Philippine Asian News Today Vol 21 No 5 | Page 29

March 1 - 15, 2019 PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY Last Sunday night, sister teams San Miguel Beer and Barangay Gine- bra made their moves to fortify their bid for a seat in the quarterfinal round of the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum. It was, too, one memorable evening for Beerman Arwind San- tos and Gin King LA Tenorio, who both achieved another milestones in their storied pro-career that made them head and shoulder above their Poor softball and baseball, two team sports, outside of basketball, which Filipinos have been lording it over our neighbors in the region at least in the lowly Southeast Asian Games. While Filipino dribblers have won all SEA Games gold medals since the country was admitted in the SEAG Federation ranks in 1977, ex- cept once in 1989, our Philippine Blu Girls have brought home the cham- pionship trophy from all nine Games editions with women’s softball in the calendar of events. Yes, the Blu Girls took the titles unbeaten in 1979 in Indonesia, 1981 in Manila, 1987 in Indonesia, 1997, 2001 in Malaysia, 1991 in Manila, 1997 in Indonesia, 2005 in the Philip- pines, 2007 in Thailand, 2011 in In- donesia and 2015 in Singapore. And they, too, are expected to dominate in this 2019 staging of the Games the country is hosting this coming August to September. Based on the only records avail- able, baseball was contested in the SEA Games editions of 2005 2007 and 2011 with the Filipino ballplayers emerging winners in 2005 and 2011. If memory serves this OUTSID- ER right, America’s national pastime was also played two or three more times in the biennial meet among the finest athletes in the Southeast Asian region. Incidentally, except also for bas- ketball, softball and baseball are the only two other team sports that gifted this poor country and its downtrodden people a pair of bronze medal finishes in the world championships. The Blu Girls, in fact, came four SPORTS Arwind, LA reach another milestone in pro-career equals. Santos, drafted by Air 21 in the 2006 season, became the eighth player in league’s 44-year history to block 800 enemy shots in that nine year-stretch to, likewise, emerge as the first among active players to have done so. Tenorio, on the other hand, played his 596 consecutive games since picked up by the San Miguel Beer franchise, also in 2006, tying the same number of appearances of Alvin Patrimonio in a 17-year playing career with Purefoods until his retirement in 2005. The now Gin Kings playmak- er and scorer stands to break “The Captain’s” record kin Ginebra’ s next outing on March 20 against another sister club Magnolia Hotshots Pam- bansang Manok, following the Kings” 100-97 conquering of Phoenix Pulse lonk the same evening. Santos, the league’s MVP in 2013, stopped NorthPort rookie Rob- ert Bolick’s drive somewhere in the third quarter in the Beermen’s 113- 107 win that allowed him to join an elite group PBA big man in the pro- league’s best defender Santos complemented June Mar Fajardo’s monster game of 40 points and 19 rebounds with another brilliant display of defensive game in the Beermen’s victory over NorthPort Batang Pier that Sunday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The pride of Lubao town in Pampanga, thus, joined slotmen Ra- mon Fernandez, Philip Cezar, Abet Guidaben, Manny Victorino, Benjie Paras, Jerry Codinera, and Marlou Aquino, all retired in that elite list of able defenders. Despite achieving he milestone, Santos believes SMB has turned cor- ner from a 0-3start of the season to this present four-game winning run and his feat only serves as a bonus. “Siyempre kapag kailangan ng stops, kailangan ding manalo. Na- kaka-block ka nga ng shots, natatalo naman ang team. Mas maganda nga Why Philippine sports is dying years ahead of our basketball team in handing the Philippines that precious software when the squad headed by left-handed pitcher Julita Tayo fin- ished third in the World Champion- ship held 1970 in Osaka, Japan. Our basketeers, led by Carlos “The Big Difference” Loyzaga, dupli- cated the feat in 1954 during their own world tourney in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Tayo, playing out of softball- player-rich San Miguel, Bulacan was later adjudged the ‘best left-hand- ed’ pitcher in the world, while “King Caloy” Loyzaga, a product of street leagues in Sampaloc in Manila, was named member of the world mythical selection. Also four years later in 1954, Tayo and the Blu Girls ended up fourth in the same world tilt held in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The Blu Boys, led by another legend Filomeno “Boy” Codinera, wound up fourth in the men’s side of the worlds in 1968 in Oklahoma, USA, where the former Sugar Baron belted out seven doubles in a single game placing his name and the country’s in the Guinness Book of World Records. Still two years earlier in 1966, Codinera, again headed a national baseball team that stashed away with the bronze medal in the first World Amateur Championship held in Ho- nolulu, Hawaii. Now, why am I relaying to you our dear The Manila Times readers all these? One day, while strolling around Harrison Plaza, I chanced upon a member of the Blu Girls, who I asked when the opening of the UAAP base- ball and softball tournaments will be. She told me: “Aba, nagsimula na, Sir. Second round na nga ng both tourna- ments today eh.” So, I went straight to the vintage Rizal Memorial ballpark and saw de- fending women’s softball champion Adamson sweep the opening round of the two-round eliminations. I wrote the story and came back the following day to cover the baseball games only to be greeted by teasing comments by a handful fans of the two sports: “Ang liit naman ng istorya mo, nasa ibaba pa ng sports page. Bakit ‘yung ibang sports, ang laki ng mga istorya, dalawa at minsan tatlo 29 ang nangyari na nanalo kami,” he as- serted, The former Far Eastern Univer- sity King Tamaraw epressed belief he can still reach the 900-block plateau within the next three seasons. Like Santos, Tenorio looks for- ward to breaking Patrimonio’s record and crown himself the league’s new “Iron Man.” “All the hard work, the discipline, all the sacrifices nagbubunga. Siyem- pre sana ‘di lamang dito matapos ito,” Tenorio said. “It doesn’t matter ilan na as long as I can play, I’ll play.” pa sa isang page. Eh ang softball at baseball nananalo naman ng medalya sa international competitions halos ayaw ilabas.“ Stunned by the question, I just smiled and shrugged everything off saying: “At least ang The Manila Times kinokober at inilalabas ang istorya n’yo. Just wait till the semifinal round mabibigyan din kayo na ng malaki- laking ispasyo.” Of course I know the answers to their queries, but I just couldn’t betray what the real reasons why, to many, Philippine sports is dying. By: Julian Ray Fortaleza Answers from last week’s issue: 1. Wilfred Benitez was the youngest world champion ever at 17. 2. Bowe and Golota fought in 1996 3. Garcia and Spence will fight at AT&T stadium New Questions: 1. Who defeated Lennox Lewis during his pro career? 2. At what age did Mike Tyson win the world heavyweight champion- ship? 3. Who is the oldest new UFC champion of all time? WWW.PHILIPPINEASIANNEWSTODAY.COM