2007 – Page 15 – Cebu Sports Blog by John Pages

Rain… Rain… Go Away…

IS IT TRUE that Wimbledon hasn’t seen this much rain since, when, the year 1982? That’s 25 years ago. Unbelievable flooding. But true. That’s why everyone should watch Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” to realize that the world climate is in havoc. Isn’t it funny: the most revered tennis tournament in the world is asked by Mother Nature to pause, start, stop, re-start, pause, stop, start… again and again these past two weeks? Thank God the British are finishing, by 2009, a retractable roof on Centre Court. Just like the Australian Open, it will be open-air–until the rains pour then the roof closes. Good! This way we can continue watching uninterrupted live TV coverage. Read this Wimbledon rain Q & A by one of my favorite tennis scribes, Jon Wertheim (Sports Illustrated).

The 30th PAL Intersports

THIS IS MAJOR. This will bring tourists. This will be talked about by friends, executives, Ilonggos, Cagayanons, Cebuanos and Filipinos from as far as Las Vegas and Guam. Over 1,000 executives will descend in Cebu from August 30 to September 1 when the 30th PAL Intersports hits this city. Of the 30 years that this event has been held throughout the country, this will be the biggest. A total of 18 clubs are coming–including six from outside RP: from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Guam, Shanghai, Las Vegas and Australia. I attended the press conference last Monday at the City Sports Club and the organizers were in full force. Read what Ed Chiongbian wrote yesterday (July 5) in his column and what Rommel Manlosa, also of Sun.Star, wrote last Tuesday (July 4).

Mizuno Cup

IN FOOTBALL, one of the big events in town is the Mizuno Cup. This August 25-26 and September 1-2, the 2nd edition of this event kicks off in Cebu. Officially, it’s called the “2ND MIZUNO FOOTBALL FIESTA.” Fiesta? Sure. There’ll be music. Banners will surround the venue. Food booths will scatter around. Parents. Lolas. Titos. Everyone in football will be there to watch. Organized by Dr. Wendell Villacin (the owner of Mint Shop in BTC, the distributors of Mizuno) and assisted by Neil Montesclaros as tournament director, footballers as young as six years old and as “mature” as 40-plus year-olds will wear their spikes, kick, scramble and shoot for that goal.

BIKE4U

Bite Magazine turns over proceeds from a fund-raising event “A Night of Graffiti All Star BITEs” to its beneficiary BIKE4U Foundation. During the check turn-over, (from left): BIKE4U directors Tex Hernandez, Roy Zapata, Meyrick Jacalan and Boying Rodriguez (far right) and Bite magazine’s David Harris and Roy Lumagbas (3rd and 2nd from right). BIKE4U is a non-profit who organization who grants bicycles to indigent students. For donations, log on to www.bike4u.org or call 23285-18 0r 19.

15 Ways To Keep Your Brain In Shape

My good friend Bobby Villareal sent these 15 tips a few days ago. They’re a must-read…

1. Just stop. Take 20-30 minutes out of your day to think about nothing. But don’t sleep – you’ve got to meditate. Sit still, reduce sensory input, and try to focus your mind on something like a calm scene or a color (to begin with thinking about something rather than trying to think of ‘nothing’ is easier). A study at the University of Kentucky revealed that subjects who took a late-afternoon test after meditating for 30 minutes had better scores than those who napped for the same time.

At the Olympics…

A man was walking through the Olympic village carrying a long pole. A reporter came up to him and asked, “Are you a pole vaulter?” The man replied, “No, I’m a German. But how did you know my name was Walter?” Hehehe…

Taekwondo and Tony del Prado

“I’ve been running since 1996,” said Tony del Prado, “and was able to influence a few into running. One of them is my brother, Dr. Pons del Prado (who, in turn, convinced Dr. Yong Larrazabal to join the sport). I still run seriously but I avoid hitting the roads so as to avoid foot injuries. I’ve always had plantar fascitis. I do 99% of my running on the treadmills of Holiday Gym. I think I hold the record there for most number of minutes (over 3 hours) on a treadmill. Ha-ha.”

Tony, 47, has joined many races in the past. “But my favorites are the Singapore and Hong Kong marathons. It’s a yearly event for me and my brother. It gives us the motivation to maintain our fitness level. Although we only competed in the ‘half,’ it was exhilarating. The last HK marathon attracted 40,000 runners!”

Randy and Christine

If I had to change places with any one man today, it would be Randy del Valle. Last Tuesday, Randy and his wife Christine went to Wimbledon. Their eyes enlarged. Their hearts pumped thrice as fast. They savored the strawberries and cream. Their camera clicked and clicked. A major tennis fan, Randy finally lived his dream of watching a major. And what a major: the biggest, most popular, most revered major event in tennis, Wimbledon. Here are photos Randy and Christine took at the All-England Club. But beware: After viewing them, you’ll get a case of “envy” sickness. Enjoy these photos…

Guillermo Canas

Indian sensation Sania Mirza

Nicholas Kiefer

Tommy Robredo

Ping-Pong, not Piolo Pascual, at SM

Yesterday (Sunday) at 3 p.m., I strolled into SM City Cebu. There was a lot of noise. It was coming from the Entertainment Center, near SM’s Food Court area. Must be some actress, I said. They usually have shows every Sunday. The shouts grew louder. I was intrigued. It must be Piolo Pascual. I walked closer to the upper floor railing to look. NO! There was no Pinoy Big Brother activity. No one sang or danced. Two tables stood on four legs each. Four players crowded the two tables. It was Table Tennis. A competition. And hundreds of eyes were turning left and right to watch the little white ball fly on air. Ping-Pong is fun. It requires so much quickness that if your eye-hand coordination is a milli-second slow… then ping-pong’s not for you. Enjoy these photos…

Adidas and the Red Sea

It’s a Sunday morning and my alarm rang at 4:45 a.m. I made coffee, checked my e-mail, showered, dressed, and headed out the door with my wife Jasmin and daughter Jana to join the Adidas 5K race named “King of the Road.” When I arrived at the front of the Cebu Normal University, a sea of red swamped the road. Adidas outfitted 3,474 runners with red sleeveless shirts and three white stripes. Wise move. When the gun fired at exactly 6 in the morning, running shoes banged against the asphalt road of Osmena Boulevard.