By eddie alinea
BASEBALL GREAT Raul Saberon, one of the finest outfielders to emerge this shore, was elected president of the newly-formed National Secondary Baseball Association of the Philippines (NSBAP).
The organization, according to Saberon, was formed to help bridge gap between Little League and collegiate leagues. The new group also announced staging the First Invitational Baseball Championship on May 6 in several venues in Metro Manila.
This early, Saberon, now a successful businessman, said that at least 10 high school teams have already confirmed their participation in the tournament to be held at the Rizal Memorial ballpark, Sto. Niño Park in Marikina City and the Rizal High School field in Pasig City.
These are La Salle Greenhills, Brent School, Southridge School, Marist School, Ateneo, Rizal High, Makati High, Taguig High, Cainta High and Villegas High of Manila.
"Our aim here is to come up with a program that would provide the missing link between the Little League and its collegiate counterpart, which has long been neglected," said Saberon.
"If you can remember, we have a number of secondary baseball leagues in the 40s up to the 70s like the Bureau of Education Public Schools Interscholastic, Manila Interscholastic Athletic Association, Cebu Athletic Association, Iloilo Secondary Baseball League, etc. from where talented players came from," said Saberon as he recalled the glory days of the sport.
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