Injured stars

Michael Schumacher came very close to a podium finish last Sunday in the Turkish Grand Prix finishing fourth after starting fifth from the grid.

Schumi’s wasn’t really that close to third placer Mark Webber of Red Bull, but then the fact that he was just a position short of making it to the top 3 has given many of his fans a reason to hope for better finishes to come in the succeeding races.

There seems to be more to desire from Schumi’s Mercedes, but of course, while the machines can win races, there is still so much skills required of the drivers to take these cars through the finish line.

There are still several races to watch this season and hopefully we’ll see Schumi win at least one of them.

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The world’s biggest stage for football is set to unfold next week, but some of the biggest stars won’t be seen in action due to injuries.

Big names like David Beckham and Michael Ballack lead the list of notables that would not be seeing action in South Africa.

The biggest blow could be on England’s Beckham. The Major League Soccer (MLS) hotshot tore an Achilles tendon while on loan to AC Milan in the Italian League last March and has been given at least six months to get back to normal.

Six months after that surgery is going to be late September yet. Many believe that this is the last chance for Beckham to add a World Cup title to his already outstanding credentials as a football player, but the injury blow seems to have shattered that dream.

There are those who say that Beckham’s absence could also hurt advertising and television revenue for the World Cup organizers, but I think people would still watch the games with Beckham there or not.

England also had a scare with Wayne Rooney, but the 24-year-old Manchester United star said that he is fit and ready for action. In fact he has been taking part in every training session of their team since they all got together for the final preparations for the World Cup.

Germany has already announced the replacement for Ballack as team captain.

The midfielder injured his ankle during Chelsea’s 1-0 victory over Portsmouth in the FA Cup.

European champion Spain is also dealing with some World Cup injury troubles as three of its key players –Fernando Torres, Cesc Fabregas, and Andres Iniesta, have missed the closing of the season due to injuries.

 While the injuries to the stars may be a dampener, this doesn’t really make the spotlight dimmer when the curtain rises in South Africa.

Although there is no Philippine team to cheer for, maybe not in my lifetime, there are some teams that I’d be rooting for as it makes watching more fun.

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MILESTONES: Belated birthday greetings to Elizabeth de Dios-Bondoc and my fellow business columnist Chris Malazarte, who both turned a year older last Monday.

The same goes to Ann Batuhan-Rentuza, former PBA star Elmer ‘Boy’ Cabahug, my former squadleader Noel Gadayan Dumlao, and Joseph Alfafara, who all celebrated yesterday.

Today’s greetings go to AJ de la Torre and Sonny Abuzo.

More power to all of you!