First off, big mahaloz to Chicken Grease, effenprincess and NeedaHobby for filling in (on short notice) last week with their guest posts! Your boy had to go on one business trip for Road Runner Mobile one quick one, so they chipped in and helped to keep our `ohana entertained up in hurr! Big ups!
I had CHOKE errands to do at home last night so I was finally able to sit down and watch an episode of Hawaii Five-0 in real time. And what better way to “watch” it than to join in on the #H50 convos going on simultaneously in the Twitterverse right?
Last night’s episode was called “Hana `A`a Makehewa“, which translates to Desperate Measures. Here’s the show’s synopsis:
“It’s Christmas in Hawaii, but instead of celebrating, Five-0 is negotiating a hostage situation when Victor Hesse, the man who killed McGarrett’s father, threatens to detonate an explosive that he’s strapped to Chin Ho’s chest.”
So wot? What’d you guys think?
Some possible talking points for us:
How sad was Danno’s Christmas tree? Hehe!
“Your house, your king’s English.” LOL!
Ikalani = Ihilani?
Chin Ho’s use of rice to pull the moisture off the SIM card. Gooooo @ricefest, er rice! 8)
Was that local MMA Fighter Harris Sarmiento in the chicken fight scene? First Niko Vitale and now him. Casting directors must be MMA fans! Sweet!
Danno’s hilarious quote, “Next time, shoot him in the face!”
Danno calling Sang Min (Will Yun Lee) the “Asian John Travolta”. LOL!
Since when was Bar 35 a private hostess bar in Nu`uanu?
Was that an Android app that they used to track Sang’s ankle tracker? DROID! 😛
Do coppers really have 28.5 mill just lying around like that in a secret asset forfeiture locker? If so, can somebody make me a copy of that blueprint please? 8)
I’ve swear we’ve all had a run in with a niele ol’ lady like that no!?
Wasn’t it just off hearing Chin Ho tell Kono “aloha” in that context? Didn’t care for that usage very much…
I almost cried seeing da $10 mill go bye bye in the fire. LOL!
How about another former local boy sighting with Mark Dacascos as the evil villain Wo Fat?
Alex O’Loughlin. Grace Park. That is all. 😛
In other news…
Finally catching up with my show The Sing-Off and watched back the first episode of this new season off my DVR. Woah! Committed’s rendition of Maroon 5’s “This Love” was off the chain!
It’s been a while, but let’s take a stroll back on memory lane and buss’ another Desert Island game/survey. Y’all know how it works so I won’t get into too much detail explaining it, but fast kine, these are things that you just can’t live without if stuck on a desert island, like, for-EVA.
Today’s Desert Island item: “Hawaiian Treat”.
You can interpret “treat” howevah you like cause it could be anything from food to a foine female (or handsome hunk), but the rule is that it’s gotsta be “Hawaiian”.
Hmmm… I really like Haupia and Kulolo, but I think I’d get large (and in charge) eating that errry day. I LOOOOVE Lau Lau, but I wonder if I’d get tired of it after a while… I guess then, I’d choose:
* Chicken Long Rice.
It could pass as a soup dish, a noodle dish, AND a chicken dish… enough to keep me interested at least for a little while I think. Oh yeah, and
* Primo Beer and an ukulele
Those count as “Hawaiian” right?
Holla!
* What are the “Hawaiian Treats” you’d bring to our Desert Island? If you say a “Hawaiian” genie in a bottle with three more wishes, I’m gonna die. 😛
* Thoughts on yesterday’s NFL Draft? How did your team do? Thoughts on Tyson Alualu at #10? Am I the only one who thinks Tim Tebow will prove his doubters wrong?
* Thoughts on the NBA playoffs? Isn’t Kevin Durant just a beast!? Feel sorry for Portland? (First Jordan, now this?)
* Thoughts on Roy Halladay’s even-better-than-expected, awesome start for the Phills?
* Thoughts on Jeremy Lay leaving the UH Men’s Basketball program and all of the other activity coach Gib Arnold is up to?
* Gonna order WEC’s first PPV event: Aldo vs. Faber? Who you pickin’? I say Aldo still. Also, not sure if they’re gonna air it, but don’t forget to root for local boy Brandon Visher on the undercard.
* Any exciting plans for the weekend?
* Did you see Brian Kownacki and his Fordham Flip?
I think we’re gonna be helping wifey’s friend with wedding stuff as well as possible house hunting/browsing this Sunday. If you own or know of anyone who owns a reasonably-priced crib in town (Oahu), holla! WWE special discount? 8)
With Halloween quickly approaching, I thought this email I received recently was quite appropriate. Have a good laugh and I’ll meetcha at the bottom k?
Seems like only yesterday…
BARBIE DOLL had her 50th birthday this year…….
TWEETY BIRD was 60 years old!
And what about all our other Childhood Superheroes?
SUPERMAN
THOR
WONDER WOMAN (touch of menopause here I think?)
BATMAN and ROBIN
SPIDERMAN
“Life is short, break the rules, forgive sooner, love with true love, laugh without control and always keep smiling. Maybe life is not the party that we were expecting, but in the mean time, we’re here and we can still dance…..”
Growing old is not for whimps….. Jock Smith & Bette Davis
Talk to me!
* Pretty funny yeah?
* Did it get you excited for Halloween?
* What are you planning to do/where are you planning to go?
* Any tips on haunted houses around the state? How’s that Haunted Lagoon one at PCC?
* Anyone ever experience Halloween in Lahaina?
In other news…
* World Series Playoff games continue this week. Gooo Phills!
* Windows 7 is scheduled to be released this Thursday. Hallelujah! Peace out Vista!
* UFC 104 is this Saturday! Gooo Machida!
* WWE will be promo’d on the front page of next Wednesday’s Advertiser (print version)! Gooo me! 🙂
* University of Hawaii Men’s Bball kicks off next week Friday against UH Hilo. Gooo Bows!
* Happy Halloween next Saturday!
It’s no coincidence that the word Victory is in Shane Victorino’s name. Losing is not even in his vocabulary. As a gifted athlete growing up, he’s always been on the winning end in sports. As a 28 year old young adult, it’s no different. He was an integral member of the world champion Philadelphia Phillies last season, has won the Gold Glove award, and was recently named to the Major League All Star Game, the first positional player from Hawaii to be bestowed the honor. And to think… this is just the beginning!
Victorino actually started his athletic career almost out of necessity. As an extremely active child with ADHD, his parents enrolled him in sports to feed his energy and keep him engaged. The decision proved to be a good one as Shane went on to star at Maui’s St. Anthony High in 4 sports: football, soccer, track and baseball. And, although he was offered a full ride scholarship to the University of Hawaii for football and baseball, Shane got the blessing of his family and chose to pursue a career in baseball when the Los Angeles Dodgers came a callin’ in 1999.
After years of minor league ball, the San Diego Padres claimed him from the Dodgers in 2002 via the Rule 5 draft (“Major league teams must protect players on their 40-man rosters within three or four years of their original signing. Those left unprotected are available to other teams as Rule 5 picks.” – http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/columnists/askbarule5.html), where he actually saw some time in the bigs (36 games). Eventually, he was returned to the Padres (as part of Rule 5 stipulations), before being drafted again, via Rule 5, by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2004.
The losses of starters Bobby Abreu (trade) and Aaron Rowand (free agency) made room for Shane to display his skills in the outfield and ultimately earn a starting spot in 2007.
Info about Victorino from a Phillies display at Philadelphia Airport
During a recent home series against the Florida Marlins, I was able to catch up with our All Star from the islands about his personal life, his career and everything else in between. Enjoy!
Personal Life:
Edward Sugimoto) We’ll start off with an easy one: What’s a typical day in the life of Shane Victorino in Maui?
Shane Victorino) In Maui? Typical day in the life of Shane Victorino in Maui? Woo. You know what? That probably would’ve been just getting up in the morning, getting up to the beautiful weather, of course there in Hawaii, our beautiful island of Maui, and just spending time with the family. That would be now, but back when I was a kid, it was probably, get up, go to school. After school’s done, go to sports – whatever practice it may be – soccer, football, whatever was going on at the time, baseball, track, and after that’s done, go home and spend time with the family.
The author and Shane Victorino
Edward Sugimoto) A couple years ago (March 30, 2007), you became a father (daughter Kali`a Makenna Victorino). How does that feel?
Shane Victorino) Oh I love it! I love being a dad. My little girl Kalia, she’s a little rascal. My mom guys always told me, sometimes it comes full circle. My mom and dad did a wonderful job with me as a kid, and now I get to see what I was probably like, and see my genes go to work on my daughter. She’s a handful so I can only imagine what I was like for my mom and dad.
Edward Sugimoto) Speaking of your dad, he’s a Council Member back in Maui. Did he give you any kind of words of wisdom or leadership advice?
Shane Victorino) Um, you know what, dad’s one of those guys where I think, in the position that he’s in, and some of the things that he’s done in the community, you know he always told me work hard, and when you go out there, you work hard, you show people that you can be a leader, not by talking about it, but by going out there and doing things the right way. Giving back to the community and so on and so forth. So to have dad in that position I think it’s nice and you know he loves what he does, he loves always giving back and working for the community, when he got into the Councilman position he was very excited.
The author and Shane Victorino
Edward Sugimoto) You mentioned being in baseball, you were an Eagle Scout, Football (star in Soccer, Basketball and Track too). Is there anything you CAN’T do? 🙂
Shane Victorino) Anything I can’t do. (*laughs*). You know what’s funny, I never did surf. I never did surf growing up. That’s the one thing I think everybody always kinda questions like coming from Hawaii, how it is to surf and yada yada yada, but I always told myself, when my friends went to the beach, I went to the baseball park, I went to the football field, I went to the soccer field, you know I wanted to go get better playing spots, so I think that helped me differentiate myself from some of the things that, you know, if I went and spent a lot of time at the beach and surfed, it would’ve took away from me trying to be a good athlete that I am today.
Edward Sugimoto) Speaking about baseball, we (Hawaii) have Tony Rego, Sid Fernandez, and Benny Agbayani from back in the day. Today we have like the Little Leaguers from Waipio, you, Tyler Yates (Kurt Suzuki). Is this just the beginning of Hawaii talent coming into the league?
Shane Victorino) Yeah. I think Hawaii is definitely going to be a place where scouts are gonna come. Myself, Kurt Suzuki, you said Tyler Yates, Brandon League. I mean I can keep going down the list. More and more kids are in the minor leagues, so it’s definitely one of those things where Hawaii’s gonna become a state where I think a lot of people are gonna look, go there and look for talent, and look for baseball talent. The thing is Hawaii has so many talented kids, it’s just that a lot of them don’t want to go away. A lot of them miss Hawaii, and yada yada, and I always say to myself, if my family’s healthy, eveybody’s doing great, Hawaii’s Hawaii. It’s not gonna change. If you get the opportunity to go away, go to the (eastern) states and do some things, hey take the chance. You know what, your home will always be home. It ain’t gonna go nowhere.
The author and Shane Victorino
Edward Sugimoto) You’re highly involved in the community, both in Philadelphia and in Hawaii. And you have a Celebrity Golf Classic (to raise funds and awareness for Hawaii Children’s Cancer Foundation) coming up in November I believe (November 21st at the Maui Prince Makena Resort)? What makes you care so much about your community?
Shane Victorino) Well, I just think that being in the position that I’m in today, you know, growing up there in Hawaii, I never really saw too much of these kinds of things. Being in the sport that I’m in, I have a lot of teammates who host charity events, and for me, I was always taught that any way you can give back, it’s just one of those things, if you can give back, why not? If you can make an impact on somebody’s life, why not? And I think that when I got into the level that I got last year, I told myself, you know what, it’s time for me to try and make something happen in Hawaii. We’ll raise money for certain causes. Last year it was Alzheimer’s, this year it’s Hawaii’s Children’s Cancer research. So any way I can give back, I think is one of those things where I’ve always uh. You know when you’re in a position, like they say, “well you’re a professional athlete, you should give back.” Well, sometimes I think that we’re in a position that we don’t have to give back, but we’re in a position where we can help to make the community build and I think that’s what we do and that’s why I love doing these charity events.
Shane doing an interview with a reporter at UFC 101
Edward Sugimoto) How’d you like the fight last night (UFC 101 was at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia)? We saw you!
Shane Victorino) I loved it! (*turns to camera*) Right on! Good job BJ! I was definitely excited. He definitely represented Hawaii. I think he worked hard. He was really, really focused on this fight and wanted to make an impression. I think that was what I saw out of him. He had that drive, he had that desire, he had the BJ Penn attitude. I think he really worked hard for this fight. He wanted to prove to people again that hey, you know what he’s still known as one of the best guys.
Edward Sugimoto) You probably have a lot of fans from Hawaii in for the fight and probably here for the game today. Are you pretty amped up about that?
Shane Victorino) Yeah, no I’m excited. I saw a few Hawaiian flags flying in the stands the last couple nights, so, it’s definitely nice to have the support and love from the Hawaii people.
Baseball Life:
Edward Sugimoto) You had a full ride scholarship to UH for Football. How difficult of a decision was it to turn that down and pursue a career in baseball?
Shane Victorino) It was very tough. It was one of those things, uh, you know my mom definitely wanted me to get a good education, and she definitely pushed that. She sent me to a private high school (St. Anthony in Maui) for a reason and that was to get a good education and to hopefully do well in sports and so on and so forth. But when that day came, it was definitely tough. But I told my mom, I said, “Mom, college will always be there. I may never have another chance to go pro.” So it was definitely a tough decision, but when I made a decision, I told myself I’m gonna go ’til I can’t stop. I wanted to go there and I wanted to work hard. As they always say, until they take the jersey off your back, I don’t want to quit. There were times yeah definitely through the minor leagues, there were struggles, and there were times I wanted to come home, but my dad said, “Hey just remember, you coming back home, you’re never going back.” That was words of advice that I’ll always remember. If I gave up when I wanted to, I may never get another chance to play pro ball, so I stuck with it, worked hard. But going back to the question, it was definitely a tough decision, but like I said, I told my mom, “Mom, education was gonna be there, college ain’t going nowhere.” You know, I can go to college when I’m 35, 40 years old. Hopefully I had a good career. I can go back to college when I’m done. So it was definitely tough, but I talked mom out of it, and I was able to go and turn pro, and hey, I’m having a wonderful time so far.
Victorino info on the billboard
Edward Sugimoto) The Phillies. You guys are all pretty aggressive, work hard. Is that something Coach (Charlie) Manuel stresses?
Shane Victorino) Yeah, um, you know what, Charlie is one of those guys where he lets you play. He’s the kind of manager that you want to play for. A guy that’s gonna let you go out there and gonna let you play the game that you play. Not gonna put too much stress on you, he’s not gonna bash you in the media. He’s gonna come and call you in his office if he wants to talk to you about things. So, when you come to the field every day, you know what you have out of your manager, and that’s the kind of guy you want. A guy who’s gonna be in your corner, not a guy that’s gonna yell at you, stress you out even more than what this game already does. He’s the kind of manager that we call a player’s manager. He takes care of his players. He goes out there, he wants his players to do their best. He’s got two rules: it’s to be on time and play hard (and hustle). You can’t ask much more out of a manager than that.
Phillies logo in the Phillies dugout
Edward Sugimoto) You wear a rarely fashioned double eared helmet. Is this because that’s how we used to play back in the day or just ’cause you’re a switch hitter? 🙂
Shane Victorino) Well, yeah, no, I did that in the minor leagues, and when I got to the big leagues, I put the one flap on for a while and it was kinda like I felt uncomfortable. So I told myself, why change? I did it in the minor leagues, I did it in Little League, why not keep it up? Plus, being a switch hitter, I don’t want to carry two different helmets, so some of those things factor in.
Shane Victorino sporting the double-eared helmet
Edward Sugimoto) Do you have a preference (right handed or left handed batting)?
Shane Victorino) No. There’s times you feel good from the right, there’s time you feel great from the left side. So you just gotta keep playing in this game. You play 162 games for a reason. You’re gonna go through your ups and downs, you’re gonna have your slumps, you’re gonna have your struggles, but you just go out there and keep working.
Edward Sugimoto) #8. Is there a reason why you chose that number?
Shane Victorino) Um, you know what, my brother was #8 in high school, my mom’s born on January 8, so 8 has some significance. I was 8 in high school. When I first got here, they gave me #8 so I was lucky enough, and I really didn’t have to ask for #8, but I was given #8 my first year here. It’s definitely a number that has ties to me.
Edward Sugimoto) Congratulations on winning the Gold Glove last season. Do you take pride in your defensive skills as much or more than your batting skills?
Shane Victorino) I definitely take pride in my offense a little more I think. But I mean I take pride in my defense too. I think defense is such a great factor in a ball game. You can never struggle. You should never slump on defense. You’re gonna go through struggles at the plate. You’re gonna go through 0 for 30s, you’re gonna go for 2 for 50s, but on defense you should never struggle because that’s not something where you gotta worry about hitting, you gotta worry about seeing the ball. You just gotta worry about staying focused, making good plays, and going out there and playing hard.
Shane manning the outfield (I know… kinda blurry!)
Edward Sugimoto) What’s the biggest rush. Homerun? Stolen base? Diving catch?
Shane Victorino) You know what, they all have their different life. Of course if you hit a walk-off homerun, that’s more exciting. When you make a diving catch in the game, that’s exciting. You steal a base in a big big situation, so you know, every one has its own weight I think. But for me, I would say, hitting a home run in a crucial situation, I think to me would be the most exciting thing.
Edward Sugimoto) You became the first Hawaii-born positional player in the All Star game. You had the support of Philadelphia, Hawaii, and everybody else (Both Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell and Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle showed their support, and South Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter even went door to door to solicit votes). You had 15.6 million Internet votes which set a record (previously held by Evan Longoria in 2008 at 9 million). How does that make you feel to have so much support?
Shane Victorino) It made me feel great. That really showed what Philly fans, what Hawaii fans, and what the passion of baseball has. The blessing that I had to be able to be voted in, to get that amount of votes, almost double what the guy the previous year had I think, was such an amazing thing. It really showed how much Philly fans and people around the world really care I guess about how I play the game and how I approach the game, so it was definitely a nice thing.
Edward Sugimoto) You had a hit in the All Star game. Explain your experience, the whole experience.
Shane Victorino) Everything was great. Every bit of it was what I expected. There were a few things, of course getting to meet President Obama again, just listening to the 5 living presidents talk before the game on the big screen about All Stars among us, people who are helping the community. Every moment had its catch, and being introduced as a starter, and then going out there and getting my first hit in my first at bat in my All Star game, or my first All Star game, so, it was some fun times.
Edward Sugimoto) On Friday, the Phillies inducted Harry Kalas into the Phillies Wall of Fame. After a recent homerun, you pointed to the booth where he used to sit. Kalas has a history in Hawaii (with the US Army and as a Hawaii Islanders announcer). What kind of an impact did he have on you?
Shane Victorino) He had that voice that I remember growing up as a little kid watching Inside the NFL at my grandma’s house, thinking to myself, who’s voice is this I’m hearing? And then when I came here in ’05, I remember hearing his voice when I got called up and I’m like, hold on, this is the guy’s voice that I used to hear when I was a little kid when I used to watch Inside the NFL, NFL Films. You know, it was just like, woah, this is the man. This is the guy, Harry Kalas, the guy that I remember growing up watching Inside the, you know NFL Films, and hearing that voice. To actually meet the guy in person, we definitely had a bondage. I remember one of my walk off homeruns, he said Victorino No Ka Oi. That was one thing he would always call me. “Hey! Victorino No Ka Oi!” You know he would always say that. He definitely had his roots to Hawaii. His first wife was from Hawaii, he definitely started with the Islanders, did some broadcasting there, so he definitely had some roots to the islands.
Shane Victorino
Edward Sugimoto) What does the future hold for Shane Victorino?
Shane Victorino) What does the future hold huh? Just try to be the best player I can be. To go out there and try to keep succeeding, try to keep getting better. In this game, there’s always room for improvement, and I think you go out there and work hard every day, that’s all I can say. I try to go out there and work as hard as I can, and try to play as hard as I can because you never know what could happen. Tomorrow may be my last day, today might be my last day. I might get hurt and never play again. But as long as I’m giving 100%, that’s all I can ask about myself.
Edward Sugimoto) You have any words of advice for your young fans out there?
Shane Victorino) Yeah. I think the kids in Hawaii, like I said earlier, I think a lot of Hawaii kids don’t understand, and they struggle with the fact of leaving home. To me, my advice to them is hey, if you get the opportunity, leave. Take the chance, see what’s out there. Work hard as a little kid and work hard now because when you work hard now, it’ll help you in the end. I was one of those kids where I was blessed by God. I had a lot of natural abilities. I didn’t work as hard as some of my friends, and I always say to myself if I did, how much better a player would I have been when I first got to the big leagues? But you know, I think with hard work and dedication, a lot of things can happen.
Edward Sugimoto) And how about your general fans? Message to them?
Shane Victorino) General fans? Thank you guys for everything. Thank you for voting me to the All Star game. Just enjoy. I think when you come to watch our team, that’s what we do. We go out there, we have fun, we try the best we can, and we play the game hard, and we just try to go out and win every night.
…
Right back atcha Bruddah Shane. Mahaloz for making all of us in Hawaii so very proud. Keep on playing the game with that intensity and heart and only good things will come. But I’m sure you already know this, as failure has never been in your vocabulary. V is for Victorino. Victorino No Ka Oi!
Me and Bruddah Shane
…
Ed’s Notes:
Shortly after this interview, Victorino strangely got ejected from the game (in centerfield!) by home plate umpire Ed Rapuano for throwing his arms up in the air (following a bad call). The Phillies lost the game and was ultimately swept by the Marlins, further diminishing their lead in the NL East.
Yikes.
A couple games later, in a matchup against the Chicago Cubs, he was doused with beer by a rabid Cubs fan – while trying to make a routine catch.
Eek.
Could it be? Could my interview with Bruddah Shane, in some strange way, possibly have put some kind of curse on the Phils? No. Can’t be! Riiight?
Thankfully, the Phils broke out in a big way, going 14-5 since then and is now sitting atop the NL East with a handsome 7 and a half game lead (as of 08/31). So you can actually say that this interview gave them good luck going into the post-season! You’re welcome fellow Philly fans! 😉
A big Mahaloz to: Ted Nakamura, Leonard Nakahashi, Shane’s mom, Josh Goldberg of the Beverly Hills Sports Council, Greg Casterioto and Deanna Sabec of the Phillies organization, Bari Carroll, and of course Bruddah Shane Victorino.
Alright alright! It’s another exciting day up in hurr. Can you feel it? 🙂
I’d like to first start off by welcoming you new readers who found your way here via my floating head on the cover of today’s paper. Hope you like what you see and decide to check back often! 8) I would also like to send mad love to all y’all regular (dare I say daily?) readers! Majahloz for being a loyal member of our little WWE `ohana we got goin’ on ova hea!
Earlier this month, I asked you to post your questions for Mr. Shane Victorino to my blog. You see, your boy had the unique opportunity to meet and interview our beloved All Star and I wanted to take some of your questions with me, as we did with Bruddah BJ Penn. Well, I finally had the chance to edit, transcribe, and Youtube the puppy, and, below, is the fruit of our loins, er labor. 😛 Enjoy!
[bB ]: Did you have any baseball heroes and did you collect baseball cards of them?
I collected baseball cards, but I didn’t have really no baseball heroes growing up. I was very big into every sport I think. I never really focused on baseball, but I watched it definitely as a kid, but you know I never really was like “baseball’s gonna be my passion,” you know growing up as a kid. And of course now it is my passion, it is my job, it is my career, yeah I never really had any baseball heroes.
(Ed’s notes: Sorry beeBz, I got rayboyjr‘s question mixed up with yours! *blush*)
[hemajang]: Does Shane have any thoughts about life after baseball.
Life after baseball. Right now, you know what, I’m trying to line myself up with some things. You know things that you brainstorm. Hopefully I’ll have a long enough career, and hopefully I’ll save enough money that I make during my career and hopefully get to retire and sit back on the beach, but no, I definitely want to uh, you know anytime in this business I think you meet so many people you know, you just, you try to keep getting better and you try to keep learning and you always listen to people’s advice and try to get the best advice you can.
[Matt ]: what’s it like when he runs into other Hawaii boys in the league?
What’s it like? I mean it’s just like you know it’s one of those things where it happens everywhere. You know how Hawaii is. We’re very family oriented, we always stick together. Like last night for instance, going over to support BJ (at UFC 101), going around the league and facing guys like Tyler Yates, and Brandon League, and playing against Kurt Suzuki. You feel good because you see a fellow “Hawaiian,” a guy that you know, hey, there’s not many of us out there that get the opportunity to do what we’re doing. You know you feel good for the guys that get the opportunity to go out there and do that.
[kuya.d ]: What do his teammates ask him to bring back for them from Hawaii?
Um, you know what, a lot of them always ask about the pineapples. Hawaii’s got great pineapples. We got a lot of guys on our team that love pineapples. You know I brought President Obama… I gave him macadamia nuts and chocolates during the All Star game, so, you know stuff like that, little things like that that you bring home from Hawaii.
[NeedaHobby ]: did he know Kurt Suzuki growing up and does he keep in contact with him?
Yeah, no yeah. In fact we just spoke last night during the fights. He text messaged me over the phone and we definitely, I did play against him growing up. He was a couple years behind me. I think he was a sophomore when I was a senior. But I definitely played against Kurt. It’s definitely exciting to see another guy, another fellow Maui boy in fact, do well and with guys like Tyler, with Brandon, you know just seeing the state of Hawaii do well in baseball.
[rayboyjr]: Which current Major League player(s) are you a big fan of? Have you asked for autographs or game-used stuff from them after a game?
Yeah, no I get autographs from as many guys as I can. I never know how long I’m going to be playing in this game. I think when you go out there every day, playing with guys like Albert (Pujols), playing with guys like Jimmy (Rollins), Chase (Utley), and being friends with guys like (Ryan) Howard, you know being friends with the guys on my team, especially, you know, we got so many guys that are good on our team. I’m definitely a guy that likes to talk to people, and say hi and get to know people, so…
[zzzzzz]: Has he got any of his teammates hooked on Spam Musubi? Is PETA still giving him grief about Spam Musubi being his favorite food?
No PETA’s not giving me a hard time yet this year, but Scott Eyre, one of our relievers, he’s big into SPAM. He bought me some SPAM last week and we actually fried it up and ate it. Yeah we have some fun around here.
[skycastles]: Boxers or briefs?
Boxers or briefs? No answer on that one (*laughs*). No answer to that one. A little too much for me. (*laughs*)
(Ed’s notes: Never again sky! Nevahhhhhhh agaaaaain! 😛 )
[Dave Oi]: What do you miss most about Maui in particular (not necessarily Hawaii)…besides family & friends.
What do I miss most about Maui in particular? I think uh, the beautiful weather, the beautiful beaches. Just paradise. I definitely miss that. The Jersey shore is about an hour from here, and it’s definitely not walking out to the white sandy beaches of Hawaii and uh, you know, it’s definitely different living on the east coast. But like I always said, if everybody’s healthy and my family’s doing well, home will always be home. But when I retire, that’s where I plan to be, I plan to be back home in Hawaii. I make my house right now what we consider the 9th island, and that’s in Las Vegas in the off season. When all is said and done, I definitely want to move home to Hawaii again.
[snow]: Does he feel that, coming out of a small state like Hawaii, he was at a disadvantage trying to break into the major leagues? Or might that have somehow worked in his favor?
Um, I say yes and no. It might’ve worked in my favor, but yet it might not have. I think once you get to where I’m at, when you get drafted, I think that everybody’s on uh, you know there’s guys that are, you know a different level, 1st rounder 2nd rounder, but you know what, to me, when you get drafted, everybody has a shot. If you work hard, you play the game the right way, you try to go out there with the right approach. You know I’ve seen a lot of guys get drafted after me, a lot of guys get drafted before me that didn’t get to the big leagues, so I think it depends on the individual, the character of the individual. Everybody has a chance. It might’ve helped me in a way being from Hawaii, but I think everybody gets a fair shot.
[YN]: what’s the weirdest request he has ever gotten from a female fan?
Weirdest request. Boy, you get some weird ones. Some I can’t talk about on camera, but some of the things you get asked to do, especially by female fans, it’s like, I can’t do it. It’s just not realistic. You know being around and having a passion for the game and fans loving you I think is such a nice thing. The most I do is sign balls you know and do little things like that.
[uncle jimmy]: Shane’s arrival and rise to a starting spot pretty much coincided with the re-emergence of the Philly Phranchise. try ask him if Pilly peopo consider him a good luck charm.
*modest laugh* I guess yes and no. I think this team’s a good team, but I think we all work together, we work hard. You know it might’ve been just a coincidence, but you know what, I appreciate the opportunity that I get to play here in this lovely city. And it’s one of those things where you never take it for granted.
…
If it sounded like I was kinda rushing, I really was. I had taken up a good part of his warmup time with my previous two sections and could tell he was getting a bit antsy. As you can hear towards the ending, some peeps started to trickle into the dugout as well! Apologies if I skipped your question but I think I got most of the non-duplicated ones in dea.
Look for the complete video interview and article at AroundHawaii.com on September 1st!
Hope you enjoyed it yo! Lemme know what you thank!
For those who get one holiday tomorrow (Statehood/Admission Day), enjoy! See y’all on Monday k? Shooots! 🙂
As part of my UFC 101 weekend in Philadelphia this weekend, I’ve been in contact with Shane Victorino’s management company (shout out to Josh Goldberg at Beverly Hills Sports Council) to see if I can’t line up an interview with our proud Phillie All Star that very same weekend. Josh says that we’ll make it happen so I’mma keepin’ my fingers crossed!
In anticipation of this interview, let’s collect your questions, much like how we did with your BJ Penn ones: Post any questions you’d like to ask Shane in the comment area below and I’ll take them up with me to ask Shane himself. Then, we’ll do a post-interview blog with your questions (much like how we did with the BJ ones)! Sound good? Comment away! 🙂
A special thank you to Ted Nakamura who connected me to Leonard Nakahashi who connected me to Shane’s mom, who connected me to Josh at BHSC. Mahalo Ted, Leonard, Shane’s mom, Shane, Josh, and BHSC!
What’d you think? Pretty touching eh? If I weren’t such a robot, I probably would’ve shed a tear or two. 😉
Talk to me!
* What did you think?
* Did you cry?
* Did it teach you the valuable “Never Judge a Book By Its Cover” life lesson? 8)
* Have you ever judged a book by its cover and got surprised in your own life?
* When people judge you before really knowing you, are you motivated to prove them wrong?
In the news
* Longtime Phillies announcer Harry Kalas dies at 73 (as first reported yesterday by MakiSushi)
* Mel Gibson’s Wife Files for Divorce
* Phil Spector found guilty of 2nd-degree murder
* Former pitcher Mark ‘the Bird’ Fidrych dies at 54
* Adult film star Marilyn Chambers dies at 56
* Hannah Montana earns $32M at box-office
Coconut Willy joins HNL2LAS and M in the multiple win column by correctly guessing Gina’s for last week’s photo. I’m still not too sure if this week’s one is too easy or too hard for you akamai buggahs, but I guess we’ll find out shortly eh? Post your guesses below a-ight?
Where In Hawaii is Edward Sugimoto? – October 29, 2008
Hint: TBA, if necessary…
Last Week’s Answer Here’s the answer to last week’s photo: Gina’s Bar-B-Q!
Marking the halfway point to the Major League Baseball 2008 season, the MLB All-Star festivities’ popular home run derby contest kicks off today at 2PM Hawaii Standard Time on ESPN. Sponsored by State Farm, the battle of the (long) bombers, like the All-Star Game itself, takes place at historic Yankee Stadium, the last time ever before the new Yankee Stadium becomes the home of the New York Yankees. The 8 participants (four from each league) this year are:
Talk to me!
Who you rootin’ for? Even though he’s not one of the biggest players of the bunch, as a Phillies fan, I gotta go with my boy Chase Utley. My other picks are Lance Berkman (experience) and Josh Hamilton (bruddah is huge!). Tune in to see why Baseball is one of the most exciting sports on earth. 😛
All-Star Game 2008 Today: State Farm Home Run Derby @ 2PM on Digital Channel 0222 (ESPN) or HD ESPN 1222. Tomorrow: 79th MLB All-Star Game @ 2PM on Digital Channel 0003 (KHON) or HD KHON 1003.
In other news, Vai Sikahema knocked out Jose Canseco in the first round of their celebrity boxing match on Saturday (as first mentioned in a previous post).
Is it just me or does goofy/awkward American Idol finalist David Archuleta really not have that much more in his vocab than “Gosh!”?
Last night, the three finalists for Season 7 of American Idol (David Archuleta, David Cook, and Syesha Mercado) did the trip-back-home for the show. To me, it gives the truest insight into the character of these contestants. The phoniness of being on the show is quickly erased and replaced with real-ness back in the real world. For the most part, they all did ok. “Archie” actually seemed to have shed genuine tears when the moment caught up and overwhelmed him. I bought it. Syesha was her usual phony actress self (I didn’t buy her crying at all), while “Big” David seemed appreciative as well (her mother is what really draws me to him… I know it’s not a manly word, but she’s soooo cute the way she hugs and supports her son!). Overall the two who should’ve made it to the top 2 did: David Archuleta and David Cook. Oops, sorry for those who didn’t watch it back yet. “Spoiler alert!” 😛
I don’t know about you, but I think I’m leaning Cook on this one. David A’s voice is amazing, but I can’t picture him being a pop-star. He’s too stiff and goofy and maybe even a bit naive. Cookie is groomed and ready to go. Who you pickin’? Guess we’ll just have to wait and see eh?
On a side note, my beloved Philadelphia Phillies almost came back to steal one from the Atlanta Braves last night after trailing (by quite a bit) the entire game. It came down to local boy Shane Victorino with two on, down by 3. He unfortunately flied out, but what an exciting (almost) come back.
Talk to me:
Who are you rooting for to win American Idol next week?
Who’s your favorite team?
What are your plans for this wonderful Thursday? 😛
Are you excited for another gripping episode of “Where In Hawaii is Edward Sugimoto”? 😉
World Wide Ed 