Five novice baseball teams from Manila, Makati, Laguna, Cebu and Negros Occidental are poised to form a new league that may become semi-pro in the future if its inaugural series at the Rizal Memorial Baseball field on May 27 is successful.
Bannering Manila will be the Manila Sharks mentored by National University coach Jhoel Palanog, while the Makati Mariners will be handled by UST mentor Jeffrey Santiago.
Meanwhile, the Cebu Dolphins will be under Isaac Bacarisas, current head coach of De La Salle, even as the Negros Roosters will be handled by Bert Ituralde of the Philippine Air Force; while the Laguna Tigers will be led by RP team coach Edgardo de los Reyes.
Baseball Philippines (BI) aims to develop the sport that was so popular among the Filipinos in the '60s until late '70s to raise its quality of play to a higher level.
Baseball Philippines, a community-based league designed not only to provide support for baseball but also to sustain the resurgence of the sport in the youth and adult sectors, formally kicks off this Sunday with Community Sports, Inc. (CSI), a joint venture between Sports Vision Management Group, Inc. and Pure Play Sports Management, Inc., staging the event.
The men behind the tournament appeared in Tuesday's PSA Forum at the main function room of the Pantalan Restaurant in Manila, where all of them insisted baseball still has a place in Philippine sports despite its declining popularity here in the past decades.
"There's a growing interest in baseball, it never really died after the sport's golden year in the '50s," said CSI Vice Chairman and Pure Play Sports president Anthony Suntay in the weekly forum sponsored by PAGCOR, Manila Mayor Lito Atienza and son Arnold `Ali' Atienza.
"We're here to help Philippines embrace again this very beautiful game," added Mike Strybel, a long time NCAA Division 1 umpire and now Baseball Philippines technical adviser.
The league wants to promote the sport as an alternative to community-based entertainment and at the same time, develop athletes who can be tapped and trained to become members of the national team to various international competitions.
In fact, the Philippine Amateur Baseball Association (PABA), through president Hector Navasero, has given full recognition to the event by signing a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with CSI President Moying Martelino; and has allowed members of the national team to be equally distributed to the participating teams to ensure competitiveness and parity in the league.
"The program is now embodied in the yearly program of PABA and was included in the program we submitted to the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC)," said Eladio Baradas, PABA vice president, who was also present during the late morning forum.
Other guests were Leslie Suntay - Decisions Committee Member, Bacchus Ledesma- Director for League Operations, Richard Cruz- Team owner of Manila Sharks and corporate representative for Harbour Centre, Elaido Baradas- Team owner for Laguna Tigers and corporate representative for Entom Inc., also the Vice-President of PABA, Jude Turcuato- Vice-President of Solar Sports and Ernesto "Baby" Adorable- Umpire in Chief.
Turcuato said Solar Sports would be airing highlights and other select features of the tournament.
"Since covering baseball games requires a lot of technicality, what we'll show instead, are highlights and sequences of every games. We'll also update viewers on the scores, team standings and other happenings around the league in every telecast of Solar Sports Desk," Turcuato added.
Strybel brings over 25 years of baseball umpiring with him to the Philippines.
Even while still playing, he began working youth baseball and progressed through the ranks - earning many post-season assignments at the High School, American Legion, NJCAA and NCAA levels.
He has been assigned as the Crew Chief and Plate Umpire for the NJCAA and American Legion National Championships and takes great pride in having worked as an umpire throughout the United States.
He will work pro-bono for the event and is very passionate in improving the way to run tournaments here which he wants professionalized.
Jim Small, vice president of MLB-Asia welcomed the project, vowing their support by way of bringing in their top marketing people and some of their coaches from the United States to help in laying the foundation for Baseball Philippines.
"We will do it, we will have somebody this year to work on it," said Small, who was in Manila recently to meet with some of the country's baseball stakeholders and officials of CSI.
The league's concept will be patterned after the Major League where teams will represent a city, province or town in a two-conference season with prospective sponsors directly doing business with BP.
For its pilot series, five teams will clash in single round robin series with the top finisher clashing with the No. 4 team in the semis and the Nos. 2 and 3 squads clashing in the other semis duel.
Winners will dispute the title in a winner-take- all match.
The Dolphins and the Mariners kick off hostilities in the 9 a.m. game while the Sharks and the Tigers mix it up at 4 p.m.
Other venues being eyed aside from the old Rizal Memorial baseball field are the Sto. Nino grounds in Marikina, Subic, Clark in Pampanga, Lipa, Tanauan, Batangas, Los Banos and Canlubang in Laguna.
"The important ingredients are already in place, the sponsors, participants and stakeholders," said CSI President and Sports Vision chair Moying Martelino.
"Next to Japan, Chinese Taipei, Korea and China, the Philippines is a pretty good investment," said Small.
"Give the Philippines a chance to beat Thailand, Taiwan or even South Korea. We can do it if you help us succeed," added Strybel, who thinks baseball should be a great sport for Asians because it does not require so much height and heft like basketball. (PNA)
Bannering Manila will be the Manila Sharks mentored by National University coach Jhoel Palanog, while the Makati Mariners will be handled by UST mentor Jeffrey Santiago.
Meanwhile, the Cebu Dolphins will be under Isaac Bacarisas, current head coach of De La Salle, even as the Negros Roosters will be handled by Bert Ituralde of the Philippine Air Force; while the Laguna Tigers will be led by RP team coach Edgardo de los Reyes.
Baseball Philippines (BI) aims to develop the sport that was so popular among the Filipinos in the '60s until late '70s to raise its quality of play to a higher level.
Baseball Philippines, a community-based league designed not only to provide support for baseball but also to sustain the resurgence of the sport in the youth and adult sectors, formally kicks off this Sunday with Community Sports, Inc. (CSI), a joint venture between Sports Vision Management Group, Inc. and Pure Play Sports Management, Inc., staging the event.
The men behind the tournament appeared in Tuesday's PSA Forum at the main function room of the Pantalan Restaurant in Manila, where all of them insisted baseball still has a place in Philippine sports despite its declining popularity here in the past decades.
"There's a growing interest in baseball, it never really died after the sport's golden year in the '50s," said CSI Vice Chairman and Pure Play Sports president Anthony Suntay in the weekly forum sponsored by PAGCOR, Manila Mayor Lito Atienza and son Arnold `Ali' Atienza.
"We're here to help Philippines embrace again this very beautiful game," added Mike Strybel, a long time NCAA Division 1 umpire and now Baseball Philippines technical adviser.
The league wants to promote the sport as an alternative to community-based entertainment and at the same time, develop athletes who can be tapped and trained to become members of the national team to various international competitions.
In fact, the Philippine Amateur Baseball Association (PABA), through president Hector Navasero, has given full recognition to the event by signing a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with CSI President Moying Martelino; and has allowed members of the national team to be equally distributed to the participating teams to ensure competitiveness and parity in the league.
"The program is now embodied in the yearly program of PABA and was included in the program we submitted to the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC)," said Eladio Baradas, PABA vice president, who was also present during the late morning forum.
Other guests were Leslie Suntay - Decisions Committee Member, Bacchus Ledesma- Director for League Operations, Richard Cruz- Team owner of Manila Sharks and corporate representative for Harbour Centre, Elaido Baradas- Team owner for Laguna Tigers and corporate representative for Entom Inc., also the Vice-President of PABA, Jude Turcuato- Vice-President of Solar Sports and Ernesto "Baby" Adorable- Umpire in Chief.
Turcuato said Solar Sports would be airing highlights and other select features of the tournament.
"Since covering baseball games requires a lot of technicality, what we'll show instead, are highlights and sequences of every games. We'll also update viewers on the scores, team standings and other happenings around the league in every telecast of Solar Sports Desk," Turcuato added.
Strybel brings over 25 years of baseball umpiring with him to the Philippines.
Even while still playing, he began working youth baseball and progressed through the ranks - earning many post-season assignments at the High School, American Legion, NJCAA and NCAA levels.
He has been assigned as the Crew Chief and Plate Umpire for the NJCAA and American Legion National Championships and takes great pride in having worked as an umpire throughout the United States.
He will work pro-bono for the event and is very passionate in improving the way to run tournaments here which he wants professionalized.
Jim Small, vice president of MLB-Asia welcomed the project, vowing their support by way of bringing in their top marketing people and some of their coaches from the United States to help in laying the foundation for Baseball Philippines.
"We will do it, we will have somebody this year to work on it," said Small, who was in Manila recently to meet with some of the country's baseball stakeholders and officials of CSI.
The league's concept will be patterned after the Major League where teams will represent a city, province or town in a two-conference season with prospective sponsors directly doing business with BP.
For its pilot series, five teams will clash in single round robin series with the top finisher clashing with the No. 4 team in the semis and the Nos. 2 and 3 squads clashing in the other semis duel.
Winners will dispute the title in a winner-take- all match.
The Dolphins and the Mariners kick off hostilities in the 9 a.m. game while the Sharks and the Tigers mix it up at 4 p.m.
Other venues being eyed aside from the old Rizal Memorial baseball field are the Sto. Nino grounds in Marikina, Subic, Clark in Pampanga, Lipa, Tanauan, Batangas, Los Banos and Canlubang in Laguna.
"The important ingredients are already in place, the sponsors, participants and stakeholders," said CSI President and Sports Vision chair Moying Martelino.
"Next to Japan, Chinese Taipei, Korea and China, the Philippines is a pretty good investment," said Small.
"Give the Philippines a chance to beat Thailand, Taiwan or even South Korea. We can do it if you help us succeed," added Strybel, who thinks baseball should be a great sport for Asians because it does not require so much height and heft like basketball. (PNA)
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