Sports overload

CEBU, Philippines - The weekend gave us a blast in terms of major sporting events happening one after the other.

The events were so close to each other that it was hard to sleep as I waited for the telecast of the action.

When I finally got to bed at dawn last Sunday, I could not anymore wake up to be at Run UP High, which is the reason I was missing from the action. It’s not that I was really planning to run in the 3-K event, which I signed up for, but more to give support to my alma mater.

I got good feedback from those who were there including sports editor Manny Villaruel, who ran in the 12-K event.

Yes, for those who haven’t seen Manny for the past five years, you’d be surprised to see how he has slimmed down.

He must have been inspired by our good friend Archt. Alan Choachuy, who did not only gain fame on a reality TV show, but also lost a lot of weight in the process.

Keep on running guys and even if I am not fit to hit the road yet, I am happy to see you guys doing well.

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Now that I don’t have a team in the NBA Finals, my compadre Koko Holganza is convincing me to root for the team that has one member with Filipino blood.

Koko reminded me that Erik Spoelstra, head coach of the Miami Heat, is half Filipino. He also reminded me that Spoelstra has also been very unselfish to share his knowledge with the Filipinos.

I remembered that he was in the country a couple of years back and did a basketball clinic in Zamboanga where his mother’s family comes from.

To many, the hardest part about liking the Heat is LeBron James. I just hope that when the Heat would win they would not only give credit to the players, but the coach as well.

There is a saying that goes, “Players win games and coaches lose them.”

Against the Thunder, the Heat seems to have a better chance of winning the title, but anything can happen so let’s just enjoy the action.

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The Euro 2012 is keeping many football fans in this part of the world awake until the wee hours of the morning.

It’s just too bad that only the second game of the day, which kicks-off at around 2:45 a.m. gets aired live on channel 40 of SkyCable TV.

I was hoping to watch the Spain vs. Italy and the England vs. France matches live, but had to be satisfied with following the action via the Internet.

While the World Cup is the biggest stage for football, the Euro should be arguably the second biggest for us in the Philippines considering that the participants are among the top footballing nations of the world.

I hope the first games would soon be aired live.

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MILESTONES: Belated happy birthday greetings to those who celebrated last Monday like my schoolmates Icky Salazar and Roy Ho, who was also formerly and editor of The Freeman. The same goes to France Grace Martinez.

Belated greetings also go to those who celebrated yesterday like Dr. Hamabad Ranile, Janet Balbin-Hart, and Plantation Bay’s Johannah Marie Patalinjug.

Today’s greetings go to former AFP Chief of Staff Alexander Yano, Joel Anthony Co, Christian Rodriguez, and former editor Marivir Montebon.

More power to all of you! (FREEMAN)