THE magic may have waned, but the legend lives on.
Efren “Bata” Reyes remains one of the top draws in Philippine sports even at the age of 65 as shown with his inclusion on the national team for carom in last month’s 30th Southeast Asian Games.
The iconic player with the charismatic smile still packed them in and was easily the most sought after member of the men’s billiards and snooker team.
Reyes, with his deteriorating eyesight, only settled for a bronze in the men’s carom (one cushion)—not exactly his mastery—in the SEA Games, but nonetheless, was an inspiring presence on the team that bagged 12 medals, four of them golds.
For all his greatness, “The Magician” has yet to conquer the SEA Games—his best finish a bronze, five times to be exact, and all of them in men’s carom.
Yet, that doesn’t create a bit of a dent on the legend that is the man from Mexico, Pampanga, who has achieved so much on the pool table, where he’s been universally acknowledged as the greatest player of all-time.
Reyes will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement award by the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) during the traditional San Miguel Corp. (SMC)-PSA Awards Nights on March 6 at the Centennial Hall of the Manila Hotel.
At the same time, Reyes will be the special guest speaker during the gala night in a rare function for a man known for a few words. He is the second athlete to be the guest speaker of the event presented by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), Milo, Cignal TV, Philippine Basketball Association and Rain or Shine after Olympian Bea Lucero last year.
Team Philippines will be feted as the Athlete of the Year from the country’s oldest media organization for defying the odds and winning the overall championship of the 30th SEA Games.
Reyes, incidentally, was a three-time winner of the Athlete of the Year trophy solely given by the PSA in 1999, 2001 and 2006.
For the Lifetime Achievement award, Reyes, whose humble beginnings and simple demeanor endeared to Filipino masses, was a hands-down choice following the massive success he achieved on the local and world stage.
The long list of honor include being the best player to win world championships in two different pool disciplines, having reigned as both world eight-ball and nine-ball champion, was the first non-American to win the US Open 9-Ball Championship, became the inaugural winner of the World Cup of Pool in tandem with good friend Francisco “Django” Bustamante, acknowledged as the winningest player in the history of the Annual Derby City Classic with five titles and won the largest prize money in the history of pocket billiards after topping the IPT World Open 8-Ball Championship worth $500,000.
Known for his legendary ability to “kick safe” the ball, Reyes topped the billiards money list five times, including a record earnings of $646,000 in 2006.
While still active, he was already inducted into the Billiard Congress of America’s Hall of Fame in 2003.
Last year, the PSA honored bowling great Bong Coo and cycling champion Paquito Rivas with the Lifetime Achievement award.