Almost all highlights stolen by Nabi

Typhoon Nabi took center stage the past week, invading the CNMI and forcing game officials of various sports to postpone their originally scheduled activities.

Nabi, however, had no effect on eight CNMI bowlers who competed in the 19th Asian Intercity Bowling Championship in Jakarta, Indonesia the past week.

Simon Manacop, Mark Halstead, John Santos, and Joseph Sablan shouldered Team Saipan’s charge while brothers Raymond and Ruselle Zapanta joined forces with fellow youth bowler Raymond Angeles and Francisco Barja for Team Capitol Hill. The teams battled 16 other teams from around Asia in singles, doubles, and team competitions.

As Nabi was slowly approaching the islands, hazardous waters resulted in the postponement of the 21st Annual Saipan International Fishing Tournament as officials found it unsafe for anglers to head out to sea.

The tournament was rescheduled for this coming weekend—Sept. 10 and 11.

The skies were clear on Monday, resulting in the Ford Rangers and the Northern Yankees resuming their best-of-five Saipan Major League championship series at the Francisco M. Palacios Baseball Field.

The Yankees grabbed the early lead but weren’t able to hold on as the Rangers refused to go down and fought back with a late charge to knot the series at 1-1 with a nail-biting 7-6 victory.

The much-anticipated 2005 Budweiser Cup BANMI Men’s Island-wide Basketball League also kicked off on Monday as eight teams confirmed their push for this year’s championship crown. Among the eight are two-time defending champion Bud Light-Toyota, Budweiser Wells Fargo, Michelob-Masters Construction, Aon, Masters Selection, O’Douls-Ol’Aces, Hoopaholics, and Nissan Titans.

Michelob-Masters Construction and Ol’Aces had impressive debuts, with Michelob beating Toyota and Ol’Aces defeating Wells Fargo.

Second day of action, as well as games in the Saipan Rotary summer Youth Basketball League, were postponed due to Nabi.

Also having a piece of the spotlight was Tinian Pride Bert Cano, who defeated Baby Wonder Boy Jr. via decision in the main event of last Saturday’s Battle of the Grounds. Both fighters took each other to the limit as both remained standing after receiving and throwing punches for 10 rounds.

Meanwhile, the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium is currently being used as shelter for families whose homes were damaged or destroyed by Nabi. All sports activities scheduled to take place at the venue have been postponed until further notice.