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Hawaii poised to lose Aloha, Oahu bowls

By Times wires, DEBI JONES

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 1, 2001

The operator of the Aloha and Oahu bowls said it is all but certain the college football games will be relocated to the West Coast.

Fritz Rohlfing, executive director of Aloha Sports Inc., said the company is applying for certification for a venue change that would move the Oahu Bowl to Seattle and the Aloha Bowl to San Francisco. Any change would be subject to NCAA approval.

"It's sad to see the Aloha Bowl move, but it makes sense from a business standpoint and the overall good of college football to be played in a venue that can provide fans and financial support," Rohlfing said.

A formal announcement is unlikely until NCAA officials approve the certification papers, he said. "We think we'll be a success, but it's not a done deal yet," he said.

With the games split between Christmas Eve and Christmas last year, ticket sales ran far below expectations. Attendance sank to a record low -- 24,187 for the Oahu Bowl.

"The reason (for the relocation) is because the model of post-season college bowl games does not work well with Hawaii's location," Rohlfing said. "The fans for the schools competing in the games cannot get a plane ticket, and can't get to Hawaii in short notice."

In Seattle, the bowl would be Jan. 2 at Safeco Field, home of the Mariners baseball team, and in future years would be played at the new football and soccer stadium being built by Seahawks owner Paul Allen, Rohlfing said, noting that the plan is still in negotiations. The bowl in San Francisco would be played on Dec. 30, but no site has been announced.

MORE COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Quarterback Rex Grossman got the majority of snaps in Florida's scrimmage, going 8-for-16 for 168 yards. His primary competition for the starting job, Brock Berlin, was 2-for-7 for 14 yards. Offensive lineman Tommy Moody sprained his left elbow. Defensive end Kennard Ellis will be out 4-6 weeks with a torn ligament in his thumb and cornerback Lito Sheppard might not practice Monday because of a pulled hamstring. Florida is scheduled to complete spring drills with the Orange and Blue game on Saturday. ... Neither freshman Chris Rix nor ex-receiver Anquan Boldin was impressive at quarterback during Florida State's first full-contact scrimmage. Rix, FSU's only scholarship QB, completed 4-of-12 and Boldin went 4-for-7. "The quarterbacks were erratic at times," coach Bobby Bowden said. ... Junior linebacker Ken Dangerfield's seven tackles were the highlight for a Miami defensive unit that had five sacks in the 64-play scrimmage.

COLLEGES: Junior starter Leslie Malerich pitched a shutout to lead the Florida State softball team in a 7-0 win in the opener of an ACC doubleheader with host Georgia Tech, which won the nightcap 2-1. ... Senior Desiree Croteau pitched a no-hitter to lead the host Saint Leo softball team in a 2-0 win over Barry in the opener of an SSC doubleheader. Saint Leo won the second game 2-1. ... The Florida baseball team rallied for a run in the top of the ninth to defeat host Vanderbilt 1-0. Starter Jimmy Ramshaw struck out a career-best nine for Florida, which scored when Brian Rose drew a leadoff walk, stole second and came in on Aaron Davidson's double. ... Barry swept a doubleheader from the host Eckerd baseball team, 10-6 and 7-1. ... The Campbell baseball team swept a TAAC doubleheader from host Jacksonville 3-1 and 5-4. ... The FSU men's tennis team lost 6-1 to North Carolina in Tallahassee. ... The Florida women's golf team, which shot a second-round 295, held a one-stroke lead over Florida International and was three ahead of Miami heading into today's final round of the Florida Women's Collegiate Golf Championships at Don Shula's Golf Club and Resort in Miami Lakes.

CURLING: The United States, Denmark and Sweden each had two wins to lead round-robin play after the opening day of the World Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland.

HORSES: Make No Mistake rallied on the outside to outfinish Aly's Alley by three-quarters of a length in the $100,000 Grade III Bougainvillea Handicap for 3-year-olds on the grass at Hialeah. A Little Luck was third and Stokosky, the 7-5 favorite, was fourth in a field of 11 going 11/8 miles. Make No Mistake, ridden by Jose Santos, was timed in 1:50 and paid $16, $7.60 and $6. Aly's Alley, the 2-1 second choice, paid $4.60 and $3.40. A Little Luck paid $3.80 to show. ... Atelier beat Tax Affair by a nose in the $103,900 Grade III Next Move Handicap at Aqueduct in New York. Pompeii was a head back to finish third of four horses. Atelier, carrying 117 pounds and jockey Edgar Prado, covered 11/8 miles in 1:50:3 on a sloppy track to earn $62,340 for Helen C. Alexander and others. Atelier returned $3.40 and $2.20, Tax Affair $2.60. There was no show betting.

PRO FOOTBALL: Dolphins cornerback Jeff Harris had arthroscopic surgery to remove loose particles in his right knee. He will be re-evaluated before an April 27 minicamp. The team also released defensive tackle Lamain Rucker.

RUNNING: Patrick Ivuti captured the Stramilano half-marathon in Milan, Italy, for the second straight year, finishing the 13.1 miles in 1 hour, 49 seconds. ... Olympian Philip Dunn won the U.S. men's 50-kilometer racewalking national title in 3:57:33, and Susan Armenta became the inaugural U.S. women's champ at that distance (4:49.57) in Manassas, Va.

SOCCER: David Rocastle, a midfielder who played on England's national team and helped Arsenal win two league titles, died at 33. Rocastle had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He was diagnosed with the disease, which attacks the immune system, in February and had chemotherapy. Arsenal and Tottenham players wore black armbands in Arsenal's 2-0 win. ... Liverpool defeated league-leading Manchester United 2-0 in London.

SPEED SKATING: Li Jiajun (43.433) and Wang Chunlu (45.779) won the men's and women's 500-meter finals at the World Short Track Championships in Chonju, South Korea.

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