Bleacher Talk

Bleacher Talk March 1, 2009 Palaro Glory Days As the month of March rolls around every schoolyear, the sports world is all excited about the remaining big tournaments for inter-school competition. The big dance then was always the Palarong Pambansa, an Olympic-style event that brings together the best athletes representing the different regions of the country. In a way, the Palaro is still one of the most respected sports events, but one has to admit that it no longer has the glamour, popularity and stature that it once had among sports aficionados. Pardon the age gap, but I won’t ever forget how the likes of Lydia de Vega and Isidro del Prado were discovered through the Palaro. Many of our country’s top athletes under Mike Keon’s Gintong Alay program were discovered at the different stagings of the Palaro in the 80’s. Many of them became stars in their own right and represented our country well in international competitions. They would pluck gold medals in the Southeast Asian Games an

CYBL Playoff Picture Shapes Up The final cast for the playoffs of the Cebu Youth Basketball League (CYBL) was set over the long weekend with the University of Cebu and Sacred Heart School-Jesuit (SHSJ) grabbing the top seed of their respective divisions. In the Tropang Growee 13-Under division, the SHSJ Eagles grabbed the top seed via the tiebreaker as they were tied with University of San Carlos (USC) North and USC South for the top three spots with identical 3-1 slates. The Eagles lost to USC North 48-51 in overtime over the weekend, but bounced back to defeat Don Bosco-A, 39-35. USC South also defeated Don Bosco-A, 45-43 to create the three-way tie. Using the quotient system, SHSJ claimed the top spot with a 1.21 quotient, followed by USC North’s 1.02 and USC South’s 0.79. Things were less complicated in the Tropang Growee 10-Under division as SHSJ streaked to a 4-0 record after defeating Royal Oaks International School (ROIS), 36-12. Don Bosco wound up second with a 3-1 record afte

Bleacher Talk Feb. 22, 2009 SAC & San Miguel Sportswriters, especially the men, won’t hide the fact that they have devotion to St. Michael, a.k.a. San Miguel. In fact, some people call it a “de bote a San Miguel.” But then again, who among Pinoy men doesn’t share this devotion? But that’s not it. There’s another facet about this relationship between San Miguel and Cebu’s sportswriters who are also known as SAC: Sportswriters Association of Cebu. Every year, the SAC and San Miguel get together to recognize the previous year’s top local athletes through the SAC-SMC Cebu Sports Awards. For the past 27 years, the SAC has upheld its tradition of recognizing the very same athletes who they cover. They are athletes who serve as the main topic of each sports story, whether this be a regular event coverage, analysis, feature, investigative story or column. And so last Wednesday, the SAC and San Miguel organized yet again a formal awarding ceremonies for the best Cebu athletes of 2008. The a

Bleacher Talk Feb. 15, 2009 Gerry’s Smarts On & Off the Ring When Gerry Peñalosa climbs the ring in the Cebu Coliseum on Saturday (February 21), we can’t help but have a mixed feeling being excited, happy, but also worried all at the same time. Funny, weird, but true. While we’re glad that Gerry’s second lease on life has turned out well for his career, we’re also worried at the thought that he might get the beating of his life when he faces Juan Manuel “Juanma” Lopez for the WBO super bantamweight championship in April in Juanma’s home of Puerto Rico. Let’s put it this way. Gerry is already 36 and turns 37 years old in August, not exactly the ripe age of a boxer at his prime. In fact, he might be considered as a well beat-up boxer who has seen his better days. So why is Gerry risking his career by signing up to face Puerto Rico’s latest sensation in his own backyard? After a solitary defense last year, Gerry has been quiet, no thanks to a cancellation of what should’ve been a seco

CYBL 2009 Results from Feb. 13-15 UC Marches On The University of Cebu (UC) recorded two more lopsided wins over the weekend to go 4-0 in the 16-Under Division-A of the Cebu Youth Basketball League (CYBL). UC cruised past USC North, 75-42, and Don Bosco-A, 73-43 to be just one game away from recording an elimination round sweep. In other 16-Under Division A games, Sacred Heart School-Jesuit (SHSJ) bounced back from its loss to UC by beating Don Bosco-A (DB), 72-43, and USC South, 59-54. University of San Carlos (USC) North also recorded its first win, a 59-47 beating of USPF. UC is now at 4-0, followed by SHSJ (2-1), USC South (2-1), USC North (1-2), USPF (0-3) and Don Bosco (0-2). In the Tropang Growee 13-Under Division A, SHSJ scored two wins over the weekend to lead the pack. The Eagles defeated USC South, 54-33, then came back a day later to tame its Mandaue City rival Royal Oaks International School (ROIS), 47-32. USC South recovered from its loss to SHSJ by nipping USC North, 40-

CYBL Results of Opening Weekend The Sacred Heart School-Jesuit (SHSJ), University of Cebu (UC) and Cebu Institute of Technology (CIT)-Hoop It Up scored two straight wins each in different age groups at opening weekend of the Cebu Youth Basketball League (CYBL) 2009 at the Sacred Heart School-Jesuit (SHSJ) Mango Campus gym. In the Tropang Growee 10-Under division, SHSJ defeated Don Bosco, 34-21 and PAREF Springdale, 28-12 to take an early 2-0 slate in the team standings. UC sent a strong message in Division-A play of the 16-Under age group by routing University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF), 94-44, and SHSJ-A, 68-48. In Division-B of the 16-Under age group, CIT-Hoop It Up crushed SHSJ-B, 61-28, then outplayed University of San Jose Recoletos (USJR), 66-52. In the lone game of the Tropang Growee 13-Under age group, defending champions USC North nipped Royal Oaks International School (ROIS), 44-42 in a Division-A game. In other Divison-A play in the 16-Under division, Universi

Bleacher Talk Feb. 8, 2009 Youth Ball At the start of the year, we talked about the need for a total approach to basketball. By “total,” we were referring to the need to touch base with all age groups of the sport, giving them equal attention in the form of basketball activities. At the top of the echelon are all the activities at the professional level. The PBA is the only show in town for this. Right below this are the activities of the semi-pro leagues, ranging from the PBL to the Liga Pilipinas and the smaller local commercial leagues that each city usually has. The collegiate and high school scenes come next. The UAAP and NCAA are the top players here while we have the CESAFI taking care of this in Cebu. But the biggest hole that was always empty in the past was the age group below the juniors level. We are referring to the player 16 years old and below. This also includes the 12 and 10 year age groups. It was only in 2008 that Cebu was able to get a taste of almost a year-long ca

Bleacher Talk Feb. 1, 2009 Repair Oval then Watch it Rot? I’m not sure if Mayor Tommy Osmeña saw it coming. When he revealed that the city had a surplus of funds from 2008, members of the sportswriting media jumped the gun and immediately demanded for a major overhaul and repair of the track oval of the Cebu City Sports Center (Abellana). On instinct, I immediately agreed to the call (at the start). Who wouldn’t feel the same way after seeing the state of the oval as it is now? Jogging on the oval is like stepping on the moon (with red clay). But if you think about it further, the instant repair of the oval is not going to be the right answer to our problems especially if you take a long term perspective with an important slice of business sense as part of the puzzle. This brings us back to the argument and discussion over whether or not the Cebu provincial government should’ve gone ahead to construct the Megadome around four or five years ago. While I agree t