2007 – Page 5 – Cebu Sports Blog by John Pages

In Boston, an avid spectator from Cebu

The Boston Celtics are 8-0. They own the NBA’s best scorecard. Last week, top Cebu rheumatologist Dr. Ronald Eullaran fulfilled his lifelong dream to watch “Larry Bird’s team.” Here’s Dr. Ron Eullaran:

“I was in Boston from Nov. 6 to 11 for our Annual Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology at the new Boston Intl. Convention Center. The topics were great but we were more excited to watch the game between the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets. I have long been a fan of the Celtics since the era of Larry Bird. Visiting the Boston Garden is one of my dreams. Well, it became true last Wednesday, Nov. 9. Boston Garden, now named Banknorth Garden, is huge but it wasn’t difficult for me to spot the #33 jersey among the retired numbers that hung from the roof.

Shooting with the Stars

That’s Cecil Mamiit (2nd from the left) when we watched him at the Davis Cup event earlier this year at the Manila Polo Club. Mamiit, in case you didn’t know, is the country’s top bet in tennis. Although he grew up and resides in California, he’s come back home to represent his native Philippines.

Dr. Ronald Eullaran stands at the left-most. Dr. Ronnie Medalle is 2nd from the right and I’m the one at the right-most. I’ll be together with Dr. Medalle, one of Cebu’s top ophthalmologists, next week when we watch the Federer/Sampras and Nadal/Gasquet exhibition matches in Kuala Lumpur. Hope we can pose for a similar photo with those tennis greats named Roger and Pete.

Roger Federer advertisement by Nike

Among all the TV ads I’ve seen, this has to rank one of the best. You may, or may not, have seen it. It doesn’t matter. You’ve got to watch it again… and smile. To those who can’t view the YouTube clip below, click here.

Pete Sampras live? Roger on that!

I’m a tennis fanatic. I’ve walloped forehands and smashed volleys for 21 years. Watched Ivan Lendl and Stefan Edberg “Live at the Araneta Coliseum.” Saw Carlos Moya at the 2003 Thailand Open. I’ve never missed a tennis grand slam watch on Star Sports. Read 112 issues of Tennis magazine and gobbled up autobiographies of John McEnroe and Boris Becker. I am, as I said, a tennis freak.

The Sportsman

His name and photo were permanent fixtures of these back pages. He was the chairman of the Cebu City Sports Commission. He shot basketballs, birdied golf holes, flicked his wrist in badminton, swung tennis backhands, and even donned bathing trunks to swim, pedal and run in triathlon.

Sportsman? Check. Politician? Check. Businessman? Cheque. His empire spans not only our city but nationwide. He has outlets and herbal medicine in just about every corner drugstore of our 7,107-island archipelago. And with money, he not only has the luxury of acquiring a sleek, white Jaguar XJ or owning several homes in Cebu, but, best of all, he shares.

During his four-year reign as Cebu sports’ Team Captain, he often turned his right hand backwards to pull out his wallet. He’s generous. Very generous. Athletes, sports teams, tournaments—they always flocked to him and he rarely said “I’m sorry.”

He is—of course you know him—Jonathan Guardo.

Guardo (right) with world boxing champ Nonito Donaire

Doctors Peter and Yong

Yesterday (Friday, November 9), our Sun.Star Cebu sports editor Mike Limpag penned an excellent article about the recent New York City Marathon run of doctors Yong Larrazabal (below photo, right) and Peter Mancao. Below is the article, “After New York, doctors eye Boston marathon.”

FOR MOST people, spending thousands of pesos and traveling halfway round the world evokes images of a relaxing vacation—not that of waking up early in the morning to wait in line in the cold mist for five hours just to get the chance to run 42 kilometers for four or five more hours.

Nonito Donaire

Had dinner last night with the reigning IBF and IBO Flyweight world boxing champion… Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire. Great guy. Really funny. Easy to talk with. No airs. Speaks Bisaya. His dad, Nonito, Sr., is just like the son… another very likeable guy. We were at Mooon Cafe, a Mexican-themed restaurant in Guadalupe, Cebu that my family recently purchased. Enjoy our photos…

The Donaires (seated) with (from left) Atty. Jingo Quijano, John Pages, Mike Limpag, Gerry Malixi, Dong Secuya, Manny Villaruel, Salven Lagumbay and friends

Ladies Touch Rugby tomorrow at Camp Lapu-Lapu

I received the following e-mail yesterday from Noel Flowers, the captain of the Cebu City Rugby Football Club (CCRFC):

Hello John….. I thought you might be interested to know that this Saturday will be the 2nd Visayas Ladies Touch Rugby Championship from 10 AM to 4 PM at Camp Lapu Lapu parade ground in Lahug.

My favorite RP sports website?

Each morning after exercise, I flip open my laptop, click on the Safari web browser, and visit websites all lumped under the same theme: Sports.

I visit about two dozen. CNNSI. Fox Sports. MSNBC. Tennis.com. I read about whether Roger Federer has lost to David Nalbandian again (he has, twice). I await the fresh arrival of columns penned by my favorite scribe, Mitch Albom. I search for news about marathons—and yesterday, gazed at the sight of a bra-less Katie Holmes at the New York City Marathon.

Here in the Philippines, is there one website that stands tallest? Yes. And, best of all, it’s Made In Cebu…. PHILBOXING.

In New York, two doctors make Cebu proud

(From left) Dr. Yong Larrazabal, Donna Larrazabal, Sophia Mancao, Dr. Peter Mancao

“NEVER AGAIN!”

Those were the exact two words first uttered by Dr. Peter Mancao when I called him in New York yesterday at 7:40 p.m. (NYC time)—just four hours after he had finished running last Sunday’s 42.195-km. race called the ING New York City Marathon.

Then, he laughed. “Never again?” I checked if he was serious. “Dili na ko mo usab,” he answered. “Sakto na to!” Then again, he laughed. Joking or not, this he added in all seriousness: “It was an unbelievable experience. Painful, very painful… but really, really worth it. It was also very humbling. But the crowd, grabe… murag Sinulog!”