It’s that time of the year to put on the Joe Klecko T-shirt, keep away the grandkids and pets, and then cuss at the television when the New York Jets’ draft picks are announced.

It’s also a reminder that life is about choices, whether they are right, benign or, like the Jets’ selections, palm-slap-to-the-forehead bizarre.

Officials of NFL teams study videos, conduct workouts and interviews, measure and set up tests to determine the immeasurables. But drafting is part poker (disguise your true intentions), part dating app (seeking player and team compatibility), part luck. The Patriots were fortunate to take quarterback Tom Brady in the sixth round; the Jets not-so-much selecting tight end Kyle Brady in the first round. Sometimes you get the Brady Bunch, sometimes you get Sam the Butcher.

We all face choices in life. Most are simple. Fish or steak at the wedding reception? Aisle or window seat? Standing behind three people at the Longs line or behind one person with a handful of coupons?

And then there are decisions that have a wide impact. In 1992, workers broke ground on an on-campus arena on the University of Hawaii’s lower campus. One particular lawmaker favored a 4,000-seat arena. Athletic director Stan Sheriff and men’s basketball coach Riley Wallace argued for a 12,000-seat facility that could be cordoned to 10,000. Prominent attorney Jeff Portnoy testified about the need for an arena with at least 10,000 seats, delivering his take on the Field of Dreams line: “If you build it, (the UH fans) will come.” Modeled after Baylor’s Meyer Arena, what was then known as the Special Events Center opened on Oct. 1, 1994, with a seating capacity of 10,300. Until his UH retirement in 2007, Wallace mercilessly chided the government official who initially favored a smaller capacity.

Also in 1992, Honolulu City Councilwoman Rene Mansho changed her yea to nay, killing a bill by a 5-4 vote that would have authorized a 0.5% general excise tax surcharge on Oahu to provide local funding for a rail system.

In a 2011 State of the State address, Gov. Neil Abercrombie chose to pause spending on repairs on Aloha Stadium while seeking a “definitive decision on Aloha Stadium and any future stadium we might build.”

Did Mansho and Abercrombie make the right choices? The verdict is still pending.

Late in Super Bowl XXIII, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana decided not to throw to All-Pro wideout Jerry Rice. Instead, Montana connected with John Taylor for the decisive touchdown with 34 seconds left. Late in Super Bowl XLVI, running back Marshawn Lynch gained 102 yards, the last 4 advancing the Seattle Seahawks to the New England Patriots’ 1 with under a minute to play. Instead of calling for another Lynch run, Seattle head coach Pete Carroll opted to pass. Russell Wilson’s throw was intercepted at the goal line.

In Game 7 of the 2025 World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers sent Andy Pages to replace Tommy Edman in center field with the bases loaded in the ninth inning. One out later, Pages raced 121 feet, bumped into left fielder Kike Hernandez, and then made an acrobatic catch to end the inning. In Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, Boston manager John McNamara decided not to insert a defensive replacement for ailing first baseman Bill Buckner in the bottom of the 10th inning. The New York Mets scored the winning run when Mookie Wilson’s grounder went between Buckner’s legs.

While general managers and player-development directors mull decisions this week, every aspiring NFL player already has gone through a series of multiple-choice options.

Play youth football or futbol? Go to a four-year college, community college, trade school, military or find a job? And if you apply for the NFL Draft, whom do you choose as an agent or where do you decided to train? And if undrafted, do you seek a free-agent deal with the NFL, Canadian Football League or another football league, whether it’s in this country or internationally? And then … well, the menu of choices is seemingly endless.

Baseball offers more paths than football. Baseball players may be drafted as high school seniors. They also are draft eligible after their third year of college. Both scenarios give players leverage in negotiations with MLB teams. And except for being offered a life-changing signing bonus, college baseball might be a preferable option to being an 18-year-old minor leaguer. At UH, for instance, travel is by plane and not bus. There are nutritional and strength programs, as well as chances to earn credits toward a degree. UCLA’s Angel Cervantes, a second-round selection by the Pittsburgh Pirates last summer, decided to honor his commitment to the Bruins.

A popular thought is whatever the decision, think about it, then embrace it. “Plough don’t look back” is the proverbial term. When it comes to a player’s options, regret should not be one of them.