Category: Uncategorized

Once every week or two, my wife and I sit on La-Z-Boy chairs, recline the seats, perch our legs on stools, close our eyes for 60 minutes and quiet our bodies as therapists stroke our toes. Don’t you love a good massage? I do. After our weekly dinner-date, Jasmin and I visit a spa—a habit that we’ve started two years ago.

Why a massage? First, it feels good. No, make that… it feels really, really good. When you sit on that chair for a foot relax or lie on that bed with face rested, you feel good. Your muscles whisper to your heart, “Ahhhh.” But more than feeling good—and since this is a sports and not a Lifestyle Section article—having a massage is good for the body.

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.

As I said, you never know. But maybe she did. You see, cocaine isn’t like steroids. No, I’ve never taken it—and never will—but based on what I’ve researched, cocaine “increases self-confidence and creates a type of euphoria” while steroids, well, we know, builds muscles as big as, say, Barry Bonds.

He is the world No.3 tennis player. He reached the finals of the U.S. Open last month and had a shot at beating the almost-unbeatable Roger Federer. But apart from all his seriousness on-court, he’s funny. Maybe one of the funniest players to appear on the tour in a long time.

Having breached 1.3 million YouTube hits, you’ve got to watch this video clip of Novak Djokovic… (if you can’t watch it below, click on this.)

Guess who…

Finally, we won. After losing the first two games against Manny Pacquiao and his team, we won the third one, 95-91.

(From left) Bunny Pages, Buboy Fernandez, Dennis Padilla, Jun Migallen, John Pages 

Our Los Jefes de Cebu badminton team stood proud as champions. Meeting stiff resistance from other badminton-fanatic cities, we emerged champions. Thanks to Jordan Tanco, Jomi Tan, Benny Que, Chris Que, Arman Bolo, Ruel Dihiansan, Louie Moro, and (women) Cheiko Saito, Cathy O, Arlene Yu, Jeselle Laranas, Noeme Orellosa and team captain Gina Juan.

These two photos are the running track of our beloved Cebu City Sports Center. Built in 1994, that’s 13 years of sun and rain and heat and storms. The life span of the track oval? Not more than 10 years, says the center’s manager, Ricky Ballesteros. Before injuries befall our runners, joggers and walkers, we need to change the track.

One of my favorite RP websites is www.philboxing.com. If you follow the sport of Z and Boom-Boom and AJ, check it out. It’s also one of the most popular of all RP sites. Remember Manny Pacquiao’s last fight? The site registered over 20,000 hits. Wow. And best of all, it’s operated by two of the friendliest and humblest of people: Salven Lagumbay and Dong Secuya.

I DO DRUGS. When my temperature rises to 38.6, I open this tablet called Biogesic. When my nose drips, Neozep slides down my throat and, when I cough, Robitussin is mixed in my system.

I do drugs. You do drugs. Everybody does drugs. Imagine a world without Rose Pharmacy? Hospitals without dextrose? Tempra or Bioflu unavailable? Without drugs, the life expectancy of the earth’s 6.6 billion inhabitants will crumble from the current 67 years old (77 for Americans), to what, 48 years old?

Drugs is good. But, like many things good, drugs can be bad. Take the case of “doping” or performance-enhancing drugs…

Remember Ben Johnson and the 1988 Olympics? His rivalry with Carl Lewis on the 100-meter stage was one of history’s most anticipated. Ben Johnson beat Lewis, won gold, broke the Olympic record, broke the world record with a 9.79 time and… broke the news that he injected steroids.

Remember Mark McGwire? He’s the Major League Baseball star who slugged 70 homeruns in 1998. He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Every 9-year-old boy in America wanted to be like “Big Mac.” Well, guess what: Two years ago at a U.S. Congressional hearing, he said, “I’m not here to talk about the past…” His silence meant a guilty plea.

Remember Marion Jones, the winner of five medals at the 2000 Olympics? Tim Montgomery, the former 100-meter record holder? Justin Gatlin, the Athens Olympics champion who, exactly a year ago, was stripped of his world-record because he failed a lab test?