The Pro Bowl, as they like to say in the old TV westerns, figured to leave Hawai'i dead or alive.

Either the NFL's all-star game that arrived here in 1980 with hasty last rites was going to meet its overdue death on these shores or it was going to be resuscitated back to health and be moved on to greater profit some day.

Well, that day was officially announced yesterday: Jan. 31, 2010, according to the NFL. That's when the Pro Bowl will be paired with the Super Bowl in Miami, the experimental brainchild of commissioner Roger Goodell.

The only surprise here is that it didn't happen years sooner, given the NFL's ability to squeeze a buck.

We were told by the NFL yesterday that Honolulu will still see something of the game on some sort of yet-to-be-announced "rotating basis."

Sort of like visitation rights, apparently.

This is Hawai'i's "reward" for breathing not only life but financial viability into a property that was headed for an unmourned death.

The Pro Bowl had seven homes in as many years before it came here and it wasn't because league cities were fighting over the thing. Rather, it was the unloved stepchild, bounced from one place to the next. Sort of like the Rams.

But Hawai'i embraced it with sellouts from the start in what became a mutually beneficial relationship. We got to see stars in person that had previously been only glimpsed through TV. Well, the ones who deigned to show up or weren't suffering from postseason hang-nail inflammation.

Curiously, the Pro Bowl has always been a game to which players like to be selected but haven't been in a hurry to play in. They love the bonus clauses it triggers in their contracts but have been less than thrilled about actually playing in another game. And it showed in the 3/4-speed of play.

I mean, what other all-star game could a head coach have fans fetching him hot dogs at railside during the game? Or, a star leave in the third quarter to catch a plane?

Coming here made that all more palatable. Plus their wives, girlfriends and families looked forward to the vacation.

It will be interesting to see if the same holds true once the novelty of a Super Bowl tie-in wears off. After all, these are league cities they see anyway.

In a statement yesterday, Goodell said, "we will continue to work with the players to make it a great event and will evaluate this concept after the 2010 Pro Bowl."

In other words, if this doesn't work out, Hawai'i will once again be asked to "save" the Pro Bowl. Which is why the NFL notes, "Pro Bowl annual ticket subscribers in Hawai'i will maintain their account status for any future games at Aloha Stadium."

The NFL might be greedy, but it isn't dumb.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.