Phil. Softball Team bat for SEAG Gold
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 03 Apr 2011
The Philippine Blu Boys and Blu Girls will be out to reaffirm the country?s supremacy in softball in the coming 2-11 Southeast Asian Games this November in Indonesia.
The Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines, in fact, has retained the chore of the Blu Boys and the Blu Girls who kept their titles for the nth time when the sport was last played four years ago in Thailand, according to ASA-Phil operations manager Jun Veloso.
Veloso, speaking in Friday?s SCOOP Sa Kamayan weekly session at the Kamayan Restaurant-Padre Faura, said the absence of softball in the 2009 Games in Laos made both the national men?s and women?s teams hungrier to once more exact their dominance over their counterparts in the 10 other countries in the region.
?Mas uhaw ang mga bata ngayon kasi nga di nila naidepensa ang korona two years ago because of the scrapping done by the organizing committee in Laos,? Veloso told members of the Sports Communicators Organization of the Philippines in the session sponsored by Coca Cola Bottling Philippines, TV-5 and FILA.
Twelve of the 15-player men?s team that won in Thailand in 2007 have been retained, Veloso announced. Seven of the Blu Girls squad that emerged triumphant that year are back to carry the country?s colors anew in Indonesia.
Baloy Pagkaliwagan, Vic Enriquez, Apolonio Rosales, Mark Rae Ramirez, Jasper Cabrera, Anthony Santos, Darius Bacarisas, Oscar Earnshaw Isidro Abello, Ben Maravilles and Orlando Binarao of the batch 2007 have again earned their slots going to Jakarta.
The news faces in the team, to be coached anew by Zacarias Bacarisas, are youthful hurler Leo Barredo, adjudged the 10th best pitcher in the 2009 World men?s championship in Canada, George Marquez and Jerome Bacarisas.
The disbandment of the team by the last Philippine Sports Commission administration depleted the Blu Girls lineup that saw only Syrel Ramos, Joy Lasquite, Cora Sobere, Sarah Agravante, Sherilyn Valenzuela, Dione Macasu, Esmeralda Tayag, Elma Parohinog and Lovelyn Maganda keeping their places.
They will be joined though by similarly international veterans Alex Zuluaga, Krissie Drilon, Anavic Jugos and Marlyn Francisco, who, incidentally, liker their seniors, are members of the team that ended up fifth in last year?s Asian Games.
Rookies Joan Pioquinto and Cheska Almonte rounded out coach Ana Santiago?s Blu Girls roster.
Veloso also announced that the National Open men?s and women?s championships will be held in La Trinidad in Benguet. It will be the second straight year that the province, headed by Gov. Nestor Fongwan will play host to the annual affair following last year?s hosting of the City of Baguio.
As in the past years, this year?s Open, which might draw the participation of at least three Asean countries ? Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei -- will be held under the aegis of the Cebuana Lhuillier group of companies owned by the family of ASA-Phil president Jean Henri Lhuillier.
?The three countries have signified their intentions to take part and we in the ASA-Phil are waiting for their official confirmation,? Veloso said.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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