Rainbow Wahine head to L.A.
Friday - May 18, 2007
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UHWahine Tyleen Tausaga
There was an element of suspense for the Rainbow Wahine softball team as they awaited their fate on Selection Sunday, but there really shouldn’t have been. With a record of 46-11, an RPI of 16 and a 13-8 record against the top 50 teams, it should have been a mortal cinch. But Hawaii teams know that leaving their fate in the hands of the NCAA selection committee is dangerous. My mom is fond of saying “things work out for the best,” and in this case it may be true.
The Rainbow Wahine will open against UC Santa Barbara (30-21) in the Los Angeles regional. Host UCLA (36 -16) looks unusually vulnerable, and Loyola Marymount rounds out the field. The Rainbow Wahine will need Tyleen Tausaga and company to continue the power surge that led them to 72 regular season home runs. And the short haul from Fresno to Los Angeles should mean the team is acclimated and rested before play begins on Friday.
My wife and I arrived in Oakland last Friday night and jumped on the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) at Oakland Coliseum. Getting on with us were several jubilant Golden State Warrior fans who had just witnessed a Warrior victory, pulling them to a 2-1 deficit in their best of seven against the Utah Jazz.
A 20-something fan named Edgar sat across from us. He had a Golden State jacket on, and volunteered that his scalped ticket cost him $200. It’s amazing to me how the NBA convinces working class guys like Edgar to spend that kind of dough. And what kind of seat did he get for his two bills?
“I was in the nosebleeds, man,” Edgar said.
We got back on the BART on Saturday to check out Golden Gate Fields, a racetrack right on the bay on the Oakland side of the bridge. It was my wife’s first experience with thoroughbred racing, and I was tasked with explaining the rudiments of handicapping.
Trouble was, I hit the first race, and she had that rapturous “how long has this been going on?” look. I quickly proved that I was not infallible. We ended up winning two of six races and had live horses in each race. Like most people I’ve taken to the track, she was fascinated by the people watching and thoroughly enjoyed the magnificence of the horses. Racing has something in common with hockey - it’s much better in person than on television.
Watching last week’s Players Championship final round, you got a renewed appreciation for the test of nerves that golf represents. Seeing Sean O’Hair hit two balls in the water trying to find the island green on 17 was painful. The quadruple bogey dropped him from second to 11th.A difference of $740,000. Commentator Johnny Miller remarked that he hoped the experience wouldn’t derail his career. I’m guessing it won’t, but I have a feeling he won’t soon forget it either.
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