New York, New York
This will be my last column for this month unless I could find a little time to write while away. As you read this column, I’m probably on board a flight to the JFK Airport in New York City. I’m going to the Big Apple to visit an ailing sister. This will also be some sort of a reunion with my siblings who will be coming over from Los Angeles and Vancouver, Canada. As always, I’ll be shooting two birds with one stone as I might be able to watch some sporting events. My brother Joey invited me to the NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles where he lives, but I guess I’ll just spend more time with my sister since I’ll be staying in New York City for most of the time. I might just be able to watch some NBA games at the Madison Square Garden, home of the Knicks or at Barclay Center in Brooklyn, the Nets’ turf. I’ve checked some good schedules and I’m looking forward to watching the Knicks host the Boston Celtics on February 24 or against the Golden State Warriors on February 26. I’ll also check if I could get to run the New York City Marathon in November. Since I’ve not ran a full marathon for almost 10 years, I’m sure I could still finish one if I train. I’m turning 70 in a few months and I’m already dreaming of running one last marathon before I totally hang up my running shoes. I’ve been running for 38 years and have probably completed more than 700 races ranging from the 5K to the ultramarathon. My friends in Queens also hinted of another Elvisaya concert at Manny’s Restobar after performing there in 2013. I’ll keep in touch.
HASTA LA VISTA FOLKS!
The year started with several friends going to the Great Beyond. Yaw Yan founder Nap Fernandez was the first to go, followed by Mexico Olympics veteran Jake Rojas. Another friend director Maryo Delos Reyes, died in Dipolog City. I met Maryo years ago after being introduced by my first cousin Jun Torrejon Rufino,who is also Maryo’s manager. And just the other day, former Freeman columnist Ben Ypil said “Sayonara”. Hasta La Vista my dear friends! By the way, over in the United States, the Temptations lead singer Dennis Edwards also died. Edwards was the voice behind hits like “My Girl” and “Papa was a Rolling Stone”. Baritone Otis Williams is the last surviving member of the group.
DID YOU KNOW?
Golden State’s Draymond Green was instrumental in bringing Kevin Durant to the Warriors. After Golden State lost in the finals of the 2016 NBA, Green sat in the Oracle Arena for about 30 minutes, pondering what went wrong, then he made the final decision and sent a text message to Durant then playing for the Oklahoma Thunder. The text said “We need you, make it happen.” Well, as the cliche goes, the rest is history. Durant teamed up with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to snatch the 2017 NBA crown and this avenged their loss to Lebron James and company last season.