I can’t help but smile a lot after the great news yesterday. The San Antonio Spurs beat the New Orleans Hornets, 91-82, in game 7 of their series to advance to the Western Conference finals with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Many have written off the defending champions after two successive defeats in the hands of the Hornets at the start of their seven-game series.
The two big wins of the Spurs when the series shifted to San Antonio did not really impress many, but I have remained hopeful.
So, will it be a San Antonio-Boston championship series? I’d like to think so, but then don’t use my biased take on the Western championship. I know many are looking forward to a revival of the 1980s rivalry of the Lakers and the Celtics, but then nobody can really tell this early.
It would be nice to argue about the reasons why you think your team is going to make it, but to avoid any arguments, let’s remember that your guess is just as good as mine.
* * *
I received the results of the first round of the 1st Mactan Junior Open Golf Tournament late yesterday afternoon and it seems that players from the host Mactan Island Golf Club, Cebu Country Club, Alta Vista Golf and Country Club, and Bukidnon’s Del Monte Golf Club have found themselves on the lead in the many categories.
Louie Mariano of Del Monte leads class A for boys with 77 strokes and is followed closely by Edsel Tan of AVGCC and Shotaru Soda of CCC with 78 apiece.
Kristine Leonen of Del Monte leads the girls class A with 79 strokes.
Del Monte’s Clyde Mondilla paces class B for boys with 78 while Irina Gabasa of Alta Vista leads the distaff side with 80.
Harvey Sytiongsa of CCC leads boys’ class C with 83 while the girls’ division leader is Alta Vista’s Juilly Vasandani with 93.
Del Monte’s Jelbert Gamolo paces class D for boys with 97 and my nephew Horace Roy Acas of alta Vista is at third place in this group with 103. Ace is the son of Rolando Q. Acas, who wasn’t exactly my favorite classmate in Grade-6, but is now one of my buddies among my cousins.
For girls’ class D, Rachita Vasandani of Mactan set the pace with 92.
Wei Yu Gao and Wei Wei Gao of Alta Vista along with Shailesh Vasandani of Mactan all scored 43 strokes to share the boys’ class E lead. Lois Kaye Go is the leader for the girls’ class with 34.
The final round of the two-day event will be played today.
* * *
Athletes are among the most superstitious people.
Tiger Woods wears only red shirts on the final round of a tournament. I have a very close friend who never uses No. 4 golf balls.
I used to get a haircut before competing in a judo tournament, which isn’t really freaky.
But a story on New York Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi seems to knock everyone off. He admitted on a website that he wears a gold lame, tiger-stripe thong under his uniform when he is desperate to get out of a big slump.
I’ve seen this in a movie somewhere.
* * *
MILESTONES: Belated birthday greetings to my nephew Nyle Santino Q. Addington, who turned three years old last Sunday.
Belated happy birthday greetings also go to Nanay Emma A. Quiñones, who celebrated her birthday last Monday.
More power!