Thinking warm thoughts

OK, so it’s been a bit soggy here lately. But consider us lucky to live Hawaii, as fall and winter consist only periodically of the wet, but not white, stuff.

Also consider that snow has already come down heavily in parts of the Upper Midwest. A heavy snowfall over the weekend, in fact, caused more than 400 traffic accidents in Minnesota, as well as a collision in northern Wisconsin that killed two people.

That region is expected to get a reprieve, though, as temperatures are to stay warm these next few days, in the mid- to high 30s. Well, warm for those hardy Midwesterners; not so much for us here in paradise.

Way to go to fight jet lag

Going into yesterday’s late-night Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic basketball championship, Central Michigan had found success with its practice strategy.

Anticipating jet lag, the Chippewas practiced on their Mount Pleasant, Mich., campus from 10:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. the Sunday and Monday before leaving and from 2 to 5 a.m. last Wednesday, departing later that morning and arriving here late that night.

At the Classic here, they played at 9:30 p.m. Friday — 2:30 a.m. Michigan time — against Cal State Fullerton and at the same time Saturday against Montana State, winning both games and earning their berth in the title game against the Rainbows at 11 p.m. yesterday — 4 a.m. in Michican — as part of ESPN’s College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon.

"We were trying to put ourselves in a position to be as quickly adjusted to the difference in time with the travel," coach Ernie Zeigler told his campus newspaper.