Olympic Dream

The 2008 Beijing Olympics is coming to an end, and at this point the Philippines team is still searching for that elusive gold medal. With 13 of our 15 athletes already out of medal contention one may ask if it is wrong to hope for any medal with time running.

Afghanistan has already won a medal. Yes the same country torn apart by war and is in a rebuilding mode won a medal. For their government officials sports competition maybe the last thing on their mind but that does not became an obstacle for them to win in the Olympics. Comparing Afghanistan to the Philippines may be a bit exaggerating but if they can do it why can’t we? If only our government would prioritize sports, then we could have a fighting chance in the Olympics but I guess that’s not the case.

Another thing, many in the private sector signified support by awarding monetary incentives to the athletes who will bring home medals. I don’t doubt their sincerity in helping the athletes, but with the way our athletes performing, coming home without a medal for the third straight Olympics is likely to happen, then the incentives the private sector promised will never be given. This is just a suggestion, what if they still give it to the athletes in support for their training and with that the chance of winning a medal in the next Olympics will be higher.

I see the potential in our athletes, I should know because I have been ardently following their games on TV. It seems that the difference came from the preparations and trainings that our rivals have undertaken. As one of our Olympians Henry Dagmil in one of his interviews after the competitions said that, preparation for this kind of competition should take years not just months. Sadly with lack of budget his training went only for months. And the result he didn’t even qualify for the semifinals of his event long jump. I don’t blame him for his poor performance in fact I felt frustration because he clearly have the talent to win a medal but lack of funds came in the way.

Our bet in weightlifting competitions Hidilyn Diaz she’s only 17, though she didn’t any medal she faired well in the competitions. Her coach, who accompanied her in the games, predicted that with the proper training, maybe she can win in the 2012 London Olympics. See, we don’t have any shortage for talented athletes what we have is shortage of support from our government and the lack of funds for our athletes. Just thinking about this situation really frustrates me. Think of all the wasted talents because of this silly situation of not having enough funds it’s just not justifiable.

Everybody loves a winner, that is human nature and there’s nothing wrong with that. But if ever our athletes would come home with any medal to show, I’d still be proud of them, they did their best and that’s the important thing.

ode to el torito

With a stunned crowed, the victor celebrated like there’s no tomorrow. He never felt like this before, for this is the first time he had a gigantic win. What made it special is that he did it in his opponent home turf. There’s no single moment he doubt his ability to conquer the odds. He promised himself a victory even if no one believed in him. And now that he clasps his dream with his two bare hands, the same hands that ended the fight giving him the knockout win. What mattered most now is that he made a believer out of everybody; he earned the respect of the crowd. Jumping for joy, he now realized that with this win he can now fight anybody within his division. Because now he has confidence in his abilities and now with this confidence he felt like he can achieve anything that he would like to achieve. That is the result of a surprise knockout win made extra sweet because of the venue where he made it.

March Madness!!!!

Its March Madness once again and the number 1 seeds are North Carolina, Memphis, UCLA and Kansas. These four teams are expected to make it to the Final four which will be held in San Antonio. Brackets could be found here

Araneta Coliseum was my home for two weeks!!!

For more than two weeks I was hook with the recently concluded PBA Philippine Cup Finals. I’m an avid Purefoods TJ Giants fan since I can’t remember when and because Purefoods is one of the protagonists in the finals I really made it a point to watch every game of the finals. Well didn’t get to watch game one because I was at Elbi having fun at the yealy feb fair.

So on to Game 2, I was really excited because this will be my first time watching a PBA finals game. Confident that Purefoods would win this or else they would be in a 0-2 hole against Sta. Lucia. The game was very competitive from first quarter through the third quarter. But come the fourth quarter Sta. Lucia’s defense tightened and Kelly Williams putting on a show, the realtors went on to win game 2.

Game 3 would be a different story because the Giants’ back are against the wall and understanding that a 0-3 disadvantage would be an insurmountable task to overcome. Purefoods played like there is no tomorrow. Purefoods offense that was anchored on Kerby and James through their deadly inside and outside sniping finally clicked and adding their defense in stopping Kelly, the giants cruised to their first victory of the series

Game 4 would be the same story as game 3 but with a twist. Learning of his suspension the night before James scored a conference high 32 points and most importantly guarantying that there would be a game 6 when he returns from the one game suspension slapped on him.

Without James in Game 5 as a result of his suspension Sta. Lucia got their 3^rd win in the series. The game was competitive through the first half but it became apparent that without its star gunner the giants just won’t have the tools to stop the rampaging realtors. Coach Ryan put it aptly, saying that without James they are like going to a marathon without one leg.

Game 6 was a classic. With realtors having the lead going into the fourth quarter, James suddenly found his shooting and drained 5 out of 6 tripples and scoring 20 of his game high 30 points, securing a ‘do or die’ game seven.

Game 7 was a nip and tuck affair as no team would have a comfortable lead. But as the last five minutes of the game approach, the realtors’ dreaded defense put the giants into their knees, as they have never recovered.

There are many what ifs, for one, what if commissioner barrios didn’t elevate James fragrant foul from penalty 1 to penalty 2 and did not suspend James? What if James played that game 5 would the result be different knowing that Purefoods had the momentum?

Taking nothing away from Sta. Lucia they deserve the win and have to congratulate them for a great tournament, truly their chemistry as team showed in the finals.

Well I’m disappointed ‘cause Purefoods didn’t get the trophy but for what its worth the finals was really a classic one and I got to witness it live.

Its Purefoods-Sta. Lucia in the Finals

Nobody expected at the start of the season that Purefoods and Sta. Lucia would be the ones who will battle for the 2008 Philippine Cup or better known as All Filipino Cup. For Purefoods this is their 20th finals appearance in their 20th year as a franchise but compared to the other teams such as Magnolia and Talk and text who filled their roster with superstars the experts just didn't give Purefoods a chance to go to the finals.

Purefoods TJ Giants beat an overachieving Redbull barakos in a do or die game 7. After a lopsided defeat in game 6, the Giants started game 7 with their guns blazing. Purefoods adjustment after the game 6 loss was very visible with Pingris taking on Celino Cruz while James Yap taking on Mike Hrabak and Roger Yap guarding Cyrus Baguio, this defensive scheme clearly surprised the Barakos as the Giants raced to an early big lead. The Giants controlled the whole game and protected their lead by trouncing every Barakos rally attempt. James Yap led the Giants with 28 point while Marc Pingris added 18 point and 14 rebound.

This will be Sta. Lucia's first trip to the All Filipino Finals. A combination of veterans and youngsters and a great team chemistry, the Realtors crush the Alaska Aces and book the first finals appearance since 2001. Kelly Williams led the charge for the Realtors and was ably supported by rookie Ryan Reyes. Much like the Purefoods game the Realtors dominated the game from start to finish surviving an Alaska rally in last minutes of the game.

The Realtors have not yet beaten the Giants this season but it does not mean that it will be a lopsided searies, in contrary this match up has the makings of a great finals series.

PBA Semis Tied at 2-2

The Current PBA Philippine Cup semifinals is currently at deadlock with two wins apiece. Redbull defeated Purefoods last sunday to level the series and reduce the best of seven series to just best of three affair. With Purefoods' ace player James Yap injured Redbull took advantage and snatch the win in overtime. Yap had a good first quarter scoring ten points but had to be benched because of knee contusions. He is listed day to day. This another setback that Purefoods must hurdle in order to achieve their goal of reaching and winning the PBA Philippine Cup (considered to be the more prestigious tourment of the PBA). On the other series Alaska outpoints Sta. Lucia to also level their best of 7 series. Behind Willie Miller's game high 27 points Alaska dueled Sta. Lucia into a shootout which is the Aces gameplan. But the win didn't come without any scare from Sta. Lucia who cut a 26 point deficit into just 2 midway in the fourht quarter

Game 5 for both series will crucial for it will have a twice to beat advantage. For Purefoods to win the game they must find another scoring option if ever Yap will not be able to play. They have PJ Simon who showed he can score when needed to in the elimination round and there is Noy Castillo who is capable of a scoring burst.

Purefoods Pounds Red bull, Takes series opener

The smallest giant proved to the tallest.

Purefoods prized rookie, Chico Lanete scored 16 points in the third quarter going 4 out of 5 from the three point line and helping Purefoods take game 1 in the best of seven series againts Red bull 103-84. Lanete finished with 18 points, six rebounds and one steal in only 17 minutes of action.

"Chico is a big-time player. He knows when to light up. He’ll be a marked man next time but he will find ways to score," said Gregorio of his prized acquisition from the rookie free-agent pool.

After an 11 day hiatus, their incentive after gaining an automatic semis slot, Purefoods showed no sign of rust. "You get rusty only if you allow yourself to be. If it happens, it means you didn’t do your assignments," said Coach Ryan Gregorio of the TJ Giants.

Kerby Raymundo started the onslaught as he scored 10 points in the first quarter, as Purefoods led from the start and never relinquishing their lead.

Although Red Bull stayed within the striking distance as Purefoods was only ahead by 4 points going into halftime, this paved way for Lanete’s third quarter explosion.

This is Purefoods first win against Red bull this conference and also snaps the Giants two game losing streak.

"I think we went up against a battle-weary Red Bull. We came out strong and did a good job staying close with their shooters," said Gregorio.

"But Game Two is gonna be different. The two-day rest will give them enough time to rest. They’re always tough to beat because they have a big fighting heart," added Gregorio. "The only advantage that I can see right now is that we only need to win three games. They need to win four."

Marc Pingris added 14 points and 11 rebounds. While James Yap contributed 11 points.(BCN)

The scores:

Purefoods 103 – Raymundo 24, Lanete 18, Pingris 14, Yap R. 12, Yap J. 11, Yee 8, Simon 7, Adducul 5, Evangelista 4, Sanz 0.

Red Bull 84 – Valenzuela 15, Najorda 11, Baguio 10, Bugia 8, Sharma 8, Adriano 8, Hrabak 6, Ybanez 5, Duncil 4, Robinson 3, Cruz 3, Pennisi 3.

Quarterscores: 29-16, 48-44, 88-63, 103-84.

Sharapova wins Australian Open Captures her third grand slam title

Maria Sharapova treated her loss last year in the Australian open as her motivation in this year’s edition of grand slam and the result is very different from last year.

Sharapova beat Ana Ivanovic of Serbia 7-5, 6-3 in the finals of the the Austalian Open. But before playing in the finals Sharapova beat no. 1 Justine Henin in a dominating fashion nobody espected and then cruised to an easy victory against no. 3 Jelena Jankovic.

Serving at 2-2 in the first set, Ivanovic set up double break point with a double fault, then sent a forehand long.

After holding serve the first three times at love, Sharapova committed three double faults while serving at 4-3 to hand the game to Ivanovic.

"I didn't get impatient," Sharapova said. "She's two points away from winning the first set in a Grand Slam final. If you want it, take it. And she didn't."

From 3-3 in the second set, Sharapova ran off the last three games again, breaking Ivanovic for the fourth time to finish the match.

Pinays Win World Cup of Golf

The Philippine team composed of Jennifer Rosales and Dorothy Delasin captured the Women’s World Cup crown in Sun City, South Africa Sunday after making crucial birdie putts in the closing holes.

The Philippines’ final round output matched its first round score under the same format and counting its four-under 68 card in the alternate-shot Saturday, it finished with a 54-hole aggregate of 18-under par 198, beating Korea’s 200.

Delasin a veteran campaigner in the LPGA tour birdied the last three shots in the better-ball format as the RP golfers battled back from two shots down at the backside to turn back the faltering Koreans.

The win proved to be the Philippines biggest golf championship ever worth a whopping $280,000 (P11.2 million).

“This is a very big day for the Philippines and for golf in the country,” Delasin said.”This win is for all the Filipinos around the world.”

“It was a real team effort,” said Delasin’s teammate Jennifer Rosales, a two-time LPGA winner.” The win hasn’t really sunk in at the moment, maybe it will when we have a few beers later. I loved the pressure of having to make each putt and I’m glad I came here to compete with my partner.”

The Filipinos and the Koreans started the day tied for the lead but Shin Ji-yai and Ji Eun-hee wrested a two-shot lead at the turn with a bogey-free 33 as Delasin and Rosales stumbled with a bogey on the par-5 No. 5 against two birdies for a 35.

Japan and Taiwan tied for third on 13-under 203.

Tar heels dropped to fifth after loss

AP top 25

After ten polls of being the no. 1 team, North Carolina Tar Heels dropped to fifth after their upset loss to Maryland Saturday night.

Memphis (17-0) took the no. 1 ranking and it’s their first since 1983, they moved up one spot with 49 first-place votes and 1,777 points from the 72-member national media panel. Kansas, Tennessee and Duke are ranked second, third and fourth respectively.

Washington St., Indiana, UCLA, Georgetown and Michigan rounds up the top ten.

Maryland upsets no. 1 North Carolina

Maryland Terrapins deals North Carolina its first loss of the Season with an 82-80 win last sunday (manila time) in Chapel Hill. Nobody expected that this average Maryland team would give North Carolina its first loss. UNC previously escaped Clemson and Georgia Tech with a close win but this they could not get the job done. This loss will most likely cost them their number ranking in the nation. Memphis and Kansas are the only unbeaten teams in division 1 this season.

"Well I haven't done a very good job with this basketball team the last couple of weeks" said UNC Coach Roy Williams, referring to how the Tar Heels could not get the stops they need in the crucial moment of the game. "We've been living on the edge, and it caught up with us today" Williams added.

Like the Clemson game North Carolina had the chance to steal the win after Maryland scored on a basket and capture the lead with 21 seconds left on a Bambale Osby' lay up. But that proved to be the game's winning basket as North Carolina failed to score on three attemps. Wayne Ellington North Carolina's hero on the Clemson game missed a three point attempt and a lay up while Tyler Hansbrough missed a last second three pointer.

James Gist led Maryland with 22 points while Tyler Hansbrough had 17 points and 14 rebounds for North Carolina

Tar Heels win again, off to their best start since 1983-84

The University of North Carolina Tar heels posted their 18^th win in a row with a 83-82 victory over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, but not the smooth sailing win everybody expected. Georgia Tech yellow jackets gave an inspiring play in an attempt to upset the top rank tar heels but their best is still wasn’t enough.

With the game tied at 82, Danny Green, Tar Heel’s super sub grabbed a rebound from a Georgia tech missed shot and in doing so was fouled with 22 seconds remaining, Green hit 1 of his 2 foul shots which proved to be the final score. But Green was not finished yet, he blocked the supposedly game winning shot of tech’s Zack Peacock. Peacock recovered the ball but still missed his last shot.

Tyler Hansbrough UNC’s Junior All American finished with 27 point and 11 rebounds. He continuously pounded the ball through the basket and had 15 free throws making 13 of them.

This is UNC’s first win in Atlanta since coach Roy Williams return to Carolina prior to the 2003-04 season.

Tar Heels Receive 5 Commitments in Just 10 Days

An unprecedented feat that was never heard before was accomplished by the University of North Carolina Tar Heels, when they received another verbal for their fifth recruit in just 10 days. This Monday morning (Sunday evening in the US) Dexter Strickland considered the no. 1 point guard of the 2009 class committed to the tar heels after they got commitments from John Henson, Travis and David Wears, and Reggie Bullock all are considered five stars recruit.

North Carolina which is currently the no. 1 in the nation also has commitments from Ed Davis, Tyler Zeller (both are five-star recruit) and Larry Drew (four-star recruit) from the 2008 class. Also Kendall Marshall a top ten player of the 2010 class committed to the tar heels early last September.

Many recruiting analyst believe that the tar heels roster is already set til the 2009-2010 season.