Sugar Bowl: Ouch.

I am not a sports fan.

I like live sporting events pretty much only when someone can score me free tickets, or cheap ones (usually in nosebleed seats). I watch games on television when I'm with friends who know better, so they can explain to me not only what's going on, but the history of the team(s). I watch March Madness, but usually only after it gets to the Round of 16.

The weekend before Christmas, I took a last-minute trip to New Orleans, just for fun. It turns out we were there during the New Orleans Bowl. My friend and I were wondering about all these people wearing their Memphis clothes everywhere. We soon found out why. Of course, they lost to Florida Atlantic.

More importantly, though, I noticed a few flags for the University of Hawai'i flying on Bourbon Street. Why?, I wondered, since you don't usually seem much of good ol' UH down in New Orleans.



I soon found out. Hawai'i faced the Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl this year.

Had I known, I might have considered staying in the city for the holiday just to check out the game.

My cousin (at school in New Orleans) texted me to tell me that there were tons of Hawai'i fans who had made the trek to New Orleans just to see their team in action. Hawai'i sports fans are an enthusiastic bunch, that's for sure. I kinda miss the whole "aloha spirit" thing; immersing myself in a sea of people with Hawaiian accents might have been fun.

I texted my cousin back: "Go Bows!" Of course I had forgotten that the team name changed from the Rainbow Warriors to just the Warriors back in 2001. I seem to recall that I had visited Hawai'i at around that time, and part of the controversy was that the "rainbow" in "Rainbow Warriors" was a little too gay for the coach. This, of course, strikes me as completely retarded. But oh well.

Anyway, it's unfortunate that the game isn't anywhere near as competitive as it could be. I always like to see my home state do well. I wish they had managed to pull it together better for this game.

But it's cool that they made it there at all. And I'm glad so many Hawai'i residents made the trek to support their team.

Oh, and I have to do it. Colt Brennan is a cutie.