Bleacher Talk

PANALAY LOCKDOWN COVID-19 has literally locked down the sports industry worldwide, and Cebu isn’t exempted. Among the affected is the “panalay” world of local basketball. Panalay basketball refers to those who earn a living by being part of the sport whether as a player, coach, utility staff member, referee/official or organizer. “Luoy gyud ang tanan kay wala naman silay income,” a well-known organizer of basketball tournaments said. Basketball players receive anywhere between P1,000 to P5,000 per game, depending on their level of play. They are also provided with free accommodations, transportation and meals. And if they win prize money as a team, a part of this is given to the players. They usually play in weekend pocket tournaments anywhere in the Visayas and Mindanao where organizers put up tournaments in partnership with either the mayor of a town or city, or a private entity. Some well-known Manila-based players travel to these tournaments due to the attractive “talay” (

THIS IS NOT A DRILL 3: Pope Francis Speaks By now, if you haven’t realized what we are going through, stop, take a look around and stay home. For now, allow me to share the message of Pope Francis, the  “head coach” of the Catholic Church. At Saturday dawn’s Urbi et Orbi, the Holy Father reflected on the gospel scene when Jesus and the disciples were on a boat buffeted by strong winds and waves. While the disciples panicked and didn’t know what to do, Jesus was calmly asleep. The Holy Father cites the situation, “We find ourselves afraid and lost. Like the disciples in the Gospel we were caught off guard by an unexpected, turbulent storm. We have realized that we are on the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented, but at the same time important and needed, all of us called to row together, each of us in need of comforting the other. On this boat… are all of us. Just like those disciples, who spoke anxiously with one voice, saying “We are perishing.” Where are we in al

THIS IS NOT A DRILL 2: STAY HOME Stay home. This is not a drill folks. Has the COVID-19 phenomenon sunk in? From the looks of it, NO. Can we look at what happened to China? What’s happening to Italy and Spain now? Do we want to follow along the same path? Exaggerating? Maybe, but the facts and numbers are out there. The number of Pinoys with COVID-19 are increasing and the deaths are following suit (we pray for their souls). And we haven’t even implemented an all-out program of testing nationwide. Those being tested are only those in hospitals for symptoms of Mr. COVID-19. The toughest part is that you and I could be carriers of the virus and we’ll never know it, even if we don’t experience the symptoms associated with it. While it has totally taken all of us by surprise and has caught us flat-footed, it’s not the end of the world, and I believe there’s always a reason behind all this. It’s how we deal with this that counts most. If this were a real game (bas

THIS IS NOT A DRILL The sirens are blaring. The PA speakers are buzzing. The whole world is being warned. This is not a drill folks. This is the real thing. It’s not an earthquake nor a fire drill. It’s a life drill. Welcome to the world brought to its knees by COVID-19. Corona virus. N-Corona virus. Wuhan virus. The year 2020 is only three months old, but it has already felt like a full year has passed. And for us in the sports world, we have never seen a phenomenon that has held us “hostage” and on our knees. Just when we thought the sports world is invincible, we hear the news about Robert Gobert, Donovan Michell, Arsenal team manager Mikel Areta, Juventus defender Daniele Rugani, Danish football player Thomas Kahlenberg and a staff member of Formula 1’s McLaren racing team. A child from Rhode Island who got an autograph from Gobert is also positive for COVID-19. I wouldn’t be surprised if more sports fans are also infected with the virus. For us in Cebu, we haven’t r

SHS-Ateneo Teams Win in MYBL-Cebu Playoffs It was the turn of the Magis Eagles to secure clutch wins as two of its three teams moved on to the next round of the playoffs of the MVPSF Youth Basketball League-Cebu (MYBL-Cebu) presented by Smart Communications and backed by Cebu Landmasters Inc. and PAGCOR. The SHS-Ateneo Juniors B rallied to oust Sisters of Mary School-Boystown, 61-57, in an Under 18 Division 1 quarterfinal round game. Meanwhile, the SHS-Ateneo Passerelle A team, squeaked past GAA, 75-71 in overtime, in an Under 18 Division 2 game. Benthel Asia School of Technology spoiled a sweep of games as it ousted SHS-Ateneo B, 56-52, in an Under 12 Division 1 quarterfinal round game. The SHS-Ateneo Juniors B side found itself playing catch-up all game long, falling behind, 8-18, 28-29 and 40-47 at the end of the first three periods. SMS Boystown was up 52-43, early in the fourth period before the Magis Eagles finally woke up with an 11-2 run, tying the game at 54-all, 1:05

To Play or Not to Play This is a tough one. There is no clear right or wrong answer, and the sports world is caught flat-footed and groping to find the right defense against this brand new offense called COVID-19. We’ve never seen this in any playbook or have scouted this in any game played anywhere. So how does one defend this? Use a zone defense? Go man-to-man? Go with a full-court defense? One thing for sure is that this has turned many things upside down like a thief in the night catching all of us deep asleep and for now, we still don’t have the answers. We have already seen how the tourism business and all its related components have been terribly affected. The hospitality industry has been hit hard with all the cancellations of many travel-related events: seminars, conferences, meetings and the ordinary vacation. Flights have been cancelled. Hotel reservations are being cancelled or moved to another date. And with fake news being spread, things aren’t