Near the end

I am writing this with a bleeding heart. The Texas Rangers once again dumped the New York Yankees, this time 10-3, to take a 3-1 lead in the American League Conference Series.

If the Rangers win one more time, then they are in the World Series. This can happen today in Game 5, but I am still hoping for a miracle.

In Game 1 of the series, the Yankees overcame a 0-5 advantage to win 6-5, but the next three games were dominated by the Rangers, who are hoping to make it to the World Series for the first time in the 50 years of the franchise.

I hope that baseball doesn't sound so alien anymore here in Cebu, because this is one sport where people built like us have a good chance of making it to the big league.

Baseball is big in Taiwan, Korea and Japan. If you don't make it to Major League Baseball, then there are leagues in nearby countries that you can probably aim for.

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Filipinos have done well in the international stage in sports like boxing and billiards. Although we try so hard, our chances of having the RP team make it to the Olympic Games are very slim.

As we have said so many times, we cannot also just ignore basketball as a sport, since it can serve as a catalyst to get people interested in sports activities.

I just hope, for the one millionth time hehehe…, that the government officials will realize that there are sports events that they can support, which will not only develop athletes for inter-barangay or inter-sitio events, but for the world stage.

The biggest stumbling block is that most political leaders don't understand what real sports development is.

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I had a very pleasant surprise at the office late yesterday afternoon, my good friend Gerard Uymatiao of Dumaguete City, who came to visit to help in the project of Freeman Foundation.

Gerard used to update me about the latest in the sports scene in Dumaguete City during the early years of my career as a sports journalist. 

He was actively involved in volleyball then and gave me regular updates of the competitions happening in the capital city of Negros Oriental.

Sports journalism has allowed me to make many friends in over 20 years covering different events in various parts of the country.

There are some friends, who I rarely see, but that doesn't make them lesser than those that I often bump into. Gerard is one of those friends, who I rarely see or get in touch with, but then the tie that bonds us together is our love for sports.

The last time I was in Dumaguete City, my golf buddy from that place, Joel Tan, showed me around town. Their stadium was still being built then.

I have heard much of the new stadium in Dumaguete, but I haven't had a good excuse to make the short hop from the town of Samboan to Negros.

Gerard said that the Uni Games will open this weekend, but it's too late to plan a trip. Maybe early next year there will be a reason to go there.

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MILESTONES: Belated happy birthday to my Tao sister Rethel Horwitz-Bowen, who turned a year older yesterday.

Today's greetings go to my good friend Moises "Loloy" Soriaga aka Totch, Ardelle Merton-Gollon, Paul Pioquinto and Mislaini Umabong.

Advance happy birthday to Darlene Dayoc and Dominic Celocia, who are both celebrating tomorrow.

More power to all of you!