Isle baseball stars now easier to see

Watching Dodgers baseball just got a whole lot more fun, with the legendary boys in blue now featuring two players from Hawaii: outfielder Shane Victorino and pitcher Brandon League.

The two were acquired this week before the league season trading deadline. The treat for Hawaii fans is that the teams Victorino and League came from — the Philadelphia Phillies and the Seattle Mariners, respectively — are rarely seen on local TV. Los Angeles Dodgers games, on the other hand, are seen in Hawaii almost every day, as are the games of the Los Angeles Angels — whose players include former Waipahu High pitching star Jerome Williams.

The Dodgers are neck and neck with the San Francisco Giants for first place in the National League West; the Angels are third in the American League West, trailing slightly the Oakland Athletics, who also have a Hawaii player on the roster: catcher Kurt Suzuki.

The four Hawaii players in the major leagues now are all with West Coast teams.

Who da guy who caught that ball?

Watching University of Hawaii Warriors football probably just got a little harder. New head coach Norm Chow has decided the players will no longer have their names featured on the back of their jerseys.

Perhaps echoing ‘Iolani School’s "One Team," philosophy, Chow told the Star-Advertiser, "We’re a team. If our team does well, individual recognition will come."

If you’re a fan, however, recognizing those individual players might not be so easy. Is this a nifty way to sell program guides?