Winter In New York

Part II

The nasty weather has prevented me to enjoy the outdoor for the whole three weeks I was in New York.  The Bronx, where my brother Dr. Jun Uytiepo lives, boasts of some of the best hospitals in New York including Montefiore, Jacobi Medical Center and North Central Bronx Hospital, where Dr. Jun holds clinic as an internist.  Some of best universities in the Bronx are Albert Einstein, Lehman and Fordham.  Everytime the weather improves, I took the opportunity to visit more sports venues like the Van Cortland Park Golf Course and New York Tennis Club. I also took a peep at the Edgar Allan Poe Cottage which was built in 1812.  Edgar Allan Poe is of course the famous writer who wrote “The Raven” and “The Pit and Pendulum”.  A trip to New York is never complete if I don’t jam with the all-Filipino band, the Inner Circle led by Cebuano guitarist Joe Custudio.  The last time I was in New York I performed with the band in Manny’s Resto Bar in Queens.  Since I’m a bit depressed due to the condition of my sister Eloise whose husband Alex Espiritu, former Pepsi Cola Cebu general manager and bass guitar of the band, we just decided to play at the cellar of Joe’s house with just immediate friends as audience.  As I mentioned I failed to watch an NBA game at Madison Square Garden.  I wanted to watch the Knicks play the Celtics but Kyle Irving and Kristap Porzingers of the Knicks were not playing.  And besides “mahal kaayo”, $210 for a bleacher seat.

Hasta La Vista rening, Abe

While in America, I was told that Cebu’s oldest runners ReningYlaya, 81 and Doc Abe Manlawe, 74 died a week apart.  The last time I saw Rening he hugged me as if saying goodbye.  He looked frail and has been in-and-out of the hospital due to various ailments.  But Rening was a runner to the end, even when not feeling well he was at the track oval to guide the joggers.  On the other hand, Abe was still running and climbing until advised by his doctor to slow down.  Doc Abe is a founding member of the Cebu Executive Runners Club and ex-officer of the Cebu Mountaineering Club.  Hasta La Vista Rening and Doc Abe, we will miss you.

Did you know?

WILT CHAMBERLAIN had been partying all night before scoring 100 points in the Philadelphia Warriors win against the New York Knicks 169-147. It was a humdrum game in Hershey, PA with only 4,124 spectators.  The Knicks were so desperate they even instructed all five men on the floor to guard Wilt.  Chamberlain pumped 23 points in the first quarter, 41 in the half and 69 in third.  His last score came with 46 seconds left.

LOS ANGELES LAKERS. Ever wonder why the team from Los Angeles are called Lakers when there are only a few lakes in L.A.  Well the logic is that, the Lakers franchise began in 1949-48 in Minneapolis which is situated in Minnesota, a state that proudly bears the nickname “The Land of 10,000 Lakes” the team was then called the Minneapolis Lakers until they moved to California.  Another team that was in a similar case is the Utah Jazz. In 1974 the team was based in New Orleans, the jazz capital of America. Of course Utah is no jazzy city as it’s the turf of a religious group, the Mormons.  When the team moved to Salt Lake City in 1979, it retained the name.  Thus, the Utah Jazz.

TERMINATOR. Muscleman Arnold Schwarzenegger underwent emergency heart surgery last week and is in stable condition.  He was also hospitalized in a Los Angeles hospital in 1997 to correct a congenital heart valve condition.  Hasta La Vista Baby! Please come back!