Happy Feel Good Friday!

Talk about a busy "sports" weekend. You finally got an excuse to put off some housework not only because of Super Bowl Sunday but for the Super Fight on Saturday between BJ Penn and George St-Pierre.

Although a day at da beach with dis fantastic weather we're having would be great too!

I'm not into UFC or MMA fighting but I know dat tomorrow's fight is HUGEMANGEOUS! BJ Penn is going for an unprecedented attempt to win championships in two separate divisions: welterweight tomorrow night and he already owns the lightweight belt. The talk has been dat it's even bigger than ANY of da oddah main event boxing fights such as Hagler vs Leonard, Ali vs Frazier, Tyson vs ..... anybody (before the ear thing).  

But dat's only just part of da hype. In Hawaii alone you must be in living in a cave if you haven't heard of BJ but for those who know/heard of him, you know he is one bad mutha! There's just something about him dat draws an appeal - besides being called "The Prodigy" and "The Natural". For Hawaii fans it should just be dat... he's a local boy done good!

Wow, come to think of it, we get choke people from Hawaii making it "Big Time" yeah?   

Let me just add too dat it is extremely difficult to move up or down in weight class and dat feat alone I tip my hat to BJ because not only are MMA fights not spaced far apart like boxing and there is a new world of discipline you need to even come close to doing so.

So join me in saying,    KICK SOME OKOLE BJ!  

Prediction: BJ wins by TKO in da middle of da Third.

(St-Pierre fans - no be shame fo' post but please be civil... WE not in da octagon.)

And if you're a MMA/UFC fan, The Honolulu Advertiser has got one of it's own, Dayton Morinaga, sharing da fight scene straight from Las Vegas! Check out his blog, UFC 94 from Las Vegas for updates!

**  BL kinda mad wasn't asked to "volunteer" **  

And let's not fo'get Super Bowl Sunday!!!

Eh, who we kidding - I did already cause 49ers not in 'em.

But in my haste in yesterday blog (MAHALOS for da remindah King Katonk!), I didn't give a proper shout out to our three Braddahs representing da 808 Proud: Kahuhu's own Aaron Francisco (Arizona) and Chris Kemoeatu (Pittsburgh). Let's not fo'get UH's own Travis Laboy (Arizona) too!  Bettah recognize!

Have you heard of any "good" commercials coming out? I'm really looking forward to da Miller High Life commercials. They're really promoting their ONE second commercials.

No joke. Really. O-N-E second commercials.

Da catch? You gotta watch da first one cause it'll "explain" da one second commercials and from wat I seen it's pretty good and funny! Let's just say there might be a Cedric the Entertainer numbah 2.

Don't fo'get to raise your glasses *chest pump pointing to da sky* aftah da National Anthem and fly ovah to give a shmall kine rememberance to Pat Tillman.

Prediction: 'Cards play their heart out....  28-24 to win their first evah Super Bowl!

Last but not least..... it's FEEL GOOD FRIDAY! so I thought these two videos were funny, amazing, weird... possibly disturbing so be forewarned - YOU NO LIKE 'EM, NO WATCH 'EM. 

Enjoy!

Fo' all you "Single Ladies"

Dis "guy" is awesome! I tink he dances bettah den Beyonce herself!

And 'den get dis guy.... TOO FUNNY!

Have a grrrrreeeeeaaaat weekend!

k-den

Yeah, you heard me.... well, just recently pilau.

If you're not a Cardinals fan or haven't heard about Pat Tillman it's not a wonder why. He's basically a no name player that till today the majority of people who remember him most are his teammates, those with Arizona ties or just a diehard Cardinals fan.

Basically in a nutshell, he left the NFL to serve his country shortly after 9/11.

But that's just the tip of da beak.

He turned down a 5 year $9 million dollar contract to play for the St.Louis Rams early in his career... out of loyalty to the Arizona Cardinals. Before being deployed to Iraq, he turned down a 3 year $3.6 million dollar contract - he was only making $512,000 prior. He then served not one but TWO tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

And it all ended with three bullets to his head during a devastating enemy firefight.

Sorry, he was killed by friendly fire.... at least that's the story that's being stuck with. The controversy surrounding Tillman's death is so murky that they are still sorting it out.

So wat's all da hu-hu about?

Well considering da whole state of Arizona memorialized Pat Tillman with tributes continuing till this day and in so many ways, it's almost fairytale-like dat the Arizona Cardinals reached da promise land of da NFL - The Super Bowl! They

Wat would be a greater tribute than to acknowledge a player like Pat Tillman in the single most watched game in the world?

Well we'll nevah know cause the NFL doesn't want anything to do with it.... not even a blurb!

WASSAP WIT DAT!

Not a moment of silence, not a patch to be sewn on the Cardinals Super Bowl jersey (we'll see), not a programming note.... nada for da Super Bowl in any mention. What if it was a marquee player like Tom Brady or Tony Romo? I bet there would be something then.

Now this is coming from a sport that has missing man fly overs, ROTC marches, the American flag waving high and proud above every single stadium and the National Anthem sung before every game....   GO FIGGAH?!

You're talking about a man who gave up his - would be profitable - career to help defend our country in a time of need. He served not one but two tours and the NFL can't even do a shout out?! I can bet (hope) da announcers will mention something and I'm more than certain his teammates will have something brewing on their own privately (so not to get fined by the league).

Like President Obama is doing for The United States, the National Football League too needs a person to look up too instead of gun wielding, club fighting, public outcry for not touching the ball enough crybaby lo-lo's.

So come Super Bowl Sunday as the National Anthem finishes up and the fly over passes (as cameras pan on the US Flag), I'll raise my glass to Corporal Pat Tillman letting him know I got his back....

Cause da NFL sure didn't.

Seriously, anybody NOT go into Chinatown for da Kung Hee Fat Choy celebrations?

Uncle Rodney from Midlife Crisis, Les (Leslie Kawamoto) from Island Tails and Kelli-Girl from Campus Life 101 were just a few that were there. If I knew we were all going to be there we should of have just thrown anoddah blog pah-tay no?    They already all blogged about and of course I stay late (scooped).... maybe cause I thought today was Kung Hee Fat Choy .... nah, cause I stay on Hawaiian time!

Check out all three of their Kung Hee Fat Choy blogs for their awesome pics and Kelli-Girl stepped it up - cause she got hookups from tech friends - and added some video.... something I'm still tryin' fo' do with all my Disneyland, Six Flags and Ziplining rides.

Truth be told I normally don't attend any of da festivities but since Da Wife's company was involved in da parade, I decided to stick around and check it out.

Of course, dis is WWD! so I get one mo'olelo fo' share about da parade.

My mother-in-law, her boyfriend, an uncle and aunty showed up for da parade and got some choice seats on da corner of Hotel and Nuuanu.

Looking down Hotel St - Ewa side

So we're sitting there and the parade hasn't started yet and of course just get some people (kids) cruising on da street. Well, so am I... but I da paparazzi so I get excuse.

Da parade starts with a police escort coming down and people inch their way back to da sidewalk and for those who didn't was told by an usher to remain behind the gutter line. You can see da line in da pic above wea most of da feet stay as you sit. So of course people try to squeeze back in.

We already get choice seats so we not worried until a huge group in da Diamond Head side starts to creep back out to da street. In fact, they were actually standing in da parade route! They stand there oblivious to not only da parade participants but da people behind them sitting along da sidewalk (see pic above). We (they) couldn't see anything until da participants were literally right in front of us.

Wassap Wit Dat!

I figgah aftah a couple of lions pass through they'd get da hint fo' back off or actually have da sense dat da participants were going AROUND them they'd catch da hint.

Nope.

So I go up to da group starting from da back and tell them dat they're supposed to be behind da line and dat ALLLLL da people behind them no can see.

The initial group started to move back until I hit one lady with attitude.

"Wat? We no can see either. They stay doing it up there. Everybody's doing it."

"Terrific attitude lady."

I should have told her dat they also robbed a bank earlier and it was her turn.

But I bit my tongue cause mo' worse, she had one keiki. Sad. Now her own keiki going get da idea dat it's ok to be ignorant just because everyone else is.

And you see da two keiki sticking out in da road? No parents to be seen. No parents fo' tell them they stay in da middle of da road and they in da way.  

Ai-goo. No can win.

Without further ado, hea's some of da pics from da parade.

Store front owners had their tables set up in anticipation of da hungry crowds. I just took da pic cause I liked da shadow and light.  

It was hot so many varieties of ice cold drinks were available

Wat's Chinatown without food.........

And trinkets!   

Uncle Rodney had mentioned it was crowded at night... nothing different in da afternoon

Can't start da parade without Mayor Mufi dressed in a Chinese silk shirt

And of course wat's a parade without The Royal Hawaiian Band!

Even Ronald McDonald was in da house!

Did I mention dat ALL of da Dung's were there?  

And you know if I evah get a shaka... chances are you going be on WWD! Double shaka? Garans-ballbarens!   

There were big lions.......

Little lions.......

And even little'r lions!  Oh my!

They came a lookin' for anyone asking for good luck

A haole family from da mainland next to us obliged

Havin' some fun!

Now DAT is wat it's all about! Passing it down generation to generation.

Do you see da fire in it's eyes?!  

Feed me!

Yikes! Who let da lions out?

Dis kid was hustlin'!

Dis pic is for all da WWODD! peeps in da house... make of it as you will.  

Not sure if you evah seen dis building on da corner of Hotel and Nuuanu (I believe it stretches down to King) but dis is da first time I've noticed da emblems on top represent all 12 of da Chinese Zodiac characters. Click da link below to see it a bit closer.

CLICK HEA' FO MORE PARADE PICS!

k-den

As an aging athlete, I've been playing sports all my life - from the time I could run, you could say that I haven't stopped running. I've been a player on both winning and losing teams - mostly losing as a youth - in almost every imaginable sport there is. I've won and lost championships - mostly as an adult and as a coach, the story is the same... but different.

If you haven't heard by now, there was a blowout in Texas.

No, Texas didn't lose to Texas Tech again but in a small religious Class 2A District 3 high school girls basketball league game on Jan.13, The Covenant School defeated - demolished, humiliated, *insert your own adjective after reading* - Dallas Academy...............  100 - 0.

No typo there. Das' right - ONE HUNDRED to ZERO.

WASSSAP WIT DAT!

There's just so many things wrong with this story that I don't even know where to begin.

Could it be the most obvious one, the score? The Covenant was already up 59-0 at the half. Could it be that the parents and coaches were "encouraging" the run up in their effort to reach 100? Could it be that The Covenant was still pressuring the Academy, stealing the ball and performing lay-up drills every single chance they got even with the game waaaaaay in hand? Could it be that the coach has no remorse and refused to apologize for the game?

For one thing, as a coach in any sport, you prepare your team against an opponents weakness'. The Convenant should have already realized that they had the game "in hand" by the opening minutes considering they play against each other in the same district. If you saw the video of the the Academy's practice (link above), you would have recognized that too without even being a coach. Did I mention that The Covenant has a "star player" showing her skills featured on YouTube? (I'm sure anklebiters can find it. )

Dallas Academy didn't hide their disadvantages considering they only have eight girls on team from the total enrollment of 20 in its high school. The haven't won a single game in the last four seasons and they boast of its specialization in teaching students struggling with "learning differences", such as short attention spans or dyslexia.

It's a shame that all this happened. Where's the humility? Where's the repsect? Where's the sportsmanship?

Even in my basketball league, if by chance our team is up by a good margin, we don't pressure the other team. We play a "soft zone" allowing them to take shots but at the same time making them earn their points. In my softball league we run bases at three-quarter speed allowing the other team to throw us out (although my full speed is about everybody else's three-quarter speed     ) if we've got a good lead.

And as a coach, I hold my players to singles, no base stealing, no taking a base on errant throws - I tell them to still play hard and show respect even more so. In one game a player once asked how come we're not stealing bases any more. I simply asked him, "why do we need to?". He couldn't answer. I then asked him to remember a game - any game - he's played in where it seemed like the other team was "mean" and not letting up making him and his team feel like crap.... then I told him to look at the other team's faces and see if those faces looked familiar.

As a young player you're taught to do things but for no reason why other than to help your team win. I believe a good coach in all it's glory, can/should still coach humility and respect.

The Covnenat and Dallas Academy did teach us something... that even in a gym full of God-fearing people, God can't enter the game.

Happy Feel Good Friday Everybodies!!!

Or should I say.... somebodies?!

Only get half da Kwonics posting (WWD!) so I wondering wea everybody stay? 

I supah happy get some Lurkahs dat came out of da closet in '09 and I hope they can continue da trend.

Well since hardly anybody stay around - you guys must be actually working   - hea's a few pics to make you chuckle.   MAHALOS MUNCH!

PICS HAVE BEEN REMOVED PER EDITOR'S REQUEST - POSSIBLE COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT

SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE 

SHOUT OUT NUMBAH 1:  Let's all wish a Happy Birthday to a fellow Kwonic,

Hau'oli la Hanau Bre!!!

SHOUT OUT NUMBAH 2:  Join me in wishing a Happy Belated Birthday to annodah Kwonic,

Hau'oli la Hanau 9th Island Girl!!!

SHOUT OUT NUMBAH 3:  CONGRATULATIONS to my softball buddy, "Iv",

He and his wonderful wife is having........  TWINS!!!!  Cheee-hooo!

SHOUT OUT NUMBAH 4:  Mahalos SCOTT fo' da avocadoes!
 

SHOUT OUT NUMBAH 5:  Last but not least,

ALOHA & GOOD LUCK to JAY HIGA (Fore-Play Blogger on da side)

& JONI AKASAKI

We are truly losing two of da "good guys" from The Honolulu Advertiser. My hearfelt best wishes goes out to you two and your families. You'll surely be missed!!!

*** (and all you oddah THA workahs dat read WWD!, post a shout out hea' wishing them well eh!  Yeah..... I talkin' to YOU!!!   ) ***