Manila ready for Asia-Pacific series
MANILA, Philippines – The grass have been trimmed, the baseball field hosed down and the bleachers painted with a fresh coat.
All the historic Rizal Memorial Sports Complex baseball field located in the heart of Manila needs now is the players.
Little League Philippines is in the middle of frenzied preparation for the Asia-Pacific Regional Little League League championships that it will be hosting from July 14-19.
“We’re tweaking everything right now to assure our guests a wonderful and memorable stay during the series,” Little League Philippines District Administrator Serge B. Bernal said.
He also said the players will be billeted at the Bay View Park Hotel, a mere 30 minutes away from the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex and with a spectacular view of the world famous Manila Bay sunset.
Bernal and his assistant Chito Gonzales are juggling their time getting set for the regionals even as their own district championship gets underway in the Central Luzon province of Nueva Ecija.
“We’re very busy now but we’re doing all we can to extend the Filipino hospitality to our Little League colleagues,” said Gonzales.
At stake in the Asia-Pacific regionals are the championships for junior, senior and big leagues. The junior league is for 13-14 year olds, senior for 14-16 year olds and big league for 16-18 year old baseball players.
Aside from host Philippines and the CNMI, other countries that will be participating in the regional baseball championships are Guam, Indonesia, New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea.
The CNMI, Guam and the Philippines will be sending players for all three divisions. Indonesia, New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea, however, will only enter players in the 14-16 year old senior division.
Champions of the junior division will go on to the World Series in Taylor, Michigan. The team that tops the junior league, meanwhile, will advance to the World Series in Kissimee, Florida. Winners of the big league division, on the other hand, will fly to Easley, South Carolina for their own World Series.
Exactly nine days after the Asia-Pacific championships for junior, senior and big league divisions concludes the Philippines will then be hosting the Major League regional championships on the same venue from July 28 to August 4.
Not one but two regional championship series will be hosted by the Philippines as the Asia-Pacific and Pacific Baseball Regional will both take place at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.
Contending teams in the Asia-Pacific pool are Japan, Korea, Malaysia and Hong Kong, while making up the Pacific Pool are CNMI, Indonesia, Guam, New Zealand and the Philippines.
No less than Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has been invited by Little League Philippines as Guest of Honor of the event.
