Inspiring stories

There once was a scrawny, geeky little girl who was always the last picked for sports, especially baseball. The butt of insults, the team captain who would always pick her in the third grade rolled her eyes to the sky when she picked little Kathy with the skinny legs.

It hurt to be the left out, to be considered incompetent at such an early age. Kathy buried herself in books and in the warm comfort of a loving home which made her more secure in herself.

One day, Kathy’s teacher asked her to stay after class, concerned that she didn’t mingle with other kids. Then she told Kathy that there would never be anyone to draw her out and be her friend unless she made the first move. Kathy got the message.

She also decided she would be the best baseball player she could be. She watched it on television, she studied the best players, she read books about it. By the fifth grade, she was no longer picked last. She was always first. Sure, she was still the skinny-legged, geeky-looking grade schooler, but she had an air of confidence that radiated from inside.

In the next few years, her body caught up with her confidence. She became a gorgeous supermodel, constantly in demand. And, with her deep sense of self-confidence, she never did anything she didn’t feel like doing. She never took her top off, and yet was so popular and so stunning she made the cover of Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit edition more than once.

That girl is Kathy Ireland.

There once was a little boy who slipped on a coffee can lid and tore up his knee. Doctors sewed him up with eighteen stitches, and said he would never walk again. His mother disagreed. Young Michael worked hard to strengthen himself, dragging his leg braces wherever he wanted to go.

There came a time when the braces actually did more harm than good. In a big gamble, he ripped them off, deciding not to be dependent on them, Michael learned how to play basketball, a game he loved so much.

Because he started a little late, he didn’t develop right. But, in the 1980’s; he became a full-fledged superstar, playing alongside Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the Los Angeles Lakers won five NBA championships in that decade. More importantly, he was the one defender Celtics great Larry Bird feared.

This boy, whom they said would never walk, also developed a trademark move, making eye contact with Magic and catching a pass in mid-air to dunk it in. They called it the "Coop-a-loop".

His name is Michael Cooper.

Then there was a little kid who loved billiards. He spent so much time in billiard halls that he would even sleep on top of the marble tables to catch a breather. The young kid spent so much time with adults that his phenomenal ability embarrassed many of them.

As he grew, and without the benefit of prosperity, he became known for a sport that was played in smoky halls and considered a gambler’s game. Soon, his game outgrew even his country. Playing abroad, he gained a reputation as a killer with a cue stick. The toothless wonder terrorized his opponents wherever he went. "One miss, you die," was their common theme.

But he always remained humble, scratching his head at his newfound fame and fortune.

It was only three years ago that he was given the opportunity to prove he was the greatest player in the world. The first World 9-Ball championship was being played in Cardiff, Wales, and 96 of the world’s greatest would be there. Needless to say, he won, cementing his name in pool’s history books.

His name is Efren Reyes.

And finally, there was a stringbean of a boy who was born with asthma, scoliosis, migraines and flat fleet. He struggled with every sport to outgrow these "factory defects", often crying at the hardship God had seemingly bestowed upon him.

But the kid found inspiration in stories like the ones above, and became determined to live a normal, healthy life, like all the other kids who didn’t have to spend two or three hours a day getting stronger. He even dreamed of making the high school football and varsity basketball team, and actually did both, albeit for a brief while.

Later on, he kept close to sports, giving back by enlightening a growing television audience with all he had learned.

That kid was me.

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Today, The Basketball Show goes one-on-one with Noy Castillo, probably the most controversial among the players chosen for the RP team, and chats with Ernie de Leon, the PBA’s most outstanding referee the past few years. The program is also giving away a three-day, two- night stay at Pearl of the Pacific Boracay. Watch to find out how you can win. The Basketball Show airs on RPN 9 every Saturday at 12 noon, and is sponsored by Columbia International and Accel sports gear.