THE Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) has linked up with a new partner in ABC-5, which will air the coming San Miguel Corp.-PSA Annual Awards Night at the SM Mall of Asia.

The February 16 event honoring the top athletes and entities that did the country proud in the field of sports in the year just passed, is scheduled to be broadcast in between games of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Finals. ABC-5 is the official coveror of Asia’s first-ever play-for-pay league.

Reigning International Boxing Federation (IBF) flyweight champion Nonito Donaire Jr. and 24th Southeast Asian Games Best Male Athlete awardee Miguel Molina have been bestowed the Athletes of the Year honor by the country’s oldest media organization.

“It is with pride and honor to be chosen as the official television partner of this year’s SMC-PSA Annual Awards Night,” said Sienna Olaso, sports production head of ABC-5.

PSA president Aldrin Cardona of the Tribune, meanwhile announced that awardees who won’t receive their respective invitations early enough could get theirs at the reception area of the SM Mall of Asia during the awards day itself.

Senate President Manny Villar is the guest speaker during the two-hour long ceremonies also backed by Shakey’s, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), Philippine Amusements and Gaming Corp., Accel, Toby’s, Raymundo’s Trophies and Sculptures (www.raymundosawards.com), Tagaytay City Mayor Bambol Tolentino and Air21.

Top sports officials led by Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Jose Cojuangco Jr. and PSC chairman William Ramirez are also expected to attend the event to be broadcast live over dzSR Sports Radio 918.

Filipino boxing idol Manny Pacquiao, a four-time recipient of the PSA Athlete of the Year, is the 2007 PSA President’s Awards honoree while major awards are to be given to golfer Frankie Miñoza, world 8-ball champion Ronnie Alcano (billiards), RP Grandmaster Wesley So (chess), Mark Caguioa (pro basketball),Jason Castro (amateur basketball), Victor Espiritu (cycling), Patti Dilema (horseracing) and Es Twenty Six (horseracing).

Meanwhile, to be feted with the Toby’s-Tony Siddayao Youth Excellence Awards are jungolfers Mia Legaspi and Marcel Puyat and the RP Junior Wushu Team bannered by Mary Stepanie Agbay and Henson John See.

All gold medal winners in the Thailand SEA Games lead those to be given citations along with world boxing champions Gerry Penalosa, Florante Condes and Donnie Nietes, the RP men’s tennis and road cycling team, PhilCycling, cue artists Rubilen Amit, golfers Dottie Ardina, Darwin Laylo, Juvic Pagunsan, Artemio Murakami and Mars Pucay, wushu artist Willy Wang, boxers Harry Tanamor and AJ Banal, Harbour Centre, University of Santo Tomas, Shakey’s, Tony Aldeguer, karter Stephano Marcelo, motocross rider Kenneth San Andres, powerlifter Lily Pecante and SM Mall of Asia.

Spicing up the event is a rock and dance concert, a fashion show featuring Accel’s latest summer collection and swimwear, a photo exhibit and a sports memorabilia. The concert will be top-billed by reggae veteran Tropical Depression and Baguio City sensation Session Road, with support from all-male dance group Abztract Dancers and other rock acts Dream Kitchen, Pancake 80 and 52nd Street.

Wilder West

Remember the good old days when the West was merely Wild?

The National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Western Conference passed Even Wilder, broke through Berserk and zoomed off the charts within seven days as the Los Angeles Lakers, who already looked great, got Pau Gasol from a weaker team in the West, and the Phoenix Suns, who already were great, got Shaquille O’Neal.

Hawaiian sojourn

WORLD Cup champions Jennifer Rosales and Dorothy Delasin head to Hawaii to compete in the $1.1-million SBS Open, which fires off on Valentine’s Day, Thursday, at the Arnold Palmer Course in Turtle Bay Resort.

UZBEKISTAN will take on the Philippines in the first-round relegation tie of the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group I from April 11 to 13.

The regulation tie will again be hosted by the Philippines.

There will be no Santo Tomas U (UST) sweep in men’s volleyball.

This, after Far Eastern U (FEU) put a stain on UST’s clean record in a shockingly short 25-19, 25-23, 25-20 win Sunday in Season 70 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines at the College of Human Kinetics Gym inside the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman campus.

THE Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) has linked up with a new partner in ABC-5, which will air the coming San Miguel Corp.-PSA Annual Awards Night at the SM Mall of Asia.

JAMES Yap is proving to be a lethal weapon, more so when he is a walking wounded.

Despite nursing knee and groin injuries, the former Most Valuable Player still stood out from the rest, prompting the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Press Corps to name him as its Smart-Accel Player of the Week for the period February 4 to 10.

YOU may not know it yet but the most expensive stallion that was bought by a local investor had been bought last November in Maryland.