If the Mayans are to be believed, then this time next year none of us will be around anymore, and all sports as we know them will cease to exist. So before that happens (although surely all of us are hoping it won't), here are a few things I'd like to see in 2012:
An Olympic Miracle
From July 27 to August 12, London will be the center of the sporting world as it hosts the Games of the XXX Olympiad (btw, that's "30th"). And this early, the Philippines is already on pace to send one of our smallest delegations ever. Only one boxer, Mark Anthony Barriga, has qualified, although a few others have a chance of joining him in the last round of qualifiers. Taekwondo, once thought of as a potential medal producer, has already been shut out, and there's talk that we might be sending as few as five athletes to London.
Still, despite the long odds, I'm hoping one of our athletes will overcome all adversities and bring home a medal, preferably a gold. If it's happening, it will most likely come from boxing. On a side note, why can't they just allow professional boxers to compete in the Olympics? They're doing that in basketball, baseball and tennis, anyway.
The Youth Brigade Shining in '12
We have a lot of young, up-and-coming athletes who made names for themselves in 2011, and I'm hoping they build on their initial gains and achieve breakthrough progress in 2012. In tennis, 18-year-old Jeson Patrombon decided to forego college to pursue a career on the professional circuit, and he's now cracked the top 1,000 rankings of pro tennis. That may sound like nothing much, but remember he's only 18, and he's carving his own path as perhaps the first Filipino tennis player to turn pro while still officially young enough to compete in junior tournaments. There is no known blueprint for what he is doing. With steady progress, his coach Manny Tecson believes he can make it to the top 500 in 2012.
Other youngsters who could be up for a breakout year include 17-year-old golfer Miguel Tabuena, who turned pro in February and showed promise on the Asian Tour where he earned close to $10,000 in two tournaments, cue artist Carlo Biado, an extremely talented 25-year-old who made it to the semifinals of the World 10-Ball Championships, and 18-year-old UAAP cagers Kiefer Ravena and Bobby Ray Parks, who represent the future of Philippine basketball. Young Azkals Manny Ott, Jeff Christaens and OJ Porteria will also be worth watching in 2012.
Football's Continued Rise
Now that they have one year's worth of public scrutiny behind them, I'm wishing for the Azkals to continue their gains and do well in the AFC Challenge Cup in February. They are bracketed with the past three Challenge Cup champions, so it won't be an easy ride. As for the sport in general, may the UFL continue to grow, and the PFF continue to develop other age-group national teams. Also, please bring in more foreign clubs to play here.
Bring Rajko Toroman Back
I don't understand why the SBP is dilly-dallying in naming the next national team coach. You'd think that after the top four finish of Smart Gilas in the FIBA-Asia Championships last September, they'd be more than excited to immediately lay the groundwork for the next FIBA-Asia cycle. So far, they've named a pool of coaches, which includes Chot Reyes, Norman Black and Ryan Gregorio, with plans of inviting former national coaches Tim Cone and Jong Uichico to help out (and perhaps to avoid being accused of favoring only coaches of MVP-financed teams). Oh yeah, and Rajko Toroman, the guy who steered Smart Gilas to fourth place in the FIBA-Asia Championships, might be asked back as a "consultant".
This is just me, but one reason Toroman was so successful was because coaching Gilas was the only thing he did for three years. Last I looked, Reyes, Gregorio and Black are all coaching other teams as of the moment. It's been proven that coaching the national team on a part-time basis will get us nowhere. Also, if a guy has coached the Philippines to the last four in the FIBA-Asia, don't you think he's more than earned the right to continue coaching the national team? Toroman deserves to finish what he started, plain and simple. He knows international basketball like the back of his hand, and for Pete's sake, he's produced results. This should have been a slam dunk months ago. Instead, the poor man is still in Serbia, waiting for the SBP to call.
Unless, of course, someone else is coveting the job…
Making the Megafight Happen
It seems as if this has been on every sports fan's wish list for the past two years. We all thought it was finally gonna happen this May 5, but then Floyd manages to earn himself some jail time. Since Manny only fights twice a year, if the fight is going to happen in 2012, then November is the only month available. It has to happen in '12, because by '13 Manny will already be 34 and Floyd will be 36, and there's no guarantee the two will still be the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world by then. (Also, according to the Mayans, there may be no 2013).
I know this sounds more like an election ticket that will go up against Obama-Bieden, but all of us long-suffering boxing fans should adopt the slogan "Pacquiao-Mayweather in 2012!" Let's get this done, guys.
Now, for a couple of personal (and therefore biased) wishes for 2012. You've been warned.
UP Makes It to the Final Four
Let me make myself perfectly clear on this one: I am wishing this will happen, I'm not predicting it. I need to issue this clarification because some UP faithful are still blaming me for jinxing the 2010 team when I predicted they would make it to the Final Four. Again, this time around I'm just wishing it will happen.
I know the Fighting Maroons went 2-12 in Season 74, and I know other teams will still have solid line-ups. Libre naman mangarap, eh.
The Celtics Oust the Heat in the Eastern Conference Playoffs
Actually, the complete title for this one should include "And If They Make It to the NBA Finals Against the Lakers, They Beat the Lakers As Well."
E-mail: sid_ventura@yahoo.com.
1 comment