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Philippine Showbiz Today
National basketball team coach Yeng Guiao will have a new team but the same problem when he extends his tour of duty in the fourth window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers which begins two weeks from now .
“ Same problem as before ,” Guiao said two days after he arrived on Saturday from Jakarta where he steered a rag-tag Philippine team to a decent fifth place finish in the recently-ended 18th Asian Games despite a short two-week preparation .
“ We have a short preparation for the Iran window ,” Guiao said in reference the Asiad team ’ s improved sowing from seventh four years ago . “ It ’ s a challenge but we ’ ll do our best ,” Guiao told The Manila Times on Sunday , a day before he was supposed to meet prospective members of his team for the World Cup qualifying tilt .
Guiao , who also coaches the NLEX team in the PBA , will be injecting new players joining the team as a result of the suspensions FIBA meted out on 10 regular members of the national squad as a result of the embarrassing July 2 brawl with Team Australia .
“ Almost half of the team
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October 22 September - November 8 -21 7 , 2017 2018
To play for country , key to members of PH 5 to World Cup qualifying tllt
will have to be replaced . We ’ re practically starting again with one week of preparation . We will be cramming again ,” the former Pampanga congressman and vice governor lamented .
Eight of the players from the Asiad lineup have been invited anew to form the nucleus of the new team -- Beau Belga , Raymond Almazan , and Gabe Norwood , all of Rain or Shine , Stanley Pringle of Global Port , Christian Standhardinger of San Miguel Beer , Asi Taulava of NLEX , Poy Erram of Blackwater and Paul Lee from Magnolia .
The inclusion of Standhardinger , who saw action in the Beermen ’ s debut Sunday in the current PBA Governors ’ Cup , and Pringle will , depend , however , on whether they had obtained their Philippine passports before they turned 16 , which is one of the FIBA requirements to be able to play as imports in tournaments sanctioned by the world ’ s governing body in the sport .
Left out were an injured James Yap , Chris Tiu and Maverick Ahanmisi , also of the Elasto Painters and NBA star Jordan Clarkson . The Cleveland Cavaliers guard ad left Sunday to join his mother team ’ s training camp for the coming NBA season .
Matthew Wright of Phoenix , a member of the original team , was also invited because he ’ s suspended for only one game . He would be available for the Qatar game . Others invited are Alex Cabagnot and Marcio Lassiter SMB , Scottie Thompson of Barangay Ginebra , Ian Sangalang of Magnolia , and Allein Maliksi of Blackwater .”
The Ginebra Kings ’ Japeth Aguilar , who was also banned for one game and so was Baser Amer of Meralco , one of only three players who escaped suspension
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along with Norwood and June Mar Fajardo were both not mentioned as to have been invited .
Monday ’ s meeting was to have been held at 7 p . m . at the Meralco Gym in Pasig City .
Guiao expressed hopes all those invited would attend adding though that there are no guaranteed spots in the 14-player pool .
“ Let ’ s see who ’ s committed ( to play all of it for the country ). The decision needs to be made by the players themselves ,” he explained . “ And from the information I got , the teams already gave their approval . It ’ s really different when we help each other out .” ●
First is last , last is first
By Al Mendoza
From boxer to publisher .
In the Seventies , Rey Fortaleza won medals from bronze to gold as a bantamweight ( 119 lbs ) and a featherweight ( 122 ) in the Youth , SEA and Asian Games .
Who said boxers would simply retire and then slip into a quiet nothingness afterwards ? Not Rey Fortaleza . In 1990 , more than a decade after he left boxing , Rey migrated to Vancouver , Canada . In no time , he would put up his Reyfort Media Group there . Today , his outfit publishes the Philippine Times Today , the Philippine Showbiz Today and Living Today magazine .
Only a while back , Gregor Robertson , the mayor of Vancouver , honored Rey with a banquet dinner in a plush hotel in Vancouver .
“ Before Manny Pacquiao , there was a great Filipino boxer and who was an Olympian at that ,” Robertson said from the podium . “ He is now right here with us – Mr . Rey Fortaleza !” Standing ovation . Rey , coached by the legendary Flash Elorde , also fought in
Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson and Rey Fortaleza at the 2010 Winter Olympics . the 1976 Montreal Olympics , where he lost in the quarters to the division ’ s top seed , a North Korean who would eventually win the gold .
I saw Rey in 1992 in Vancouver during my coverage of the World Team Golf Championship . With beer as our brew , Rey and I would bar-hop till we dropped .
Our succeeding encounter would next happen at the PAL Interclub Golf . This tournament would eventually become the reason for our yearly reunion as Rey would regularly play in the PAL Interclub , starting in the late Nineties . Just last week , we were in Bacolod for the event .
On Tuesday ( March 2 ), Vic Agustin , this paper ’ s distinguished chairman of the editorial board , called me up to say I should begin my “ All The Way ” column here “ right away .”
When his call came , I was playing golf with Rey and Jake P . Ayson , the executive director of the National Golf Association of the Philippines , and Jimmy Panganiban , the diminutive and well-respected businessman from Basilan .
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I must confess that Riera Mallari , the exceedingly unassuming and your kindly sports editor , had a huge role in my entry here and for which I will be eternally grateful for the trust .
“ This is history ,” said Jimmy , a distinguished member of the Manila Golf Club , in reference to my new job as a Manila Standard-TODAY sports columnist , as we were stepping out of MGC ’ s second green . “ I ’ m glad to be among the first to learn about your new column . That calls for a celebration .”
After our round , Jimmy surprised us with a rare bottle of Beringer ( Pinot Noir ), circa 2006 .
“ Special occasions call for a special drink ,” Jimmy said .
At the wind-kissed MGC verandah , with Taguig ’ s lighted skyscrapers serving as solemn background in the breezy evening , Mr . Beringer transformed the foursome from somber to soused-up ( a bit only , of course ).
“ When I ’ m back in Vancouver , I ’ ll check your columns in the internet , pare ,” Rey said , raising his stemmed glass . “ Valentin Dakuykoy has been my idol for a long , long time now .”
“ Let ’ s drink to that ,” said Jake .
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( The above also serves as my last column here in MST . Thank you boss a . k . a . Mr . Judge for your precious time all these years , and to all the kindred souls of MST who made it all happen “ all the way .” Farewell and … till then .) ●