Alternate Reality

Major League Baseball destroys the clothing that was made for its runners-up. The NBA donates it to an overseas charity. The NFL sends it to a place far away.

Apparently, the UAAP sends it to Subic.

Shirt Happens

I have quite a number of Ateneo items in my closet, inspired, in no small measure, by the recent success of its men's basketball team, which I have religiously followed since 1991. (Those were the days when you can get into an Ateneo-La Salle game simply by assisting the Babble carry the drums up the bleachers. Those days are long gone.) I got the the original "Sixth Man" shirt from the Babble itself, basketball jerseys from online sellers, jackets and more shirts from adidas and Nike. The school itself has been selling all this stuff for years, but it cannot be denied that the successful partnerships it has formed, with adidas from way back in 2006 up to the present one with Nike, combined with the success of its basketball program may have boosted sales a bit. (I am just guessing here.)

But what do you do, when your basketball team has not tasted a championship in 25 years, and has not actually won a game in two seasons?

Anyway, back in September, during one of the few times in my life that I cannot associate myself with anything blue, I was planning to wear, for the last Sunday, a shirt made for the college by some enterprising folks from Diliman. Katya (one of only two people who I know still visit this site) informed me that the largest size available would not be very flattering if worn by me. They are too small, as are most shirts sold in the vicinity of UP campus, which explains why I do not have a lot of them (the fact that the Maroons have been stinking lately don't help either).

But, God bless them, the same enterprising people, for once, decided to be generous with their material, and came up with this in 3XL:


UP Fight.

A Can of Whoop Ass

I thought that a football match broke out of the Pacquiao-Hatton laugher yesterday. But, only for less than two rounds. I guess they all know when to shut up.

By the way, maybe it is a good thing to send Nanay Dionesia to Vegas everytime the Pacman has a fight. I don't know, but it seems to me that she can get less airtime only if she's abroad. And even that is too much.

You know the ads got inside your head when you're still trying to shake the image of a woman fixing a leaking roof off it, a day after. Well, it's either that or Giselle Sanchez and her husband, and tongkat ali. Take your pick.
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image courtesy of Inquirer.net.

MJ, HOF'er

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MJ's old college team, North Carolina, won its 5th NCAA title earlier today against Magic's alma mater Michigan State.

Magic-Bird, 30 Years Later

Any Given Sunday

When I left the land of the free and the home of the brave, I told my family and friends that I'd miss football and driving on the interstate the most. I was right on both counts. After growing up in a country where basketball is practically a religion, and after being a fan of Michael Jordan and the Bulls long before I lived anywhere near I-90, you would wonder why I ended up watching more Bears games than Bulls games live.

Of course, it was difficult (to say the least) to get Bulls tickets in 1998 - the last year of the great Bulls run, but then again, it was fairly easy to score a pair after that. While the Tim Floyd era was mostly forgettable, the Bears, during that time, didn't exactly manage to conjure Super Bowl images in your head.

I usually drove from the NW suburb where I lived to the loop and parked near the Metra station, where every game day buses are available to take people to Soldier Field. Now, watching a Bears game at Soldier Field is something that you can experience in not too many places on Earth. The NFL's regular season is played from September to December. Soldier Field is an open air stadium. Sitting on Lake Michigan. When the wind blows in from the lake, on any given December Sunday, in the Windy City, you can bet your freezing ass you will feel it.

The last time I watched the Super Bowl live (on TV, I am not that blessed) was in 2000. I was in the Twin Cities with friends from Chicago, ready to drive back home after helping one of our friends move. That night, we watched Kurt Warner lead the St. Louis Rams over the Tennessee Titans. I don't remember the score anymore, but I remember the Rams winning it after a Titan fell short of the endzone in the dying seconds of the game. Before that season, Kurt Warner, who led this season's NFC champions to the Super Bowl, played in NFL Europe, and Arena Football. Before that, he was stocking shelves at Hy-Vee.

So, last Monday, I watched the Super Bowl live on TV for the first time in 9 long years. While in the previous years, I had to be satisfied with replays on primetime, after following the game during the day on ESPN.com, I decided to take a leave from work that day and watch football instead. I figured that that would be a lot easier to do than getting a car (much less driving in anything resembling an interstate in this country). One out of two ain't that bad at all.

Ten Years Ago

On January 13, 1999 (CST), Michael Jordan's retirement news conference was broadcast to the world. On that day, the game's greatest player announced he was done (until 2001).

I still remember having lunch with friends, on that cold Chicago day 10 years ago, in a pub along State St. (I probably had fish and chips), and we were wondering what the man standing outside the window next to us was looking at. (We later figured out that the pub had its speakers outside on, and he was watching the press conference as well.)

Manny Pacquiao and the Boston Celtics

If you suddenly thought the Pacman can now play center for Team Pilipinas, you might want to check his height again after he steps down from whatever it is he was standing on.

But, who the fuck cares? These are the Boston Celtics, baby. The Boston freaking NBA champions Celtics!

Shadow Reads The News Today, Oh Boy

Any NBA fan born before 1980, takes one of two sides: the Lakers or the Celtics. If you were introduced to the NBA before bald heads, tats, and baggy shorts, back when Michael Jordan was just a brash, skinny kid who could really jump, you would think that in this league, only the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics matter.

Not without reason. During the 1980s, the Lakers and the Celtics won eight NBA titles between them (Lakers - 80, 82, 85, 87, 88; Celtics - 81, 84, 86). They played for the title three times (84, 85, 87), with the Lakers winning twice. Each team had one of the two best players in the league - LA had Magic, Beantown had Bird. The other players were not too shabby either: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Robert Parish, Kevin McHale.

Both franchises fell into the pits after both Bird and Magic retired. The Lakers won three more titles with Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, but tomorrow will be the first time, in more than 20 years, that these two old rivals will play for the trophy once again. This time it will be the Lakers' Bryant and Pau Gasol going up against the Celtics' Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.

* * *

My Modern History professor (God bless his soul) at the Ateneo was an old American Jesuit. He taught history as if he were simply recalling what he himself witnessed just the day before. History according to Fr. Leonard was like a first-hand account. He was already old at the time, and it wouldn't surprise me if someone told me today that the old man was really there at the Battle of Verdun.

I remembered him last night after I heard the news that Barack Obama has clinched the Democratic Party's nomination for US President. In one of his classes, Fr. Leonard told us how he never imagined that he would still be alive to see the fall of the Berlin Wall and the fall of Communism (specifically, the Soviet Union). Well, I lived to see the day that one of the two predominant political parties in the United States nominated an African-American - "a skinny kid from the south side of Chicago" - for President. Come November, we might also very well live to see the day that an African-American is elected President of the United States.

Quote of the Day

"No disrespect to Kyra Sedgwick, but that damn boy Kobe Bryant is The Closer."

- Analyst Charles Barkley using the name of TNT's popular television drama to describe Bryant's ability to make critical plays

B-sides

Chris Webber, the most famous and the most talented member of Michigan's Fab Five retired from the NBA last week. The Fab Five - Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson - played college ball for the Wolverines for two years, and went to two Final Fours and as many championship games (they lost both). They started as freshmen for Michigan during the 1991 NCAA title game - a first in NCAA history. I was on my first semestral break from college when I watched five bald young kids wearing baggy shorts, trash-talk and showboat their way to the championship game on TV. Some say it revolutionized college ball. That year's Final Four got me hooked for life.

This year, the US NCAA Final Four will feature all four No. 1 seeds for the first time ever. North Carolina, Kansas, Memphis and UCLA, will play for the top prize in US college basketball, after disposing of their respective Elite Eight opponents over the weekend. Worth staying up late for: UNC vs. KU - The last time the Jayhawks were in the Final Four, some guy name Roy Williams was coaching the team. He bolted for his Alma Mater, UNC, after KU lost to Syracuse and Carmelo Anthony.

This season, the NBA will possibly feature a 50-win team that will miss the playoffs. As of this writing, Dallas, Denver and Golden State all have 45 wins, with 9 games left to play. One of these teams will miss out on the eighth and last playoff spot in the very strong Western Conference. These three teams are only 5 1/2 games behind the current leader. On the other hand, the East's No. 4 seed, Cleveland, currently has 41 wins.

Later today, the Chicago Cubs will be entering their 100th season without winning a World Series title (If you are really bad at math, the Cubs last won the World Series way back in 1908). This is the longest-running championship drought in all four major leagues in American sports (MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL). If you have a thing for contrasts, the National University Bulldogs last won the UAAP men's title in 1954. It's not even close.

On the local front, Magnolia's Enrico Villanueva was traded for Purefoods' Marc Pingris last week. It should really be that simple, but for the PBA rules prohibiting direct trades between sister teams. So, Purefoods sent Pingris to Coke, who sent second-tier guard Chester Tolomia for Villanueva and Willy Wilson of Magnolia, before shipping them to Purefoods and Barangay Ginebra, respectively. From Coke, Pingris will move to Magnolia for a second round pick, while Wilson will end up in Ginebra for Mark Macapagal. Simple, huh?

Post-Hibernation

I spent my very first Holy Week in Metro Manila, reacquainting myself with Messrs. Regalado and Armstrong. I had to deal with the former if I wanted to have the slightest chance of finishing the enormous backlog that I created during the course of the last two weeks of the academic year. It's not that I had a choice to begin with. The last 200 pages or so were covered in two sessions. The last two sessions. I dealt with the latter, on the other hand, to keep my sanity. Jessica Zafra once wrote, that we are "a generation without closure" - we did not know what happened to Mr. Armstrong and his three kids, namely, Steve, Big Bert, and Little John. Well, GMA-7 delivered closure to those who still needed it over the weekend, by airing Voltes V's The Secret of the Mechanical Eagle, and The Last Saga. I have already seen both several years ago and several years apart. But, who's complaining?

Weng and I spent Easter Sunday watching the PBA's Graduates vs. Dropouts game on TV. It ended in a way only the PBA could have wanted, 90-all. Following FIBA rules on exhibition games, no overtime was played. The PBA and it's players' educational trust fund went home Php 2 million richer. The fund is meant for players’ post-PBA career studies. (A wiseass remarked that this puts our players at a distinct disadvantage since all of them graduated. On the other hand, the only "graduation" the DLRT boys know is on 6 fouls.)

P.S. LA and Larry have been traded to Alaska for Cortez and Bono. As a true-blue Atenista, and an SMB fan since a long, long time ago, I really wanted LA to follow Olsen's footsteps in SMB (calling it Magnolia doesn't sound right after all these years). I wish them luck.

Game Time

The Philippine National Basketball Team, or Team Pilipinas, as expected, has beaten the living organic fertilizer out of the rest of the field in the just concluded Southeast Asian Basketball Association (SEABA) men's championship in Thailand. The RP team beat the host country by a measly 20 points last night, after winning its first three games by an average of 44 points.

With the win, the country booked a slot to the Olympic qualifier in Tokushima, Japan, where the next step to bringing Philippine basketball back into the Olympics will take place. There, Asi Taulava (apparently Pinoy) and company would have the privilege of having their behinds whooped by Yao Ming.

It is great to see the Philippines participating, and winning, in international cage meets again, after the debacle that the BAP brought upon us a couple of years ago. I really don't know why it took so long to get rid of the idiots who made up that sissy-ass entity, who insisted on sending inter-barangay champions to international meets, while the best ballers in the country, who are all incidentally playing in the PBA, are ignored.

Congratulations Team Pilipinas. Hopefully, not one of you will run for Congress.

Granfalloons*

My old basketball team won the alumni league championship in its division two Saturdays ago. It was the team's first championship since the league's founding in 2000. For the past two years, the concurrent demands of unreasonable clients and really, unreasonable professors of the grand manner, would not permit me to join the team, and be its human victory cigar. I would have loved to be on this year's team - I would have been a champion without even breaking a sweat. Literally.

Speaking of the grand manner, three folks from Diliman made it to the top ten of the most hyped examination (probably, rightly so) in these islands. Somebody from my father's Alma Mater placed first. Good for him, and good for all of us, as well. This year's top ten, at the very least, shows that the provincial schools have enough brain cells to give Imperial Manila a run for its money. Nevertheless, I am still happy that the only two law schools I ever considered applying to are still in the list, as always.

On a related note, if you're shopping for a law school, check out if the owner also owns a car dealership. The confluence of such orthogonal factors appears to be a good incentive to prepare well for the Bar.

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*A granfalloon, in the fictional religion of Bokononism (invented by Kurt Vonnegut in his 1963 novel Cat's Cradle), is defined as a "false karass" (imagined communities). That is, it is a group of people who outwardly choose or claim to have a shared identity or purpose, but whose mutual association is actually meaningless in terms of fulfilling God's design. The most common granfalloons are associations and societies based on a shared but ultimately fabricated premise.
- From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tapos Na ang Boksing

For three beautiful and magnificent rounds yesterday, I could almost forgive Manny Pacquiao for even trying to sing.


It was short and it was sweet. The bout was over even before the Pacman's mother, Dionisia, could finish saying her rosary at her home in General Santos City.

Para sa 'yo . . . ang laban na 'tooooo . . .

image courtesy of INQ7.net.

The Three Point Dunk

Noli Eala seemed to have suddenly developed a weird case of brain fart, and is pushing for a three point dunk.

Now, that, to me, really sounds like a novel, if not revolutionary, idea. The only problem is that it's laughable, idiotic, and downright stupid. Who, in his right mind, would suddenly develop a rule for professional basketball that nobody else in the known universe has ever thought of adopting, and is absolutely unsuited for the Filipino physiology? Come to think of it, should the board members suddenly lose all their mental faculties, and decide to approve this really stupid proposal, imports will no longer need their local teammates. Except, of course, to inbound the ball.

While the NBA is changing its rules to push for more ball movement, and results of FIBA-sanctioned events show that we should emphasize outside shooting and teamwork, Noli Eala is, apparently, suffering from a delusion that all that Filipinos want to see are showboating and individual plays.

Here's an idea, Mr. Eala, why don't you just invent a new game, start a new league, and play with the rules as you see fit. Leave basketball alone.

Big Ben and the Bulls

As a long-time Chicago sports fan, let me just share with you reports from ESPN, that Big Ben is driving east to Chicago, to play for da Bulls.

The biggest free-agent prize of the NBA offseason appears to be off the market. Ben Wallace has informed the Pistons he will sign with the Bulls, Insider Chad Ford reports. The deal is believed to be $52M for four years.

The Bulls now have an all-star center (which says a lot about centers in the East), to go along with the young backcourt tandem of Hinrich and Gordon, and wingmen Deng and Nocioni. Add 2006 draft 4th pick overall Tyrus Thomas and the perenially-underachieving Chandler, and we suddenly have a promising 2006-07 season.

C'mon. Crazier things have happened.

Where's the Babble?

Tonight, at 7:35 PM, Red Bull Barako will play its first game in the PBA Philippine Cup vs. perennial favorite San Miguel Beer. For some people, myself included, the game itself will be somewhat overshadowed by Rich Alvarez' reunion with Enrico Villanueva, Larry Fonacier and Paolo Bugia, who for the first time since 2002, will be donning the same jerseys. Just in case you just crawled out from under a rock, these players (except Bugia, who was injured that year), together with Wesley Gonzales and LA Tenorio, formed the core of the 2002 UAAP champions Ateneo Blue Eagles.

Gonzales, incidentally, will be playing for the other side tonight, after a mid-season trade with Airhead21 which brought him to SMB, where he joins fellow Atenean Olsen Racela. Tonight's game will thus feature all six active Blue Eagles in the PBA.

Which begs the question: what the hell was BJ Manalo smoking when he said

My dream, even as a kid, was to play professional basketball. In my mind, Ateneo is the school to go if you dream to become successful in the corporate world, but not to achieve in pro basketball.

Wow, mali.

2nd Generation

This is definitely one of the better Jordan commercials that I have seen. Not bad for a guy who has not been playing competitive ball since 2003.

Unfortunately, The Judges Stole It

We call it lutong macao in the vernacular. I am no Sixer fan, but it was obvious that the judges lowballed Andre Iguodala in last night's Slam Dunk Contest.

Even though it was obvious to the crowd that Philly's swingman delivered the best dunk of the night in the first round, catching an Allen Iverson pass off the back of the glass and gliding under the backboard and rim for a reverse-slam on the other side. And then running off the court and down the tunnel as if to say it was over.

Iguodala was gracious, nevertheless. After all, it was not as if Nate Robinson, the eventual winner, did nothing to bring the house down.

That's when Nate-Rob, showing character and persistence, got himself back in the competition, walking across the court and handing Spud Webb his old Atlanta jersey No. 4. With Webb in his new duds, Robinson caught a bounce pass from the onetime dunk champ and jumped over all 5 feet, 7 inches of him for a spectacular jackknife slam, finishing in a squat that he held for effect.

But Iguodala should have won. And they should not let a contestant try and miss about 200 dunk attempts before the guy finally nails one.