By Lily O Ramos
MANILA, (PNA)– The death of longtime Philippine Amateur Baseball Association’s leader Hector Navasero has spawned more interest in baseball with more and more prominent people like former male model and hacienda owner Arsenic Laurel and some foreign expats who prefer to love the sport.
Even the Philippine Sports Commission is now in the act with its PSC Chairman’s Baseball Classic on Nov. 9-17 at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Field Classic with Laurel as the tournament director.
The tournament rules says the championship is open to players who are 16 years of age and above. Regular baseball rules will be used where there will be elimination games of seven innings and semifinal and championship games will be played in nine innings
Format is double knockout and the winners’ bracket shall have twice to beat advantage. Teams must always be in complete uniform and in the elimination round, a team leading by 10 runs after five innings will be declared the winner.
The ‘no mercy’ rule must be strictly employed in the semis and finals where games must start 15 minutes after the previous game has ended. Rain outs must be discussed in a managers’ meeting.
The best part is PSC will provide the champion’s prize of P50,000 and P25,000 for the runner-up while the third and fourth placers will receive team equipment like bats and balls, said Laurel.
Sixteen teams,including De La Salle University, Adamson, Bulacan State University, Rizal Technological university, National University, UP, Throwback, Alabang Zobel, Philippine Airforce, Dragons, Philab, etc.
Laurel hastened to add that the Visayas region and Mindanao should send their teams also to make the tournament truly nationwide.
”We’re having the Rizal Memorial diamond repaired with eight indoor bullpens being built and artificial flooring to make it an all-weather baseball field or an indoor one for safe and longer effect,” said PSC chairman Ricardo”Richie” Garcia during an afternoon meeting with the game’s coaches and representatives at the athlete’s dining hall at the RMS Complex.
He said everything is being done to refurbish and clean and fortify the decades-old RMSC baseball, track and field and football venue which was ravished by floods during the past typhoons which resulted to loss of millions of pesos of property to the land and infrastructure.
To upgrade the fans support, financial and logistic support and continuity of baseball in the future, Garcia asked the members of the baseball-loving community to re-group, unite and elect respectable and responsible officers who will continue the legacy of the late Navasero whose love for the game remained upscale until his death.