Iba Ang May Pinagsamahan

Haven't been able to update this blog for some time now. Recently, however, I met up with some old friends, Niko and Mikkel Bolante, authors of the number-crunching basketball blog Patay ang Butiki, as well as Jaemark Tordecilla, who runs the most irreverent and hard-hitting sports blog in the country FireQuinito. Over a couple of drinks, the guys broached the idea of having a webcast which would discuss pressing sports issues of the day. They also revealed that the initial episode would tackle the current state of the San Miguel Beermen, the winningest franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Being a long-time fan of the SMB franchise, I found the offer to guest in the webcast too hard to resist.

Here is the result of our freewheeling, no-holds-barred discussion. Enjoy!

An audio-only version is also available here http://blip.tv/file/5014306

Manny the GOAT?

It's been several hours since Manny Pacquiao methodically demolished Antonio Margarito in their clash for the WBC Super Welterweight championship and I am still in awe at how that fight was won. 


I must admit that I generally subscribe to the boxing adage "a good big man beats a good small man". The fight between Tito Trinidad and Bernard Hopkins a decade ago immediately comes to mind whenever I feel the need to cite an example. That is why despite the overwhelming odds in favor of the PacMan I was a bit worried, particularly when both entered the ring with Margarito enjoying a 17 pound advantage in weight, and 5 inch advantage in height.

Over the course of 12 rounds, Pacquiao dispelled any doubts that I had in my mind. Pretty much the same way he did when I had reservations in his fight against Dela Hoya, against Hatton, against Cotto, and against Clottey. Manny proved once again that he is a phenom that defies traditional boxing conventions, by soundly beating naturally bigger fighters without losing a step.

The way Pacquiao dominated Margarito leads me to revisit a question that I had posed a year ago: "Is Manny Pacquiao the Greatest Boxer of All Time (GOAT)"?

2010 NBA Finals (Lakers vs Celtics)

It's all set. Two of the most storied franchises in basketball will renew their rivalry for the Larry O'Brien Trophy. And for the most hardened of hoop fans, it doesn't get any better than the Los Angeles Lakers going up against the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. 

Over the next couple of days you can expect picks and predictions, especially in a series of this magnitude, from practically every basketball-loving soul on the planet. So let's get the ball rolling, shall we? 

Let me state at the outset, in the interest of full disclosure, that I am a Lakers fan, though not of Kobe Bryant. I root exclusively for the team, and not for any particular player. Heck, I'd support them even if they were led by a Mini-Me lookalike of Charles Barkley named Nick Van Exel. Wait...I think I already did.

That being said, and without any hint of bias, I predict a Los Angeles victory in this series. And if you don't want to take my word for it, maybe you should listen to this guy: