Yup, if it seems odd that so much football is going on in July, it’s by design. The school year is beginning as early (earlier?) as ever. That means high school sports is following likewise.
So many things to ponder. Day 1 of post-vacation for me means catching up!
• Waianae? No bleachers? Word is the bleachers were condemned. All of the seats, not just the center section. If this is true, that’s bad news for the Seariders football team. Until I find out it’s fact, I’m still hoping there will be home games this fall. I love covering games there. BEST SCENIC VIEW for a football game on Oahu.
• Synthetic turf for Moanalua, none for Radford? Word is Radford turned down a chance to get spongy fake turf and pushed instead for a state-of-art track. They like grass there, and if you’ve been on it in the past few years, it’s one of the best in the state. Manicured. Lush. Thick. I still remember former AD Eddie Maruyama diligently mowing that thick foliage daily in the summer.
• Problems for Castle’s field? Apparently, there are water pipes under the surface that weren’t written or drawn onto the plans. So replacing that often muddy field with synthetic turf is delayed. Big-time delayed. I feel for “Black” Knights fans. They had to endure a season without home games a few years back while new bleachers were installed.
Don’t ask me why construction projects for public schools seem to occur at the worst possible times. I don’t want to be sarcastic about the bureaucracy. Or maybe I do. Not right now though.
• Countdowns and special people. Let’s get this straight: Nobody I know religiously takes to preseason polls and player rankings. Make that nobody I know with a sane mind. But readers enjoy the stuff, I enjoy the banter/debates/arguments and we all like to see how our alma maters will fare with the arrival of each season, whatever the sport.
With football, well, that’s almost part of the DNA for many of us fans. Ingrained in our souls. But when you see our Countdown of top teams and our player rankings, please bear in mind that not a single scrimmage has been played yet this year. It’s all based on last year’s performance and this season’s expectations. Not real food.
No, it’s whipped cream, as I always say, and you can’t survive long on a diet of sugar and water. Tastes great, but there’s no real nutritional value.
But there’s plenty to talk about. Let the ranting begin!
Paul Honda, Star-Advertiser
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