Tsai-ko 2nd Anniversary Blog Bash

Last night we celebrated the Second Anniversary of Stephen Tsai's Warrior Beat Blog.

080711Tsai-koBlogBash

I have lots of pics and vids uploading. But I couldn't wait to share this oratory that was delivered with grand eloquence last night by one of our bloggers, (Coach) Bulla:

Tsaiko Culture, what is this Tsaiko Culture?

This thing we call Tsaiko Culture as an anomaly, an enigma if you will. It is not just a blog, it is not just people writing about UH Warrior Football, it is not about telling jokes, it is not about trading recipes, it is not about going to a Tail gate, it is not about singing karaoke, it is not about going bowling, it is not about going to the movies, it is not about helping worthy causes, it is not about traveling across the United States to cheer for the Warriors at New Orleans…it is more, it is bigger than that, it is bigger than life itself.

In no way, form or manner, did Stephen Tsai ever imagine that one day, he would be standing in the Stan Sheriff Arena, in the Wong Hospitality room surrounded by a group of maniacal Warrior foot ball fans…. No way.

So, what is this Tsaiko Culture? For Kekoa, his Hawaiian flag that he carried with him to New Orleans, he took it everywhere with him and whenever the photo opportunity presented itself, he proudly displayed his Hawaiian Flag; his flag was his shield of faith he took into battle. But it’s more than just a flag, it represents everything we stand for.

A Tsaiko once told me, ‘I never thought at my age, I’d still be making friends, and not just friends, but really good friends…’ No, DPK did not tell me that, but think about that, that says so much about this group of people called Tsaikos. We welcome all into our group, the passion we have for our Warrior Football Team is the thread that weaves through all of us that brings us together like a sweater. Like one of those Bill Cosby sweaters, you know, very warm, cuddly, like a security blanket with sleeves.

The Tsaiko culture has evolved into an entity that no one had any inkling of. We have our benchmarks, you know, what we consider ‘cornerstones’ of the group, where a certain item or event is entrenched in our memories forever. Just look at the memorabilia that everyone brought tonight….incredible. We could talk for hours about Gigi’s muumuus, Homey’s forearms, Homey singing to Elvis Pressley, Homey’s pretty hair, hey wait a minute, that’s enough about Homey.

Then there is ST’s world famous rendition of ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’, which is mind boggling. James singing about his horse with no name, addahknowjoe belting out about his American Woman, Stretch going Sailing, Lyn showing off her boots, Esme being a Heartbreaker, Pride bringing out the cole porter in all of us, Jason crooning love ballads to his auntys, DPK upsetting Donald Duck, Wreck being a gigolo, Steve M. aka VITO, VITO, VITO, Liz K. bringing the phantoms out of the Opera for us, and Kekaula bringing it home with Kanaka WaiWai.

Or how about our mainland counterparts, Rich2176, Ronnie, Garret, WA fan, Las Vegas…they never stop to amaze me

Our outer island ohana including Whitey and Duffer from Maui, these 2 guys are the mayors of Maui, with their office located in the back right corner of Tiffanys in Wailuku. If you want to know about what is going on in Maui, they are more hooked up than you would want to know. On Kauai, Aunty Liz…she holds down the Garden Isle for the Tsaikos. On the Big Island, let’s see, could it be Big Hilo Fan? Not only is this guy funny, but almost pretty smart too. For an attorney, he is pretty likeable, I don’t care what DPK says.

The common thing is the Warrior Beat, and every day, day in and day out, ST brings out another story line, and the banter begins. True, we might go off topic just a little some times, I still don’t know what kim chee soup, and mabo tofu have in common with Warrior Football, but hey, we always come full circle, and bring it back.

Tsaiko Culture, to sum it up, it is a feeling, it’s not the shirts, the glasses, the banners, those are just what I would say are memorial stones…to signify an event or a moment. Much like the stones that God had Joshua place in the River Jordan as Joshua led the Israelites to the Promised Land, these items are our memorial stones. The real Tsaiko culture lives in all of us…it is that warm and fuzzy feeling we get when we open the blog and see a familiar name, it’s that feeling we get when we’re laughing by ourselves at work or home when we read a good joke from Las Vegas, it’s that tugging at our heart and the tears from our eyes when we read about one of our fellow Tsaikos going through a tough time, it’s that heart throbbing ache when one of the Tsaikos has lost a loved one…..like I always say….make memories, make memories, make memories. When I say what are the 5 F’s….football, food, family, friends, fun, and soon to be the 6^th F….FISHING…..haha.

I thank all of you for being who you are, I thank our committee members and organizers, I thank ST for his tireless efforts, and I thank Akua for watching over all of us. We are and will be forever more…THE TSAI-KOS

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The CERTIFICATE issued by the Hawaii State Legislature states:

WHEREAS, the State of Hawaii is proud to recognize those select individuals and organizations who use their God-given talents to share the spirit of Aloha; and

WHEREAS, an avid and long-time University of Hawaii sports fan, STEPHEN TSAI began his sports reporting career as a writer for Ka Leo O Hawaii, the newspaper of the University of Hawaii, and continued his sports writing endeavors with the Honolulu Advertiser, covering various University of Hawaii sports since 1987; and

WHEREAS, STEPHEN TSAI, who according to the Honolulu Advertiser, “knows University of Hawai’i sports, down to the last decimal of a 40-yard dash,” brings to his readers a fresh perspective on the University’s athletic programs; and

WHEREAS, his tremendous knowledge and understanding of the complex issues and stories surrounding athletics at the University of Hawaii led STEPHEN TSAI to create a blog known as “The Warrior Beat” on the Honolulu Advertiser’s website, furthering insight into the local sports scene, particularly the Warrior football program, and allowing fans to become interactive through the submission of comments, sharing their knowledge of the game; and

WHEREAS, a small number of individuals began to regularly submit comments on the blog, which averaged 30 posted comments each day, and on December 28, 2006, a group of twelve bloggers finally met in person at Murphy’s Bar and Grill, marking the momentous occasion that led to the establishment of the TSAIKOS, a term that incorporates the dual meanings of the crazed sports fans of the University of Hawaii and the children of Tsai; and

WHEREAS, under the leadership of STEPHEN TSAI, the TSAIKOS, whose mottos became “Make Memories” and “Family, Friends, Food, Fun, and Football,” formed an inexplicable bond that resulted in away-game trips together (including travel to Las Vegas and the Sugar Bowl that included over 100 individuals), tailgates, and karaoke and other get-togethers; and

WHEREAS, the TSAIKOS also launched efforts to support University of Hawaii athletics overall, and have already made an impact with the purchase of championship awards for the softball team, equipment for coaches, and fundraising events for the Warrior football team, and will continue to contribute their support in any way they can; and

WHEREAS, on July 10, 2008, STEPHEN TSAI, along with his TSAIKOS, will be celebrating the 2nd Anniversary of “The Warrior Beat” blog; now, therefore,

The Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii hereby congratulates and recognizes STEPHEN TSAI for his outstanding sports writing, as well as his TSAIKOS for their dedication to supporting University of Hawaii athletics, and extends to them its warmest aloha and best wishes in all future endeavors.