CEBU, Philippines - The old rivalry between Manila and Cebu will be renewed as Baseball Philippines stages a one-day action between the Cebu Dolphins and the Manila Sharks under the “Independence Day Encounter” this Sunday at the Aboitiz Sports Field in Brgy. Subangdaku, Mandaue City.
It will be the first time that the Cebuanos will get to see their own bets in the National Series playing in their hometown.
“I’m hoping that the fans will be cheering for us and see for themselves how we play,” said Cebu Dolphins coach Isaac Bacarisas.
"We have long been inviting the Cebu Dolphins and Baseball Philippines to come to Cebu for us Cebuanos to be acquainted with the teams and the league itself. And now they are finally coming. We are all very excited. This will be a big boost to Fastball's goal of bringing back the popularity of baseball in Cebu", said Fastball general manager Jesse Bernad.
The four-year-old league, which is now on its eighth series, has been playing most of its games in Manila at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. Recently, the league also played games in nearby provinces of Batangas and Laguna.
And in an unprecedented move, Baseball Philippines and Cebu's Fastball Sportsventure will take the games in the Queen City of the South.
“Baseball Philippines is making an effort to bring the games closer to the people especially in the provinces. We hope that with this move, we can attract more fans to watch baseball,” said Baseball Philippines executive director Nolan Bernardino.
Prior to the game, the Dolphins and Sharks will hold a clinic for children as part of the league’s thrust to propagate the game up to the grassroots level.
"This is the latest event Fastball has in line for our current and future players who we plan to train for future competitions. The more we expose our young players to new playing techniques, the better it is for them to improve their game. Our advocacy is to give our kids the best opportunity to succeed in the game. And what better way than to to learn and watch the game from the Dolphins and Sharks themselves", adds Bernad. — (FREEMAN)