Hawaii head coach too stupid to open mouth

This is easily my favorite part of the story:

McMackin made his comments in front of about a dozen reporters, most with voice recorders, and a WAC video camera. He then tried to convince reporters not to write about his comments.

“Just please … cover for me,” McMackin said Thursday. “Go ahead, say ‘faggot dance.’ No. Please cover for me on that, too — right Karl? I’ll deny it. Anything else?”

Karl referred to WAC commissioner Karl Benson, who was in the room when McMackin concluded his comments.

You'd have to set up chart with subtypes to categorize all that stupidity.

Then we'll give you a rematch...

... though you will have to make it to the 2008 National Title game first.

This is just so damn ridiculous that it's sad. It's a letter from The Honolulu Advertiser's editorial page (you have to scroll down):

SUGAR BOWL: GEORGIA CAME TO PLAY, UH WARRIORS DID NOT

As a former player, I'm tired of hearing fans and the media say that we were overmatched by bigger, faster, stronger players.

Georgia players are no different than us; the problem was they came to play and we didn't.

Georgia was dominant, not only because they were good athletes, but because their scheme put them in the best position to win.

If Hawai'i (offense) had done the same and utilized/adjusted their scheme to put themselves in the best position, we would not be in the mess we are in now. Believe me, our budget and facilities have nothing to do with what goes on on the field. It's up to the players, and I know for a fact they are looking forward to Florida.

Georgia got lucky, and I say that from a player's point of view. We gave up big plays, which at the end killed us.

But it's over; let's all talk about how we are going to support the program. Let's sell out every game from here on out.

Lene Amosa
Honolulu

"Georgia got lucky?" Nice grasp of reality.

By the way, it does look like Amosa is a former Hawaii football player, though the university doesn't exactly celebrate his illustrious career.

Thanks to Dawgs Online for pointing out this moron so we can ridicule him appropriately. And good call on the South Carolina reference.

Take that! Hawaii, Colt Brennan, New Orleans, the BCS and my liver.

Four train days
Carry me back to New Orleans...

I'm back. Surely plenty has been said about the Sugar Bowl. Pretty much every news account I read after the game included some form of the phrase "wicked beating." My personal favorite was a column subhed in The New Orleans Times-Picayune: "Georgia defense will haunt Brennan forever."

Honestly, I haven't seen anyone take a beating like that outside of a Rocky movie.

But I will say that the Hawaii fans seemed nice. Of course, the only real interaction I had with them was listening to them talk about how cold it was and watching them give each other that cute little "aloha" hand gesture.

But they sat there at the Super Dome and watched the entirety of an epic beatdown they came 2,000 miles to witness, so I can respect that.

Looking ahead, I love where this leaves us. Being ranked No. 2 at the end of the season is great, but, more importantly, this young team is hungry. They got a taste of just how close they could come to an actual National Title shot in a season that, let's be serious, was on the brink of disaster in October.

Now they feel invincible. I really think Coach Richt could start matt drills tomorrow and he'd have these kids slobbering at the mouth to run gassers at 5 a.m.

Better yet, let's keep playing. My buddy Joe wants to line up and play all the other 118 teams in college football, alphabetically, starting tomorrow.

What Coach Richt, his staff, and this team have accomplished this year is nothing short of staggering. It is the launching pad to new heights. I've been saying it since last year, but now I'll put it in print: We will win back-to-back National Titles in 2008 and 2009.

Also, someone drive dump truck full of money up to Stacy Searels house. He can not talk to the media all he wants.

We lose so few weapons next year. A young offensive line that was so strong at the end of this season should improve. The concern now: Off-season shenanigans (read: disciplinary suspensions) and hype. And since we open with two cupcakes, mostly hype.

Bulldogs, you're going to be a fashionable pick to win the title in 2008, and with good reason. Don't believe it boys. Please don't forget you almost lost to Vandy this year. This game you love is hard.

As for the Sugar Bowl experience, New Orleans starred as itself, as always. And, as always when pitted against any challenger except mother nature, it won.

I got home to a pretty fantastic string of emails from my friends. Most of them added up to "Ouch." Some of them included real nice visuals of their return to work following the Sugar Bowl:

When attempting to set my coffee on someone's desk it immediately fell to the floor and spilled everywhere.

Its fun when you have to keep telling stories about black eyes at work. CEO's and board members really respect them. (Editor's note: This man was beaten up by a cajun woman, who apparently hit him in the head with a bottle.)

It's also fun when you call one of your clients to have an at-length conversation today - and the said client reminds you that you've already had this at-length discussion yesterday. (Editor's note: This young lady drove BACK to New Orleans this past weekend for the National Title game.)

Yeah, the Big Easy was pretty tough on some of us.

A few last points:

I don't know how I could have missed it from the upper deck, but my brother told me a group called "Bonerama" performed the National Anthem before the game. You stay classy, New Orleans. And be sure to overcharge me while you're at it.

My dad told me that the television broadcast had a bit with Herschel Walker and Knowshon Moreno walking around Sanford Stadium, and that Knowshon tried to teach Herschel the "Soulja Boy" dance.

How is this not on YouTube? Why even have YouTube?

As for our tailgate, I thought things couldn't get more ridiculous. Then helicopters started showing up. Seriously, we tailgated right outside of the Super Dome, and next to the helicopter landing pad. As my buddy Brett said, we pulled up, got out of the cars, shot-gunned a beer and the state police flew in reinforcements.

This first short video gives you the lay of the land. Notice how I totally pan away from the action and make a smart ass comment just as the helicopter pilot makes a fantastic move.


Shortly after that, the state patrol helicopter took off, leaving just the second chopper. Right after the patrol helicopter left... well, look what the other chopper pilot does:

Yeah. He just changes parking spots. Awesome.

Colt Brennan has two days to live

Just kidding, Warriors. Don't hit me with a rainbow, or some kind of crazy poi-encrusted BBQ pig.

Like a moron, I don't head to New Orleans until Tuesday. Safe travels for everyone else. Looking around today:

Doug's getting close to naming a No. 1. My guess remains 70x Take-off.

The senator links some really interesting stuff about schools that manage to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars by going to bowl games.

Stole this one from the Georgia Sports Blog, who got it from the Banner-Herald. It needs music, but is otherwise awesome:


In other news, it's tough being a sports writer. David, tomorrow, when I'm reading state laws relevant to a lawsuit between the Macon Housing Authority and the mayor of Macon, I'll think of you with pity.

Take that, Honolulu Star Bulletin!

A local Dawg fan has come to my defense in the Hawaiin press:

Dawg lovers wish no ill will toward Colt
Greetings from the warm climes of middle Georgia. In the last couple of days, we here have been treated to a few letters in our paper from some of y'all who have gotten the impression (false, may I add) that we want Colt Brennan's "head on a platter." Please allow me to explain that here in Georgia, passion for our beloved Dawgs runs very deep and has run deep for many, many years. We tend to take football very seriously here, and things can be said that perhaps folks who only in recent years have started up a football program misinterpret.

No one here wants any harm to Colt; as a matter of fact, I want him to have a career day against my Dawgs. That, however, will not change the outcome as he hasn't yet seen (oh, he will) a D-line like ours.

But I digress. To those of you who took offense at a local columnist here, lighten up, he isn't Kirk Herbstreit. I hope you all have great holidays, and to those of you making the trip, you are going to have a blast. 'Ceptin' for the game, that is. Take care.

Danny Hinton
Macon, Ga.

I want to thank Mr. Hinton for explaining things to these folks. The Hawaiin press has been villainous in its unfair, inaccurate and undeserved excoriation of my character.

Now back to thinking of new things to make fun of about Hawaii.

Colt Brennan and the worst mistake of my life

I've removed the name and contact information, but this is an actual letter to the editor my paper received late last week over this column, in which I said (figuratively) that I wanted Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan's head on a stick. My own smart-ass comments appear as appropriate.

Dear Sirs:

It was disappointing to learn that a person from your newspaper expressed his disappointment with the BCS process by threatening the life of Hawaii's quarterback, Colt Brennan. This was not ordinary banter between two colleges, two teams or two cities. This was the type of diatribe that is akin to inciting radical terrorists to assault and kill our troops, their own people and attack innocents around the world.

Um, OK.

Why, in a position such as his on your newspaper, was this sick, over-zealous sewage allowed in print?

The guy who writes the under-zealous sewage was off that day.

Colt is a college student who happens to excel in football.

He's also a plea bargain away from being a registered sex offender.

Why would he or anyone else for that matter, deserve that type of reaction? He never refuses a request for autographs, photo ops, or a simple handshake. He has so much respect for his other team members, the majority of which are of Samoan descent, that he actually learned to speak Samoan.

I hope he learned how to say "Someone please block Rennie Curran."

He is loved in Hawaii by its people and especially his team mates. Anyone who even looks at him the wrong way has just made the biggest mistake of their lives.

I honestly have no idea what that means. Is it a threat, or do guilt and self-loathing just ruin the rest of your life if you look at Colt Brennan the wrong way? Or maybe he's like an eclipse - if you look at him without one of those mirror box thingies you'll go blind.

Hawaii has been insulted to the extreme because of this attack, and our proud Warriors will unfortunately have to take it out on your team. Hawaii - 27, Georgia - 10.

You'd think fans of a team called "The Rainblow..." excuse me, "The Rainbow Warriors" would understand the concept of figurative speech. Are they really at war? Are they actually rainbows?

Also, Hawaii fans can feel free to lecture me on sportsmanship as soon as they stop attacking people from Fresno State.

By the way, Hawaii, stop putting that apostrophe between the two i's in Hawai'i. The rest of the country thinks it looks stupid.

Hawaii: Now with the Internet

Holy cow, I am moderately famous with readers of The Honolulu Advertiser:

Two days after UH capped an unprecedented season as the country's only undefeated team, en route to the Sugar Bowl, the Warriors yesterday also found themselves in new territory as the targets of taunts on a national scale.

Among the trash talk on blogs and other Web sites yesterday, Travis Fain, a columnist for The Telegraph newspaper in Macon, Ga., wrote "I want Colt Brennan's head on a stick. I want that pretty boy Hawaii quarterback driven through the Superdome turf. ... Destroy Hawaii."

(Hawaii associate athletic director of external affairs John) McNamara was hardly surprised.

"They only throw stones when you're on a pedestal," he said. "We've reached a plateau we've never been to before. There will be no shortage of critics."

McNamara welcomes "good-natured banter" and said UH officials "will certainly stay above the fray."

But McNamara hopes UH fans don't devolve into similar "mean-spirited" comments.

Seriously, folks, this is college football. There's no room for mean-spiritedness, particularly of the comment variety.

By the way, "columnist" is a bit generous. I'm basically a Georgia fan, who works at The Telegraph, who was asked to write a column this past Sunday. You can read it here.

And if John McNamara and the Hawaii faithful think that I'm a poor sport, they might want to stay away from Bourbon Street. I assure them, I'm a saint compared to some of the drunks we can throw their way.

Here's to a good game. And blitzing Colt Brennan until he's black and blue.

11:32 Monday morning

The moment I stopped giving a damn about the BCS and focused on Hawaii. Doesn't this guy look like he belongs in Gainesville?













And if those kids aren't careful, they might get tackled, too.