Bleachers' Brew #99 Iron Hearts. Iron Men (and Woman).

(I am posting this in advance. This will come out in my column in the sports section of the Business Mirror on Monday, March 17, 2008. The interviews were done at Manila Polo Club last Saturday, March 8. Photos by Miggy Mendoza Story by Rick.)

It was dated 1982, but for all intents and purposes it could have happened just yesterday. It was one of those “holy shit” moments for Jay Jay De Ocampo who was already with a chip on his shoulder the size of a mountain. He was never the athletic sort but he always tried. Not everyone has an athletic bone anyway. It was more of being overweight. “Let’s call it for what I was… fat,” he says with a modicum of pride as he fishes out an old identification card where he looked like he even ate the refrigerator. Today, he resembles nothing like that person in the photo.

The picture might be of recent vintage, but 1982 is like decades ago. But through the video magic of youtube, De Ocampo who works for an investment holding company, watched American triathlete Julie Moss crawl towards the finish line during an Iron Man competition. Severely dehydrated, Moss’s body shut down and it was only through her sheer force of will that she finished. "I tell people that their first Ironman should be their best one, because finishing should be their only expectation," Moss said afterwards as she joined the race for her physiology thesis. Moss’ epic demonstration of determination is largely credited for the growth of triathlon as a sport.

And for De Ocampo it meant no more reading books on how to swim in zip locks while getting a tan on the steps of the shallow portion of a swimming pool. It represented an opportunity for him to find out who he really was. And the great thing about taking up triathlon is that he also reversed his diabetic condition without the intake of medicines. “Just finishing a triathlon is a feat in itself because the body isn’t meant to endure long hours of pain,” he concurs with Moss’s benediction for one of the most grueling sports ever. “But as (Polo Tri co-founding father) Rune Stroem says, “When you cross that finish line – no matter what place you’re in – hold your head up high. But... the best compliment I guess came from my son who said, 'Dad, you're no longer fat.'"

For George Carag, triathlon is more than finding out how tough you are, it’s also about conquering one’s fears. Carag, who is a cabin attendant on Philippine Airlines’ international flights, wasn’t into sports like De Ocampo because he was a sickly child. “My concept of health,” he reveals, “was body building.”

Through his savings, he put up a bicycle shop and he gravitated towards cycling as a hobby. And through cycling, he met up with several members of Polo Tri (the group that was formed out of Manila Polo Club) and began to take on triathlon. “There’s a misconception about triathlon or trying it out… where it makes one fit. It’s the other way around, you have to get in shape and be fit to compete because it is never easy.”

Aside from the grueling race, Carag suffers from aqua phobia. “That’s strange, isn’t it since you have to swim quite a distance,” he says as his eyes make contact with me to impart just how serious a problem this is. “Even when bathing, I make sure that I immediately wipe the water from my eyes or else a little panic sets in.”

During one triathlon, Carag found himself freezing up in the ocean. None of the lifeguards could immediately get to him because of the choppy waters leaving Carag no choice but to swim out of his predicament. “It’s something that I have to deal with during every competition,” he admits. “I’d say for me, 50% of my effort is overcoming the anxieties of the race. I make a mental checklist of things I need to go over prior to the starting gun and that helps me to focus more intently.”

“When I look back at my first ever competition – a half Iron Man (a 1.9 km swim, a 90 km bike ride, and a 30 km run) in Matabungkay, Batangas in 1998, I’d say that was my best because I was able to finish it.”

Franchesca Carpo, a winsome sprite of an architect, looks at competing as a challenge and an opportunity “to savor and enjoy life more.” In 2004, while hiking with her sister Amanda at Pico De Loro, the highest mountain in Cavite area, the freelance architect slipped and fell a harrowing 80 feet down. Carpo fell in a treacherous crevice and cracked her skull. Her head was a mass of hematoma from the multiple injuries. With the hiking party unable to rescue her, a call was placed to the Philippine Marine base located in nearby Ternate for help. It took more than half a day but the marines and some other hikers eventually were able to rescue a cold and damp Carpo who drifted in and out of consciousness throughout the ordeal.

Chesca, as the 31-year old is called for short, now looks at her “second life” with a different set of eyes. “I’m more appreciative of things,” she disarms with an easy smile. “Before I was active in fitness activities more for leisure and exercise. Now I use triathlon as a means for benchmarking; for setting goals for myself.”

As one of the newest members of Polo Tri, Chesca is oft praised by Stroem, the expatriate Norwegian who has made the Philippines his home for the last 20 years, for her courage. “You’d think that an accident like that would keep her from more challenges, but I think it has made her even stronger and more confident.”

“Triathlon is more demanding than mere leisurely exercise,” says Chesca. “But it does help with discipline and time management. I actually am able to apply that to my work, isn’t that great?”

“Oh, yeah,” she concludes. “I’m fitter now.”

Jay Jay De Ocampo, George Carag, and Francesca Carpo will be joining their Polo Tri teammates when they compete in the ITU Subic Bay International Triathlon from May 10-11, 2008. Thanks for the great interviews and especially to Rune Stroem for that fab triathlon in the Philippines history lesson. Bet the Nomads miss you playing football with them!

An experience of a lifetime

Another Brady pass intercepted? LeBron James and supermodel Gisele Bundchen grace the cover of the latest issue of Vogue.

Billy Crystal batted lead-off in place of Johnny Damon. He even got ahead of the count 3-1 but whiffed on the next two pitches. If he didn't swing at the last pitch he would have gotten on base for a walk (but Damon would pinch run for him).

No worries, there, Billy. We're proud of you. Man, wouldn't this be a great experience?

But he got the ball of his memorable at-bat as a souvenir. "All I wanted was to touch the ball," said the funnyman who was cheered on by fellow comedian Robin Williams. After the game he went up to the owners box and Crystal quipped, "I thought they (the Steinbrenners) were going to trade me for Jerry Seinfeld."

And it's only spring training

The New York Yankees's first baseman Shelley Ducan slid hard into Tampa Bay Devil Rays' second baseman Akinori Iwamura that precipitated a near brawl and ejections.

This was obviously escalating the bad blood between the two teams when the Rays' Elliot Johnson took out Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli several days ago. Cervelli will be out for a while with a broken wrist.

The Yanks pitcher Heath Phillips got the revenge party started right in the first inning when he drilled Evan Longoria in the mid-section with a fastball. The ump threw out Phillips. And in the second inning, the Yanks clearly showed that they were still pissed what with Duncan seeking to crush future generations of Iwamuras.

Okay. As much as I'm all for free-for-alls from time to time, this should end now. But does anyone think so?

In the meantime, Billy Crystal, the Yankees' new DH -- Designated Hebrew -- will be bringing in a urine sample prior to tomorrow's game with the Pittsburgh Pirates. "I might test positive for Maalox," he quipped.

Crystal said that he has something for the Pirates. "A little Mazeroski payback," he said in reference to the Pittsburgh catcher's Game 7 bottom-of-the-ninth inning series clinching home run versus New York.

Hopefully, Billy will get a hit.

Let's Go Yankees!

They finally got it right this time

The Philippine Collegiate Championships was formally announced and unveiled yesterday by its chairman Rey Gamboa. Whereas before there were 16 teams with the bulk of them coming from Metro Manila, this time around some 250 teams divvied up into nine regions areas (RAs):

RA-1 Dagupan, Pangasinan, and Baguio
RA-2 Pampanga and Bulacan
RA-3 Quezon and Bicol
RA-4 Iloilo and Bacolod
RA-5 Dumaguete and Bohol
RA-6 Tacloban, Ormoc, and Samar
RA-7 Cagayan De Oro, Iligan, Misamis Oriental, and Caraga
RA-8 Davao, Socsargen, and Maguindanao
RA-9 Misamis Occidental and Zamboanga

The top placers in the regionals along with Metro Manila various collegiate champions will then be scattered in four zonal competitions.

Group 1: the champions of UAAP, CUSA, and NAASCU, the runer-up of NCRAA, and four zonal representatives.

Group 2: the champions of NCAA, CESAFI, NCRAA, UCAA, the UAAP runner-up, and the other four zonal representatives.

The Sweet Sixteen all the way to the Final Four and the Championship will be held from November 23-December 7.

The winner will receive half-a-million in terms of athletic equipment and scholarship cash and represent the country in the next Universiade Games (I think the next one's in Belgrade).

The runner-up will get P200K, the third place team P100K, and the fourth-placer P50K .

Exclusive interview with Rey Gamboa and Joe Lipa (who is in Bicol right now) coming up.

Do they allow fractions for jersey numbers?

Tyler Hansbrough's #50 will be hanging up on the rafters after this US NCAA season. With the Tar Heels' history of producing great players, what happens when they've got 1-100 hanging up there?

The Fan Part V: Balling in the Cage (from my New York Diaries)

August 2003

The meek shall inherit the earth. But on the playgrounds of America there's no weak-ass shit here. To say that basketball here is physical is like saying that Mike Tyson was a finesse fighter.

It's definitely not for the onion-skinned. Cheap shots are common place and you cannot call over-the-back fouls here. It doesn't cut it. A foul is when you get thrown against the fence, when you're sent sprawling into the next state from a charge, or you lose some teeth. This is where the tough gets going and where the sky is king. Beware for showstoppers and skywalkers long to take to the air and posterize you. It's as Joey Ramone once sang, "We want the airwaves, baby!"

I've been dying to ball at West 4th since my fascination for the Big Apple first coalesced. West 4th is also known as "the Cage" since it's boxed in a by a fence. I've come here on several occasions to watch some games. It's not those summer tournaments yet so it's more pick up ball. Maybe one of these days, I'll muster the strength to lace up my sneakers and walk right in.

I love the area because its in Greenwich Village. There's something about the place that seems magical and alive that I can't begin to put my finger on it. There are a lot of clubs abound -- comedy, jazz, rock, and the blues. And it's an audiophile's dream... I normally go here to check out all the CD stores along Bleecker Street and the surrounding streets. There's a Kim's Video and Music store in the Bowery and I'm able to get new CD releases for a dollar or two off. Why I bought my Dave Matthews' DVD here for five quid less!

Ah, the Bowery. I once watched My Favorite play at Sin-E (on Delancey Street). There's something foreboding about My Favorite's music that reminds me of the Cure except that it's like new wave music for bomb shelters. Is that an air raid siren I hear?

That the night is wet and the street lights that lend a halo to the sidewalk poets and junkies who reek of cheap whiskey add to the surreality of it all. The city that never sleeps. Oh, yes. I want it all.

Prior to coming over, I used to write Michael Grace Jr. My Favorite's resident soul searcher and creative genius. The first time I caught a gig of theirs, I chatted with him and the band's manager. I also spoke with co-vocalist and keyboardist Andrea Vaughn who also autographed a copy of their second album The Happiest Days of Our Lives which ironically isn't out yet. They're surprised that I have a copy. I told them that I got my copy at Kim's (the disc was given to a music critic to review which he sold for extra dough). I tried to befriend the band's Fil-Am bassist Gil Abad, but he was busy chatting with this gorgeous brunette at the bar. The busty brunette trumps a compatriot anytime so I understand.

I love the village and I'm oft here helping one of my dad's high school classmates who is a famous writer. He lives in a nice apartment that is almost impossible to navigate given that his hallways are lined with books, memorabilia, and cheap porn. When I get off from work, I catalogue his collection and he pays me $50-70 for a couple of hours of work. When he's off with one of his male lovers and it gives me a chance to clean the place up a little faster. Geez! Give me a girl any old time.

It is in the village where I once saw Courteney Cox buying pizza at The Famous Ray's Pizza at 11th and Sixth. Note to all -- there are probably a dozen or so Ray's Pizzas. There's The Original Ray's, The Famous Original Ray's and just plain Ray's. No they aren't owned by the same person. Everyone just wants to cash in on the name. So do I care? No, but it's not every day that you see a beautiful actress next to you buying pizza and like Chairman Mao once said, "seize the day." And so I did sidle up to her and buy 'za for $2.50. She stands like 5'5" or 5'6" and the first thing you notice is her smile and pearly whites. She's chatting with a friend and she wonders if this slice is pretty good. I found a reservoir of strength somewhere beneath the butterflies and squeaked, "yyyeahhh... they're goo--oood!"

She whirls and smiles, "Really? Why thank you."

Pinch me. I'm dead, mon.

She pays for my slice and I want to save that one slice for all eternity. Frame it. Store it in cryogenics. Look... Ray's isn't that great. The pizza they sell in the rapidly shrinking Little Italy is better, but for what it's worth, this was the best tasting one in a long time. If I had a portion of Donald Trump's money I'd buy the store and rename it Courteney's.

Sorry, mom and dad. Back to "the Cage."

I got to play today if only for one game. I asked one of the white guys if it's okay to play and he said sure if I brought any gear. I change in less time than it takes for Clark Kent to say, This is a job for Superman!"

Most of the ballers are black and look like cats with mean game. There are a couple of whites and one Korean dude who they say balls for a school in Coney (they say he's Bassy Telfair's teammate). Perhaps they think that I'm some Chinese dude -- owing to my chinky eyes - that got out of the restaurant early. Back home, I played the 3, 4, or 5 spot. Here my black teammate asks me what the fuck am I doing guarding the corners when I should be shadowing the opposing guard. No zone D, but man-to-man. Eager to impress, I stuck to the guy with one mission -- to find out what his deodorant is. And for my leech-like efforts I am rewarded with a fist to the kisser.

The moment of impact is painful but I'm more shocked at what happened. The game stopped to a cacophony of "Ooohh shit!" One of my teammates yelled to the guy who decked me, "What ya do that for? Play the game!"

"Dog, I was just pirouetting 180."

Somewhere in my head I heard Mickey -- Burgess Meredith's character in Rocky -- yell, "Get up ya summabitch coz Mickey loves ya."

I'm up and I wiped the blood from my mouth. No salty stuff for me for the next couple of days. I played on and made a couple of sweet dishes. I even nailed a pair of jumpers that would have made Larry Bird proud. We lost the game but it was close. They invited me back and I silently nodded my head not wanting to show that I was ecstatic. But in truth I figured I needed an aspirin. I survived the goddam Cage!

I took the V train back to Elmhurst.

I miss you, mom and dad! And Matt and Ants!

I played a couple of times more at the Cage. Not in a tournament but in pick up games. The highlight of my "career" there was throwing up a couple of balls for an alley-oop to some high-flying cat. That was the closest I'd ever get to feeling like I was the Glove tossing it up to the Rain Man. I played in the Fil-Am summer leagues in Jersey City's Lincoln Park. I once went to practice wearing a Wesley Gonzalez #15. A bunch of guys were trading their Iverson Phillies to me off their back for the blue Ateneo jersey. No, I didn't trade it in case you want to know.

Is this the new line-up?

Rabeh Al-Husseini
Nonoy Baclao
Chris Tiu
Jai Reyes
Yuri Escueta
Chris Sumalinog
Mike Baldos
Eric Salamat
Kirk Long
Raymond Austria

and

Ryan Buenafe
Nico Salva
Justin Chua
Vince Burke
Tonino Gonzaga

Basketball Comebacks

(This was written in 2006 for Men's Health magazine so it's somewhat dated. I thought I'd place it here. The photo shoots were done specifically for this story. There are two other players I did short stories on -- Ali Peek and Paolo Bugia. Maybe I'll post it one of these days.)

A Dynamite Comeback
To the man known as “Dynamite,” the news that he was going to be out of action for the highly-touted Fil-Am flavored RP team to the 2002 Busan Asian Games hit him with more destructive force than Shock and Awe. The 6’6 Danny Seigle earned the sobriquet for his explosive play and devastating drives to the hoop as a guard-forward for the San Miguel Beermen in the Philippine Basketball Association. Together with the equally talented slotman Danny Ildefonso and point guard non-pareil Olsen Racela, they had presided over the sole remaining original PBA franchise’s second dynasty with one spectacular championship title run after another from 1999 to 2002.

The Fil-Am invasion of the late 90s had inspired visions of a return to hoop dominance in a country where basketball is religion and a way of life. And after 40 years of lackluster finishes, the Jong Uichico-mentored national squad had a chance to compete despite the NBA-flavored Chinese team that had the League’s top pick in 7’5 center Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets and 7’0 Menk Bateer of the Detroit Pistons.

With three days before the Busan Games were to open, the RP Team was playing a meaningless tune-up game with the National Team of Qatar. The Filipinos were thoroughly in control of the game and the outcome already decided way back in the game’s opening period when Seigle went up to reject an errant Qatari shot.

As he landed he felt a sharp pain in his leg – he had ruptured an Achilles tendon. “I immediately knew that it was bad,” recalled Danny. Bad was an understatement in hindsight. The RP Team finished a dismal fourth after a promising start and Seigle hobbled through an assortment of injuries and operations for the better part of two years even missing the entire 2003 season. “I never felt more useless,” added the San Miguel swingman.

“Danny had an Achilles tendon tear which I repaired right away,” recalled Dr. George Canlas who specializes in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. “Injuries like these are because of the high level of stress that is placed on the legs and feet. Danny like most high leapers are susceptible to this kind of injury.”

What made Danny’s comeback excruciatingly more painful and frustrating was just as he was finding his range on the court, bone spurs on both feet curtailed his effectiveness and set him back for a longer period of time.

Said veteran trainer Hercules Callanta whose resume includes being the trainer for the UP Maroons and Shell: “Coming back from a serious injury requires a lot of patience, perseverance, and pain tolerance. Most are able to go back to competitive shape but you’ll notice them favoring their injured body part. They have to learn to cope with the pain and play with it. Some lose a degree of functionality.”

He tried playing for a bit but the pain prevented him from being effective. So he went back under the knife. “Within a span of a year and a half, Danny had three major surgeries,” added Dr. Canlas who does all his surgeries at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City. “The therapy and conditioning program that followed was intensive and rigid. You have to give it to the boy, he stayed faithful to the program and was dedicated to getting back to the player he once was, if not even better.”

Dondi Narciso, San Miguel Beer’s Physical Therapist stayed with Danny while he was rehabbing in the States. “All those long months were starting to take a toll on Danny,” recounted Narciso. “He began to second guess himself and wondered if he’d ever make it back. But you have to hand it to Danny. He stayed with the program.”

And when he finally made it back? “Man, just being on the court again as a player rather than an expensive cheerleader – that was a huge relief! Now I’m able to slash towards the basket again and go high up for a dunk or rebound. I never enjoyed the game more.”

Nine Lives Minus One = Landing Back on this Cat’s Feet
After a celebrated stint with La Salle in the UAAP where he displayed a game and poise far beyond his years, Mike Cortez was snatched away by the Alaska Aces as the top pick overall in the 2003 draft. The pro game however was a quantum leap for Cortez as he struggled between orchestrating the Aces’ vaunted triangle offense and trying to score. But it wasn’t such a bad rookie year for this Cool Cat who was closely edged out by Talk N Text’s Jimmy Alapag for Rookie of the Year. He played in all 56 games of the Aces and averaged 11.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists for the Uytengsu franchise.

After a season’s worth of experience and settling down as the team’s starting point guard, Mike upped his numbers from his rookie year and got an invitation to join the national team training pool. It was during his sophomore year when Mike suffered a freak lower back injury that shut him down for over two months.

“I was stretching with a trainer when he accidentally pushed down too hard,” remembered Mike. “I immediately felt the muscle pull and it just really hurt right away. I got scared, man.

Normal back injuries require rest and inflammatory medication, what complicated Mike’s treatment was he was allergic to that sort of remedy. “I couldn’t take those so it was just rest and trying not to exert myself,” he recounted with a tinge of pain. “Man, I normally sleep on my chest so this time around I had to lie on my back on a hard surface, something I’m not used too. But if it was the way to get better, then I had to do it.”

Mike’s back would lock up on and off. The most simple of movements such as looking back or turning would hurt. To exacerbate things, he suffered a pinched nerve. He would watch his team at a distance and being on the sidelines as a cheerleader was something this six-foot guard out of San Jose, California wasn’t used to. “I knew I had to get better,” he vowed. “I had to.”

After a variety of doctors cleared him to return, Mike first took to the gym to do weights to strengthen his back It took him three games to get comfortable once more with his place in the team’s offense but when he did, he began to put up sparkling numbers that people have expected from this Cool Cat.

“Every athlete fears an injury,” explained the tough Alaska point guard. “They can say what they want about pro athletes about their lack of love for the game, but that’s not true. Not all the money in the world will can make you happy doing something you don’t want to do. But for me, basketball is it.”

The director of "61*" gets a chance at 60

The New York Yankees signed comedian/actor/director Billy Crystal to a one-day contract where he will get to wear those pinstripes in an exhibition game versus the Pittsburgh Pirates this coming Friday (Manila time). Crystal directed the film "61*" about that great home run chase of 1961 between Yankees teammates Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris. Crystal will wear #60 and play in a game right a day before his 60th birthday! How cool a gift is that?

"The Yankees are excited to welcome the newest member of our team known for his humor and wit as well as his undying love for the Yankees," chief operating officer Lonn Trost said.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi, after Monday night's 4-0 win over Cincinnati, said he hasn't determined what position Crystal will play.

"That remains to be seen," Girardi said. "Obviously, it's kind of exciting. Billy Crystal has done a lot for this organization. He's always been a big part of it. Our way of rewarding him, saying thanks for everything that you've done."

"I've been waiting 50 years for this call," Crystal said in a statement released by the team. "I'm overwhelmed by the generosity of the Yankees and commissioner Selig. I know this'll be tougher than the Broadway Softball League, but I'm looking forward to helping the younger players, which by the way is all of them. Oops, I have to go, Scott Boras is on the phone."

This looks to be one special season. Man.... I wish I was there right now.

If you're a baseball fan, you'll love this movie -- 61* which was directed by Bill Crystal. It's too bad there was only a better appreciation for Roger Maris when he hung up his spikes.

Ya go, Rog!

What the Politburo couldn't do, the Ladies did!

There are 14 Russian ladies in the WTA's Top 100 rankings. And that doesn't include those from the former Soviet republics like Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and others. Their tennis rackets have made a greater impact than those T-72's.

And by the way, that all-Russian Ladies finals in Dubai... Elena Dementieva won it over Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Operation Overlord

Les Bleus may be one of three national teams I root for (the others are Argentina's and the Philippines') but I really don't have a favorite Ligue 1 or 2 eleven.

It's just a plan -- nothing definite yet -- but we're hoping to go to France this May or June. If it's in June it's going to be on time for the June 6 D-Day Anniversary. Yes, it's basically Normandy and Paris. Western France is way beautiful and lovely. Rouen, Mont Saint-Michel, and Caen! The problem is that's smack in the middle of the tourist season!

And if it does push through maybe we'll get to watch a Ligue 1 match by SM Caen. As of this writing, Caen is at 12th place in France's top flight division and is led by striker Youan Gouffran who has tallied 15 goals so far.

But the main attraction aside from the City of Lights is Normandy. Perfect for a history buff like me. In case you all don't know, Rouen is where Joan of Arc was put to death. Like an acquaintance of mine, Michael Grace Jr. of the New York indie new wave band My Favorite (watch out for a vid of the band that I took in a club gig), we have a fascination for Joan of Arc.

Now, we gotta save and that's the hard part.

Take a look at SM Caen's team logo - there's Mont St. Michel on top of a stylized football in the French national colors. Allez!

Bleachers' Brew #98 His Field of Dreams

(This appears in the Monday March 10, 2008 edition of the Business Mirror.)

Iowa 1990-91
Some of us yearn for a simpler and more innocent time. When things seemed to fit right into a Norman Rockwell painting. When comic books were still referred to as funnies and kids pulled them off the racks inside general merchandise stores with Lucky Strike signs in the background. When right was might and not the other way around. When baseball evoked poets and where one lived out their dreams and its gods held people’s imaginations longer than the flight of mammoth home runs to stands.

And it was in small town America where one’s field of dreams was first nurtured.

Kent Stock grew up in Ankeny, Iowa and when you talked about high school baseball in the Hawkeye State you began and ended the stories with the team from the small town of Norway which was 20 miles away. The Norway Tigers won 18 State Championships in 23 years and routinely beat schools several times the size of its school’s measly student population of a hundred.

Norway is a small farming community with a population of 586 people. Kids hung out at the convenience store where they drank sodas and whiled the time away talking. It’s a place where everyone literally knows everybody.

The town wasn’t known for producing corn but baseball players. Mike Boddicker who was a pitcher on Earl Weaver’s 1983 World Series Champion Baltimore Orioles team learned the rudiments of the game from Norway’s legendary coach Jim Van Scoyoc just as generation after generation of Norway boys did. Norway primarily played two sports – baseball and basketball. They took to the diamond during spring, summer, and fall and played hoops during the winter to keep in shape. “We played sandlot games all the time,” recounted Boddicker. “You learned in a hurry to field a groundball and hit a baseball.”

The baseball team was their pride and joy. It was the big show. No, it was the only show.

“I always wanted my parents to move from Belle Plaine to Norway where they played ball during the spring, summer, and fall,” remembered Stock. “I always admired (Tigers coach) Jim Van Scoyoc for all his accomplishments including National Coach of the Year and their stellar win-loss record.”

Stock’s family never did move and so went his dream of playing for the Tigers. After college, he went back to Belle Plain after to teach. But he never outgrew his passion for sports and when the opportunity to coach the girls’ volleyball team presented itself (since the baseball team already had a coach), he grabbed it without hesitation. Little did the young and impressionistic teacher know back then that volleyball stint would be his opening to fulfilling a lifelong dream of associating himself with Norway baseball.

“The first time I met Jim Van Scoyoc I was scouting a volleyball game he was at,” recalled Stock about the chance encounter. “I positioned myself close to him and finally mustered enough guts to introduce myself. In our conversation he stated his longtime assistant coach (for the baseball team) had resigned and he was looking for a replacement. I asked him if he would accept an application from a guy from Belle Plaine. He told me to send an application to his athletic director. I asked who that may be and he said, ‘Jim Van Scoyoc!’ I mailed it the next day. Two nights later Norway beat my Belle Plaine team in a district volleyball match. Not only was I disappointed in losing the match, I was convinced Jim Van Scoyoc wouldn’t hire a losing coach.”

But Van Scoyoc did (after a three hour interview where the coach spoke for 2 hours and 45 minutes of them). With Stock as an assistant coach that 1989-90 season, the Tigers won their 19^th State title but any celebration had to be tempered by the fact that the small town’s high school was going to merge with nearby Benton Community.

Norway’s townsfolk tried to lobby to maintain the status quo but their high school was simply too small to remain as an independent district. With the writing on the wall and their dynasty all but over, Van Scoyoc accepted a job as a pitching coach in the Detroit Tigers’ farm system.

Upon Van Scoyoc’s recommendation (and the fact that there was no one interested in a one-year coaching job), the Norway School board appointed Stock as the team’s final coach. Despite not being a native, the players and the town quickly embraced Stock with open arms.

“Once I committed to becoming the head coach at Norway,” said Stock to this writer, “I realized this wasn’t just any high school baseball coaching position. Ken Fuson, a reporter from the Des Moines Register, contacted me and wanted to hang out with the team and do a feature article of our last season. He not only attended our practices, but he was at most of our games. There I was, a 29-year old head coach of a team that had won 19 state championships in 24 years. I had the pressure of this being their final season, and now I had a Des Moines Register reporter in my back pocket following and recording my every move. Ken and I became friends and he turned out a great four-page spread on the town of Norway and the history of the baseball program. Being the head coach was more than just coaching the team but dealing with all the outside distractions that could easily take away from my main goal -- winning Norway’s 20^th state championship.”

The opposition quickly found out that despite the loss of its seniors and the fact that it was the Tigers’ final season, they had found new impact players and were far from demoralized. The turning point for Norway was its game versus Cedar Rapids Jefferson. Jefferson was ranked first in the largest class yet Norway beat them 1-0 and they entered the state tournament playoffs brimming with confidence.

The pre-game talk locker room had none of those cheesy speeches. Said Stock, “I can still remember sitting in the locker room before the state championship game. The locker room was very quiet. There was no pep talk that I could give that would describe how big this game was and the importance of going out as champions. I told the team….Everyone who has ever worn a Norway Jersey is with you today. Let’s win this for them and the great town of Norway!”

Norway beat South Clay Gillett grove 7-4 for their 20th State title in a 32-12 season closing on of amateur baseball’s most incredible stories.

There was no big celebration afterwards as the school quietly closed down.

Kent Stock is now the Principal for Oak Ridge School in Marion, Iowa.

The Norway Tigers’ glorious final season in chronicled in the movie The Final Season starring Sean Astin, Powers Boothe Rachael Leigh Cook, and Tom Arnold.

Thanks to Coach Kent Stock for the exclusive interview and to Staci Griesbach of Sony Pictures for facilitating it.

One bright spot in an otherwise dreary campaign

Liverpool FC's Dutch internationalist Dirk Kuyt is supporting any effort for his teammate Fernando Torres to break Ruud Van Nistelrooy's English Premiere League goal scoring record for a first year player. Van Niselrooy tallied 23 for Manchester United in 2001 in 32 matches.

Torres last season was with Atletico Madrid and so far has 19 EPL goals and another 6 in various other games for a total of 25 making him the first Liverpool player to score more than 20 since Michael Owen turned the trick in 2003.

"It's a big achievement for him if he can reach 20 league goals, especially in his first season, and it's unbelievable how quickly he has settled in at Liverpool because I know what it is like to try and settle in here," said Kuyt.

"It's especially hard when you're from Spain and you speak a different language, so to play so well in his first season is amazing. He can only be proud of what he's done. He could score 30 goals this season. If we can keep playing like this as a team, we know we can give the chances to Fernando.

"At the moment he's scoring nearly every game and if he keeps doing that, we are going to make fourth easily. But we'll have to see what happens.

"It looks really easy what he does, but it isn't that easy. It's because he's a great player and he's doing really well. It's just his first season and he can only get better and better.

"He's unbelievable. It's a little bit boring to say it all the time because he seems to score hat-tricks every week almost."

And to think Torres has missed a number of games due to injury.

Go Reds!

Get ready for a slobberknocker

Wouldn't you like to be in the business end of these guys' fists? Put up your dukes and let's get down to it.

Notes and comments

Thanks to the positive feedback on A Woman' Touch. That was written around October of last year for the third and long-delayed issue of Blueblood. Hey, Loudette, get that out!

I remember years ago when GMA 7 "revolutionized" television news reporting by putting younger and more fresh faces and tones on the screen with Mari Kaimo, Risa Hontiveros (she was one of my mentors beginning with Orsem), Marga Ortigas, and Vicky Morales. The latter three ladies were all Ateneans and all in school around my time there. Marga who I think is with Al Jazeera was kind of controversial especially when she did the weather report because of the way she gesticulated. Hahaha. If you ask me, women were upset because men were now watching the news just to look at all the pretty faces.

I was trying to get an interview with Vicky but for some reason I couldn't get through. So I decided to write about women in Ateneo. There was a lot of material that we had to cut out. There are I am sure a whole lot more interesting stories to add there except at that time I had a deadline. So if there are any more folks out there willing to add to it, please feel free to write.

Anyways, in my honest opinion, there are four significant "episodes" in Ateneo's history in the last 60 years ---

1) the move to Loyola Heights - a significant impact because it allowed for expansion, a different and more vibrant atmosphere away from the hustle and bustle of the University Belt. In fact, it spawned a whole new community outside the campus -- Xavierville, Loyola Heights, Loyola Grand Villas. Do you even know in Kingsville Subdivision along Marcos highway, there is an Ateneo Road? Sabagay in a nearby community along Sumulong Highway there's a village called FEU Village. Hahahaha. I'd say outside ADMU, it's only our esteemed neighbors, the University of the Philippines that has as much (maybe more) impact with regards to communities.
And imagine if we had stayed in U-Belt, Fr. James Reuter would have never written the words, "down from the Hill." That phrase has been used ad infinitum for a variety of means. Think of it,
we'd be singing instead "down from the LRT." Hahahaha. Great thinking, Fr. Masterson!

2) the entrance of women into the Ateneo - I guess you know all about that

3) the move from the NCAA to the UAAP - If we ruled the NCAA then (remember it took quite awhile for Letran to overhaul our number of hoops titles) moving to the UAAP was difficult because of the widespread demoralization of the athletes. It took awhile before our players decided to take it seriously and make a game of it. Back then, the UAAP was considered the lesser league. I know a lot of people frown upon the Ateneo-La Salle rivalry but face facts, true believers (now I'm sounding like Stan Lee), it is what it is.

4) the opening of the Ateneo school in Salcedo Village in Makati. We were the first to see the potential of tapping working professionals in their environment so they could continue their education. The law school was there as well. And now you have Rockwell and the Med School. The Med School in the near future will be a category unto itself when it begins to produce great doctors.

I'm tempted to include EDSA I, II, and others but no. Everyone else whether you were in school or not was affected by that. Besides what has more significant impact than World War II? Martial Law saw a number of Ateneans head to the hills (not down from the hill) to join an armed rebellion. Some of them in fact, our in our Heroes Hall of Fame which in my opinion is a joke. Some of them were kicked out of school for subversive activities and now the school saw it fit to mend fences by honoring them. Sabagay, si Erap after so many years was eventually invited back to the school during his time as President. I was at the Homecoming when he gave his speech and the reception was "polite" at first then a little warmer... just a little. He passed by my table and shook hands with me. At first I wasn't sure what to do after all it was my dad and his classmates Noel Trinidad, Mahar Mangahas, and Lito Atienza who stood out in their 4-A class.

But in the next Homecoming, I purchased that t-shirt that had in the front an illustration of a blue eagle kicking out the silhouette of the President with the words "sinipa natin noon" then in the back, "sipain natin ulit ngayon." Man, I had a laugh with that. I know I still have my shirt somewhere in my closet.

Hmm. I've strayed once more. But events like that have been a part of the Philippine university life. So they're not exclusive to us.

Just to add to the 1986 EDSA Revolution. One of my high school and college classmates was the nephew of Imelda Marcos -- John John Romualdez. We were always friends and despite Ateneo being an opposition school we never spoke of personal politics. My dad along with Chino Roces and Vic Sison were instrumental in getting Cory Aquino to run for the highest position in the land. Mr. Sison's sons Chim and Philip (the Ateneo sports shooter) are some of my closest friends and we were together in the Ateneo and UP Chapter of the CAPM (Cory Aquino for President Movement) along with a number of others.

One time we were putting up streamers along the several waiting sheds in Katipunan (there was one to the right side of Gate 2 and two more in between Gates 2 and 3). Us CAPM guys on one side, and John John and his crew on the other when he called me out. I crossed over to the other side (there was no traffic whatsoever in Katipunan then or anywhere else in Manila then hahahaha). On top of one shed were a number of severed hands that were rotting. They had their nails pulled out and had cigarette burns all over. That was real frightening more so when we called the Metrocom cops -- anyone remember them -- who interrogated us but backed off when they found out a Romualdez was among us. A week or so after that, me and some dormers were accosted by more cops who wanted to arrest us for putting up streamers on the wall outside SM Cubao. During a rally at UP, we were with then- State U Student Council President Chito Gascon when a pickpocket thought about pilfering my wallet. The thief ripped my backpocket open with a cutter to get it but in doing so also exposed my undies. Imagine being on the podium with Mrs. Aquino and a number of figures with my skinny butt exposed. Hahahaha. By the way, thanks to Chito Gascon who literally saved my behind that day by lending me a pair of gym shorts. I never did get to return it, dude!

Hay naku. Ang layo na. I started out by pointing out significant episodes in Ateneo's history and I ramble on. Hey, it's my blog! hahaha.

Anyways, those in my opinion are the four biggest developments in Ateneo history in the last few years.

I'm also in the Exe Com for Project 150. A coffee table book that will feature 150 Ateneans who best exemplify the school's ideals in the last 150 years. We will be publishing criteria and other details on how alumni can get involved in "nominating" or helping out in this most difficult endeavor. But already the discussions are interesting and fascinating.

Have a great weekend!

Strike Two

Former Philippine Basketball Association Technical Head (the dude in charge of officiating) Perry Martinez stepped down and retired from the league because "of a confluence of events that happened." He was referring to the suspension of Purefoods gunner James Yap for Game 5 which was won by Sta. Lucia.

Perry, who played alongside Chot Reyes, Jeric Hechanova, Mike Facundo, and Jojo Lastimosa for the Ateneo Blue Eagles, retired because he was being transfered to the Operations Department after his row with League commissioner Sonny Barrios. He also cited health reasons, something I know that is also true. But methinks, it was that disagreement with Barrios that precipitated all this.

Believe it or not, Martinez is the second Atenean to leave the PBA management over a dispute involving Sta. Lucia. And the other one is a little more ... exp...

Poll Results - What's the worst problem plaguing sports right now?

Gambling and betting -- 25 votes
Inept officiating -- 21 votes
Cheating -- 15 votes
Commercialism -- 14 votes
Drugs -- 10 votes
The sports authorities -- 14 votes
The athletes themselves -- 7 votes

Thanks for voting!

What's my age again?

When the French Premiere League team, Arsenal (they are French not English, Theo Walcott aside*) defeated AC Milan in the knockout rounds of the UEFA Champions League last March 4, much ado was made about the Italian team's collective age.

If Arsene Wenger's lads had come of age with that brilliant 2-0 win, Carlo Ancelotti's defending champs were described to be a flawed aging team (witness their poor Serie A play they said).

Harrumph! Excusez moi. If anyone was paying attention in 2005, the Rossoneri disposed of Shaktar Donetsk, Celtic, Barcelona, Manchester United, Inter Milan, and PSV Eindhoven on their way to Istanbul. They were the overwhelming favorites to beat Liverpool only they didn't. So they were accused of not only one of football's biggest meltdowns but actually overachieving owing to age. Geez!

In 2007, when the two teams squared off for the rematch, Milan were once more the favorites but concerns were made once more about their age. Ancelotti's team got their revenge but not before a bout with deja vu as the Reds scored a last gasp goal and nearly equalized before falling 2-1.

And in 2008, after getting knocked out, Milan's problem is said once more to be their age. Well, I don't know anyone who gets younger after every year but aside from their retiring skipper Paolo Maldini (who has played professionally for 23 years for the Red Blacks) and Dutch internationalist Clarence Seedorf, is this team really on its last legs?

The same was said about the Chicago Bulls in 1998. After a stellar 62-20 regular season , a first round sweep against New Jersey, a 4-1 win versus Charlotte, the Bulls were taken to a seventh game by the hungry Indiana Pacers and another six game Finals series by the Utah Jazz. As the road became harder for the Bulls to traverse, they were said to be an aging team. How the F does a team age that fast with the span of a few weeks?

I'm tempted to say that the critics have selective memory due to age, but in truth, I think it's Alzheimer's.

Forza Maldini!

* Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is French. Ditto with team captain William Gallas, Gael Clichy, Armand Trarore, Matthieu Flamini, Bacary Sagna, and Abou Diaby. To think that they lost Thierry Henry in the off season to FC Barcelona. This team should be the Ligue 1 champs!

He said what?

This is a really old one dating back to the early 1960's...

Upon hearing Washington Redskins Offensive Tackle Joe Jacoby say, "I'd run over my own mother to win the Super Bowl," the Oakland Raiders' linebacker Matt Millen (now President and CEO of the Detroit Lions) said, "To win, I'd run over Joe's mom too."

Bwahaha!

The end of a long and Favre journey

photo by John Biever/SI

61, 665 passing yards, 442 touchdowns, 116 victories in 17 regular season, and one Super Bowl championship.

The Green Bay Packers' great quarterback Brett Favre finally hangs it up.

I may have not pulled for the Packers but it was always a fun game to watch when this team was around. And with Favre in the pocket, you knew that they always had a chance to win.

Thanks to one of the all-time big game quarterbacks for a great career!