August 2007 – Page 3 – Cebu Sports Blog by John Pages

Siso siblings on Star Sports tonight!

Sally Mae and Bernardine Siso with coaches Butch Bacani (at the back, right) and Mike Mora

You’ve read their three names. Clapped at their trophies. Saw her photo receiving the Outstanding Cebuana award from Mayor Tommy Osmena. Last year, we wept upon hearing of the shocking death of their 40-year-old father, Dino.

Tonight, if you have cable TV, I urge you to tune in to Star Sports at 10 p.m. The show is called “ACE by Sony Ericsson.” It’s no ABS-CBN or GMA-7 production. It’s a weekly tennis show aired all over Asia. Maria Sharapova? James Blake? They’re often featured there. Whose turn is it tonight?

Bernardine, Sally Dine and Sally Mae Siso. It all began four months ago when Mikel Ugarte called to say that Anthony Suntay, the famous TV host, wanted to video a short documentary on the Sisos. I called Anthony, made arrangements for us to meet two Saturdays later at the Casino Espanol and, next thing we knew, the Sisos were being interviewed by Anthony. And so tonight, finally, it’s here: Star Sports, 10 p.m.

From London to Paris, what an adventure

At Wimbledon, Randy with you-know-who

RANDY AND CHRISTINE DEL VALLE spent 3 ½ weeks in Europe last June and July. Twice, they watched the world’s most revered tennis event, Wimbledon. Andy Roddick. James Blake. Venus Williams. They gazed at them. They ate strawberries and cream and sat on the All-England Club grass.

They saw Roger Federer! They did? Well, here’s the story: Among the hundreds of pros, Randy’s favorite is the Swiss. And on the two days that he and Christine watched Wimbledon, they longed to see his idol. But it wasn’t to be. He could not get tickets to the Centre Court.

“There was this booth near the bus stop leading to Wimbledon,” said Randy. “Dozens of people lined up and photos were taken. So, we were curious. When we drew near, we saw him… Federer!”

“But it wasn’t him,” said Randy, laughing. “It was a look-alike. He had a headband on, wore Nike, and looked just like Roger. All the TV cameras were pointing to him as he were the one. Plenty of people lined up for a photo-shoot with ‘Roger’… including me!”

Woods… Federer… Henry…

If you’re a golf fan or a tennis addict or follow football… wow, those are three of the world’s most popular sports… then you’ve got to watch this…

Click on this if you can’t play the above video.

Hoop Jams!

Charlie Pages, my younger brother, is the best basketball player in our family. At the Cebu International School in high school, he played off-guard and forward. In college at the University of San Carlos (USC), he dribbled for the Commerce team during the Intramurals. Until today, he shoots three-pointers, does the cross-over and jumps to touch the rim of the 10-foot-tall basketball ring.

Hoop Jams. You’ve probably heard of it. Six years ago, ever the basketball fan, Charlie organized the 1st Hoop Jams. It’s a basketball tournament among friends, among different companies in Cebu. Today, the Hoop Jams is on it’s 6th year. How time flies. The games are played every Monday, Wednesday and Friday (from 7:30 to 10 pm) and every Sunday from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Bright Academy gym in Banilad. The finals is set on August 22.

Enjoy more photos…