Happy Halloween from ESPN Radio!

We may not be trick-or-treating tonight for Halloween, but at least we "tried" to get in the spirit of the day!


JE Orozco, BIIF Football Color Commentator, dressed as his man-crush Tony Romo. Someone please do a urine test, because I see some unusually large guns here.


Actually, they are number 3, in their only division. By the way, the costume needs a little addition. Like a pinky brace???
And speaking of the pinky brace...



Mike & Mike in the Morning as Batman (Golic...not to be confused with Fatman..lol) and Robin (Greeny...definitely fits the Boy Wonder mold)


Rocket Rod Pacheco, Play-by-Play guy and ultimate crummy-joke teller (I kid!) as a confused tourist. What he's holding in his right hand is a mini-size box of Milk Duds. I guess that goes along well someone who's confused, right? Sorry for the darkness of the quality. The back hallway in our office is pretty dark.


Aaron Yes-No-Maybe-SoNaka as Dwight Howard


JE didn't Aaron off on where to get the fake roids, apparently.


Just wanted to make sure you saw Aaron's cape to go along with the Howard jersey, circa the 2008 NBA All-Star Game


The Big Island's Famous Mason Souza, dressed up an overweight plumber, maybe Joe the Plumber, and making sure he picks his nose live on the air! Not pictured: The plunger that he brought in.

Coming soon, yours truly as Aaron Rodgers circa 2006!

Philadelphia Phillies World Champions!

Put aside the mess that was the television ratings of the World Series, the last three innings of the World Series proved to be memorable, especially if you are a fan of the Philadelphia Phillies. In what turned into a shootout of a Game 5 ending, the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Tampa Bay Rays to win the Series 4-1.

This World Series had the local flair, as Shane Victorino of Maui, with Big Island Roots, not only played for the World Series Champs, but was a pivotal contender. The significance of his performance will mean something for his wallet, which I will get to in a second.

The storylines were compelling for this team: A much maligned closer pitching for redemption, who had not blown a save, and would keep it that way, an offense that could not drive in runners to save their lives for the first two games, a city that was so starved for a championship that they were turning from the "City of Brotherly Love" to the "City of Grumpy Whiners."

Now that the series is done, let's look forward:

Thanks to our good friends at the Hawaii Sports Page for passing along a link to a baseball blog which follows contracts of Major League Baseball players called Cot's Baseball Contracts. From that site comes the info they sent me:

Geoff Jenkins 5 Million
So Taguchi $900,000
Pedro Feliz $3 Million
Matt Stairs 1.6 million
Ryan Howard $10 million
Jimmy Rollins 8 million
Chase Utley 7.7 million

PLAYERS WHO MOST LIKELY WON'T BE BACK:

Pat Burrell of
6 years/$50M (2003-08)
6 years/$50M (2003-08)
avoided arbitration with Philadelphia 1/03
$1.5M signing bonus ($1M up front, $0.25M 1/04, $0.25M 1/05)
03:$1M, 04:$4M, 05:$7M, 06:$9.5M, 07:$13M, 08:$14M
full no-trade clause
award bonuses: $0.1M for MVP ($75,000 for 2nd, $50,000 for 3rd), $0.1M for WS MVP, $50,000 each for LCS MVP, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger or All Star selection
5 years/$8M (1998-2002)
$3.15M signing bonus
98:$0.75M, 99:$0.75M, 00:$0.8M, 01:$1.275M, 02:$1.275M
drafted by Philadelphia 1998 (1-1)
agent: Greg Genske
ML service: 7.131

Jamie Moyer lhp
2 years/$10.5M (2007-08)
2 years/$10.5M (2007-08)
signed extension with Philadelphia 10/06
$1M signing bonus
07:$6M, 08:$3.5M
2008 salary increases to:
$4.5M with 170 IP in 2007
$5.5M with 180 IP in 2007 (had 199.3 IP in 2007)
2008 performance bonuses: $0.5M each for 165, 175, 185 IP in 2008
1 year/$5.5M (2006)
re-signed by Seattle as a free agent 12/05
performance bonuses: $0.2M each for 160, 170, 180, 190, 200 IP
acquired by Philadelphia in trade from Seattle 8/06
Phillies added $4.75M 2007 mutual option ($0.5M buyout)
Seattle paid undisclosed amount of cash to Philadelphia
3 years/$15.5M (2003-05)
re-signed 12/02
$1.5M signing bonus
03:$6M, 04:$6.5M, 05:$8M ($1.5M base)
performance bonuses: $6M based on GS, 2003-04)
award bonus: $50,000 for All Star selection
2 years/$12M (2000-01), plus 2002 club option ($2.5M buyout)
Seattle exercised $6.5M 2002 option
agent: negotiated own contract
ML service: 19.126

Add to that players that are likely to get raises before the start of next year:

Cole Hamels $500,000
Shane Victorino $480,000

Who knows what may happen here? Oh, Hawaii Sports Page also sent this little comment along on the Phils for next season:

But they still need a left
fielder.... Manny is your phone on?

Good luck with that.

NBA Star loses to ordinary Joe

I said on Wednesday's edition of "The Josh Pacheco Show" that I would put this up. The New Jersey Nets' Devin Harris was playing one-on-one with some average guy named Stuart Tanner. What you're about to see is Harris get a beatdown:



If you're the NBA, I would pretend that it never happened.

BIIF Girls Volleyball for the ages

Saturday Night on the campus of Konawaena High School, I was witness to the most exciting high school volleyball action of my life. Two championships were on the line, along with a Division II State Berth:

HONOKAA def. ST. JOSEPH 20-25, 25-17, 25-20, 22-25, 15-12

You had to believe that Honokaa was a tad bit fired up after their upset loss to the hands of the Lady Ka Makani of HPA (more on them in a little bit.)

Meanwhile, looking at St. Joseph for a second, their attack is very predictable. It's Chelbie-Lyn Hanohano, Chelbie-Lyn Hanohano, and more of the same. When she's in the backrow, that is when the team really struggles. Let's give credit to Hanohano for her exceptional play. The volleyball genes have certainly run in the family. But, she can't do it alone, and the longer a match wears on, the more tired she gets, and the less likely she's able to continue to produce at a high level. Shoddy serving did the Cardinals in at key moments as well, but give credit to Honoka'a for a TEAM effort. You may not be able to name a player on that squad, but I'm sure that's just how they like it.

Honoka'a joined Hilo and HPA as representatives of the BIIF at the state volleyball tournament from November 5th thru the 8th.

HILO def. HPA 25-15, 25-19, 14-25, 12-25, 20-18

Which Hilo team will we see when the state tournament comes around? The team who played Games 1, 2, and 5 in a dominating fashion, attacking the middle with success and playing great defense, or the team in Games 3 and 4 that made mental mistakes and couldn't handle the volleyball?

Give credit to Coach Brennan Wong for the Vikings. After Game 4, I was surprised to see how lose the team was. They didn't hang their heads at all, and actually seemed like they were in decent spirits. Coach Wong even told me after the match that the team needed that wake-up call. To blow games 3 and 4 in lop-sided fashion is tough to handle psychologially, and give the Viks credit for overcoming that.

And at the same time, give the same credit to the Ka Makani for not giving up and rallying back. Their confidence was there, they played cleaner volleyball, and did not quit. Coach Sharon Peterson told me that this is the best team she's had there at the private school, and it has showed. It didn't seem like anyone wanted to finish this match. It was a treat to watch this one.

This game will be re-aired Sunday night approximately 6:20 pm after Emily Gail Talks Golf on ESPN Radio. Because of the length of the World Series, the DII Championship didn't get on the air Saturday Night until the end of Game 3. We are re-airing it from beginning to end on Sunday night, and I should also have it online at a later date.

WAIAKEA def. KAMEHAMEHA-HAWAII 20-25, 20-25, 25-16, 28-26, 15-11

Just when you thought you couldn't top the first two distance matches, Waiakea's comeback may have topped it all.

The regular season matchup between these two teams went the distance, with Waiakea winning, thanks in part to a key Kamahemeha player going down to injury. No injuries here, but Waiakea certainly didn't quit after the first couple of games.

Hard to really pinpoint anything that Waiakea did differently, but I would say that their defense was a lot better later on the game, and the battle at the net shifted. Kamehameha won on the front line in the first couple of games, but not when it mattered.

It's amazing what a team has to do in order to stay unbeaten on a season. Both of these teams will represent the BIIF in the Division I State Tournament.

Big Trouble in Big D

Photo Credit: Fort-Worth Star Telegram


Boy, don't you just love the storylines coming from the Ranch after another poor Cowboy performance against the Arizona Cardinals, resulting in an overtime loss? Let's count the ways that the 'Boys are hurting big time:

- Tony Romo is out for 4 weeks due to a broken pinkie finger.

- LB Greg Ellis sounded off, saying, among other things, that he is "disappointed in the organization"

- And we still haven't forgotten about Adam Jones' situation, as the NFL is still investigating the incident, and captain Bradie James warned him not to alienate himself from the team.

Wow, let's shoot a special edition of "As The World Turns" from Valley Ranch. Also scheduled to appear in the Big D drama are the entire offensive line, as Tony Romo was knocked down 19 times in the game (no wonder he got hurt), Terrell Owens chewing out one of the offensive linemen for not doing his job of protecting his quarterback (no tears included, but I actually don't blame TO for being vocal there), Wade Phillips for coaching comparable to a job an Oompa Loompa could do, Jason Garrett as the Offensive Coordinator who makes more than the head coach and is sure to get the job once Wade Phillips is ushered out any time now, and Jerry Jones as the owner who loves it all.

Oh yeah. The Cowboys are only a mere 4-2!

4-2 is a pretty good record in the parity filled National Football League. But, here's why everyone's making a big deal of this:

Over the past three games, they were out-played by Washington, they somehow were playing with Cincinnati all four quarters of the game, when they should've had them beat by Halftime, and they merely woke up late out of bed against Arizona, while the Special Teams was atrocious (opening kickoff returned for TD, field goal blocked but nullified by own coach's timeout, punt block return for game winning touchdown).

They should be better. Now, we'll see if the forty-something Brad Johnson can lead them to victory.

A couple of weeks ago, I said that the cure for the common ailment in the National Football League was the Cincinnati Bengals. That only made them sicker. The St. Louis Rams just got their first win of the season, and they play the Dallas Jerry Jones' this weekend. Don't chalk this one up just yet.

NFL Picks for Week 6

Since we ran out of time on Thursday's program, I figured I'd make up for forgetting to make my Week 6 picks by putting them right here on the ESPNHawaii.com blog:

CAROLINA PANTHERS vs. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS - 7:00 am

I think it is a huge surprise right now that the Panthers are 4-1 and on top of the NFC South Division. Then again, when you look at the rest of that division:

ATLANTA (3-2)
TAMPA BAY (3-2)
NEW ORLEANS (2-3, easily could be 4-1)

DeAngelo Williams has been a great catalyst for the Panther ground game, helping Jake Delhomme (and helping my fantasy team)to expand this offense. But, being as how these two teams are very close in talent, I'll take the home team, the Bucs, to win by a field goal.

DALLAS COWBOYS vs. ARIZONA CARDINALS - 10:15 am

Cowboys fans beware! Pacman is up to no good again, T.O. is making more headlines for his tears and words than his catches and scores, and maybe more importantly, THEY JUST HAVEN'T PLAYED WELL LATELY! In the past two weeks, they lost at home to the Washington Colt's, er, Redskins and played un-inspired football at home against the Cincinnati Ocho Cinco's, er, Bengals. AT HOME! Imagine how they might play on the road!

With that said, the Cardinals are nice at 3-2, but Anquan Boldin is out because of the nasty hit he took against the Jets. Look for the Cowboys to be comfortable enough to double up Larry Fitzgerald because he is going to be the go-to guy. And, look for Kurt Warner to throw some picks. I'm taking Dallas by 10.

CHICAGO BEARS vs. ATLANTA FALCONS - 7:00 am

To be honest, I'm a little biased. Those damn Falcons beat my Packers last week at Lambeau, so I'm still a little steamed. Outside of that, this will be a fun game to watch. There are a couple of rookies on display that you should be paying attention to. Rookie QB Matt Ryan has been good for the most part, and has a good ground game to compliment his air attack. And speaking of the ground game, Bears rookie runner Matt Forte has been a big surprise (I would say a 'pleasant' surprise, but I'm a Green Bay fan, remember?) for the oft-doubted Windy City offense. And Kyle Orton, speaking of oft-doubted, is coming off of a career game. Chicago by 9.

Can't leave the blog without a bonus pick:

LOUISIANA TECH vs. HAWAII - 5:59 pm Saturday

Again, I can't afford the PPV. Plus, it looks like I'm going to Waikoloa to see Styx at the Grand Ballroom (and take a mini-vacation). I think Hawaii is flat out a better team than La Tech, but we all said it last year when they went up to Rustin, and they needed overtime to beat the team from the Boot State. I think Hawaii wins the homecoming showdown by 7.

TO RECAP

Tampa Bay over Carolina by 3
Dallas beats Arizona by 10
Chicago downs Atlanta by 9

AND THE BONUS...

Hawaii over Louisiana Tech by 7

___________________________________________________________

Show's back on the air on Tuesday due to Major League Baseball...so far, we have lined up the NFL Week 6 Rewind, Daniel Brock of the West Hawaii Today, MMA Talk with Luke Thomas of MMA Blog BloodyElbow.com, and more. I'll leave you today with this...

Just to clear any confusion on the BIIF Football Championship Race

Many of you read the article from Kevin Jakahi in the Big Island Papers on the BIIF Football 1st Half Champions Race. I read from it, and I was wrong because the information was wrong. Thank you to Lyle Crozier, the interim Executive Director of the BIIF for clarifying things for our listeners and for myself on the program.

In case you missed it, here is the procedure on how it would work and the scenarios in play tonight:

Division 1: Kealakehe 3-0, Kea'au 2-1, Honoka'a 2-1

- If Kealakehe wins over Keaau - Kealakehe is first half D1 Champion

- If Keaau wins over Kealakehe, and Honokaa beats Waiakea - First half champion would be determined by a point differential tiebreaker between Kealakehe, Keaau, and Honokaa

- If Keaau wins over Kealakehe, and Waiakea beats Honokaa - Keaau would be First Half champion based on head-to-head tiebreaker with Kealakehe

UPDATE: Honoka'a loses to Waiakea on Friday night 14-0, so they are eliminated from the first-half crown picture. Tonight's Kealakehe / Kea'au game on ESPN Radio will determine the first half champion.

UPDATE #2: As heard on Saturday night here on ESPN Radio, Kealakehe's 27 - 13 win over Kea'au gives the Waveriders the first-half championship, as they finished the first half 4-0, to Kea'au's 2-2 and Honokaa's 2-2.

Division 2: Konawaena 3-0, HPA 2-1, Kohala 3-1

- If Konawaena beats HPA - Konawaena is the First Half D2 Champion

- If HPA beats Konawaena - First half champion would be determined by point differential tiebreaker between HPA, Konawaena, and Kohala

Kohala has a bye week this week, and have decided to not play a game, so they will wait for HPA and Konawaena to duke it out.

UPDATE: HPA beat Konawaena 12-0 on Saturday at HPA, but because of the point differential between the three teams in question (HPA, Konawaena, Kohala), Konawaena takes that tie-breaker to get the first half title. Here's the numbers:

Konawaena: 40-6 W over Kohala, 12-0 Loss to HPA (40 PF, 18 PA = +22 Point Differential)

HPA: 12-7 Loss to Kohala, 12-0 Win over Konawaena (19 PF, 7 PA = +12 Point Differential)

Kohala: 40-6 loss to Konawaena, 12-7 Win over HPA (18 PF, 47 PA = -29 Point Differential)

All that equals a Konawaena first half championship.

That begs the question: Should point spreads be used to determine champions?