Cebu Sports Blog by John Pages

Scoring at Love

Happy heart’s day! Allow me to reprint an article I wrote a few years ago. It’s a true story…

There once was a dream girl named Jasmin. Intelligent, funny and the president of our college student council, she was a cross between Alice Dixon and Sharon Cuneta. To top all that, she bagged the Intrams MVP award when she smothered that softball for a last inning home run that captured her senior team’s gold medal.

She was all you could ask for. And like any warm-blooded reptile, what’s a man supposed to do? Just drool and stare at her like some lizard with clipped mouth? Naah. Chase her, of course. And so I planted the moves. She said yes to my first date request, lunch at Shakey’s Mango (across Fooda). We climbed Tops. Laughed in “Something About Mary.”

I was close. Or so my imagination thought. I was making inroads, yes; felt her feeling reciprocal, true; but up until then, four weeks past our first date, I never “scored.” And isn’t it all about the score?

We play games for what? The score. We put our money in the bank for what? To keep score. We teach our kids to study hard and do well in the exams to get a high score.

But I was scoreless. Zilch. Nil. Nada. Not even HH. (You know, holding hands.) Then, lo and behold, tadang! Like the genie that popped out in Aladdin, an idea sprung to mind. Take her out on a tennis date!

One afternoon, surrounded by yellow flowers that danced and the swirling wind that sung when one’s in love, we climbed Cebu Plaza Hotel and had our first tennis date.

A beginner she was, thank you, Lord! That meant one thing. I can smell her perfume. And so I went up close, close, closer. You can’t go screaming the Tennis ABCs from 40 feet across the net, right?

One point. Then I held her hand. You can’t teach a semi-Western grip unless you gently take her hand, look her in the eyes and guide her step by step, right?

Two points. Then we relaxed, sitting side by side with legs almost touching, sweat flowing through our faces while I pulled out a towel then moved closer. She pulled back slightly, hesitated a moment then took the towel to wipe her face — all with a smile. Romantic, intimate — whatever you call it.. I’m scoring!

Three points. A couple more dates ensued before I convinced her to play a real game of doubles. This time, it was at the Cebu Tennis Club in Banilad and, with two friends, we rallied for half an hour then got ready to play our first set of tennis.

I served first and we lost, 0-1. Then 0-2. Then 0-3. Jasmin was frustrated, I noticed. Finally, when the score was 0-4 against us, I blurted out the four most meaningful words in my life, “We’re still in love.”

Her eyes enlarged bigger than an owls and she stood akimbo with arms locked at the hips as if to say, “What did you say?”

Zero points.

“I mean.. uhh.. our score is still zero. You know.. Love means zero in tennis.”

Good thing, Jasmin’s now my wife. Or else, my score in love would have been.. love.

Australia

Not since World War II ended in 1945 has sports experienced a disruption like Covid-19. Every major athletic expo last year was canceled or postponed, none larger than the games in Tokyo.

Tennis in 2020 was affected. Wimbledon, which began in 1877, got deleted from the calendar; that hasn’t happened since WWII. The US Open pushed through but, given its location in pandemic-stricken New York City, no fans watched. The French Open proceeded, allowing entry to 1,000 fans per day; the only normalcy in Paris was Rafael Nadal’s 13th victory.

Melbourne, Australia. This is the site of the year’s first Grand Slam drama. Usually held in January, it was pushed back three weeks and started last Monday.

What’s remarkable about the Oz Open is this: as many as 30,000 fans are allowed to watch each day.

Last year, the 14-day event was attended by a total of 820,000 spectators. This 2021, organizers are selling tickets that would allow up to 50 percent capacity; this will grow to 75% in the final week.

This is remarkable. I can’t think of another mega-event (sports or otherwise) that allows these many people. And it’s not like Australia is reckless and is inviting a surge in Covid-19 cases. They’re strict.

Here’s the backstory: With a population of 25 million, Australia has reported a total of only 28,857 cases and 909 deaths. Examine those Covid-19 numbers for a minute. They’re miniscule. By comparison, the Philippines has over 540,000 cases and 11,231 deaths. (Region 7 has logged 31,450 cases and 1,494 deaths — more than Australia.)

Melbourne has endured one of the world’s toughest lockdowns lasting nearly four months. As a whole, Australia’s Covid-19 management is one of the planet’s best.

For the Australian Open, they chartered 17 planes to fly players, coaches, umpires and officials. As a result of their draconian Covid-19 measures, the mantra of Australia is: “We’re back to normal.”

I chatted with my good friend Jonel Borromeo about this last week when we ran together. Jonel, who calls Sydney his second home, told me that Australia is so normal that they barely stopped face-to-face classes during the pandemic.

With tennis, the players are delighted.

“I’m just really happy to see people in the stands,” said Naomi Osaka, the 2019 champ. “It was a bit lonely in New York.”

Novak Djokovic added: “In Europe, it’s going to be I think far more challenging to experience something that we are experiencing here. We might as well enjoy it as much as we can.”

We hope that this Australian experiment — thousands of fans, most seen on TV not wearing masks — will be a success. But one thing is certain: The sound of the fans hollering and the sight of them clapping is the best music and sight to the players.

“Compared to what we were playing (in front of) last year, which is zero, this is huge,” said Venus Williams. “I am not complaining. It’s exciting. I think every single person there was probably in awe to be sitting at a sporting event, as much as I was to have them there.”

Super Bowl

In the United States, the most watched annual TV event is not The Oscars or the Trump-Biden debate or even Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

It’s the National Football League (NFL) championship game that’s held every first Sunday of February. Over 100 million American viewers congregate and watch the Super Bowl.

Tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. (Phil. time), it’s the 55th Super Bowl and it’s expected to be spectacular: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-5) vs. the Kansas City Chiefs (14-2).

QBs. The most important player in a football team is the quarterback — and the two playing tomorrow are the most sensational.

Tom Brady is considered the Michael Jordan of American football. He’s playing in his 10th Super Bowl and, if he wins, he’ll collect trophy No. 7.

Brady won six Super Bowls in 20 years playing for the New England Patriots. He transferred to Florida last March and may win the title on home soil — the first team in Super Bowl history to play in their home stadium.

Patrick Mahomes is the younger Mr. Brady. They have an 18-year age gap (25 vs. 43 years old). Only in his fourth year in the NFL, Mahomes has already collected the MVP crown (2018) and will aim to win his second consecutive Super Bowl ring tomorrow.

I suggest you do as I’ve done the past weeks: visit YouTube and type his name and you’ll be presented with a deluge of Mahomes wizardy. You’ll find out why he’s called “The Magician.”

LIVE WATCH. I’ve had the privilege, back in Dec. 2014, to watch a live game between the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins. The day after our arrival in New York, my close buddy from the high school days, Ping-J Villegas, picked me up in his BMW convertible. Inside the open air 82,000-capacity Metlife Stadium, it was freezing cold but the atmosphere was electrictrifying — and that was just a regular game.

IT’S ENTERTAINMENT. The Super Bowl is not only about the game but also about the Half-time show and the TV commercials.

Everybody looks forward to the half-time show. I’ve watched plenty and my favorites include the performances of Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Madonna and Katy Perry. Last year featured J. Lo and Shakira. My all time favorite is still Michael Jackson in 1993 in Pasadena, California. For tomorrow’s extravaganza, it will be by the singer The Weeknd.

Everybody looks forward to the Super Bowl commercials. Yes, while we all normally dread and skip the ads — not tomorrow. The most expensive advertisements are sprinkled throughout tomorrow’s contest. How much? A 30-second spot will cost $5.6 million. In Phil. pesos, that’s P280 million.. Over P9 million per second! Crazy rates but you have over 110 million eyeballs watching your product or service. Some of the best ads that I’ve seen include those from Budweiser (frogs), Pepsi and Doritos (grandpa ashes).

Back to the game: Who will win? The Chiefs are favorites but the sentimental choice is the Bucs. In this “greatest of all time” trivia, it will be fun to watch if the Baby GOAT can beat the GOAT.

Alexandra Eala

The first time I met the country’s tennis sensation was back in October 2012. That was over eight years ago and the now-15-year-old standout was then a diminutive little girl who stood no taller than the 3-foot-high tennis net.

But even if Alex Eala was only seven years old at that time, she stood confident and tall and competed in the Unisex-10-and-under category to play against boys and girls who were much taller and older.

Back in 2012, my daughter Jana joined the Palawan Pawnshop Group 2 age group tournament held in Puerto Princesa. The day before the tournament started, we booked a time slot at a nearby court.

As Jana and I practiced forehands and backhands, the other court was occupied by the Eala siblings: 7-year-old Alex and her older brother Miko (now 18 and a tennis scholar at Penn State in the U.S.). They were accompanied by their dad Mike and their lolo, the late Bobby Maniego.

I don’t think the then-7-year-old Alex won that 10-and-under Palawan tournament but it was obvious, given her steely focus and the intensity of her left-handed shots, that she was a future star.

The past two weeks, every major Philippine daily had a story on Alex Eala. Her name appearred alongside major stories like SBP’s cancellation of the FIBA hosting and the transfer of PBA’s CJ Perez to SMB.

Alex Eala is now a major sports star. She’s only 15 years old but is already the world’s No. 3-ranked junior player. (In tennis, the age cap for juniors is 18.) She was briefly ranked No. 2 before she stepped one slot lower. But there’s no doubt that she will soon reach the pinnacle of girls junior tennis and be world No. 1.

If my memory is correct, only one other Filipino has been ranked at the top spot in juniors. That’s Manny Tolentino in the 1980s.

To get a better glimpse of Alex’s game, I suggest you go to YouTube. Type “Alex Eala” and you’ll be treated to every match that she played the last two weeks. And what a treat! Her offensive forehand and impressive retrieval skills are a delight to watch.

Last week in the W15 Manacor ITF Rafael Nadal Academy World Tennis Tour event in Mallorca, Spain, she bested five players (including the No. 1 and 5 seeds) to win her first pro title. This week, she won two more times before losing in the quarters.

She won seven straight matches against much older and experienced ladies — and she’s only 15.

No less than Rafael Nadal, who’s in Adelaide preparing for the Australian Open, congratulated Alex. This title is a major step forward and adds to her impressive 2020 when she won the Australian Open girls’ doubles title and reached the semifinals at the French Open. Unfortunately, no thanks to Covid-19, there will be no Australian Open junior event next month.

But, when the world health situation improves later this year, expect to see another junior Grand Slam title and a world No. 1 ranking for Ms. Alexandra Maniego Eala.

Tokyo Olympics

The world’s most populous metropolis is not New York, Metro Manila, London or Bangkok. With nearly 38 million residents, the Greater Tokyo Area holds this distinction. It’s also the richest; its GDP is US$1.8 trillion — five times that of the entire Philippines.

Tokyo was first tasked to hold the 1940 Olympic Games. But with plans of engaging in another sport — World War II — the Tokyo Games were canceled and transferred to Helsinki. When the dust of war dimished, Japan was asked to host again. This time, the cauldron was lit to start the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

Fast forward to 2020, the same scenario transpired. No thanks to Covid-19, the Tokyo Olympics — like 1940 — was once again postponed.

But this July 23 to August 8, the Games in Japan’s capital are scheduled to happen. But will it? While 50 countries have already started injecting vaccines, Japan has not commenced yet. Their target date for vaccinations in late late February.

The Tokyo Olympics is a mere six months from now. Will the city be ready to host the 11,000 athletes all flying in from 206 nations?

I hope so. The Olympics will radiate a positive air in today’s “positive” world.

The problem is many people are skeptical. In an article from The Times (London), it stated that 80 percent of Japanese do not want the games to be held. They fear that the deluge of Olympians, officials and fans will further spread Covid-19.

“No one wants to be the first to say so but the consensus is that it’s too difficult,” read The Times article, quoting a senior member of the Japan’s ruling coalition. “Personally, I don’t think it’s going to happen.”

Immediately after this damaging story appeared, the IOC and Japanese officials were quick to denounce it.

“Six months ahead of the Games, the entire Olympic movement is looking forward to the opening ceremony on July 23,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “I had the opportunity today to speak with all the 206 National Olympic Committees of the world and they are all fully committed and looking forward to the Games.”

Bach said the Tokyo organizers are exploring all options to safely hold the Games. The issues range from immigration rules to vaccination policies to allowing spectators to watch.

Come July, my take is that the athletes would have gotten the vaccine and would be deemed safe to travel and compete. Also, worldwide, sports has started. The most successful was the NBA bubble in Florida that lasted for over three months with zero positive cases.

“We know how passionate Olympic athletes are and this is why we know they will be flexible enough and they will adjust to this situation we are all in now,” said Bach. “They will enter the Olympic stadium on the 23rd of July with full pride and sending an important message … to the entire world — a message of resilience, of Olympic passion, of Olympic values like solidarity and peace.”

To be or not to be? That is the question. Six months from now, these words will be declared: “Let the games begin!”

2021 Cebu Marathon

Over 1,400 runners have registered thus far for the 2021 Cebu Marathon Virtual race. I mean “thus far” because, while the deadline was originally set last Thursday night, another 10 days were added to accommodate those who have yet to join. The new and final deadline is on January 10.

If you’re one of those who occasionally runs and walks, join the race. In case you’re unfamiliar with how a virtual race goes, it’s simple. You run or walk at your place and time of choosing. What’s important is you record and complete the distance within the cutoff time.

It’s 2021! There’s no better way to start the year than to set a target and to accomplish it. The targets are doable. There’s the 15K distance. To the non-athlete, covering 15,000 meters by foot seems far. Yes, it’s the 5K distance from USC Talamban to Ayala Center Cebu — multiplied by three. It’s not a “walk in the park.” But if you consider that you’re given four hours to complete this distance, it’s achievable.

Half-marathon. This is the next option. This one measures 21 kms. That’s the 10.5K distance from USC Talamban to SM Seaside Cebu — multiplied by two. The 21,000-meter stretch looks daunting. But if you’ve been running or walking far distances for sometime, this is a good target. The cutoff time is very kind: five hours. (As comparison, the Milo Marathon 21K has a 2.5-hour cutoff time for you to avail of the medal. This doubles that deadline.)

Finally, there’s the 42K. This one I don’t recommend unless you’ve been a serial runner or one who’s willing to endure suffering and pain. The cutoff is a very unselfish 10 hours.

Why run and walk and join the Cebu Marathon?

First, it comes at the beginning of 2021. After the frightful and horrendous 2020, no year was as highly-anticipated and welcome as this new year. And for you to join a physically-demanding race and to raise your arms and smile at the finish is an accomplishment that will carry over for the remainer of 2021. You’ll feel confident, reassured and optimistic (“positive” is a word that I would have used.. except now).

Second, it’s 1521 plus 500 years. This year is a historic moment for the Philippines and, in particular, our very own Sugbu. Joining the Cebu Marathon virtual race and completing the distance will mean being part, in your own way, in the celebration. It will also mean receiving not only the well-designed Finisher’s Shirt but, more importantly, the Finisher’s Medal with the number “500” engraved on the metal.

Third, no New Year’s Resolution is complete without a fitness goal. Once you join and complete the 15K or 21K or 42K, this will trigger a perfect January start for your fitness journey that will reverberate in the coming 11 months months. You’ll be off to a good new year’s start.

To join, visit cebumarathon.ph.

NBA 2021

In America the past week, the average daily number of new COVID-19 cases exceeded 200,000. This is horrifying. It’s also very, very different from what the NBA experienced when the “Disney Bubble” happened months ago.

Last July when the NBA season resumed, 22 of the league’s 30 teams returned to Orlando, Florida. From the bubble’s first regular season game on July 30 until the last day on October 11 when the L.A. Lakers defeated the Miami Heat, not a single person inside the bubble tested COVID-19 positive.

Incredible. That’s at least 73 days involving hundreds of players, coaches, referees, officials, hotel staff — and not a one COVID-19 case.

The 2020 NBA Bubble was remarkable for many episodes. The near-stoppage of the season when the Milwaukee Bucks and the other teams protested the shooting of Jacob Blake. The Clippers’ loss to the Nuggets despite the 3-1 lead. LeBron and AD’s bromance that resulted in an “easy” championship win for the Lakers. Add one more statistic — zero coronavirus cases — to the many significant moments in the “Orlando Bubble.” That’s the 2019-2020 season.

Yesterday, the first pre-season games of the 2020-2021 season started. This time, there won’t be a strict bubble. Although spectators are disallowed from watching their favorite teams, the players will fly to various cities and be exposed to the public (hotels, buses, airports).

Will we experience another scenario with zero cases throughout the 72-game regular season (reduced from the usual 82 games)? Absolutely not. It’s a guarantee that several NBA players will get infected during the NBA season that will start on Dec. 22 and end in July.

What are some of the new protocols with the NBA season?

First, if a player tests positive, he has two choices: be inactive for at least 10 days since the first positive test or onset of symptoms, or he has to get two negative PCR tests (at least 24 hours apart).

Another ruling states, “Any player who tests positive, even if asymptomatic, will not be allowed to exercise for a minimum of 10 days and then must be monitored in individual workouts for an additional two days.”

Teams are allowed a maximum of only 45 people when they travel. There will be an anonymous tip number that anyone can call to report possible violations of the safety protocols.

One policy disallows team personnel from visiting bars, clubs, gyms, spas or pools, or from participating in social gatherings with more than 15 people.

The NBA has anticipated that positive cases will be reported. But they’ve also agreed that the entire season won’t be shut down simply because of one or two cases. This means that the league has to manage these situations as efficiently as possible.

The good news: the Pfizer vaccine has been approved in the U.S. Considering that there are only 510 players in the league (17 players x 30 teams), the NBA officials will request for the players to be administered first. I’m sure we’ll see photos of Steph, Kyrie, Giannis and the other NBA stars getting that vaccine soon.

Mental Health

The mind and body are intertwined. This COVID-19 pandemic has disturbed our lives. One aspect that has been affected is our minds. Since March, we have added fears and anxieties. Many cannot sleep well. Depression is at an all-time high. This pandemic has spared no one — including world-class athletes.

I remember Mary Joy Tabal’s honest confession to me a few months back: “Grabeh ako prayers (I prayed a lot), like every night jud, praying for something that would divert my worries, my overthinking. I always want to be productive and the lockdown was so difficult.”

Elite athletes are not ordinary people. They push their bodies and minds to the extreme levels. They are restless, often sweating for hours everyday. They set targets. The best of them, including Joy, wanted to run the Tokyo Olympics last August. They had to stay in bed and watch CLOY.

Stanford University and Strava partnered in a study, “Impacts of COVID-19 on Professional Athletes.” They interviewed 131 top U.S. athletes to check on the effects of COVID-19. The results are not shocking.

A good 22.5% of these elite athletes reported feeling down or depressed during the COVID-19 restrictions — a 5.8 times increase compared to last year. Before the lockdown, only 4.7% reported feeling anxious more than half the days in a week. This pandemic: 27.9% of them feel nervous — a six-fold increase in anxiety levels. Seventy one percent of them are worried about their finances.

“It’s pretty obvious that people right now, given everything that’s been going on in 2020, the calamity across the board, that people are going to have mental health struggles and difficulty exercising and a lot of these symptoms,” says Dr. Megan Roche, in a Time.com article by Sean Gregory, “COVID-19 Shutdowns Have Taken a Massive Toll On Elite Athletes’ Mental Health.”

Rebecca Mehra, a respondent who was preparing for the U.S. Olympic trials, said: “It makes you feel more normal to know other athletes have been frustrated and having a tough time. I was just in such a rut. I didn’t want to get up and go to practice. I barely felt like running.”

Pedro Gomes, an Ironman triathlete, added: “Mentally, I was definitely lost. I just did not know how long the (swimming) pool was going to be closed for. The uncertainty of not knowing when this is going to end and being completely out of my control, it was something scary.”

This study was conducted from March to August. The good news is that many restrictions have been lifted. But if elite athletes, whose minds and bodies we’d consider superior and invulnerable, get affected mentally, how much more us, ordinary mortals?

My learning from this: Take care of yourself. Mind and body are one. If you take care of your physical self, it will improve your mental state. One of the best ways is to exercise regularly. Exercise clears the stress hormones out of our system and helps us relax and calm down. It improves our mood. Exercise is the most potent and underutilized antidepressant.. and it’s free.

The Queen’s Gambit

Spoiler Alert: If you have yet to watch the latest Netflix sensation bearing this article’s title, stop reading this. And do the next best thing: Watch the 7-part drama series that has catapulted to the top ratings since it debuted last Oct. 23. You’ll laugh, feel mesmerized at the sight of a genius; you’ll probably cry and fall in love with chess.

Anya Taylor-Joy was superb. Her portrayal of the troubled chess prodigy Beth Harmon was outstanding. Same with the other cast members in this TV miniseries that’s set in the late 1950s and ‘60s.

This Netflix original is about chess. It’s about brainpower. It’s about battling addiction. It’s about obsessiveness and the need to be abnormal and manic to achieve greatness. It’s about the U.S. vs. the U.S.S.R. It’s about the power of being a woman in a sport that’s all-male. It’s about remembering the past and letting go. It’s about falling down and rising. It’s about friendship.

Like many who have watched The Queen’s Gambit, this is one of the best TV shows that I’ve watched. If there’s only one negative: this miniseries is not a true story. But it may well be. It’s adapted from a book written by Walter Tevis in 1983. Both the book and the Netflix show bear the same title. This is not the author’s first blockbuster as he also wrote “The Hustler” in 1959. And for many who lived in the ‘60s, “The Hustler” movie is the classic starring Paul Newman. Mr. Tevis also wrote “The Color of Money.” This became another blockbuster starring Paul Newman and Tom Cruise. You will note that the author Walter Tevis wrote about sports — pool (billiards) and chess.

With The Queen’s Gambit, if you’re a chess lover, you’ll adore this show. (While writing this, I remembered the late Boy Pestaño, our dear friend and fellow columnist who penned a chess column here called “Chessmoso.” He would have relished the show.)

Why “The Queen’s Gambit?” It has a double meaning. The word “gambit,” as we know, is a gimmick or ploy to lure another person. In the game of chess, the Queen’s Gambit is one of the most popular moves where one sacrifices a pawn or some pieces with the end goal of gaining control of the game and winning. Beth Harmon, the queen of chess, played this trick perfectly in the finale.

NETFLIX. If you’re a sports lover, there are many more sports-related shows to watch. For sure, you have seen “The Last Dance,” the 10-part documentary on Michael Jordan.

“The Playbook” is a show I highly recommend. A top-caliber coach is interviewed not only for his or her views on the sport but also on his philosophies and tips in life. I relished the dialogues with Jose Mourinho, Doc Rivers and Patrick Moutaroglou (Serena Williams’ coach).

“Icarus” is an amazing documentary about sports-doping, cycling and Russia’s state-sponsored cheating. “Formula 1: Drive to Survive” is excellent. And, being a tennis fan, “Guillermo Vilas: Settling the Score” is a film I plan to watch tonight.

King of Clay

Tennis – French Open – Roland Garros, Paris, France – October 11, 2020 Spain’s Rafael Nadal celebrates after winning the French Open final against Serbia’s Novak Djokovic REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

One is the “King of Clay” and the other is termed simply, “King James.” Last week, Rafael Nadal and LeBron James trounced their assailants.

For the 34-year-old Spaniard, the hippodrome was in Paris and the tournament was the French Open. The doubters were plenty. They said Nadal was sluggish and rusty. The week before, in the only event that he joined since March, Nadal lost to a player that he had never lost to before: Diego Schwartzman. In that loss, the 5-foot-7 Argentine drubbed and clobbered the Spaniard.

Nadal, never mind if he won the Roland Garros trophy a mind-boggling 12 times, was not the favorite to win in Paris.

Standing in his way in the final was a player that he had lost to 14 of the last 18 times that they played.

Novak Djokovic was undefeated this 2020. Well, the record stated “37-1” but that single blemish was not because he lost in the normal sense; he got disqualified for hitting a linesperson in the U.S. Open. The Serb, 33, possessed the game to outplay Rafa. As he uncorks his two-fisted backhand, the ball would zip past Rafa in a cross-court exchange. Novak’s forehand would force Rafa to play defense as he’d whack that Wilson ball down-the-line.

At the 2020 Australian Open, the rivals played in the finals. Novak bulldozed his way to trounce the embarrassed Rafa, who won a mere eight games.

Would Paris be a repeat of Melbourne?

Goran Ivanisevic, who’s part of Novak’s coaching staff, said this before the final: “Nadal has no chance in these conditions, on this clay and with Novak, who has got into his head.”

Est-ce vrai? (Is this true?) The Djokovic-Nadal final seven days ago was like a heavyweight championship fight. Pundits termed it as the most consequential bout between the two. We expected a five-setter that would exceed 309 minutes. We expected sweat to ooze and drench Nadal’s light blue Nike; for winners to zip past Djokovic’s Head Graphene 360+. We expected Nadal to pulverize “le terre battue” (red clay) and Djokovic to dribble a dozen times before serving a 190-kph serve to outwit and vanquish his tormentor.

We saw the opposite. Instead of a shootout, where one rifles an ace and the other wallops a smash, we saw a demolition job.

First set, six-love. Second set, six-two.

I have watched hundreds of Nadal matches — including, in person, his 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medal win — and I must conclude that those were two of his most confident and dominant sets.

He zoomed to retrieve a Novak drop shot. He hustled and charged at every short ball. He backpedaled to strike an inside-out forehand with 4,291 topspin revolutions. He accelerated while Novak looked despondent and morose.

In the 3rd set, we envisioned a further drubbing when Nadal broke to lead, 3-2. But the warrior in Djokovic arose to resurrect his game. It was soon extinguished. The final score: 6-0, 6-2, 7-5.

Less than 12 hours later, after the King of Clay demonstrated his supremacy in Paris, it was the triumph in Orlando of another King: LeBron James. (To be continued.)

Hollywood Ending

From the King of Clay to King James: Unbeknonwst to either legend, less than 12 hours after Rafael Nadal won the French Open trophy, it was the turn of LeBron James to win the NBA title for the L.A. Lakers.

From Paris to Orlando, from the small yellow fluffy Wilson ball to the Spalding orange leather ball (coincidentlly, by the 2021 season, the NBA will also be using Wilson), it was a championship trophy from the King to the King.

Tennis and Basketball are opposites. One is one-on-one (without a coach) and the other is five-on-one with Frank Vogel and Fil-Am Erik Spoelstra sitting beside their players.

On Sunday night, Rafael Nadal stood victorious. By Sunday night in the U.S., LeBron James did the same.

For the team representing Hollywood, what a real life 2020 that will rival a reel movie. The shocking death of Kobe Bryant last January 26 — the day after LeBron overtook him in the NBA all-time scoring list — plus the COVID-19 pandemic which has plunged the world into a tailspin, this meant that the Hollywood ending would have to be the victory of the Lakers.

The LeBron-Anthony Davis duo is the 3rd outstanding combination for the Lakers. First was Kareem-Magic then Shaq-Kobe.

A year older than Rafa at 35 years old, LeBron James has been vindicated. A loser at the MVP awards, he claimed his own Finals MVP plum. Although regarded as No. 2 in the GOAT rankings to His Airness Michael Jordan, it’s LBJ who has more records than MJ. One statistic is the all-time playoff points. LeBron is top-ranked with 7,491 points vs. the second-ranked Jordan with 5,987.

For Lakers fans (including myself), this playoff season in the bubble felt like Christmas. It was a joyous and jubilant period. After the Bucks lost in the East and the shocking loss of the Clippers, there was no denying the Hollywood ending for the Lakers.

LeBron was unstoppable. When he

Vindicated. Defense. Block. Intercept. Thwart. Stonewall. Charge. Close out.

Bulldoze. Hustle. Force. Charge. Dart. excuse. Ooze. zip. Fly. dribble. Zoom. hotfoot. Accelerate. Propel. Motivate. Compel. Coerce. Animate. Clobber. Trounce. Outplay. Whomp. Whack. Pulverize.