Strong warnings

Muhammed Ali, the American champion boxer formerly known as Cassius Clay, celebrated his 70th birthday with a big bash in Las Vegas yesterday. Stars from the entertainment and boxing world gathered to greet and acknowledge once more the accomplishments of the colorful ring character who had an almost poetic way with words when he wanted to distract his opponents in the ring.

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Up to this day, there are still people who quote his famous
“I’m the greatest” when asked about his performances. It was also Ali who described his own ring strategy as to “flit like a butterfly and sting like a bee”. He seemed so full of himself that some were turned off, but modesty and humility were never part of the character of this famous man. However, his glory days have apparently ended in what he could not control, literally and figuratively. Stricken by the incurable Parkinson’s Disease, he is now almost a shadow of the vibrant, over-confident man he once was.

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Our own Manny Pacquiao was among those invited to the celebration. And where Ali was noted for his arrogance and self-esteem, Pacquiao is the opposite, being self-effacing, humble, and even shy. And yet both of them are now regarded as two of the best boxers the world ever produced. It was very pleasant to hear the reporter on the event saying that Muhammed Ali always had a special place in his heart for the Philippines. Wow. As also mentioned, it must have been because of his famous fight with another champion, Joe Fraizer, that was internationally promoted as the “Thrilla in Manila”. Pinoys must have taken to him, too, because, shortly after that fight, the mall, said to be the biggest in Manila then, was named after him, and is still there – The Ali Mall in Quezon City.

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Still on boxers, the latest is that Argentinian Luis Alberto Lazarte, whose countrymen beat up, mauled and pummeled the camp of Filipino Jonreil Caisimiero who knocked him down, has been banned for life by the International Boxing Federation. Good for him. The reports, and the video clips showed that Lazarte even badmouthed the referee for deducting a point from him when he made a forbidden blow on Casimero. The IBF decision should be a warning to hot-headed athletes and their fans.

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Another decision that should send a strong warning to any future hazers is the one by the Supreme Court yesterday affirming the guilty verdict against the Ateneo students, members of the Aquila Legis fraternity, who were found guilty of causing the death of law student Lenny Villa during initiation rites. Despite the fact that we already have an anti-hazing law, we still continue to hear reports about young students being killed by their own schoolmates to whose fraternity they have been invited. In the name of brotherhood, several young men have already died, leaving behind grieving parents and kin who continue to be puzzled at how one wishing to be a “brother” to some group members, has to be beaten to death to be accepted. The case of the five Ateneo students who now have to serve jail sentences should be a lesson and warning to them all.

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In another sports area, meanwhile, the world is agog over the sudden spurt in the team of the New York Knicks with the entry of 22-year-old basketball phenomenon Jeremy Lin who seems to have sparked that had been perceived as a lackluster sortie by the team. As soon as he broke into the scene, Lin led the Knicks in, I think, seven straight wins, confounding not only players and coaches, but even casual game watchers. The new wizard has made the oldies, I mean the longer-playing ones, look like retirees.

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Who is Jeremy Lin, who is being introduced as being of Taiwanese descent? Both his parents are from Taiwan, but they migrated to the U.S. and Jeremy was born there. In other words, citizen by jus soli. Now everybody wants to claim him, especially mainland Chinese who point out that his grandmother is from mainland China. But, does Jeremy speak Chinese with as flawless an accent as he does American English? Reports say that China is now eyeing him for their team to go into the 2012 Olympics in London. And, by the way, the kid has even inspired new words being coined by American basketball fans, like Linsanity and Linsane. An editor of ESPN who made a pun by describing the rare loss of Lin’s team the other day as “A chink in the armor” was denounced for racism, and was fired by his company. And the boy has also landed on the cover of Time Magazine!*

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