(This appears in the Wednesday January 2, 2008 edition of the Business Mirror.)
Season 69 was perhaps the Ateneo Men's Baseball Team's best chance to compete for a UAAP title. They stood atop the standings in the first round until things literally fell apart in the second round that resulted in the overturning of their victories owing to the incomplete papers of their star rookie Justin Zialcita.
It's almost a year now since that forgettable season that resulted in the ouster of its longtime coach Alex Estipular and the installing of local baseball legend Randy Dizer as manager for the blue and white. But life has gone on for both Ateneo and Zialcita.
The Blue Batters still have slugging power entering Season 70 (where UST is still the prohibitive favorite to defend the title) but are suspect pitching-wise. Zialcita is no longer wearing the blue and white. Instead he's wearing the Cardinal red and gold of the Pasadena City College Lancers. And he's no longer a pitcher and instead has played shortstop and second base. "I'm living the dream and would like to see where it takes me," says the huge LA Dodger fan. "It was also a partial fulfillment to play in the UAAP and for Ateneo, but things just didn't work out. I'm a little scared of failure here, but this is what it's all about... the opportunity to play in the major leagues."
Pasadena City College, the third largest community college in the United States is perhaps best known for being Jackie Robinson's alma mater. That Robinson was a Dodger makes Zialcita's choice for a college even better. Benny Agbayani is perhaps the best known Filipino player in the Major League Baseball. The Hawaiian-born Agbayani played five seasons in the pros but served most notably with the New York Mets (he also suited up for the Colorado Rockies and the Boston Red Sox).
This early, a scout for the Seattle Mariners has taken an interest to Zialcita. But Lancers coach Evan O'Meara advised Justin to wait out a year more because by then he'll get better offers.
"I wasn't even sure if I was going to start or be red-shirted," he says excitedly. "But I'm just grateful for the opportunity to play." During his ILLAM (International Little League of Manila) and Ateneo days, Zialcita could throw smack that ball silly as he played clean-up. Opposing pitchers at times would walk him just to get to the next batter. But with the Lancers, he has been made to play a lot of defense and switch from slugging to bunting. "It's more of being a complete player," he says. "Bunting helps the team advance runners into scoring position and so anything to help at this point is fine with me." In a league tailor-made for pro scouts, Zialcita had five bunts for infield singles.
The regular season for the Pasadena Lancers begins this January in the South Coast Conference which is considered one of the most competitive and toughest in America. Yet Zialcita is undaunted. "The training and conditioning program is tough. We train twice a day. So the only way to go from here is up. If nothing else, I'll have a good education and get a decent job. But for now it's all about fulfilling a dream."
It's almost a year now since that forgettable season that resulted in the ouster of its longtime coach Alex Estipular and the installing of local baseball legend Randy Dizer as manager for the blue and white. But life has gone on for both Ateneo and Zialcita.
The Blue Batters still have slugging power entering Season 70 (where UST is still the prohibitive favorite to defend the title) but are suspect pitching-wise. Zialcita is no longer wearing the blue and white. Instead he's wearing the Cardinal red and gold of the Pasadena City College Lancers. And he's no longer a pitcher and instead has played shortstop and second base. "I'm living the dream and would like to see where it takes me," says the huge LA Dodger fan. "It was also a partial fulfillment to play in the UAAP and for Ateneo, but things just didn't work out. I'm a little scared of failure here, but this is what it's all about... the opportunity to play in the major leagues."
Pasadena City College, the third largest community college in the United States is perhaps best known for being Jackie Robinson's alma mater. That Robinson was a Dodger makes Zialcita's choice for a college even better. Benny Agbayani is perhaps the best known Filipino player in the Major League Baseball. The Hawaiian-born Agbayani played five seasons in the pros but served most notably with the New York Mets (he also suited up for the Colorado Rockies and the Boston Red Sox).
This early, a scout for the Seattle Mariners has taken an interest to Zialcita. But Lancers coach Evan O'Meara advised Justin to wait out a year more because by then he'll get better offers.
"I wasn't even sure if I was going to start or be red-shirted," he says excitedly. "But I'm just grateful for the opportunity to play." During his ILLAM (International Little League of Manila) and Ateneo days, Zialcita could throw smack that ball silly as he played clean-up. Opposing pitchers at times would walk him just to get to the next batter. But with the Lancers, he has been made to play a lot of defense and switch from slugging to bunting. "It's more of being a complete player," he says. "Bunting helps the team advance runners into scoring position and so anything to help at this point is fine with me." In a league tailor-made for pro scouts, Zialcita had five bunts for infield singles.
The regular season for the Pasadena Lancers begins this January in the South Coast Conference which is considered one of the most competitive and toughest in America. Yet Zialcita is undaunted. "The training and conditioning program is tough. We train twice a day. So the only way to go from here is up. If nothing else, I'll have a good education and get a decent job. But for now it's all about fulfilling a dream."
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