Soccer | The Adobo Chronicles

New York, New York (The Adobo Chronicles) – The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) played since 1903 between the American League (AL) and National League (NL) team champions. A total of 109 series have been contested, with AL winning 63 and NL winning 46. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff in the fall.

But people have always wondered why it is called ‘World Series’ since it only involves American teams — all U.S.-based except for the Toronto (Canada) Jays.

In contrast, the FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by senior men’s national teams of the members of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, the sport’s global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the inaugural tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946 when it was not held because of the Second World War. A total of 32 teams from all over the world compete for the much-coveted title.

Facing continued criticism for being “elitist, arrogant and colonialist” both the AL and NL have finally agreed today in New York to put the label “World Series” to rest. Beginning with the 2014 season, the playoffs will be called “The American Series” to better reflect the teams participating in the tournament.

As expected, the Toronto Jays protested the move, proposing instead that the tournament be called “The North American Series.” The proposal was, of course, overruled by the arrogant representatives of the U.S-based teams. Because of this, the Jays have threatened to boycott the 2014 World Series , errr… The American Series.

The current title is held by the Boston Red Sox.

Tacloban City, Philippines – David Beckham may be the hottest and most famous man in the world of soccer, but apparently no one in Tacloban City, Philippines knows who he is.

Beckham is scheduled to spend Valentine’s Day in this Typhoon Haiyan-ravaged city in Central Philippines as part of a United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) effort to focus world attention on the plight of children and others whose lives were devastated by the most powerful typhoon to make landfall.

Ten out of ten local residents interviewed by The Adobo Chronicles had no clue on who Beckham was. Asked to venture a guess after being shown a photograph of Beckham, responses ranged from “Prime Minister of Great Britain” to “Vice President of the United States” to “the next James Bond.” Ironically, when a photo of Beckham’s wife was shown even to little kids, they were quick to answer, “Victoria, the Spice girl.”

Soccer or for that matter, football, is not a sport widely played in the Philippines, unlike basketball. There is a make-shift basketball court in every corner in many Philippine neighborhoods. Ask Filipinos to name their favorite international basketball star and you will immediately get responses like Michael Jordan, Lebron James, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, and yes, Dennis Rodman.