[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 91 (Wednesday, June 27, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1226]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   CONGRATULATING THE PEPSI GIANTS, 2001 GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 
                  CHAMPIONS, AND MVP BENJIE PANGELINAN

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ROBERT A. UNDERWOOD

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 27, 2001

  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to 
congratulate the Pepsi Giants for having recently won the Guam Major 
League Baseball's championship. Having swept the University of Guam 
Tritons in four of the best-of-seven series, the Giants became only the 
fourth team in GML history to win back-to-back championships.
  Although they lost the season opener to the Continental Golden Jets, 
this past season proved to be truly amazing for the Giants. The team 
went on to win all 15 of their regular season games and later swept the 
GML's National League division best-of-five series enroute to finishing 
the season with a 22-game winning streak.
  More impressive, however, was the record set by Benjie Pangelinan, 
this year's series Most Valuable Player (MVP). Scoring 11 runs, 6 
RBI's, and 15 hits--including 11 singles, two doubles, one triple, and 
a homer, this Giant's catcher/right fielder did enough to merit the 
coveted award. His second year in a row as MVP, Benjie finished the 
series 15-for-18 for an .833 batting average. A feat that will go down 
in GML history, Benjie's batting average broke the series record of 
.556 set in 1993 by Fernando Diaz.
  Always a team player, Benjie claims to have derived more satisfaction 
from the fact that his team won the championship. He recognizes that 
this is a feat that was not singlehandedly accomplished. Despite his 
superior performance, he still credits all of his team members for the 
victory. He notes that although the Giants have lost formidable players 
in the past, a new crop of athletes has emerged to fill in the void. In 
addition, he credited the team's family members for their sacrifices 
and support in giving the players the chance to be out on the field and 
have such a wonderful season. Benjie is married to Nicole Oulette 
Pangelinan and they have a three-year-old child, Kianna.
  Regional and local competitions such as the Guam Major League 
baseball games provide entertainment, promote community relations and 
prepare our athletes for higher levels of competition. Once again, I 
would like to commend and congratulate the Pepsi Giants and especially 
the series MVP, Benjie Pangelinan, for their superb performance and 
efforts which resulted in this year's championship. I am sure that they 
will stay committed to their winning ways in the years to come.

                          ____________________