BLEACHERS BREW EST. MAY 2006

Someone asked me how my blog and newspaper column came to be titled "Bleachers Brew". It's like this, it's an amalgam of sorts of two things: The bleachers area in the stadium/arena where I used to sit when I would watch baseball, football, and basketball games and Miles Davis' great jazz album Bitches Brew. That's how it got culled together. I originally planned on calling it "The View from the Big Chair" that is a nod to Tears For Fear's second album, Songs from the Big Chair. So there.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Someone asked me today over lunch if I was still going to be writing for Season 72. It took a while for me to answer that as I pondered my response and the weight of the direction I want to take. After a couple of minutes of silence, I spoke.

Yes, this is the last season I will write about Ateneo sports. For real and for sure. I am not even going to say what sports for now. I'll make up my mind in the summer. But that's a little ironic since I'm giving a multi-session workshop in Ateneo this summer.

Many do not understand my reticence about continuing to follow the varsity teams. First and foremost, I am not a hack with a formulaic manner of going about writing. It is rather difficult. When I was asked to sub for Paolo Trillo on the Blue Eagle stuff, I honestly had no clue how long I'd keep it up. I followed them when we were down and out all the way 'til we won. How do you top that -- by going back-to-back? Second, the time that I give to this is consuming. Many of the friends I've made in the teams over the last few years have all graduated. When the remaining few put on their togas next March, I'm done too.

Before there was some resistance on my part about leaving because there were things and people I was leaving behind.

I am no longer tethered to those.

There are many things I will be doing over the next few months that if done successfully will require my full attention. There's this thing we're trying to sort out with a TV channel and hopefully, I can do more work that is not sports related (no it's not ABS-CBN). If that planned Jakarta trip works out then good. If Italy works out too, then consider me gone. The fall back plan has always been to go back to the US. I have long postponed going back to the US, but right now I am devoting all my energies to make that happen by spring of 2010.

It took a long time to figure things out but I am at peace with so many things.

I'm going on a short vacation... if not in Bangkok next week, then Hong Kong (where I want to volunteer for the dolphin show at Ocean Park -- I've done this four times and I never get tired of it) or somesuch by May.

I'm keeping my column in Business Mirror whatever happens. But on the other hand, I want to do other things and tell other stories. I'm winding up this story of a Filipino-American who joined the US Army and was present during the invasion of Iraq where he served three years. I JUST FOUND OUT THAT HE IS BACK IN IRAQ. HOLY GOD. I'm keeping it anonymous to protect his identity. It's supposed to come out in Business Mirror but I will post it in the 11-11 Pages. If I discontinue many of my sports assignments what happens to the blog? Ah, you'll just have to find out, won't you?

How am I right now? Everyone seems to be asking me that. Thanks for the concern.

I am okay.

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