Wishes for 2013
Dreams. Fantasy. Wishes. We call them as such because chances of these things happening are next to miraculous. But every once in a while, things go our way that hanging on to our dreams is not a bad and futile idea after all. Maybe once or twice in our lifetime, fantasy becomes reality.
In this fourth day of the new year, I’m sharing with you my wishes for the year ahead beginning with....
1 ) The Philippine Azkals coming to town for another international match. I don’t care if it’s a friendly or unfriendly game. We have proven to the football community that Cebu can very well host (and out-shout other stadium crowds) this kind of international event. Sure, there were some lapses but it is thru these things that we learn and then we refine and improve the next time around. Meanwhile, having UFL games here would be a welcome boost to Cebuano football.
2 ) Maintenance of the Cebu City Sports Center football pitch. We can’t bring back the Azkals or host other league matches and shout ourselves hoarse if we can’t maintain the almost magical transformation of the field. What used to be rice paddy muddy when rainy and dusty when sunny has passed international football standards and I hate to see it violated with a stage cultivated and grown on it now that Sinulog is peeking at the gates. Maintenance is not limited to the pitch but also holds true with the newly rehabilitated rubberized track oval. The public should have some heart and at least show some concern on the resources spent in the rehabilitation of CCSC.
3 ) Spectator sports always have a way of frustrating the public and that referees and game officials are the usual suspects. We were not made perfect but I do wish that officiating, especially in school-based leagues will improve. At least we spare the referees from some of our game-induced tantrums. The CESAFI is a breeding ground for future talents and the least we can do is have some sanity on judgement calls.
4 ) Unless he focuses only on the one thing that he does best, I wish for our PacMan to hang up his gloves and retire. He has nothing else to prove. PacMan has enough money already even to finance a rebellion in a small African nation. He has a loving family (Nanay D included, of course), has legions of adoring fans in and out of the country, has several business holdings and is very influential in this typhoon-friendly republic. He even has a flock of pastors who promise him a thousand angels whenever he fights. What more can Manny Pacquiao ask. But let me ask one thing. Whatever happened to these angels in his last two fights? Missed their flights?
5 ) Still on boxing. I wish for Cebu’s top promoters, Mr. Tony Aldeguer and Mr. Sammy Gello-ani to continue with their promotions thereby supporting and giving the much needed exposure to our home-grown fighters. PacMan and the likes of Nonito Donaire and Brian Viloria won’t be boxing forever and the time is ripe to pick their successors.
6 ) Whoever will be sitting at the Provincial Capitol come July, be it PJ or HD, I wish for a new lease on life for the GUV Cup. It would be a waste to see the demise of the country’s biggest and most successful provincial-based amateur volleyball tournament. For continuity, logic dictates to the letters P and J.
7 ) The Davis Cup Tie and the XTerra Triathlon series again touches down on our shores this year. This is sports tourism at its finest. My wish is for more international sporting events landing in Cebu thereby establishing our place as an alternate foreign sports destination.
8 ) I wish for Japeth Aguilar to come back and play in the PBA. He has the distinction of being the only Filipino player ever to show his wares with legitimate NBA personnel in attendance and has in fact tried out and played briefly with a D-League squad. The experience was a boost to his career and he will be a big draw if ever he plays again in a PBA uniform, battling the likes of Junemar Fajardo, Rabeh Al-Jussaini, Ali Peek, Yancy DeOcampo and Rico Villanueva.
9 ) It’s still a long way to the NBA playoffs but my biggest wish is a Laker-Knick finals come June. This will be a classic battle between two basketball teams overflowing with tradition. Miami and Oklahoma could crash the post-season party with the Clippers as a potential threat. If by some twist of fate this matchup do materialize, you already know my obvious choice for the crown.
10) I wish for the Formula One or the Moto GP to make landfall in our country. It would be nice to see the world’s big names in motor racing up close and personal. We can always pit them with our passenger multi-cab drivers who speed up and down the highways at night without their headlights. Disciplined speed demons versus stupidly idiotic speed freaks.
11) Lastly, I wish for the immediate settlement of the issue happening at the Provincial Capitol. The two ladies had been flexing their muscles worthy of a body building competition. I will lose whatever little finesse I have if I attempt to discuss the ongoing controversy. Besides, radio personalities are already doing a great job with their ridiculously nasty and borderline libellous commentaries.
Wishes could come true. Hopefully, some of these may find reality, especially the last wish. If not, so be it. There’s no harm in clinging to our dreams and fantasies. Let’s just do away with the nightmares.
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