Cebu Football

(This is my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu's Aug. 28 edition) ONE forgotten December almost 10 years ago, Chieffy Caligdong and Aly Borromeo conspired in the dying minutes to end the Philippines’ winless drought in international football. Facing a 1-0 deficit in the dying minutes, Borromeo’s header connected with Caligdong for the equalizer and deep in injury time, the two were at it again as Caligdong scored the game winner for the Philippines first win since the 1991 Southeast Asian Games.

(This is my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu's Aug. 16 edition) BACK in college, one of our boardmates got confined at the Cebu Doctors’ Hospital for a few days. I’ve forgotten what for, but what I can’t forget is that we visited him regularly for two reasons. First, it was the NBA finals and for cable TV-deprived college students like us, his confinement was god-sent as it allowed us to catch the Michael Jordan-era Chicago Bulls beat the Utah Jazz. And the second reason, of course, as engineering students in male-dominated classrooms, his stint at the hospital was just what the doctor ordered for eyes deprived of lovely sights.

( Sun.Star Cebu's Aug. 14 edition , this is my Fair Play column for) WHEN Gilas Pilipinas was first formed, I thought, this over-paid bunch doesn't need a new patron, but to rediscover the honor of playing for the flag. Let them look at the football team, I'd tell colleagues over beer—no allowance, no fancy uniforms, no recognition, and heck, there weren't even overseas stints, and they play like wearing the country's colors is the highlight of their careers. That was in 2009, a year before the Azkals phenomenon hit fever pitch in Hanoi 2010.

(This is my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu's Aug. 7 edition) I WON’T play if Coach Dooley is still in charge. If that came from any of the players based here, he’d be pilloried no end. Ostracized for thinking he’s bigger than the team. But this came from Stephen Schrock, one of the more respected and high-profile members of the team. Denis Cagara said it too. The two guys are essentially saying, if you still want us, get him out.

(This is my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu's July 31 edition) THIS weekend is truly for the sports fan. Aside from the Ironman 70.3 event, which will attract world-class athletes and showbiz personalities--if that’s your thing--two other major events are kicking off this weekend. There’s the basketball season of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc., which will open on Aug. 2, the same day the Ironkids event will kick off, and then there’s the Visayas leg of the Milo Little Olympics, which opens on Aug. 1.

(This is my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu's July 28 edition) EVER since Sunnex (Sun.Star Network Exchange) decided to air the Cesafi basketball matches over livestream, college basketball in Cebu has never been the same again. Fans who watch the game no longer need to go to the misnomer that is the New Cebu Coliseum—though sportswriters have dropped the name new over a decade ago—as they can watch the matches in the comfort of their homes.

(This is my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu's July 25 edition ) THE Cebu City Council got caught up in the numbers game anew lately with the controversy on the proposed P5,000 doleout for single parents. Whether who is right or wrong, I’m going to leave that to our more experienced opinion columnists like Frank Malilong (who is a former sports editor, by the way) and Bong Wenceslao. But this latest round of numbers game led me to think that if Cebu City wants to spend its money why not spend it for Palarong Pambansa medalists?

(This is my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu's July 21 edition) DURING their undefeated reign as nine-time Cesafi champions, there were some members of other varsity teams in UV that resented the privileges of the basketball kings, saying those players rarely attend classes. “ Way skwela-skwela, pasar gyapun. Basta makadula ra’g basketball, payts na ,” a member of UV’s football team, who won a Cesafi crown, told me.

(This is my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu's July 19 edition) ONE of the most memorable images in the 2013 edition of the Ironman 70.3 wasn’t that of an athlete but a group of passengers carrying their luggage up the Marcelo Fernan bridge, caught unaware of the closure of the vital link to Lapu-Lapu City. Organizers say they have had several information blasts regarding road and bridge closures for the Ironman but even if they’d do it daily, there would still be people who’d be caught by surprised.

(This is my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu's July 14 edition ) THERE are two unrelated developments in Cebu that, if put together, could mean Cebu City taking the lead again in Philippine sports. The Cebu City Sports Commission (CCSC) is busy with its grassroots program and is now re-booting its archery program. How succesful are they? For starters, from a pool of less than a handful, there are now at least 9,000 students who have learned archery.

(This is my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu's July 7 issue) LET me gloat a bit. In a previous column, I picked Brazil over Colombia, Germany over France, Argentina over Belgium and the Netherlands over Costa Rica and so far, I’m 100 percent correct. I even guessed it right that James Rodriguez would score and that Colombia would still lose to the host. If you say that those were just lucky guesses, you are right. Besides, those were easy picks made by my spirit-fueled crystal ball. I was hoping, though, that I’d be wrong in the Costa Rica vs. Netherlands match and that the Cinderella run of the South American country would continue. Who wouldn’t want to cheer for the underdog in football’s greatest stage?

(This is my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu's July 5 issue) A FEW weeks ago, I learned of an unfortunate experience of a child who wanted to learn gymnastics. Her mom took her to one of the clincis and really liked the sport. The problem was the coach was unprofessional and was always late, and the other parents and students made them feel so unwelcome that they didn’t return. “ Mura’g ganahan sila nga sila ra’y kamao ,” I was told.

(This is my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu's July 3 edition ) THE World Cup started with 32 teams in eight groups a few weeks ago, and in a curious twist, all eight group winners advanced to the quarterfinal round. It is another first in an event that is proving to be unlike no other. I wanted the USA to advance further in the event, because it’s always great to cheer for the underdog. However, despite a valiant display from Tim Howard, the Americans lost to Belgium, 2-1, in extra time. What an exciting match it was. No score in regulation and then just 17 minutes into extra time, you have three and the US could have gotten another in that lovely set piece of theirs that seemed to have been borrowed from basketball.

(This is my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu's June 30 edition) A FEW years ago, I got an unexpected call from Ed Hayco, who was then about to be tapped as chairman of the Cebu City Sports Commission. He asked for advice about the post and I told him simply: Don’t take it. I was afraid that the amiable godfather of dancesport would be stuck in the quagmire that goes along with being a political appointee in a sports landscape.

(This is my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu's June 26 issue ) A FEW years ago, Fifa blamed the rising number of diving incidents on professional players whose dives in big matches were imitated by amateur players. The pros got away with it, so, those who idolize them started copying their antics.

(This is my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu's June 21 edition) FROM the days when the only way you could watch a World Cup match live is a girlie bar, now, it seems everybody’s got the World Cup fever. And that’s fine by me. Just be careful though and don’t make the same mistake like the fan who said she’s going to cheer for Spain because of Ronaldo. And, just like in the old days, we have to sacrifice sleep to catch the games live but now, we can do it at home.

(This is my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu's June 16 edition) WE CAN compete internationally in the youth levels, it’s only in the 16-Under age group that we begin to lag.” That was what Philippine Football Federation technical director Aries Caslib said during the PFF Board of Governors meeting in Cebu in 2011, when he laid out the plans for the development of grassroots football just weeks after the country’s consciousness was raised because of the Miracle in Hanoi by the Azkals.

(This is my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu's June 14 edition) ONE of my major frustrations in life is failing to learn chess. That wonderful game where brains—and brawn in the higher levels—are needed. I got a chess book when I was in third or fourth grade and tried to learn the game by myself. After mastering the notations, I replayed some of the games the book had and realized I couldn’t understand half of it. The symbol “!” is supposed to denote a good move, and I couldn’t even understand why some of the moves had that symbol.

(This is my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu's June 9 issue) RIGHT now, one of the most hated sports personalities in the planet is LeBron James. Just check out the comments on social media, especially after his inglorius exit in Game 1 of the NBA finals. Folks even take to duplicating James being carried off after suffering from cramps.

(This is my Fair Play column for Sun.Star Cebu's June 7 issue) IT’S the time of the year again when productivity dips and almost everyone’s eager for a wager or two. Employees—especially fanatics—suddenly find excuses not to do the things they usually do for a couple of hours or so, or worse, even fail to show up for work before noon at all. It’s the NBA finals and for this basketball-crazy nation, nothing much matters else when it’s game time. Just check how everyone’s becoming experts these days, or how everyone is heckling the favorite player they hate.