Swing batta batta batta swing

“Take me out to the old ballgame” was a song always played in Major League Baseball season openers at ballparks all over the US.

Halfway across the world, a virtual presser with Philippine Amateur Baseball Association (PABA) President Chito Loyzaga on updates from a sport we Filipinos can excel because there’s no height involved but don’t tell that to Yankees and Mariners pitching great Randy “The Big Unit” Johnson, who, at 6’8” can strike out your whole batting order.

Before that unintentional segue digresses any further, we asked Mr. Loyzaga about reports that a few years ago there were a couple of MLB players with Filipino lineage who were considered to play for the country.

One of them was former San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum. Lincecum’s mother is Filipino but unfortunately, we struck out on him as he declined to play for the country.

Another one was another Tim, Tebow is his last name, born here in the Philippines, in Makati to be exact. The former NFL (National Football League) and MLB player was more than willing to put on the three stars and the sun but covid19 had other ideas.