A COUPLE of forthcoming major sports events is making businessman Mikee Romero sleepless with excitement.
I just don’t know which of the two is giving him the bigger thrill: The London Olympics next month where shooter Brian Rosario is participating in the skeet shooting event (in case you still don’t know, Mikee is president of the Philippine Shooting Association), or his projected entry to the Philippine Basketball Association next season.
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Just last week, Mikee sat down with PBA Comnmissioner Chito Salud to discuss his takeover of the Powerade franchise.
Salud is reportedly convincing Mikee to buy a new franchise, but the businessman/sportsman prefers to purchase the Powerade (Coca-Cola) franchise lock, stock and barrel for two good reasons.
First, the present Tigers lineup is highly competitive, as has been proven last conference. Mikee is a man who hates to lose and buying a franchise where he will have to form the lineup from scratch, might have little appeal to him.
Second, Mikee heard it straight from the Commissioner himself that the Gary David-led Tigers is now the fourth most popular PBA team next to Ginebra, B-Meg and Petron, in that order.
Commissioner Salud told him that this claim is supported by a recent survey.
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If Mikee takes over the Powerade franchise, it is likely that he will keep head coach Bo Perasol and majority of the current Tigers lineup. I heard that Bo is being eyed to take over the head coaching post at Ateneo after this UAAP season. But Bo, a graduate of the University of the Philippines, is inclined to stay put at Powerade.
Norman Black, who gave the Blue Eagles four consecutive titles in the UAAP, is moving up to the PBA this October where he will replace Chot Reyes as Talk ‘N Text head coach.
If and when Mikee buys the Powerade franchise, his charismatic persona is sure to add popularity to the team, while his highly competitive spirit is sure to propel the team upwards.
In a birthday party I attended last Friday, Mikee was called to the podium by the evening’s emcee Snow Badua who introduced him, among many other designations as, “the owner of new PBA team Global Ports.”
Snow said the players of the team will have the moniker “Batang Pier.”
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“So what happens now to Mikee’s Philippine Patriots in the Asean Basketball League?
Looks like he will have to give it up since he himself admitted that he will not be able to maintain two basketball teams.
Mikee said it has always been his dream to own a PBA team.
His other aspiration is a recent vision: To win a gold in the London Olympics.
“Nothing is impossible, Tita Beth. Who knows? Baka makatsamba,” Mikee twice told me, first at the Olympic send-off held at the Blue Leaf Pavilion in Fort Bonifacio. He told me again last Friday during the birthday party.
Meanwhile, he said he will be content to march with the Filipino athletes in the opening day parade.