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Governor David Ige's 2021 State of The State address praised two former Major League Baseball players who were born and raised in Hawaii.
While I understand the message ("diversity=strength"), I have to complain, because we have two stellar former MLB players born and raised right here on Maui who were ignored by the governor.
Shane Victorino graduated from Wailuku's St. Anthony High School, was a two-time World Series champion, a two-time All-Star and a four-time Gold Glove winner playing the outfield for Philadelphia and Boston.
Maybe more importantly, he was awarded the "Lou Gehrig Memorial Award" (2008) and the "Branch Ricky Award" (2011). He is one of only two players ever to hit two postseason grand slams. He twice led the National League in triples. He averaged over 20 stolen bases a year during his 12-year career.
Nicknamed "The Flyin' Hawaiian," the son of Mike and Joycelyn Victorino, Shane represents well the multi-ethnic state of Hawaii, being Portuguese, Hawaiian, Japanese and English.
Our other World Series champion is catcher Kurt Suzuki, a graduate of Wailuku's Baldwin High School. Kurt is also a World Series champion with the Washington Nationals and a former All-Star during his 14-year career.
Baseball is alive and well in the state of Hawaii. Our kids have won four out of five trips to the Little League World Series in recent years. Maybe our dear governor's speech writers should do a little more research next time.
Mark Smith
Wailuku