On to Beijing! - KRIPOTKIN By Alfred A. Yuson

Tag : magnum boot

Barring any injuries, I’m attending my first Olympics. Yehey!Thanks to Microsoft, which is sponsoring “Olympinoy”next week, I should be in the same city where the best athletesfrom all over the world are kicking off another grand party.
No, I won’t be around to see Manny Pacquiao tote our flag atthe opening ceremonies. In fact, my Beijing stint begins five days after the 8-8-08 opening this Friday. But it gives me a chance to catch Team USA ’s third official basketball game, on August 14 against Greece , no less.
No assurance I’ll be at courtside hoping for sweat sparks toland on my jersey — from Bron, Kobe, Dwyane, Melo et al. Morelikely, I’ll be stewing over the irony that those guys willbe running up and down a hardcourt somewhere this side of the GreatWall, in my immediate vicinity, but with a wall of frustrationbetween us.
I’ve appealed to Solar Entertainment’s Wilson Tieng tocast a ticket my way, even one with which I can enjoy a nosebleedin the rafters company of thousands of Chinese. A long shot, butthat’s how it goes. Life should be full of challenges andgreat odds, else we turn soft.
I’ve considered penning a plea to my fellow Philippine STARcolumnist Tingting Cojuangco, whom I once shook hands with at abook launching. Please, please, please, could you tell the hub,Peping the almighty Prez of the Philippine Olympic Committee, thatI’ll be eternally grateful for access to that game?
It’s the only one the NBA megastars will play while I’mstill there, for the Microsoft gig is only for three days/nights.I’ll be content watching the Aug. 16 game against Spain on my Nokia N-92’s MyTV upon return. Or on BTV channel.
I wonder if a text message to my good friend Rapa Lopa might alsoget through. Hey, Rapa , could you please tell Tito Peping I’ll serve him hand andfoot till the next Olympics?
How else can I avoid grabbing a ticket from some six-foot-two12-year-old lining up for that game without his even taller dad,and running for a touchdown past those stiles? Hmm. Wait,there’s still good ol’ buddy Recah, whose media card Imight swipe if he shows up, confident that I can look and walk andtalk like him, even act tough like him. Or might his son Chino get me past the media gate as his ballboy?
Hope springs eternal, hand in hand with the autumn of despair. ButI take an Olympic oath that I won’t sulk should the gods ofticket scalpers dodge attempts at translation. I’ll juststand outside the Wukesong Indoor Stadium, listen to the roarinside, hope the guards relax their watch with five minutes leftand the game’s not on the line. Why, I could still scoot in,shouting imprecations in Greek like some crazed Cassandra.
Thing is, Theo Papaloukas, Dimitris Diamantidis, VassilisSpanoulis, Panagiotis Vassilopoulos & Co. might just apply aFlying Wedge formation and relive the Battle of Thermopylae to makeit exciting. More’s the pity, of course, if I’m shutout of it all.
Oh, well, win some, lose some. I’m sure there’ll be areplay on the hotel room TV, sometime before I head out for theairport the following day.
Honestly, I’m quite excited that I’ll get to entercertain other Olympics venues and watch our very own Pinoys competefor a long-shot medal. I wonder if we’ll get to see HarryTañamor in action, maybe also our taekwondo entries. MiguelMolina in the pool? Uhh, I dunno if there’s any excitement infollowing Speedo caps bobbing up and lapping back and forth. A pityNavotas has yet to produce also-rans for synchronized swimming.
Whatever we get to watch, I’m already grateful I’ll bethere at all. Hooray for Olympinoy! Microsoft couldn’t haveconceived of a more efficacious way of helping out our Olympicshopefuls. and I’ll be writing more on this commendablecorporate effort once I get back from Beijing — unless I’m made to spend time for grabbing a12-year-old’s ticket.
Now why can’t someone like Arben Santos be part of the POC?He’s the generous one when it comes to tickets, especiallyfor Ateneo games in the Big Dome.
Last Sunday, it felt good to be back there and join the tribe, BlueBabble and all, in cheering up One Big Fight. Sat on Patron seats,too, not quite behind a goal, between rows partly occupied by theboys who gave us our last championship: Rico Villanueva, MagnumMembrere, and Larry Fonacier. Now that they’re pro, they canpay for their own seats in Araneta.
The UST Growling Tigers gave it their best shot, and actuallygrabbed the lead, 54-51, with six minutes left after Norman experimented with a second team to start the fourth. Good thingthe reentry of Rabeh, Chris and Jai sparked a 10-point run cappedby a killer trey from Jai.
UAAP’s 71st season, despite a street shooting and a misguidedprotest, promises to turn into a slam-bang affair. Why even mybeloved UP Maroons have managed to win two thus far, and thedoormat Bulldogs took a page from the upset-conscious Tamaraws toeke out a win. Ateneo, La Salle , UE and FEU will likely compose the Final Four cast. But UST canstill scrape by if their big frontline, starring Jervy Cruz, getsits act together, and Coach Pido regains his golden touch.
I have a feeling, however, that it’ll be the BlueEagles’ year, which should be a fitting farewell for Chris,who’s developed into an all-around player, registeringrebounds and assists at a high norm to complement his scoring.
The addition of Juniors MVP Ryan Buenafe adds a hefty slasher whocan fish for fouls. He should polish his act from the charitystripe, though, as he’s likely to lead the team once Chris,Rabeh and Jai say goodbye.
Over at the NCCA, it looks like another San Beda-Letran match-upfor the crown. I just wish my alma mater would stop expendingefforts to lure in yet another African “import” for theMendiola squad. Sam Ekwe’s enough for a three-peat or afour-peat, with Pong Escobal’s increasingly fine game.
A dynastic reign shouldn’t rely on megabucks translating intohelp from abroad. What will our neighbors down Azcarraga, oops, Recto Ave. , say? San Baste simply plays its guts out, homegrown spirit andall. It’s the challenge and competition that’simportant, not any surefire crown.
As for the PBA title series, I’m for the underdogs. Air 21has it in them to finally bag a crown. So far this conferencehasn’t seen much of a Big D, which is why Caguioa andHelterbrand are running amuck. I watched the series sweep Ginebraenjoyed at the expense of a putative national coach. With the kindof defense his squad showed, our national team could get clobberedby Japan .
Now for the congrats section. Hats off to the sports show Hardballon ANC, with which I complete my day (even if it’s theprevious one) at 3 a.m. Initially I thought the sound levels of the three hosts’lapel mics weren’t on the same page, so that my failingauditory sense found it tough, especially when they all talked atthe same time.
But that glitch seems a thing of the past, and the rapport amongfellow STAR columnist Bill Velasco, Jino Rufino and Boyet Sison hasbeen pitch-perfect, inclusive of the kantyawan. What I appreciatemost, however, is the uncompromising stand taken on certain issues.They call a spade a spade, or as they see it.
It takes guts for Bill to be outspoken with regards to UE’sprotest, for instance. Other TV hosts tend to keep their opinionsto themselves for fear of alienating anyone. And I enjoyed the wayJino practically hooted at the spectacle of James Y. (not LeBron)scooting like a sprinter when an import whose bottom he gave amischievous boot went after him.
Apropos that incident, kudos, too, to Ali Peek who was so cool andbig and strong that he single-handedly prevented a further melee.As a reward, I allowed him a photo op with me at our buddy IganD’Bayan’s recent exhibit opening at Crucible Gallery.
See how sportive I am? Hmm. What if I ask Ali to pave the way forme through the turnstiles of Wukesong Indoor Stadium come August14, my date with history?