Feb 1st and 10 w/JD Feb 7th at 10am ** Live Thread **

[Scott]

Jim Donovan will be chatting live from 10:00 am to 11:00 am on Monday, February 7th. If you can't be here then, please post your questions in this thread. One question at a time. Preference will be given to live questions but we should be able to have all questions answered.

[tarai]

I had a problem trying to get in to a mens volleyball game late friday vs UCSB. the ticket booths were closed but the door ushers would not let me and about 4 others into the arena saying it was too early in the match. how are you supposed to get in if they aren't selling tickets. anyways we left and by the way we still paid for parking 1st!! I think you got to leave the booths open longer!!!! what a waste of time.

[tshoitnshorts]

Jim, Questions regarding baseball.
1. Is it possible to allow entry earlier than just an hour prior to the games? Part of the baseball experience is watching the players do warm ups and practice on the field. Also great for those days where capacity crowds would be expected such as Oregon, Texas, Fullerton and on seniors day. But I'd like it for ALL games. Is two hours prior doable?
2. I'm feeling the drought on home tournaments. I LOVED the Easter Rainbow Tournaments but realize that economics was a key factor for its discontinuance. However with baseball being more recently profitable, can we anticipate seeing a tournament again at Murakami...hopefully sooner than later?
3. Why is it that instant replays aren't being shown on the scoreboard? If broken, any plans to replace the scoreboard?

I think the baseball program is doing just fine.

Thank you for your time.

tshoitnshorts

[uhwarriors]

Jim,
Many of the big football programs have their team walk into the stadium from their buses and fans get to cheer them. Please talk to Coach Mack about dropping them off in front of the main ticket office on the South endzone side and have them walk into the stadium. This will quickly become a pregame tradition which would add to the college atmosphere. The band drum line already preforms in front of the stadium before games. Maybe the band and cheerleaders can be a part of this new tradition.

[BigWave96744]

Aloha Jim,
We've talked about restarting traditions and have gone over the Paniolo Trophy, but could you check with the Air Force AD if they still have the Kuter Trophy (see photo below from an old UH Media Guide)

If I can recall back in 2001 when UH last beat the Falcons, the trophy wasn't returned back to Hawaii.
With Hawaii joining the MWC in 2012, this would be a great rivalry trophy to, uhhhhh, keep in Manoa..

Here is the All Time Season Series of Hawaii vs The Air Force Academy
Nov 24, 2001 Air Force AT Hawaii (L) 30 - 52
Nov 01, 1997 Air Force AT Hawaii (W) 34 - 27
Oct 26, 1996 AT Air Force Hawaii (W) 34 - 7
Nov 25, 1995 Air Force AT Hawaii (W) 45 - 28
Dec 03, 1994 Air Force AT Hawaii (W) 37 - 24
Nov 20, 1993 Air Force AT Hawaii (L) 17 - 45
Sep 12, 1992 AT Air Force Hawaii (L) 3 - 6
Nov 23, 1991 Air Force AT Hawaii (W) 24 - 20
Sep 08, 1990 AT Air Force Hawaii (W) 27 - 3
Dec 09, 1989 Air Force AT Hawaii (T) 35 - 35
Nov 26, 1988 Air Force AT Hawaii (L) 14 - 19
Nov 21, 1987 Air Force AT Hawaii (W) 34 - 31
Aug 30, 1986 AT Air Force Hawaii (W) 24 - 17
Nov 23, 1985 Air Force AT Hawaii (W) 27 - 20
Nov 05, 1983 AT Air Force Hawaii (W) 45 - 10
Nov 27, 1982 Air Force AT Hawaii (L) 21 - 45
Nov 29, 1980 Air Force AT Hawaii (L) 12 - 20
Oct 08, 1966 AT Air Force Hawaii (W) 54 - 0

[Jim Donovan]

Good morning! Hope everyone is doing well today.

[ubercow]

Hey, just wanted to tell you thanks for keeping the reasonable concession prices at the stan sheriff. those nachos they have there are a winner .

Also please feel free to share with us any upcoming events or what ever is on your mind. Thank you for taking time out to join us today.

[Jim Donovan]

I had a problem trying to get in to a mens volleyball game late friday vs UCSB. the ticket booths were closed but the door ushers would not let me and about 4 others into the arena saying it was too early in the match. how are you supposed to get in if they aren't selling tickets. anyways we left and by the way we still paid for parking 1st!! I think you got to leave the booths open longer!!!! what a waste of time.

----------------------------------------------------------

tarai -

I'm very sorry to hear of your experience. I have contacted Stan Sheriff Center Manager, Rich Sheriff, and Ticket Office Manager, Walter Watanabe, and they have assured me they will coordinate the Ticket Office and the entrance gate to make sure this does not happen again.

As a response to the situation you faced, we would like to host you and your guests who were with you that night to another UH men's volleyball game. Please contact the Sports Hawaii Forum administration, and they will contact my administrative assistant to coordinate getting you the tickets. Thank you for making us aware of this situation so we could solve it for everyone.

[Jim Donovan]

Jim, Questions regarding baseball.
1. Is it possible to allow entry earlier than just an hour prior to the games? Part of the baseball experience is watching the players do warm ups and practice on the field. Also great for those days where capacity crowds would be expected such as Oregon, Texas, Fullerton and on seniors day. But I'd like it for ALL games. Is two hours prior doable?
2. I'm feeling the drought on home tournaments. I LOVED the Easter Rainbow Tournaments but realize that economics was a key factor for its discontinuance. However with baseball being more recently profitable, can we anticipate seeing a tournament again at Murakami...hopefully sooner than later?
3. Why is it that instant replays aren't being shown on the scoreboard? If broken, any plans to replace the scoreboard?

I think the baseball program is doing just fine.

Thank you for your time.

tshoitnshorts

-------------------------------------------------


tshoitnshorts -

1. The main reason the Les Murakami Stadium opens one hour before game time is because of budget cuts (the Stadium used to open 90 minutes before game time). Our budget situation, while improving, is still challenging overall. Maybe at some point in the future, we’ll have the net revenues necessary to go back to opening the gates an hour and a half before game time – but not this year. That said, Les Murakami Stadium Manager, Glenn Nakaya, said that the box office will open 90 minutes before game time and if there is a significant line developing, he will try to open the gates even more than an hour before game time (depending on how much of his usher and ticket taker staff has already shown up for work).

2. The baseball tournaments we used to host were a lot of fun. Unfortunately, several things have occurred to make baseball tournaments in Hawaii less likely in the future. Again, the first is budgetary concerns – the cost of flying out three or five other teams and housing them for a week just became too much for us to absorb, especially considering that we were only getting three to five games out of the tournament. Now we can bring in a non-conference opponent for a three- or four-day series – paying only for one team and getting almost as many games out of that cost as we did from a tournament (so you can see why the current series schedule is much more cost-effective). The other major factor is that NCAA reduced the playing season significantly both in number of games and calendar days. This has had the effect that not too many teams want to go anywhere, including Hawaii, for a seven- or eight-day period in the middle of the season. Some of the three- or four-day tournaments on the mainland are still doing well, but when you factor in a day to fly here and a day to fly back, there’s just not much desire anymore for teams to play in a tournament in Hawaii – even if we could afford it.

3. The scoreboard at Les Murakami Stadium right now actually contains a message board, not an instant replay board. It was never capable of showing video on that center area of the scoreboard. That said, we have had numerous difficulties with the software to actually operate the message board, and we have been working with the manufacturer for years (almost since the day it was installed) to try and correct the situation. It seems like every season we start off with the manufacturer’s representative in Hawaii informing us the message board works, but as the season progresses the quality degrades such that we stop using it. Sadly, the manufacturer’s warranty had expired prior to me becoming athletic director, so we are stuck between trying to fix it and/or eventually replacing it (when we can afford it).

Thanks for your support and comments.

[Jim Donovan]

Jim,
Many of the big football programs have their team walk into the stadium from their buses and fans get to cheer them. Please talk to Coach Mack about dropping them off in front of the main ticket office on the South endzone side and have them walk into the stadium. This will quickly become a pregame tradition which would add to the college atmosphere. The band drum line already preforms in front of the stadium before games. Maybe the band and cheerleaders can be a part of this new tradition.

------------------------------------------------------

uhwarriors -

I could talk to Coach McMackin about this idea… Ultimately, it would be his decision as to what is best for the team especially with the time so close to kick-off. That said, we do have several traditions:

- the Haka
- the coming out of the locker room with the cheerleaders “surfing” in the lead and the band playing on the field
- a celebrity guest and/or Terry Visperas calling “Warriors, come out and play!” on the Stadium PA

It will be up to Coach McMackin to decide if he’d like to add another tradition.

[Jim Donovan]

Aloha Jim,
We've talked about restarting traditions and have gone over the Paniolo Trophy, but could you check with the Air Force AD if they still have the Kuter Trophy (see photo below from an old UH Media Guide)

If I can recall back in 2001 when UH last beat the Falcons, the trophy wasn't returned back to Hawaii.
With Hawaii joining the MWC in 2012, this would be a great rivalry trophy to, uhhhhh, keep in Manoa..

Here is the All Time Season Series of Hawaii vs The Air Force Academy
Nov 24, 2001 Air Force AT Hawaii (L) 30 - 52
Nov 01, 1997 Air Force AT Hawaii (W) 34 - 27
Oct 26, 1996 AT Air Force Hawaii (W) 34 - 7
Nov 25, 1995 Air Force AT Hawaii (W) 45 - 28
Dec 03, 1994 Air Force AT Hawaii (W) 37 - 24
Nov 20, 1993 Air Force AT Hawaii (L) 17 - 45
Sep 12, 1992 AT Air Force Hawaii (L) 3 - 6
Nov 23, 1991 Air Force AT Hawaii (W) 24 - 20
Sep 08, 1990 AT Air Force Hawaii (W) 27 - 3
Dec 09, 1989 Air Force AT Hawaii (T) 35 - 35
Nov 26, 1988 Air Force AT Hawaii (L) 14 - 19
Nov 21, 1987 Air Force AT Hawaii (W) 34 - 31
Aug 30, 1986 AT Air Force Hawaii (W) 24 - 17
Nov 23, 1985 Air Force AT Hawaii (W) 27 - 20
Nov 05, 1983 AT Air Force Hawaii (W) 45 - 10
Nov 27, 1982 Air Force AT Hawaii (L) 21 - 45
Nov 29, 1980 Air Force AT Hawaii (L) 12 - 20
Oct 08, 1966 AT Air Force Hawaii (W) 54 - 0

-----------------------------------------------

BigWave96744 -

I think it’s great that we’ll be starting up our football series again with the University of Wyoming and the Air Force Academy. I will have my staff check with both universities to see if they have the actual trophies that were shown in your post. If they do, we certainly can start “trading” them again after our first meeting in 2012. If they don’t have the trophies, then we can discuss creating new ones similar to the original ones if there’s an interest from those programs. Bottom line I’m just happy we’re playing football in the Mountain West and that many rivalries are being renewed.

[Jim Donovan]

Hey, just wanted to tell you thanks for keeping the reasonable concession prices at the stan sheriff. those nachos they have there are a winner .

Also please feel free to share with us any upcoming events or what ever is on your mind. Thank you for taking time out to join us today.

-----------------------------------------

ubercow -

Thank you very much. We're continuing to try and keep ticket and concession prices down as much as possible.

The Baseball program will be having their annual Grand Slam Celebration on February 13th at Stan Sheriff Center. Come out and enjoy great food, beverages and entertainment with live and silent auctions. Tickets are $100 each or $1,000 for a table of ten. For more information, call the Baseball office at 956-6247.

Ahahui Koa Anuenue will be having a scholarship fundraiser on April 6th. It is still in the planning stages. Save the date – more details forthcoming.

Na Koa Football Club will be hosting their annual golf tournament on April 12th at Hawaii Prince Golf Club. Save the date – more details forthcoming.

The Men’s Volleyball program will be having their 2nd annual golf tournament on April 14th at Olomana Golf Links. For more information, call the Men’s Volleyball office at 956-9931.

We are selling WAC Basketball Tournament packages at the Stan Sheriff Center Ticket Office. The tournament will be held at The Orleans in Las Vegas, NV on March 9-12th. Please call 956-4482 for more information and to purchase your packages. We are also looking into having an event in conjunction with the tournament. Stay tuned for more details.

Thanks to everyone for all your support of UH Athletics!

[Jim Donovan]

Thank you to everyone for your questions and feedback. I'm off to my next meeting. See you next month!

[wyokie]

BigWave96744 -

I think it’s great that we’ll be starting up our football series again with the University of Wyoming and the Air Force Academy. I will have my staff check with both universities to see if they have the actual trophies that were shown in your post. If they do, we certainly can start “trading” them again after our first meeting in 2012. If they don’t have the trophies, then we can discuss creating new ones similar to the original ones if there’s an interest from those programs. Bottom line I’m just happy we’re playing football in the Mountain West and that many rivalries are being renewed.

Mr. Donovan,

To anwser your question about the Paniolo Trophy's whereabouts. UW does still have it but from all the people I spoke to nobody knows eactly where it is!!! My guess is that it's in a storage room with a bunch of UIW's championship and bowl trophies.