players from UCA represented at the Media Day. “You’d think they’d let sleeping dogs lie. By it looks like they are trying to slap us in the face again.”

“Last year, we were picked fourth, and we ended up doing pretty well,” said offensive lineman Lane Freiwald, a first-team pick on the offensive unit. “It gives us an extra push. We can feed off that.”

Conque said the Bears have had a great summer. Only one returning scholarship player was absent from the first term of voluntary summer offseason work. Everyone was in Conway for the second term except one high school signee.

I think i read somewhere that Nevada was really working on its passing game in the spring. I also watched some vids of Kaepernick running the veer out of the pistol. Very dangerous. The front seven will have to play smart ball and not let this guy get loose to the outside.

Mauiboy,

I haven’t looked into that but know that there were some problems getting just the tailgate/trans. las vegas has been setting up a tailgate/trans for game day, which all will be invited to like last year. I think that the 2007 tailgate/trans really went well last year and I look forward to what is being set up this year.

By the way, we had a lot of talk about the girl from Hawaii who sang on America’s Got Talent last week. She was shown on yesterday’s show and I thought I should update the blog in case anyone was interested but missed the show.

Last year they divided up the people in Vegas and had each category perform, and then they picked the best people from each category. So, they had so many spots for adult singers, for kid performers, for dancers, etc. I thought that was fair, and everyone got to perform and be shown on TV again. And they could be compared with each other easily since they performed right after each other.

This year they decided to change things up to get more drama for the show. So, they divided the people at the airport into four groups, and decided to send one group home. The Hawaii girl was in that group!

So, she and her Mom paid their way to LA for her initial audition, she did an amazing job in her audition (which we saw last week), then she and her parents flew to Vegas for what they thought was the next round of the competition…and they didn’t even get to leave the airport! The people in the group who were sent home supposedly had to turn around and go home right away!

I thought that was unnecessarily brutal for that group. Why have them fly to Vegas if they were going to be told to wait for the judges to show up at the airport hanger and then get sent home right away? Why not just tell them they could just not bother to come? Well, I guess they wanted people to cry on camera, which happened of course.

The sad thing is that they apparently had *1* spot for a kid solo singer…and they chose the blond girl who had a personality they really liked. But her act was a singing act and she *really* cannot sing too well. When the judges pointed that out to her in her audition, she openly admitted that she didn’t sing well and told them that she had a vocal coach to help her improve. They were charmed by that answer and by a few jokes she told.

So, Ciana Pelekai never got to leave the airport and had to go right back to Hawaii even though the judges clearly loved how well she sang. Instead, Eleisha Miller made it to the top 40 even though she is a singer who cannot sing well. I found that really horrible, and I would have felt that way even if Ciana hadn’t been from Hawaii.

….or late night “shopping”?

Be careful about posting your e-mail in the normal format (spammers)

try like dis: dean(dot)shima(at)gmail
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh…
Dats why you folks do that..
I thought it was like a Tsaiko secret handshake

Big Wave,

Shhhhh….

😆

Garret,

Given HI’s track record for supporting her own on shows like this, the producer’s thinking is really questionable.

Nice mention of Bess in this article.

“We’ll take continuity into the next season,” said wide receiver Davone Bess, who caught 54 passes for 554 yards and a touchdown last season. “We can just go out now and play football and not have to worry about learning the playbook still.”

Bess overcame a troubled youth in a low-income area of Oakland, Calif.

He at first lost a scholarship opportunity with Oregon State University, having to spend 15 months in a juvenile detention facility after allowing a friend to put stolen items in his car.

“But I got a second opportunity to play ball at the University of Hawaii,” said Bess, who was the first person on his father’s side of the family to attend high school and the first on his mother’s side to attend college.

Bess said he looked forward to his role in the offense this season.

“Whatever the coaches want me to do, I’ll do,” Bess said.

“I’m one of these guys who says, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’ ” Bess said of using the wildcat again this season. “It’s exciting. But we’re not going to surprise people with it any more.”

Free play link time. Please ignore my next 5 posts if you do not want to read the off-topic stuff.

Transparent aluminum has now gone from Star Trek movies to reality, and it is being called a new state of matter with implications for planetary science and nuclear fusion.

Mother mice injected with nanoparticles while pregnant showed alteration in genes related to their central nervous system…more study is needed because these types of nanoparticles are being increasingly used for air and water purification and self-cleaning surfaces.

Oregon family no longer leaves their windows open when they sleep…ever since a *bear* climbed through an open window to get into their home one night. The daughter saw the bear in the den, and she told her Dad who shot and killed the bear, leaving a bloody mess.

Invisible aluminum. Cool.

Well, now I can end a long day….

Oyasumina-tsai.

And America’s Got Talent got no class! Jerks!

Don Weir- welcome to the Warrior Beat! Hope you will share the scoops with us regularly.
btw- are you related to any folks on Kauai???

SYTYCD fans- please vote for my cousin’s (SueAnn) daughter’s (Amanda Tae) student, the awesome JEANINE MASON! 888-836-7605

She is only 18 and has been phenomenal since she was little.

COLT WATCH- Garret may have snagged this- but just in case…
http://tinyurl.com/ngkh72
“– BACKUP QUARTERBACK

Todd Collins enters his 15th training camp as the primary backup to Jason Campbell, with youngsters Colt Brennan and Chase Daniel at his heels.

Collins did not see any action in the 2008 regular season. In preseason, he appeared to be tentative as he adjusted to Jim Zorn’s offense. Now that he is in his second year in the system, he is expected to show progress.

If Collins falters, Brennan could be given a shot as the first backup off the bench.

Brennan provided some preseason excitement last year, completing 36-of-53 passes for 411 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. His QB rating of 109.9 led the offense.

Brennan, a sixth-round draft pick in 2008, continues to be a work in progress in terms of refining his throwing motion. Jim Zorn emphasizes a strong, high release instead of the sidearm release he was accustomed to at the University of Hawaii.

Daniel, an undrafted rookie pickup, is also working on his mechanics as he adjusts to the NFL from the University of Missouri.

The Redskins could consider pursuing a veteran free agent quarterback, depending on how Collins and Brennan perform in preseason. Remember, team officials visited with Byron Leftwich last offseason, so adding a veteran has been discussed in the past.”

“The WAC, Mountain West, Big-12 and Conference-USA have joined into a referee co-op. Officials from each conference have been pooled”

Now we can not only complain about WAC officiating, but MWC, Pac-10, Big-12 and ConferenceUSA people as well!

Where is errybodee?

Two more then nigh nigh.

COLT WATCH-

Murph is making Aunty Liz shake her head…
http://www.homermcfanboy.com/2009/07/30/10-semi-bold-predictions/

“2. Colt Brennan will continue to excel at holding a clipboard.

If you’re from Hawaii please skip this one. You won’t be happy.

Brennan, while wildly popular with the pothead surfer crowd, still has a ways to go before “The Tasty Drink” Todd Collins should worry about losing the backup quarterback job. Yes, Colt is a “gun slinger,” and yes, management has a chubby for those types of QBs, but Brennan simply isn’t ready to be a starter (or even a backup quarterback) just yet.

Collins is solid, but unspectacular. You know exactly what you’re going to get from him every time he takes the field. He’s not flashy, but he’s certainly dependable. Brennan still has to refine his fundamentals – stuff like footwork and being more consistent every time he drops back – before he can make a legitimate run at playing time.

The sad, harsh truth is that if Colt gets any kind of playing time in 2009 it’s because the season is lost and the team is in “screw it, let’s see what we’ve got with our bench players” mode.

Even if things don’t work out for Brennan this season you can still listen to Jack Johnson on your iPod, drink Fire Rock Pale Ale and relish the fact that you’re living in Hawaii.”

evening tsaiko country, yep humid and hot day with sprinkling rains. the ac was welcomed and refreshing.

got my assignment for thursday morning and have to admitt looking forward to it.

like I mentioned before give UH the 5th spot then just stand back while dem warriors man up, take no prisoners and keep marching on. E KU MAU MAU
whoootahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh