Say what?

A breezy, sunny Sunday morning and I'm up without an alarm at 7 a.m., thinking about the Lakers, the Warriors and why one of these organizations needs a pack leader.

Clearly a sign that I'm aging. I keep getting up earlier and earlier even though I have the body clock of a night owl. Always been that way since I can remember. I won't go into the possible reasons of deep-rooted psychology, family structure and dysfunction.

I'll just say that it is good. I'm not sick anymore (just some minor phlegm with no color) and I actually feel almost normal for the first time in almost six weeks. Clothes are in the wash and I am in the mood to start watching all of my DVRed UH football games from last season.

Yeah baby. There's a reason why I recorded all those games and nearly filled up my storage space in the DVR. Do you know how many other TV shows I sacrificed in the name of saving my precious UH games? Of course, if I could figure out how to record the games onto blank DVDs, that would help, but I'm counting on my 11-year-old nephew/tech whiz to handle that for me.

Jeannie Buss was on Dog Whisperer earlier in the year and the National Geographic channel has been rerunning the episode in recent days. Her office has seven NBA title trophies lined up by a wall. Sweet. I'm still a Lakers fan, but ... they have NOT been the same in shape, form or function since Mr. NBA Logo, Jerry West, left the organization.

West never talked much about why he and Dr. Buss parted ways. I think he saw the writing on the wall when Buss began catering to Kobe Bryant. Like Cesar Millan always says, there has to be a pack leader in every household, and most certainly the dogs cannot be allowed to lead the people who are supposed to be pack leaders. When Buss began treating Kobe like his spoiled brat son, things got out of line, leadership was flipped under the bus (pun intended), and Hall of Fame legend West got out.

That's my theory and I'm sticking to it.

And what has Dr. Buss' loyalty and submission to Kobe's demands and troubles led to? Kobe now is bringing down a sledgehammer on the very people who stuck by him through his worst times. He wants out of LA. This is a guy who wanted Shaq out, three league titles be damned. This is a guy who demands top dollar — I'll agree he's one of the best in the NBA — and still whines that his supporting cast isn't good enough. I'll agree on the latter, as well. LA should've pulled the trigger on the Jason Kidd deal, even if it would've hurt me as a fan to see some key Lakers sent to the Jersey swampland.

But Kobe isn't loyal. He's proven it in different ways and though he's much more mature now than he was a few years ago, I'm not surprised at all that he's demanding a trade. Buss did it. He tossed out the leash a long time ago, and now, whenever Kobe barks, bites and threatens to be a nuisance to the Laker household, Buss has no power to curtail it.

Maybe this has more to do with pampered mega-rich pro athletes. After all, tons of rumors flew during Shaq's royal stint with LA that he was less than inspired, even lazy. Another Buss byproduct? Perhaps. But it just seems like the richer the players get, the less they work.

As for team-oriented basketball, it's an issue for me. It's a big reason why I prefer watching high school and college sports. You know the deal. The best teams of the 1970s and 1980s knew how to pass the ball, had a team-first mentality. Now, players are more worried about their stats and $125-million contracts. They can't afford to play with minor injuries as a result. It's a free market without real consequences for selfish individuals.

That's why fantasy basketball feeds directly into this whirlpool of selfishness. Practice? Practice?! Allen Iverson was shocked when asked about the importance of practice. Is anyone really surprised that he didn't make a significant improvement to the Denver Nuggets? Does a player who shoots 8-for-25 on a regular basis really help any team? Iverson is a helluva player, great work ethic during a game, and I mean on both sides of the floor. But his shooting is so atrocious that it causes a problem for any team seeking a title. Same deal for Dominique Wilkins, who literally shot his Atlanta Hawks out of games often times. Great players for fantasy fans, horrible for the title trek.

Anyway, I digress. On to UH football on my DVR. Mmm, UH, where money is no big worry. At least until the turnstiles start rusting and there is no way for the budget to finish in the black. It won't be Colt Brennan's fault, no way. It won't be the players' fault at all.

Dr. Dobelle, I presume.

Questions? Yeah, I have 'em

Thank God Almighty, this #!*%#@!! cold is finally almost gone, for real this time. Since yesterday, my galas (phlegm) has been of only one color (white). This is the best news I've had since ... well, OK, today's market (with Apple and Baidu's blowout earnings numbers) was kinda great news, too, but that's for another place.

Gone with the cold are those funky weird dreams, but with a clear head, I do have questions. Questions aplenty now that I'll be back to work real, real soon. I know you have questions, too, questions that I'll be hearing for the first time.

Why did Iwalani Rodrigues transfer to Kalani?

Why did Shiloah Te‘o commit so early to BYU?

Is it worthwhile to spend $3,000 for the services of a recruiting agency?

Will Ichiro win the AL batting title?

Who will stop going to Starbucks when they raise item prices by 9¢ on July 31?

Will people stop questioning me for wearing my sage green Crocs Cayman sandals? Ever? (They're comfortable as heck and anti-bacterial. That's why I wear them.)

Then there's my to-do list.

I need to order my UH logo Jibbitz for my Caymans.

Get a damned haircut.

Shave my face.

Lose weight.

Buy some clothes.

Iron some clothes.

Wash some clothes.

Get my teeth fixed. OK, I'm partly done with that.

Beat my nephew, Josh, at chess. Easier said than done, I assure you.

Visit my brother's family for the first time in months. I've been sick twice this year and that is a no-no around his little baby twins. I miss them!

Goals, goals, goals. Questions, questions, questions.

I know one thing for sure. I won't be drafting Ray Lewis with a first pick or first-round selection in any of my fantasy football leagues.

Germs and dorky dreams

This sinus infection has all kinds of effects on my daily life. But you know the war between germs and drugs is at full throttle when the weird, vivid dreams hit.

Here's what I dreamt in the wee hours.

Two mom-and-pop stores, across the street from each other, battle for customers. Run by Chinese immigrants, the old, wooden structures have some of the same clientele. One has a tiny sit-down diner, but with only one cook, service is, well, as good as it's going to be. As I sit there waiting with friends for my food, Colt Brennan sits down by us with his friends. We chat for a while and I say, "Man, you're more of a dork than I am."

Colt laughed it off and we both knew that the real dork is me.

Later, I'm at the other Chinese store in search of a remedy for my cold. Instantly the owner, Kellum, diagnoses me. "You have an enlarged lung," he explains, noting my sinus infection and all the dripping through my throat. "Bring your hand."

Standing along the rows of giant jars of cracked seeds and dried this-and-that, I offer my hand and he pours some rock salt into it. He also sells me another remedy, and I'm on my way.

I'm not sure if this dream happened in the middle of the night (before or after a fit of coughing that woke me up) or early in the morning, which is when we tend to remember most of our dreams.

I'm not sure if the Sudafed will continue to bring my nightime voyages to life. Maybe tomorrow morning I'll be writing about standing in the batter's box against Derek Tatsuno. Or I could be an assistant to Riley Wallace, trying to talk him into adopting Paul Westhead's wild system.

More air in the blogosphere

Is it too much? Naw. There's a lot to learn about. To discuss. To enjoy.

My list of blogs since starting on blogger.com last week Sunday has grown.

A History of Migration
Best Toy Deals
Holy Crap! You Made Money ... How?!?
HRC Fantasy Leagues
Mo'ili'ili Quarry
P l u t o n i u m • B l u e s
Super Cool Movie Trailers
Top Ten Almighty

Comtrex vs. Sudafed

Maybe it's just time. Maybe it was the drugs.

One way or another, this %@#*% cold seems to finally be leaving my worn-out body. Last night was the first in a while that I didn't wake up several times coughing up a bunch of galas. Yeah, gross. At least I got some sleep.

So I'm going to analyze this a little. (Even though, as I'm still waking up right now, a lot of phlegm is thick and lodged in my chest, making its way up, if you know what I mean. Some Super Tiger Balm should loosen that up.)

Comtrex
I took this, the day-and-night orange and blue pills, for a few days. Helped some. But definitely not a major relief. More like a minor one for the sinus drip and coughing.

Sudafed (for severe colds)
This cost a little more $7.99 was is worth every penny. I started on Sudafed two days ago and the results are very good. Dried up my sinus area a lot faster, a lot better, and my night-time coughing all but disappeared.

Coupled with some Vitamin C (chewables), I feel like there's hope, finally.

So, if you're in the same mid-summer cold boat as I am, that's what I recommend. Sudafed. Vitamin C. Oh, and get to bed earlier than usual. At least 2-3 hours earlier.

I'm not 100-percent well yet, but I'm getting there now.

Sincerely,
Mr. Gag

I hate being sick

By now, it would be a lot more fun if I could go hang out at some summer tournaments and leagues. Catch up with a lot of kids who are working hard and getting the attention and respect they deserve from recruiters.

Instead, this dang cold is still lingering. It's been four weeks now. Maybe I should see a doctor. That would be good. Haven't seen one in years.

It's been a sinus infection for most of those four weeks. Now it's "dropped", I guess you could say. I can feel it obstructing my throat when I swallow. Not a lot, but I feel it. Maybe it's one its way out. I haven't been achy or feeling any flu-like symptoms since the first week, which is why I figured it would fade away soon enough.

So I've kept myself from doing a lot of things, particularly where people are around, which is kind of tough. I've missed some family get-togethers, so my little baby niece and nephew are growing bigger every day and I don't see it.

I still do the mom thing and look after her every day mostly, which led my sister and I into an argument. She thinks that mom, who gave all of us this cold after coming home from her adult day care center, is still sick because of me. My sister actually thinks that the germs my mom gave me, the ones that are in me, are keeping mom sick.

Completely unreasonable. While my sister is gone most nights until 10 p.m., sometimes later, at her Melaluca meetings or whatever, I'm looking after mom. Her weak immune system (she's 81) is a major reason why she's slow to recover. But my sister and I argued anyway. It was pointless, but I couldn't back off. If her argument was valid, then why don't married couples cough each other to death? They're forced to be together no matter how sick they get, and eventually both heal up from the cold germs and get well.

For those of you who are caregivers to your parents, you know what I'm feeling. After trying your best despite the coughing and sinus congestion and overall feeling like crap, all you get for your effort is some verbal shot that it's your fault that mom is not getting better.

As if there were an alternative to the care you give.

I know I'm venting. But if you know what I mean, I'd be happy to hear from you. This just feels like a very small and isolated place.

Promise I won't cough on you.

Kickoff! Fantasy football time

Three leagues are registered for you to come join in. Yes, the HondaReport.com Fantasy Football Leagues are ready for your team(s).

1. Check out the HRC Fantasy League blog at right here

2. Send me an e-mail at hrcfantasyleague@aol.com.

3. Once I confirm your entry, you'll register in one of the three leagues. Or two leagues. Maybe three?

Enjoy!

Mid-Summer Minion am I

I thought, well, there are a few stories I need to finish up. One has been on the shelf for months, and now that it's off-season, and this nasty cold/sinus infection is finally leaving me, I can get it done. Pronto.

In the meantime, there are some notable summer happenings. Team Hawaii girls basketball team went unbeaten in Japan. The 808 Dragons went up against some heavy hitters (some older) in a mainland tourney and came away better for the experience.

A number of volleyball club teams were superb, as Keahi Fukushima noted on the HondaReport.com forum.

There's a lot more going on, of course, between basketball leagues, football pass leagues and more. Keep me posted by leaving a comment or e-mailing phonda@starbulletin.com. Mahalo!

Waahila Ridge fire, July 5