2009

It's at times like these, a couple of hours before ushering in the New Year, that we get to pause and reflect on the past one. It also gives us the chance to thank those who helped make it memorable. 2009 was certainly an eventful year for me. In many ways I consider it as an "anchor" year, where I got to lay the foundations for what I will be doing in the next 5-10 years, or so.   


Getting my Juris Doctor degree certainly stands out as one of the memorable moments of the year. 5 years of toil and hard labor in the halls of Malcolm, which left memories both good and bad, finally paid off. UP Law Batch 2009 will now be attached to me in the same way as my surname. (well.. not really, but this will definitely be the point of reference during the alumni homecomings, hehe)  Of course, the law degree also serves as the opening act to the main event known as the Bar Exams, which will surely be one of the highlights of my 2010. 

Speaking of highlights, 2009 also marked my return to TV, although this time in a totally different field: commentating for NCAA Basketball. My friends noted that I was living out my (and probably their) dream job; doing play-by-play commentary while having the best seat in the house at courtside. The high point of the season for me was definitely the Juniors Finals, where I was able to do a game in the Araneta Coliseum, which I think is the dream venue in this country for any sportscaster. 

The Greatest?

Caught an episode of Hardball on ANC last week, and they had a segment which discussed whether Manny Pacquiao can now be considered as one of the greatest boxers of all time. This was, of course, in the context of Manny's recent 12th round demolition of Miguel Cotto, and the acquisition of his 7th world title in 7 different weight divisions.

That had me thinking: "Where is Manny Pacquiao in the list of all-time Filipino and World boxing greats?" While sorting out my hogdepodge of ideas I found it easier to answer this question by breaking down Manny's career and identifying certain milestones:

a) KO victory over WBC flyweight champion Chatchai Sasakul in 1998

This was his first world title and it placed him on the level of champions who were one hit wonders such as Morris East and Rolando Pascua.

b) Victories over the legendary Mexican triad of Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez, the last of which was in 2008

These wins earned him the monicker "Mexecutioner", and got him to the level of multiple division champions like Luisito Espinosa and Gerry Penalosa.

c) TKO victory over boxing superstar Oscar Dela Hoya

This placed him on the map as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, and installed him, together with Hall of Fame legends Pancho Villa and Flash Elorde, as among the best Filipino fighters of all time.

d) TKO victory over WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto

By solidifying his hold on the pound-for-pound title and getting a record-breaking 7th crown, he makes a case as one of the best boxers of all time, competing with the likes of Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali. 

A more detailed analysis of where he stands among the all-time boxing greats to follow.

Rumble in the Jungle (NCAA Finals)

The NCAA Basketball Finals will finally commence at the Araneta Coliseum tomorrow, in what has been a historic and looong 85th Season. This matchup, which could also be dubbed as the "Battle of the Saints", will feature the top seeded and 3-time defending champions, San Beda Red Lions versus the upstart and second seeded San Sebastian Golden Stags. On the sidelines, Red Lion coach Frankie Lim is seeking to stretch his championship run to 3; while rookie coach Ato Agustin is seeking to translate his success on the basketball court through his mentorship of the Stags. Interestingly, this is also a grudge match of the pre-season Nike Summer League Finals, which the Red Lions handily won. 

This early I will go out on a limb and predict that, despite so many other possible factors, the result of this series will depend on the gimpy knees of Red Lion Borgie Hermida. Let me explain.

Crime and Punishment

No, this has nothing to do with the robbery/shooting that occurred earlier today at Greenbelt 5. (or the Dostoyevsky novel, for that matter)

Was going to write about the ongoing NCAA Final 4, as I was in the Arena last Friday watching the matchup between San Beda and Letran. The game turned out to be better than I expected with the Red Lions, 3 time defending champions, barely pulling off a win against the Rey Guevarra-less Knights, and advancing to the NCAA Finals in the process. Little did I know that while this was ongoing, action of a different kind was taking place over at the Araneta Coliseum.

Manic Monday

A lot of new developments have occurred since my previous post last week. Among these are:

The Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles getting back-to-back UAAP basketball championships. Congratulations are in order for Norman Black and the rest of the Blue Eagles for asserting their might throughout Season 72, and for pulling through in the Finals against the gritty UE Red Warriors. With his "Back-to-Black" win, Coach Norman also improves his coaching record in the Finals against rookie coaches. As a sidenote, all my predictions starting with the Final 4 were on the money. Let's see if it holds up as the NCAA is set to start its own Final 4 matchups in the coming days.

Also, as an aftermath of the Ateneo win, online sports columnist Tony Atayde of InboundPass.com launches a sarcastic tribute to the Blue Eagles and a tirade against Hardball host Bill Velasco. Consequently, his post gets edited and Atayde goes ballistic, this time against fellow InboundPass columnists Chris Soler and Mike Abasolo. Last I heard, he "retired" his column but not before giving a parting shot to those who he had differences with. (interestingly, all the guys he hit in his column are my fellow NCAA panelists over at ABS-CBN Sports) 

Congratulations are also in order for my good friend FireQuinito who won as best sports blog in the Philippine Blog Awards. Good job, Jae! I think this calls for a celebration over a few rounds of beer. Hehe.

And.. just in a couple of hours ago, news  confirming what people have openly speculated about since last week: Burger King trades Japeth Aguilar to Talk and Text, which in turn, releases him to Smart Gilas. With this new development I guess all parties are happy now: Japeth, Smart Gilas, SBP, PBA, Burger King and Barako Bull (which got a piece of the action acting as a conduit team). With that we can probably write finis to the Japeth Aguilar saga... for now.

Any Given Thursday

The title for this piece would have been straight to the point had the Ateneo Blue Eagles won Game 2 of the UAAP Finals last Sunday. It would have also been easier to make allusions to that movie starring Al Pacino and Jamie Foxx. Instead, the Blue Eagles snatched defeat from the jaws of victory and gave the UE Red Warriors a shot at the winner-take-all rubbermatch tomorrow. 

I can imagine both Norman Black and Lawrence Chongson trying to do their best Tony D'Amato impersonation before the game, in an effort to squeeze every last ounce of motivation from their players for one last time this season. Then again, so as not to confuse anyone, Coach Norman might be better off doing a Herman Boone, while Coach Lawrence can take a page from... Alfrancis Chua?=p    

Thoughts on Ondoy and a suggestion for UAAP fans

It's funny what a difference a few days can make in changing one's perspective. Just less than a week ago, a lot of focus was being given (this blog included) to the upcoming UAAP Finals match between the Ateneo Blue Eagles and the UE Red Warriors.


Then along came typhoon Ondoy, and with that, some lives were forever changed. I was fortunate enough to be living in an area that was not affected by flooding. The worst inconvenience I got was being incommunicado for 2 days (no internet connection/landline, plus a spotty cellphone signal). As i started to get these back, i was surprised shocked to see the devastation the rains had caused in Metro Manila.


In particular, a lot of friends and people i know had their homes and possessions submerged under water. Just yesterday, I was in the Pasig/Cainta area together with a few law classmates to help out a couple of people from our block who were victimized by the tragedy. Going around these areas gave me a sense of the extent of damage and the loss that the residents here suffered. I've reported on things like these before when i was still newscasting, but being there and having people you actually know as among those affected gave a totally different color to these events. 


It's things like these that make you realize what really matters. How things like a basketball game, while still followed with a passion, is just that. A game. 

Final Countdown (UAAP Finals)

So far, so good. Both my predictions for the UAAP Final 4 were on the money. It will be interesting to see if this holds up for the Finals series. So without further ado, here is my analysis for the upcoming Finals matchup between Ateneo and UE.

Most UAAP fans have installed Ateneo as the prohibitive favorite to defend the title they won last year. This belief is mostly based on the two wins that the Blue Eagles had over the Red Warriors this season. In both games, Ateneo's Rabeh Al-Hussaini imposed his will over the frontline of UE, averaging 28.5 points, and almost single-handedly gave his team the win. This exposed UE's lack of a true center, and Ateneo's superiority in that department. And while the rest of the starters for both teams might cancel each other out, it goes without saying that the boys from Loyola have the deeper bench. In addition, they also have more "name" players that are familiar even to the casual basketball fan. Indeed, a team that has a five of AlHussaini-Baclao-Buenafe-Salamat-Reyes has more ring to it than one which has Llagas-Espiritu-Acuna-Lee-Lingganay.

Looking at the numbers, I am almost tempted to join the bandwagon, and declare the Blue Eagles as champions even before the first shots have been fired. But something in my gut makes me feel that the Red Warriors have a decent shot at dethroning the Season 71 title-holders.

UAAP Final Four

Since everyone's been posting their detailed analysis on the upcoming UAAP Final Four matchups, i'll just keep mine simple, and stick with the predictions.

Matchup #1

The UAAP kicks off its Final Four tomorrow with the second seed, FEU Tamaraws going up against the third ranked UE Red Warriors.

With the latest twist in the Andy Barroca controversy pointing in this direction I would have to give the series to UE. Prior to this I would've favored FEU, but as it is, they are now a house divided.  

Prediction: UE

Matchup # 2

On Sunday the top seeded ADMU Blue Eagles tangle with the fourth seeded UST Growling Tigers.

For the Growling Tigers to beat Ateneo, their trio composed of league MVP Dylan Ababou, Khasim Mirza and rookie Jeric Teng have to score 60+ pts, limit the entire Blue Eagle Squad to less than that, and do it for 2 consecutive games.

Not going to happen. 

Prediction: ADMU

Up next: UAAP Finals and NCAA Final Four predictions (as soon as the pairings become clear)

For Love of... the Game?

As mentioned in my previous post, the motivation to restart this blog was brought about by a desire to give my 2 cents on this entire mess involving the top pick in the 2009 PBA draft, Japeth Aguilar.  

For those who haven't followed the particulars of this case, it basically revolves around the question of whether Japeth should sign the contract being offered by the PBA team that drafted him (Burger King), or follow his declared preference and play for the Smart Gilas developmental team under Rajko Toroman. Of course, this comes on the heels of a sudden turnaround from his earlier commitment to turn pro and sign the 3 year, 8.5 million peso contract.

This issue has been complicated further after a report filed by Rey Joble of Manila Standard Today alleged that Japeth was offered by Smart Gilas a contract more than double the amount being offered by Burger King. Some have even suggested that such a report might be libelous as it tends to malign the reputation of the young cager. 

My take on the issue is this: in an ideal world, Japeth should be free to play where he wants to. Regardless of whether his motivation is the love of flag or money, that shouldn't be put into question. After all, it's his basketball career. 

It's Alive!

After 3 long years this blog is back online again. =)

Why the long hiatus? Well, I got caught up doing a lot of other things (law school, newscasting, etc.) and over time just forgot that I had a blog.

That was, of course, until my friend and favorite online sports blogger firequinito posted this on his blog. Given my legal education and recent involvement with sportscasting, this issue was just right up my alley, and I felt the need to respond to it in greater detail.

As such, I'll resurrect this blog to post my thoughts on the most pressing basketball issue of the day: the Japeth Aguilar tug-of-war.

If time permits, I'll probably write about the current developments in the collegiate basketball leagues (NCAA and UAAP) plus other stuff that might pique my interest.

(Oh, and as I backread the old post it's funny how things actually turned out 3 years after. Hehehe.)