Bleacher Talk

Bleacher Talk August 26, 2007 Train in Peace We may not realize it, but Cebu is the envy of Philippine boxing these days. And it’s all due to Manny Pacquiao’s decision to make the country’s boxing hotbed as training base for his upcoming fight against Marco Antonio Barrera. When we first heard about this news, we didn’t want to believe it. After all, why choose Cebu over the usual Wild Card Gym of Freddie Roach? Why didn’t Manny decide to work out at the Wild Card Gym in Parañaque, Roy Golingan’s gym in Gen San or the ABAP Gym in Baguio? Every time local training for Pacquiao was discussed in the past, these were always the only venues proposed to or for the Pacman. The irony of all this was that Cebu was always left out in all these talks. I guess what goes around comes around. For the first time since tying up with Freddie Roach, Pacquiao is not making Wild Card as his main base of operations. Believe it or not. Cebu is it! I can now recall those previous marketing communication camp...

The SHSJ Football Club bagged the championship of Under-12 age group at the San Roque Football Fiesta. They defeated CIS, 1-0, in the finals yesterday. (L-R) Orson Tan, Miggy Acebedo-Kwan, Pompom Veloso, Vinson Nery, AJ Pelicano, Anthony Adlawan, Matthew Miñoza, Will Villaver, Coach Lito Ramos, Donald McNevin, Gabby Sungcad. MVP. AJ Pelicano, who headed in the winning goal in the finals, was named MVP of the Under 12 age group of the San Roque Football Fiesta. With him is his proud mother Tonet.

Bleacher Talk August 19, 2007 Development Through Schools Much has been said about grassroots development in sports. It has now become an over-chewed chewing gum, and there never seems to be an end to all the talk. Politicians, sportsmen and everyone else involved in sports seems to be an expert in the field, but the irony of it all is that we still can’t see the fruits out of all these talk. Where are the fruits of the all the grassroots programs that are being implemented? Or maybe the question should be: Do we have a genuine grassroots program? I read in the news that BAP-SBP Executive Director Patrick “Pato” Gregorio is in town with veteran FIBA referee Alan Richardson who’s here for a lecture series on officiating. It isn’t too often that we get to talk to the brand new boss of basketball, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t read or listen to columnists like us, but what the hell, I’d like to throw my two cents worth anyway. It’s all about going back to school. If Pato (I’ve called him...

Bleacher Talk August 12, 2007 Extra Mile @ World Cup What will it take for the Philippines to win the Philippines-Mexico showdown today? Talent? Skills? Heart? Yes to, all plus a whole lot more. As the six boxers go up on the ring, they’ll have to remember that while their skills are at par with the world’s best, skills alone can’t assure you of wins. For Boom Boom and company, they’ve got to go the extra mile. Do more than the usual. Go out of the box. Stretch it to the limits, even beyond the limits. Unfortunately for us, the “other side” of boxing is not on our side and may never ever be on our side at all. Boxing politics have always been favorable to Latinos and not us Asians. After all, all the boxing bodies are dominated and ran by Spanish-speaking boxing “gods.” I’d like to see Boom Boom Bautista win, but it’s not going to be easy. This early, people are already predicting a sure win for Boom Boom, and he hasn’t even gone up the ring yet! Let’s put everything in the proper pers...

Bleacher Talk August 5, 2007 CESAFI Earning Respect The local basketball scene couldn’t have picked a better time to wake up from a long nap with the opening of the seventh season of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation (CESAFI) yesterday. When one talks about Cebu Basketball and its impact or contribution to the bigger picture, the CESAFI and/or the local collegiate scene will always be tops in terms of heritage, history and prominence. And no other local league, personality or establishment can claim to be bigger or richer in history. Although the CESAFI is only seven years old, it traces its roots to the long history of the Cebu Amateur Athletic Association (CAAA) and all the collegiate leagues of the past. Through the years, many leagues have come and gone, but none has lasted as long as the local collegiate family. This link to the past makes it the longest running local league in the land today. The CESAFI and all its predecessor-leagues in the past have thus made local collegiat...