by Moses Billacura
Davao City Baseball Association president and coach Joaquin “Boy” Sarabia is just one of the many baseball fans who were glued on cable television to watch the World Series between the Texas Rangers and the San Francisco Giants.
Sarabia, whose family name is synonymous to baseball and softball in the Davao region when his late father, Judge Edipolo V. Sarabia Sr.’ started playing the sport for the varsity team of the Mindanao Colleges (now University of Mindanao) and eventually trained all his children Bing, Boy, Bal, Arnold and Mona to be very good at his chosen sport, of course, rooted for the San Francisco Giants.
The Giants turned out to have a Filipino-American pitcher, Tim Asis Lincecum, in their line-up. And he is no ordinary pitcher, he is, in fact, the team’s numero uno! Tim’s mother is Rebecca Asis, whose parents, Philomena Marcigan and Balleriano Asis, moved to Hawaii as farm workers in the early 1900s. His dad is Chris Lincecum, a retired parts inventory man for Boeing’s plant in Seattle, who taught the young Tim to pitch as early as the age of five.
Boy, since the establishment of cable television, has not missed watching the World Series, but this year’s championship was something really special for him.
One, he had followed closely the exploits of the long-haired Fil-Am pitcher since winning the Cy Young award.
Two, Tim’s pitching style wowed Boy who intently studied the way Tim pitched because a lesson or two could be very useful should he find another pitcher in Davao to whom he could teach Tim’s style
Three, Boy, who was once team manager of the national team that played in Florida, USA is simply crazy about baseball and you can feel his passion for the sport judging by his collection of Major League baseball bats, balls, gloves and caps.
From the time, they were kids, baseball had been part of their daily lives and his mother Anita Pereyras was their No.1 fan.
Tim’s fastballs, curveballs and sliders are pure delight to watch, and Boy enjoys every facet of it.
Why shouldn’t he? It evokes pride knowing that Tim has Filipino blood running in his veins.
Boy hopes that baseball’s once-upon-a-time popularity in the Philippines will be rekindled knowing that there is an outstanding Pinoy-American pitcher in Major League Baseball.
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Happy birthday to our layout artist Alven and cartoonist Arlene, Ateneo classmate Karen Pitoy and my brod-in-law’s wife, Novee Grace Micabalo-Igpit.
