By Paul Honda
paul@hondareport.com
Thursday, Apr. 12, 2007

I'll hand it to that dude, the Howie Mandel-lookalike, for accepting the deal for $277,000 instead of taking a risk between these three possibilities: $750,000, $75,000 and some figure less than $100.

It's no coincidence that a few weeks back, the Korean guy from down South also had $750,000, $75,000 and $75 as his final three cases on the stage. He also settled for a handsome amount of cash.

I only bring this up because the game is merely a calculation of odds — common sense — and percentages. Or is it? I would not be shocked one bit if, one day, we learned that the numbers in those cases are flipped by remote control. Why else would the models pause before opening the case each and every time?

Maybe I'm way off the edge on this, but you heard it here first. And nobody's going to investigate anyway, not when boatloads of cash are being given away.

Danny Boy. My feature story about Daniel Higa Jr. in Wednesday's Star-Bulletin was a joy to write, and meeting his family was even more fun. Talk about extended ohana! I know where Danny Boy's coming from because, like his family, I'm one of three kids who each have a different father. I also lost a parent at a young age, but his relationship with his mother was unique and special.

When Dave Reardon suggested the story to me a few weeks ago, I was in the middle of all-state projects that were time-consuming and brain-draining. Finally, though, over the weekend, my schedule slowed down, thank God. The results have been good so far. At least a couple of folks have e-mailed to "scold" me because the story caused them to cry.

It wasn't my purpose to do that, but if any of my feature stories can cause people to laugh, think and cry, I cannot ask for more. In fact, the story made me cry while I wrote it! Danny Boy is a courageous young man who goes about his life in a very low-key, joyful way. Just being around him and his family for a short time was like magic. There is a spirit that lives beautifully in them, and if you ever get to meet them, you'll find out what I mean.

Never a dull moment: Leave it to the ILH to present a season-long drama series for fans of girls basketball. Kamehameha's solid win over No. 1 Iolani on Tuesday night is just more proof that the league is completely up for grabs.

The Warriors began the season at No. 1 after going 8-0 in nonconference play, but stumbled in an early loss at Iolani. They've come a long way since then, and with wins over Iolani and Punahou in the past week, it'll be interesting to see how many of the Star-Bulletin Top 10 voters will cast No. 1 ballots for Kamehameha.

My hunch is that they'll go with Roosevelt, which is still unbeaten in the OIA Red East. My vote? I'm not sure yet. This is one of the more intriguing, even baffling seasons in recent memory. My ballot last weekend had Iolani followed by Honokaa and Konawaena, and now that the Wildcats have beaten the Dragons, there's more to consider.

Konawaena at No. 1? It's possible.

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