May 2021 – Cebu Sports Blog by John Pages

Press pass or trespass?

Naomi Osaka is a player that I admire. Only 23, she has amassed a multitude of records: four Grand Slam titles, the world No. 1 ranking (2019), and she earned, in the past 12 months, a whopping $55.2 million. That’s more money in a year than any female athlete. Ever.

Setting aside her Nike and Louis Vuitton deals, the Japanese superstar is a global icon. She was a voice of the George Floyd protests when she wore different masks in New York last September. She won the 2020 US Open and won the hearts of millions fighting for racial injustice.

But, today, I have to disagree with Naomi Osaka.

“I’m writing this to say I’m not going to do any press during Roland Garros,” said Osaka. “I’ve often felt that people have no regard for athletes’ mental health and this rings true whenever I see a press conference or partake in one. We are often sat there and asked questions that we’ve been asked multiple times before or asked questions that bring doubt into our minds and I’m just not going to subject myself to people that doubt me.”

Osaka is willing to be fined as much as $20,000 per press conference absence.

Respectfully, I oppose Osaka’s viewpoint. Media is an integral part of society — including sports. If you take away the role of the journalists, how will the tens of millions who follow tennis know about the fine points of the game?

Roland Garros holds a special place for me because I was there six years ago. Not only did I get to watch Serena and Novak slide and spin on the red clay, but I was there as a journalist. I had a media pass (thanks to SunStar) and sat inside the pressroom to interview the players.

One memorable incident: My first time inside the Media Room, I joined dozens of other writers from around the globe. As soon as Stan Wawrinka sat on his chair to be interviewed, I did the most natural act: I took out my phone and snapped a photo. That’s when an official hurriedly walked towards me and whispered, “Sorry, no photos allowed. Please delete that.”

I apologized and deleted the photo. (I was still able to retrieve the infamous picture and yesterday, when I examined it again, the photo showed a seated Wawrinka and an official near him pointing toward me!)

After that uneasy first media session, I joined a few more (with Federer and the other stars) and found the atmosphere to be relaxed and engaging.

Now, I understand Naomi’s point. There are times when mediamen are cold-hearted and merciless, asking dumb questions to the teary-eyed sufferer. But if, as an athlete, you can suffer on-court for three hours, swatting backhands and sprinting to retrieve drop shots, surely you can absorb a few hard-line questions, right?

“As sports people,” said Rafa Nadal, “we need to be ready to accept the questions and try to produce an answer, no?”

Yes. Added Nadal: “I understand her, but.. without the press, without the people who normally are traveling, who are writing the news and achievements that we are having around the world, probably we will not be the athletes that we are today.”

No vaccine, no play

The 31st edition of the Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) will unfold in Hanoi, Vietnam this Nov. 21 to Dec. 2.

Back in 2019, our Philippines hosted 5,600 athletes and we captured the overall title in the biennial event that featured 56 sports and 530 events.

When the Hanoi SEA Games unfolds six months from now, an important ruling has been announced: No vaccine, no play.

“Their policy (no vaccine, no participation) is for the good of everyone,” said Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Bambol Tolentino.

This ruling involves all SEAG athletes including the 626 Pinoy athletes that will take the 3-hour, 35-min. flight from Manila to Hanoi.

“Before we fly to Vietnam,” said Tolentino, “everyone should be vaccinated.”

Is this “no vaccine, no play” directive a good move? Absolutely.

Vietnam posts one of the lowest recorded Covid-19 cases in Asia. Since the pandemic started, our neighbor has recorded only 4,720 total cases and 37 deaths. Incredible! This, for a sizable country of 97 million people. How did Vietnam do it? Ha-ha. That’s another non-sports-page article.

But the last thing Vietnam wants is to be deluded with Covid-19 cases when tens of thousands of SEAG participants land at the Noi Bai Airport.

How about the Tokyo Olympics — just 61 days away — slated this July 23 to August 8?

No such ruling. This, I don’t understand. There will be more than 80,000 foreign athletes, coaches and officials who will invade Japan.

Can you imagine an outbreak in the Athlete’s Village where 11,000 athletes are housed in close quarters? One super-spreader can infect dozens of super-athletes and cause a super-storm halting the Olympics.

Plus, many sports entail close, physical contact. Boxing. Wrestling. Basketball.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach reiterated this “no need to vaccinate” order last March, saying: “The athletes and the national Olympic committees should follow their national regulations on vaccination. This is a clear government responsibility and in this, we will not interfere.”

We will not interfere. I don’t understand.

Well, of course, I do. The issue of vaccination is a complicated matter. We cannot force someone to be vaccinated against his/her free will.

A player like Novak Djokovic, for example, who has hinted of his objection to being inoculated, can the tennis world No. 1 be forced to get vaccinated prior to his joining the Olympics?

This is a thorny issue. And this will subject the IOC to hundreds of complaints and possible legal actions.

Instead, the Olympics playbook stipulates very soft guidelines. Among the gentle rules include daily testing and barring athletes from using public transportation and disallowing them from dining at local restaurants or visiting shops.

I know this issue is complex but for the safety of all — including the Japanese people, 80% of whom are reluctant for the Games to continue — I wished they’d enforce the “no vaccine, no play” rule.

If the SEAG can do it, why can’t the Olympics?

3 x 3 Basketball

Two years ago when I stepped inside Glorietta in Makati, the mall shook.

It reverberated not because of the music of the band “IV of Spades.” The screaming voices did not come from the kids watching Cartoon Network’s Shriektober, featuring The Powerpuff Girls. The echoes resonated from the bouncing of the ball. It originated from the squeaking sounds of the shoes, the whistle of the referee and the electronic dance music that awakened the mall-goers.

The game was “3 x 3 Basketball” and the dribbling cascaded throughout the five floors of the Ayala-owned mall.

Yes, basketball was played not inside MOA Arena or Araneta Coliseum — but inside the confines of the mall. Hundreds of spectators crowded the half-court to holler. A large video screen displayed slow-motion replays. Basketball fan or not, people stopped their shopping to witness the blocks and lay-ups.

What a brilliant idea.. 3 x 3 in the mall.

This brilliant idea will be showcased when the Tokyo Olympics begin in July. For the first time in the 124-year history of the Olympics, “3 x 3 basketball” will be played.

It all started in 2010 at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Singapore. This is the IOC-organized event for athletes between 14 to 18 years old. One of the pioneering events in Singapore was “3 x 3 basketball.” Fast forward to today, it becomes the first-ever YOG event to have “grown up” to become a full-fledged Olympic medal event.

“From The Streets To The Olympics!” That’s the slogan of 3×3. It’s also labeled as the world’s largest urban team sport. The ad campaign says: “We can play anywhere. We can play in the mall, in the park, on top of the building.”

I like this game because it’s fast. There are no inbounds passes. You sprint outside the 3-point area to start the point. The rules are elementary.

The game clock is 10 minutes and it’s a sprint to whichever team can score 21 points first or whoever has the higher score at the end of the 10th minute.

Simple. Swift. Spine-tingling.

If the 6-on-6 volleyball has beach volleyball, the 5-on-5 basketball has 3 x 3.

With beach volleyball, the spectators stand or sit nearby. The setting is intimate but chaotic. It’s noisy. Music echoes from the speakers.

With 3 x 3 basketball, it’s the same. You are right up in the court. It’s a different atmosphere compared to being one of the 55,000 fans in the Philippine Arena.

In YouTube, I watched the replay of the 2019 SEA Games final between the Philippines and Indonesia. Inside the Filoil Flying V Centre, the Pinoy fans roared to cheer on CJ Perez, Moala Tautuaa, Chris Newsome and Jason Perkins as they won the gold, 21-9.

The only bummer with 3 x 3 in Tokyo? The teams are fielding nobodies. Team USA has Canyon Barry, Robbie Hummel, Dominique Jones and Kareem Maddox?

Too bad we won’t get to see the line-up of Steph Curry, DeAndre Jordan, Paul George and LeBron James. Or how about a Durant, Kawhi, Drummond and Kemba combo?

Still, 3×3 is a must-watch. It’s quick, it’s epic and now it’s Olympic.

Steph-back three

Wardell Stephen Curry II is the hardest human being to guard on Planet Earth. Joe Biden may be the US President and he’s surrounded by the Secret Service; Vladimir Putin employs the modern-day KGB called SBP — but Steph Curry is even more unguardable.

As soon as “30” crosses that halfcourt line, the enemy patrol guards are deployed to congregate around him. Curry springs forward, dribbles between-the-legs, skips to his right, bounces to his left. The defense swarms him. Like a snake, he slivers in and out of the 6-foot-5 enemy, galloping to hop forward before whisking two steps backward — tripping the opponent — before he unleashes the most difficult-to-guard move in the NBA: the Steph-back three.

Swish!

The Spalding orange leather ball floats through space and slices through the net, avoiding contact with the 18-inch steel rim. Curry smiles, sways and shimmies; he pumps his chest once, then points to the ceiling with his index finger.

The NBA’s 3-point distance is between 22 to 23 feet (depending on the court position). But because Curry’s jersey number is “30,” he prefers to catapult that lob 30 feet away. To him, it’s all a shooting exhibition. Without care, he simply catapults the ball up and, magically, it always finds the hole.

Swish!

Prior to every game against Golden State, the opposing team’s coaching staff spend the longest time analyzing how they’ll double team Mr. Curry. Nothing works. He toys with the opposition. As the defender draws near, he shuffles his feet, dances the tango and waltzes around the befuddled man. He fakes a pass as the chaperone gets fooled. Never mind the outstretched hand that’s covering his face and eyes, his barrages of long-range, 30-feet-away missiles hit the target.

Steph Curry shooting threes is like others shooting free throws. It’s that effortless and easy for this Warrior. On free throws, while chewing either the MOGO M1 or Under Armour flavored mouthguards, Curry is shooting 92% this season. His lifetime average is 90.7%.

How about his catch-and-shoot? In a millisecond, shorter than it takes for the opponent to blink, he’s able to flick that wrist as the ball is hurled high, high up in the air..

Swish!

Curry’s teammates sometimes employ the “Elevator Door Screen,” a move so brilliant (two of his teammates close the opening and disallow “entry”) that it makes the NBA announcers scream and go berserk.

SC30 is now on his 12th season. The 33-year-old, two-time NBA MVP hails from Akron, Ohio. He and LeBron James were not only born in the same city but also the same hospital: Akron General Medical Center.

Curry did the unthinkable last month. He made three-point after three-point… 96 total in April. (This broke the previous record of 82 set by James Harden.) Given that GSW played 15 games last month, that’s an average of 6.4 three-pointers per game. In one five-game stretch, he shot 10-11-4-11-10 three-pointers. In April, he averaged 47.6% from beyond the arc. This, despite being as heavily guarded as Biden or Putin.