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.

Friday, November 23, 2012

Suzuki Cup Bangkok Diary


This is my third Suzuki Cup and I have to say that this is the first time I went to a press conference where no one talked about a sure win against the Philippines or even scoring five or six goals against  us. I had to chuckle about that fact afterwards when I shared that observation with my colleagues. So much has changed in two years' time.

One of the cool things about being here is reconnecting with media friends I have made from Malaysia, Singapore and even Australia. 


I got interviewed by a couple of television networks today about the Suzuki Cup as an event and of course, about the Azkals. For the first one, by a crew from Vietnam, I brought along colleagues Cedelf Tupas of the Inquirer and Jonas Terrado of the Bulletin to take part in it. When I moved upstairs for the presscon proper, I was also interviewed by crews from Thailand and Malaysia. Oh, I am in the very first white polo shirt of the Azkals. I am not a superstitious man by any chance but I do hope that whatever luck we had in Vietnam two years ago is still there and maybe wearing this is a link to good karma.


During our second night (Thursday), we -- my media colleagues and I -- went out. First to Siam Paragon. El cheapo dinner at KFC before we looked around a bit. Picked up Book 5, the last part of the Ex Machina series by Brian Vaughan and Tony Harris for Wildstorm Comics at Kinokuniya. Was hoping to snag the latest issue of Liverpool magazine but it wasn't available any more. Afterwards, we went to Patpong that is famous for its night market and infamous for its girl or boy-girl clubs. No we didn't go in. We just wanted to see what the fuss was all about. Hahaha. With Mark Escarlote (Abante), Olmin Leyba (Philippine Star) and Jonas Terrado (Manila Bulletin). 

Got a Thai massage today and had all the cold beaten out of me. Hahaha

Here are some of the stuff that I have written since arriving in Thailand for the Suzuki Cup:

Azkals vs. the War Elephants: It's all about efficiency and national pride.

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