Baseball catching on in Hawaii

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OAKLAND, Calif. -- They met at home plate for a pre-game photo shoot. With multi-hued leis placed gently around their necks, they stood proudly, their chests puffed out a little more than usual as they donned their current colors, those of the Oakland A's and Philadelphia Phillies.Kurt Suzuki and Shane Victorino, those native and favorite sons of the Hawaiian island of Maui, were barely able to contain their beaming smiles. You could almost feel a gentle trade wind blow across the emerald green field; hear the calming crash of waves, the peaceful strumming of a ukulele, the clarion call of the conch; see a whimsical hula; taste a soothing mai tai.But this was the East Bay and McAfee Coliseum, not Waikiki or Kaanapali Beach at sunset. And off in the distance, that was not Diamond Head, rather, Mount Davis. Paradise lost? Try Paradise found.Because Suzuki and Victorino, high school rivals in Wailuku, represent a growing wave of Hawaiians washing up on the shores of major-league baseball as they fight to be seen as more than exotic novelties, more recognizable to mainland haoles than Jack Lord.Indeed, a year ago this week on the same field, Suzuki, a catcher, and pitcher Shane Komine, who grew up in Honolulu, became the first Hawaiian-born battery in major-league history."It meant a lot because growing up in Hawaii, you really didn't see a lot of guys in the big leagues," said Komine, currently on the disabled list at Class AAA Sacramento. "It flew under the radar a little bit. I don't think too many people realized it."We've both got a scorecard and the ball from that game."Check that -- Komine has the ball. And with a wink and a laugh, the right-hander known as the "Hawaiian Punch-Out" for his proclivity for strikeouts, plans to keep the horsehide for a while. He's the one who faced four Texas Rangers over 1 1/3 innings that night in an 11-4 Phillies win."It's definitely an awesome thing," Suzuki said of their feat. "It's good for the fans, good for the people home in Hawaii. Everybody's goal is to make it to the major leagues."It's just that few Hawaiians have made it to the Show, and the national pastime in paradise has always been in question as it took its place well behind surfing, swimming, snorkeling and, well, spam.Still, there was a successful Pacific Coast League franchise in Honolulu from 1961-87 when the Sacramento Solons moved there and became the Islanders.According to baseball-reference.com, 34 Hawaiian-born players have appeared in the big leagues, beginning with "Honolulu Johnnie" Williams, who made four starts for the Detroit Tigers in 1914 after playing for the Sacramento Senators.Tony Rego was a catcher with the St. Louis Browns; Henry "Prince" Oana, played with the Phillies and the Tigers.There was an Islander interlude until 1967, when Mike Lum, an outfielder with the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds, made his big-league debut. Since then, such players as Lenn Sakata, Ron Darling, Benny Agbayani, Jerome Williams and Tyler Yates have made their marks.The Duke Kahanamoku -- the legendary surfer who transcended the water-based sport -- of baseball on the islands?That would be "El Sid," as in left-hander Sid Fernandez, who spent 15 seasons in the big leagues and wore No. 50 as a tribute to the 50th state."He's the top guy; he took it to another level because of the World Series and the longevity of his career," said Kyle Galdeira, the sports information director of the Hawaii Winter Baseball League.Galdeira was not sure if there was a direct correlation, but he said the popularity of the game among the youth in the islands has increased tremendously since Fernandez's run."When I was growing up, there was only Little League and Pony league," Galdeira said. "Now there's Babe Ruth and Cal Ripken leagues."Ewa Beach of Western Oahu beating Curacao to win the Little League World Series in 2005 intensified the passion for the game, and local newscasts have a nightly segment on the "local boys" playing in the major leagues."The pride trickles down to the youth leagues," Galdeira said. "It helps to promote the islands and the spirit of the game here."Just knowing that there are regulars in the big leagues like Kurt and Shane lets the kids know they have a shot. They both run clinics ... in the offseason, so that shows they have a real connection to the community and (they're) not just another face out there on the mainland."Aloha, apparently, also means Play Ball!It also translates to numbers that have swelled considerably in the past 10 years. Consider: 14 of the 34 native-born Hawaiians to play in the major leagues have debuted since 1998."There's a lot of talent, a lot of abilities, to play at any level in regards to any sport," said Victorino, a sixth-round draft choice of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1999. He debuted with the San Diego Padres in 2003 and stuck with the Phillies in 2006."But a lot of times, kids don't want to leave Hawaii. They get adjusted to that lifestyle, and they're afraid, I guess, to kind of go away ... afraid to leave their families. When I left, I was homesick every night. For the first week I cried every night. I wanted to be home. But eventually you've got to outgrow that. I got my opportunity to play in the big leagues, and I never regretted anything else."And the Phillies' reigning N.L. MVP, Jimmy Rollins has an inkling how Victorino, known as "The Flyin' Hawaiian" and author of 22 stolen bases this season, honed his speed as a youngster."He was probably stealing surfboards instead of bases back then," Rollins cracked.Not so much."The beach was never my life," said Victorino, Philadelphia's center fielder. "I didn't have to go surf; I didn't have to go body board. I mean, I love the beach. I go fish, I go diving, but it wasn't to the point where I had to go surf every Saturday ..."As a kid I always played my sports on land. I'd tell my buddies, 'Hey, you guys can go to the beach; I'm going to go and work hard on the field.'"Baseball beckoned Suzuki as well."I think I went (surfing) five out of the seven days a week," said Suzuki, who was the nation's top catcher as a senior at Cal-Fullerton and became a second-round draft choice of the A's in 2004."I'd wake up in the morning, (surf) until about 3 in the afternoon, head over to practice at about 4 with the surfboard still in the car. I made time for baseball. I had so much fun surfing, but when the time came, I knew I had to go and get ready for baseball."For that, an excited island and entire state offer a hearty mahalo and accompanying hang-loose shaka, no more so than following their June 24 photo op at the Coliseum.With both of their families in attendance, the Maui boys made history. It was the first time two guys from Maui played in the same big-league game.Suzuki's A's won 5-2, but Victorino grabbed bragging rights with his eighth-inning steal of second base off Suzuki, who boasts a tattoo of the islands on the right side of his upper back.It's the same game, whether on the mainland or on the islands."Exactly," Victorino said. "You don't take it for granted."(Contact Paul Gutierrez at pgutierrez@sacbee.com.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)