The Armchair Sports Blogger

The Commissioner's Cup beckons

2012-02-10T08:00:00.000+08:00

Starting later tonight, professional basketball in the Philippines resumes with the start of the Commissioner's Cup. With the backdrop of the fascinating All-Filipino Cup between the underdog Powerade Tigers and the newly minted champions Talk N' Text Tropang Texters, Philippine basketball re-emerges into the spotlight and attention of the Filipino sports fan.

The success of the "Kampihan Na!" campaign fostered by the partnership of the PBA and AkTV has already netted some dividends, as the league earned P39 million in gate receipts, exceeding the P36 million target. With regards to television, 1.2 million viewers watched the Game 7 telecast of the semifinals between bitter rivals Petron Blaze Boosters and TNT.

The previous conference thrust new players into the spotlight, namely SMART Gilas I alumni JVee Casio, Chris Lutz, Dylan Ababou, Marcio Lassiter and the establishment of Gary David as a bonafide star in the league. Who can forget his virtuoso postseason for the 8th seeded Tigers. He deserved to win the Best Player of the Conference trophy.

The new conference will have one major tweak, and that is the inclusion of an import with unlimited height. As it was discussed during the press conference last Wednesday, having the right import could be all the difference between making it to the next stage or missing it.

The pressure now lies with these guys:

Air 21 Express (formerly known as Shopinas) - Marcus Douthit
Alaska Aces - Adam Parada
B-Meg Derby Ace Llamados - Denzel Bowles
Barako Bull Energy - DerMarr Johnson
Barangay Ginebra Kings - Chris Alexander
Meralco Bolts - Jarrid Famous
Petron Blaze Boosters - Nick Fazekas
Powerade Tigers - Dwayne Jones
Rain or Shine Elastopainters - Willard Crews
Talk N' Text Tropang Texters - Omar Samhan

Kick-off will be tonight, 515pm with Barako Bull versus Alaska and the 730pm game would be B-Meg versus Meralco.

Austin Rivers Issues Fatality

2012-02-09T21:00:00.000+08:00

We all know about how good Austin Rivers really is. Highly touted recruit. Goes to Duke. Struggled early on, but we know the talent is there. And he put that on full blast against their fierce rivals North Carolina.

39 minutes. 29 points (most for a freshman at the Dean Dome). 5 rebounds. 2 assists. 1 steal. 9/16 shooting from the field. Went 6/10 from beyond the arc, with his final attempt being something like this:

At least for one night, we know Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers more as Austin's dad, instead of Austin being Doc's kid.

Middle East Training for the Azkals Underway

2012-02-08T17:20:00.001+08:00

The 2012 AFC Challenge Cup is a month away, and in line with the preparation for that particular competition, the Philippine Football Federation has arranged for a training camp / tour for the senior national team in the Middle East. It is hoped that the location will facilitate chemistry between those based in the Philippines with their overseas-based counterparts, with the competition getting closer and closer. It is an opportunity as well to provide goodwill for the large Filipino community based in the Gulf region.

Based in Dubai and Doha, the training will span from the 7th to the 17th and will include three friendlies, two against international sides and one against a top quality Qatari side. The first friendly will be against the Uzbekistan Olympic Team at the Al-Maktoum Stadium in Dubai on February 11 (8pm local time, 12mn in Manila). The Uzbek side shares the group lead with the United Arab Emirates in their quest to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics with two group matches remaining. They will then proceed to Doha for their match against Qatari side Al-Ahly on February 13 (730pm local time, 1230am on February 14 in Manila) before returning to Dubai to face the Australian Olympic Team at the Al-Maktoum Stadium on February 16 (8pm local time, 12mn in Manila). The Olyroos are actually in the same group with Uzbekistan in Olympic Qualifying, but they are a distant third and their chances to advance are slim with two matches remaining and they have a five-point deficit against the leaders.

ABS-CBN Sports as part of their commitment with the PFF, will be broadcasting the matches of the senior national team. They have confirmed that there will be a live broadcast of the international friendlies on the 11th and 16th, whilst the Al-Ahly friendly is still being worked on. The Dubai friendlies will have a pregame that will start at 1130pm and will be shown on Studio 23, with the replays to take place the following morning at 11am.

Here are the players who are to participate in the Middle East camp:

Philippine Air Force Phoenix FC: Ian Araneta (FW), Emelio Caligdong (MF)
Philippine Army Fritz & Macziol: Roel Gener (D / MF), Eduard Sacapano (GK), Nestorio Margarse (MF)
Global FC: Rob Gier (D), Carlie de Murga (D), Angel Guirado (MF / FW), Juan Luis Guirado (D), Misagh Bahadoran (MF), Paolo Pascual (GK)
Kaya FC: Joshua Beloya (FW), Lexton Moy (MF), Jason Sabio (D)
Loyola Meralco Sparks FC: Phil Younghusband (FW), James Younghuband (MF)
Stallion FC: Ruben Doctora (MF / FW)
Laos FC: Marwin Angeles (MF)
Grindavik: Ray Jonsson (D) (arriving on the 12th)

1. FC Magdeburg: Denis Wolf (MF / FW)
FC Dordecht '90: Jason de Jong (MF) (arriving on the 8th)
MSV Duisburg: Roland Müller (GK) (arriving on the 10th)
Fulham: Neil Etheridge (GK) (arriving on the 14th)

Blog Outsourcing - Feb 6 edition

2012-02-06T22:00:00.000+08:00

It's the day after the Super Bowl.

That was some ball game last night. The Book of Eli comes through once again. Another fourth quarter comeback. The vaunted offense of New England scuttled to only 17 points. They did not make mistakes. They forced the Patriots to make theirs, which was just enough for them to win a Super Bowl in the fourth straight decade. Maybe this time Eli gets his due. Maybe this time Tom Coughlin gets to coach for as long as he wants without people asking him to be fired.

It's amazing that a Manning gets to lift the Lombardi at Indianapolis.

And M.I.A. did not give us the finger.

Here forth are the links to things you may have missed in the afterglow of the Super Bowl
The Legend of Angelo Dundee. (c/o San Francisco Chronicle)

The ugly aspect of the sport of boxing. (c/o GMA News)

So we get Cotto instead of Pacquiao. (c/o Thy Black Man)

Donaire puts in work in a victory. (c/o FightHype)

Dana messed with some hackers. (c/o Greyhat)

Redemption story in the desert. (c/o Tuscon Citizen)

Interesting action from across the pond. (c/o The Offside)

The travesty that took place in Egypt. (c/o The Telegraph)

The soap opera that is John Terry takes another turn. (c/o The Guardian)

Sparty had a good day. (c/o Detroit Free Press)

Mizzou just keeps rollin'. (c/o Columbia Missourian)

Meanwhile, Frank Haith's old digs put a shock on the ACC. (c/o Charlotte Observer)

Good times for New York on the ice, too. (c/o Philadelphia Inquirer)

Dulling the pain in New England. (c/o Spartanburg Herald Journal)

A Penny saved might be beneficial later on. (c/o Hardball Talk)

His battle is everyday. Every. Single. Day. (c/o Call To The Pen)

Here is the actual halftime performance. Discuss your thoughts.

Blog Outsourcing - January 30

2012-01-30T22:00:00.000+08:00

Welcome to The Victory Formation.

Whilst most of you were asleep when the 2012 Australian Open Final took place, the most fascinating of a final happened. 5 hours and 53 minutes of serves, strokes, grunts, shouts between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. The top two players in the world in a showdown that enthralled all who watched.

I was actually on the road when the conclusion happened, but was kept updated on Twitter, because everyone else on my timeline was talking about it. Still, it was almost 6 hours of competitive tennis. That is incredible. Can't doubt their endurance and skill.

Here forth are the links after the jump:

Now we don't have to hear about Woz's current inability to win being the top female tennis player in the world. (c/o Daily Mail)

The Quest for 12 has been postponed. (c/o BBC Sport).

So, was that match the best final ever? (c/o Herald Sun)

Wait, there was a Pro Bowl? (c/o Los Angeles Times)

There's the NHL All-Star Game, too. (c/o The Chronicle Herald)

These players have mad skillz. (c/o Fighting for Stanley)

Media taking off from what Tim Thomas did. (c/o Boston Herald)

The All-Star Game in Columbus next year! (c/o The Lantern)

What's happenin' with Sidney? (c/o Montreal Gazette)

At least this match was longer than the last one. (c/o Yahoo!'s MMA Cage-writer)

So, there is promise with watching futbol in the United States. (c/o EPL Talk)

Lying just to get people to like you more is pure bad PR, folks. (c/o Deutche-Welle)

Landon > Clint in FA Cup. (c/o Toffeeweb)

In a matter of days, Liverpool dispatched Manchester City in one cup competition and Manchester United in another cup competition. Satisfaction, guaranteed. (c/o Yorkshire Post & London Telegraph)

Can the FA Cup become their version of the Super Bowl? (c/o San Francisco Chronicle)

Bad blood continues between two London clubs. (c/o The Daily Mail)

Tiger ran into a Rock in Abu Dhabi. (c/o Chicago Tribune)

Guy needs a break. Hope he is healthy next year. (c/o Charleston Post & Courier)

Lebron bikes to work and jumps over people. (c/o CBS Sports & Pippen Ain't Easy)

Here is something to sing at 5'o clock in the morning.

5-Hour Energy and the PBA's Powerade Tigers

2012-01-26T07:00:00.000+08:00

H/T to Brosi Gonzales for this celebratory photo of the Tigers

I finally got the opportunity to watch the PBA Finals live for the first time last night. It was Game Three of the Best of Seven PBA All-Filipino Finals involving the defending champions a.k.a Heavyweights Talk N' Text Tropang Texters and the 8th-seed a.k.a. Underdogs Powerade Tigers. TNT had a 2-0 lead over Powerade and no PBA or even a NBA team has escaped from a 3-0 deficit.

It was not surprising that the games have been hi-scoring. Powerade's identity has been to be aggressive and pick up the pace, sort of what Golden State does.They love pushing the tempo and shooting the lights out. TNT on the other hand, can play that way or play slow (just ask Petron). The Tropang Texters' depth allows them to play any way that Coach Chot Reyes wants them to.

Game 3 showed what Powerade really is. Powerade is like someone who is on 5-Hour Energy. The team is always on the go, seems to be always high on adrenalin and plays all out. And then, once it wears off, they sort of wilt and fade away, running out of gas.

That spurt at the end of the 3rd (because I missed the 1st quarter and the early 2nd) showed what Powerade can do. They run up the court, they slash and they love to shoot. The run was initially anchored by Marcio Lassiter, who finished with 25 pts. It seemed as though the Tigers will finally nail that first win in the series, as Sean Anthony and Gary David were on a roll with their offense.

Their strength lies with their core players and rely on them they did. Their starters (Lassiter, JVee Casio, David, Anthony and Doug Kramer) all accrued at least 40 minutes of court time in a 53 minute game. Romel Adducul was the only other guy who played more than 6 or 7 minutes, playing 24, either subbing or playing alongside Kramer down low. And that took a toll on the team, with Anthony eventually fouling out and the team starting to miss shots, save for that miracle of JVee to force OT. Once the extra period came, the depth of the champions took hold and eventually got them the win. TNT had 7 players in double figures, led by Larry Fonacier's 25.

One might say that it was Powerade's best shot at winning (see the stats) and yet they fell short. One might say that they are done, but these Tigers have bucked the odds since the start of the season, why not do it one more time, right? As what Jaemark Tordecikka remarked on Twitter, they are harder to kill than some zombie in the Walking Dead.

The Wiz picked the Wrong Guy

2012-01-25T06:10:00.001+08:00

The Washington Wizards are a sad sack of a franchise as of the moment. They are at 2-15, which is the worst record in the NBA. They finally made the inevitable move to fire Flip Saunders after an embarrassing loss against Philadelphia and after team captain Andray Blatche pretty much threw him under the bus with his comments.

Sure, they selected Randy Wittman to replace him, probably because he already had previous head coaching stops, but that is the a "meh" hire. Ted Leonsis wanted to make a splash and make sure Washington is relevant in the Association. This move won't allow you to do that.

What would? Having Sam Cassell coach the team would. The 42-yr old two-time NBA Champion is currently an assistant with the team. Besides, he would be a quote machine given his reputation during his playing days.

The Wizards need a total shakeup. The team is young. Maurice Evans is the oldest guy on the team. And he's 33. Your next oldest guy is Rashard Lewis, who is 32 and spent 13 years in the NBA, the most in the team. Only four guys (Evans, Lewis, Ronny Turiaf, Roger Mason) are over the age of 26. Its lottery pick, Jan Vesely, has played in only 10 games, averaging under 12 minutes, not reflecting the reputation that precedes him. Your key players have somewhat regressed. It's really a mess.

Leonsis preaches on the nation's capital becoming a destination. I don't think Randy Wittman would make people want to go there. It might be if Sam I Am was, and if he could run the team the way the team had been constructed.

Blog Outsourcing - January 23, 2012

2012-01-23T21:00:00.000+08:00

Welcome to The Morning After.

Today marks the Lunar a.k.a. Chinese New Year, where 2012 marks the Year of the Dragon.

The Chinese calendar has an animal for the 12 years that comprise the cycle, as seen below:

The Dragon: 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012
The Snake: 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001

The Horse: 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002
The Sheep: 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003
The Monkey: 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004
The Rooster: 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005
The Dog: 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006
The Pig: 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007
The Rat: 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008
The Ox: 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009
The Tiger: 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010
The Rabbit: 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011

You can go here to check what this year lies ahead for you.

Here forth are the links to keep you busy after the jump.
The New York Football Giants remain undefeated in NFC Championship Games. (c/o New York Daily News)

The New England Patriots earned the right to atone for the botched opportunity at perfection, depriving the Giants the chance to atone for their own missed opportunity. (c/o Washington Post)

If you're a Patriot, you have to be ready to do virtually anything. (c/ Boston Globe)

Chip pulled a Billy Donovan? (c/o The Register-Guard)

Sweatervest in Indy blue on the sidelines? (c/o Ology)

The Dolphins have their man, but will they have him? (c/o Miami Herald & ProFootball Talk)

Re-engineering the Auburn offense is tasked for this guy. (c/o Columbia Ledger-Enquirer)

You beat both Duke and North Carolina? You must be good, Florida State. (c/o Yahoo!'s The Dagger)

And then, there is only one, thanks to Notre Dame (c/o Murray Ledger & CBS Sports).

Closure for the Todd O'Brien case. Sadly. (c/o Birmingham News)

Who is Fausto Carmona? (c/o Hardball Talk)

From Moneyball to Mannyball. (c/o San Jose Mercury News)

Carlos Pena redux. (c/o Technorati)

What would Yu do? (c/o Nolan Writin')

Red Sox seeking salary relief. Who knew? (c/o Firebrand of the American League)

Serena says adios. (c/o The West Australian)

Hope vanished. (c/o The Sweet Science)

Here is something to keep you waiting.

Could Pacquiao-Mayweather finally happen?

2012-01-20T02:52:00.002+08:00

All we need is for Floyd's camp to confirm this conversation. This match needs to happen.

(h/t to @tigastorres for theYouTube clip)

Just do it, Bob Arum, Leonard Ellerbe. Do it. For the sake of the sport.

Update: it has been confirmed. Now the world awaits.

The USA Basketball Shortlist

2012-01-17T07:00:00.000+08:00

The finalists as to who will be comprising the Olympic Team competing in London has been named. Here are their names in alphabetical order:

LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland Trail Blazers)
Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks)
Chauncey Billups (Los Angeles Clippers)
Chris Bosh (Miami Heat)
Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers)
Tyson Chandler (New York Knicks)
Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies)
Eric Gordon (New Orleans Hornets)
Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers)
Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic)
Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers)
LeBron James (Miami Heat)
Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves)
Lamar Odom (Dallas Mavericks)
Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers)
Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls)
Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat)
Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Deron Williams (New Jersey Nets)

By grouping this will be the breakdown:

Bigs: LMA, Bosh, TC, Blake, Dwight, Love, Lamar (7)
Wings: Melo, Kobe, KD, Rudy, AI9, LeBron (6)
Guards: Chauncey, Eric, CP3, DRose, Wade, Russ, Deron (7)

The 2008 team a.k.a. Redeem Team looked like this:

Bigs: Boozer, Dwight, Bosh (3)
Wings: Lebron, Redd, Kobe, Prince, Melo (5)
Guards: Kidd, Deron, Wade, CP3 (4)

The 2010 team a.k.a. The B-Team / The Young Guns looked like this:

Bigs: Love, Odom, Chandler (3)
Wings: KD, Gay, Iguodala, Granger (4)
Guards: Billups, Rose, Russ, Curry, Gordon (5)

My personal choice:

Bigs: Dwight, Love, Bosh (3)
Wings: LeBron, Kobe, KD, Iguodala, Melo (5)
Guards: CP3, Wade, Rose, Russ (4)

My biggest concern with this lineup is perimeter shooting. The previous two iterations had someone that you can say is a designated shooter (Redd in 2008, Curry in 2010). Still, imagine the talent on that lineup for a second. They are heavily favored to retain the title considered by many as a virtual American birthright.

Blog Outsourcing - 1/16/12 edition

2012-01-16T21:00:00.000+08:00

Greetings and welcome to the weekly Morning After, where someone tries to remind you what you could have missed.

The iconic boxer of his generation, and probably most of ours, Muhammad Ali, will be celebrating his 70th birthday this week. The heavyweight champion attended an advanced birthday party for him in his hometown in Louisville. That party also served as a fund raiser for the Ali Center, a educational and cultural complex, where it will be an illustration of his legacy both inside and outside of the squared circle.

He may have been ravaged by Parkinson's, but he is still an inspiration and a legend.

Here forth are the links after the jump and staring at another meme pic from me:

The NFC Championship Game has a retro late 1980s feel to it. On one end, there is this nice little pun of a rhyme: (c/o New York Times' 5th Down)

Brees be nimble, Brees be quick, Brees can't win at Candlestick. (c/o Niner Noise)

The other end just made good on a guarantee, something we already covered earlier in the week. (c/o Newark Star-Ledger)

The AFC Championship Game is what can be said is an opportunity. (c/o Baltimore Sun)

On one end, Denver got Gronk'd. (c/o Sporting News)

Not your time, yet, Houston. (c/o Sports Illustrated)

Jaguars (c/o Jacksonville Daily Record) and Falcons (c/o The Falcoholic) "trade" their Offensive Coordinators.

Could officiating be a full-time job? (c/o ProFootball Talk)

Does Pioli have the same shady routine, too? (c/o Larry Brown Sports)

One quarterback is staying, while another is going. (c/o Baxter Bulletin & Oregonian)

Derek Dooley got his man to run the Vols D. (c/o Rocky Top Talk)

This has to be a ploy for a raise, right? (c/o Crimson & Cream Machine)

The Urban renewal continues. Out with the old, in with the new. (c/o The Lantern & The Buckeye Battle Cry)

JoePa tells all. (c/o Washington Post)

All that is needed here are pitchforks and torches. (c/o Philadelphia Inquirer)

Evisceration in Tallahassee. Not what you think, though. (c/o Miami Herald)

Probably the only downer for the Bossman this weekend. (c/o The Only Colors)

More drama in the Fine mess. (c/o Gothamist)

Pitching issues resolved, and that's with AJ Burnett. (c/o CBS Sports)

This is going down the wire. Will there be a clutch performance from somebody? (c/o Hardball Talk)

The Pujols rule being adopted by Josh Hamilton. (c/o MLB Daily Dish)

Will this Bud be for you? (c/o Forbes)

It's all your fault. (c/o The Boxing Scene)

Interesting backstory with the Aussie Open already underway. (c/o London Telegraph & The Roar)

MMA fun in Rio. (c/o AlphaKick)

Since there will be a Korean team coming to the Motherland:

The King has returned.

2012-01-10T15:30:00.000+08:00

He's back. Albeit for a short while, but it's quite magical to see his return to the stadium he helped build.

Blog Outsourcing - January 9, 2011 edition

2012-01-09T22:00:00.000+08:00

Welcome to the latest edition of The Morning After on The Victory Formation.

So, later today, the BBWAA will be announcing who will make it to the Hall of Fame. Rules are quite simple. You only have a limit of 10 people to select.

Who would I vote? The pool to select can be seen here.

I would vote the DH's: Raines and Edgar. The latter was THE name when it came to the Designated Hitter pre-Papi.

I would vote Larkin, Bagwell, Bernie and Larry Walker in. Veterans who defined themselves with their respectives franchises (Reds, Astros, Yankees, Rockies)

I would vote McGwire, Palmeiro in, because you saw for yourself in his playing career that they warrant it, in spite of the allegations.

Who is in yours, then?

Here forth are the links to catch you up after the jump.
The Saints went marching in. (c/o New Orleans Times-Picayune)

Breakthrough win for Houston. (c/o Sportsrageous)

Big Blue scored all 26 points today. (c/o New York Daily News)

Tim Tebow throws 316 in 10 completions. Steelers get Tebow'd. (c/o Denver Post)

Think before you click, Aaron Berry. (c/o Yahoo!'s Shutdown Corner)

One Republic sang this... It's too late to apologize... It's too late... (c/o ProFootball Talk)

Tebow now faces the man who drafted him next. (c/o Washington Post)

Where to, Jeff Fisher? (c/o Turf Show Times)

Jim Irsay looks certain already. (c/o Waiting for Next Year)

James Harrison also issues kill shots to receivers. (c/o NFL)

New era in Penn State football. (c/o Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

He's a man. He's gonna be f'n rich. (Enid News)

Kobe can easily determine the people he knows have his competitive gene. (c/o Black Sports Online)

Is there still a chance at a split title? (c/o Team Speed Kills)

Was he worth it for UCF? (c/o Florida Today)

Ouch for the Hilltoppers. (c/o SportsGrid)

One less unbeaten squad, thanks to the Wildcats. (c/o Topeka Capital-Journal)

And then there were two? (c/o Baseball Nation)

After fishing, time to do some extending. (c/o Halo Hangout)

Floyd pulls off another great escape. (c/o Fighters)

Really annoyed with Bob Arum. (c/o Opposing Views)

Bitterness remains in the City of Manchester. (c/o Herald Sun)

High stakes in the next round of the FA Cup. (c/o The Guardian)

The Blaugranas squandered an opportunity. (c/o El Centrocampista)

Time to get your Aussie Open on. The seedings. (c/o Bloomberg)

This is an ode to Lefty.

Twitter and the Student-Athlete

2012-01-04T07:30:00.000+08:00

I always believed in the context of free speech and its expressive nature. So the recent move by newly-minted Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer to bar his student athletes from using social media is eyebrow-raising.

I understand the premise and the need for the move. After all, we have seen too many scenarios where these student-athletes get into trouble because of what he said and all. In fact, it's not just on social media. Remember when the brawl at the Crosstown Shootout took place, when after the game, Tu Holloway decided to use his "gangsta" bit in the post-game press conference? It illustrates that there is a dire need instead of banning the tool, one should instead educate them on the use and its repercussions, because after all, they are representing the institution that they play for, no matter if they put a disclaimer on the top.

I love tweeting, and so do most of the writers here at TVF. We enjoy how helpful this tool has been for everyone. Some more than others. (You probably know who that particular person is already) As always, one should always be prepared to handle the responsibility of wielding this instrument. As such, I leave you with this reminder.

Think Before You Click.

More Details on the #SendongCharityGame

2012-01-03T12:00:00.000+08:00

On January 7, 2011 at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium and televised on Studio 23, the Dili kamo nag-iisa charity football match will take place. It will involve Tercera Division side CF Internacional de Madrid, a club that is currently twelth in their table.

The lineup for the locals, dubbed as Azkals Alyansa for this match, which is an mix of players from the national side and from the United Football League are as follows:

Goalkeepers: Eduard Sacapaño (Army Fritz & Maciol), Edmundo Mercado, Jr. (Philippine Air Force Phoenix FC), Paolo Pascual (Global FC)

Defenders: Roel Gener (Army Fritz & Maciol), Roxy Dorlas (Loyola Meralco Sparks FC), Ange Tressor-Guisso (Global FC), Yves Ashime (Pachanga FC), Martin Doctora (Philippine Air Force Phoenix FC), Anton del Rosario (Kaya Cignal FC), Jerry Barbaso (Global FC)

Midfielders: Emelio Caligdong (Philippine Air Force Phoenix FC), Misagh Bahadoran (Global FC), Valentine Kama (Global FC), Angel Guirado (Global FC), Carli de Murga (Racing Club Portuense), Lexton Moy (Kaya Cignal FC), James Younghusband (Loyola Meralco Sparks FC)

Attackers: Phil Younghusband (Loyola Meralco Sparks FC), Ian Araneta (Philippine Air Force Phoenix FC), Nate Burkey (Kaya Cignal FC), Ojay Clariño(University of Santo Tomas)

Philippine Air Force Phoenix head man Edward Cabalida will be handling the squad, whose UFL Cup Winning Squad will be having a separate friendly with the Spaniards at a yet to be determined date and time. The Spaniards also are scheduled to have a friendly with the senior women's national side on January 6, from 7-9pm at the newly built Bonifacio Global City turf field. That info came from Malditas captain Marielle Benitez.

Prohibited items for the charity match are as follows:

Cigarettes and lighters
Laser pens and pointers
Weapons and/or sharp objects
Candles, fireworks, or any type of pyrotechnics
Glass bottles, PET bottles, cans, and hard plastic containers
Posters, banners, and signage with any politics slogans or advertising without explicit Local Organizing Committee approval
Alcoholic beverages
Illegal drugs
Large chains, spike bracelets, wallet chains, metal belt buckles
Balloons Chairs

Waivers needed for Pregnant women and for Parents of children below 12 years old

As part of the activity, the classic chant of Liverpool FC supporters and other clubs, Gerry and the Peacemakers' You'll Never Walk Alone, will be sung. Here's the actual song with lyrics so that you can sing along.

Tickets for friendly are already available. Kindly check your nearest Ticketworld outlet.

Soccer Central Philippines will let you know more details when we have the information available.

Blog Outsourcing - 1/2/12 edition

2012-01-02T22:00:00.000+08:00

Welcome to the New Year. Welcome to The Victory Formation in 2012.

A new year brings optimism and positivity. Such is needed when you have been challenged. Whether through serious matters to frivolous ones, or from pertinent issues or trivial campaigns, the new year allows us to reset and start again from scratch. If you have been through a great moment, it's an opportunity to exceed it or at least maintain the level. Otherwise, it is a means to forget about the frustrations and leave them all behind.So go forth and make the year yours.

Here forth are the posts to make your day:

So, Aaron Rodgers is a system QB? Matt Flynn was even better (don't mind that it was a small sample size). (c/o Lombardi Ave.)

Apparently these Niners can score, too. They earned that first-round bye. (c/o Chico Enterprise-Record)

Saints made sure Tom Brady could not touch the passing record. (c/o New Orleans Pro Football) After seeing Matt Flynn torch the Lions...

Victor Cruz issuing the last dance. (c/o Newark Star-Ledger)

Talk about some Angry Birds. (c/o Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

The Pats are once again on top of the AFC because this game mirrored the Bills' season. (c/o Pats Pulpit)

The Ravens secured the other bye. Still, the Bengals backdoored their way into the postseason, saving Marvin Lewis yet again. (c/o Purple Chaos)

Cortland Finnegan and Houston definitely do not mix. This division title saved Gary Kubiak. (c/o CultureMap Houston)

The powers of Tebow did not work against Kansas City (c/o Kansas City Star).

The powers of Tebow was instead directed to the Black Hole. (San Jose Mercury News)

John Skelton has a better record as a starter to Tebow. Yes. John Skelton. (c/o Arizona Republic)

The Andrew Luck sweepstakes has begun in Indianapolis. (c/o Indianapolis Star)

Nice to know that they resigned him over Braylon. (c/o Gang Green Nation)

Don't think they should be firing him. (c/o ProFootballTalk)

Oh, NBC gets screwed out of Tebow. Again. (c/o Yahoo! Sports)

Remember the Alamo Bowl. (c/o Houston Chronicle)

Nick Holt will definitely remember the bowl. (c/o Rant Sports)

Sooners did not need a camera to help in dispatching the Hawkeyes. (c/o The Score)

Dabo is the Dodd winner. (c/o Miami Herald)

Are they aware the mediocrity of the Hoodie's coaching descendants? (c/o Boston Herald)

It is intriguing how you can put fiscal value onto a football season. (c/o Forbes)

Oh, this will make the upcoming draft the new "Manning versus Leaf" debate. (CBS Sports)

White Sox shufflin' of Carlos and Jason. (c/o Call to the Pen & Jays' Journal)

H-O-R-S-E shot for the win. This is the YouTube clip. (c/o Staten Island Live)

Nice time lapse. (c/o Kentucky Athletics)

Upset in Manchester. Twice. (c/o Daily Express & Herald Sun)

To part, here is the story of music in 2011, mixed just the way you like it.

#SendongCharityGame Set

2011-12-27T13:50:00.004+08:00

The match has been set. C.F. Madrid, a Tercera Division club in Spain, will be the opponent. What matters is that help is coming on the way for those who really need it.

Blog Outsourcing - December 26 edition

2011-12-26T22:00:00.000+08:00

Greeting to everyone.

Just happy to know the NBA is back.

Here forth are the links to keep you busy after the jump.
Some batch of seniors from Boise. (c/o Idaho Press & Idaho Statesman)

Parting gift for Fedora! (c/o Reno Gazette-Journal)

This bowl just got a whole lot more unwatchable when it was already unwatchable. (c/o Quad City Times)

Preseason 2012 Heisman favorite. (c/o Los Angeles Times)

Hope springs anew. With a matching extension, eh. (c/o Indianapolis Star)

RIP Joseph Villavisencio. (c/o The Inquisitr)

Close but no cigar. (c/o New York Times' The Quad)

Someone got stabbed over a shoe. C'mon son. (c/o Z6Mag)

Apparently, two events is just enough to win a money title. (c/o Washington Post)

What looms ahead for Floyd. (c/o Opposing Views)

PacMarquez III was the event of the year. Should it be, really? (c/o ABS-CBN News)

Fixing baseball's HoF issues. (c/o Hardball Talk)

To part, here is what Christmas should be.

Blog Outsourcing - December 19 edition

2011-12-19T22:00:00.000+08:00

Hello and I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and other holidays that come at this time of the year.

Allow me to once again take things seriously as the Motherland, specifically its southern portion, was battered by Tropical Storm Washi (locally known as Sendong) over the weekend. I am fine, but after personally enduring the wrath two years ago, it surely is not alright down there.

Relief efforts are already underway. If you so choose to help, you can check here & here for details on how you can chip in. You may also check the website of the Philippine Red Cross.

The Filipino spirit remains undaunted. Unfazed. We will rise up again. And Again.

Here forth are the links after the jump:
U-LA-La! Thrilling finish. (c/o SportsNOLA)

You got some hot MAC-tion in exotic locales like New Mexico and Idaho. (c/o Buzz on Broad & Idaho Statesman)

Absolute hypocrisy. (c/o Wall Street Journal)

Was it a Smart move? (c/o College Football Talk)

As if things haven't gone bad already in Happy Valley. (c/o Lost Lettermen)

Urban's presence paying off. (c/o The Ozone)

They truly are the World Champions. (c/o New York Times)

FIFA is based in Zurich, so this might get messy. (c/o Swiss Info)

Will he make it in time for Euro 2012? (c/o Inside Futbol)

The ability to bounce back from adversity is key. So far so good for Manchester City (c/o Guardian)

Speaking of Manchester City, they are holding Carlos Tevez hostage for AC Milan. (c/o Sportsmole)

This was one wicked round house, dude. (c/o The Big Lead)

Andre Ward could possibly be the Fighter of the Year. (c/o Eastbay Express)

Rematches underway for Hernandez-Cunningham & Hopkins-Dawson. (c/o Fightnews & Fighters)

Why not make it a 40-40 with winner netting the remaining 20? (c/o Larry Brown Sports)

He'll ensure that the school becomes a basketball school. (c/o Florida Today)

Cycledan feeling good, but kwsn not thrilled. (c/o Juice Online & Indianapolis Star)

From Petco to the Great American Ballpark. That's some major turnaround, Mat. (c/o Sportsrageous)

The versatile Cuddyer is off for some Coors. (c/o Southside Showdown)

Latest on Bryan Stow (c/o Deadspin)

You spent $75M for someone to get sentenced to house arrest. (c/o Call To The Pen)

A letter to Donald Sterling. (c/o Laker Nation)

Baron Davis is an upgrade to Mike Bibby. (c/o Study of Sports)

Best wishes to Jeff Green. (c/o Inquisitr)600 wins for the Q. (c/o Chicago Tribune)

To part, a Christmas classic. I find it appropriate.

May the force be with Neil Etheridge

2011-12-15T04:16:00.000+08:00

Good luck Neil. You have just made history, not just for you, but for Philippine football and for the continent as well.

Blog Outsourcing - December 12 edition

2011-12-12T22:00:00.000+08:00

Good Morning and welcome to the latest edition of The Morning After.

The weekend was abuzz with much ado about how Tim Tebow managed to pull magic out of the hat. Again. But hey, isn't that what Eli Manning is pulling out of his hat, too? He just tied another NFL record being held by his brother and his brother's iconic predecessor. Doesn't the Broncos have a mean defensive line like Elvis Dumervil? But the Giants have that guy gracing our cover photo for today? Willis McGahee has been adequate without Knowshown, but Brandon Jacobs just passed a Tiki Barber record and played one half without Ahmad.

They have some sort of luck, but not the Andrew kind, because that is what Indianapolis needs.

Here forth are the links after the jump:
Postscript from Assembly Hall. Pat Forde with an in-depth view of its magnitude (c/o Inside the Hall & Yahoo!)

Fallout from the Crosstown Brawl. (c/o Kansas City Star)

Ben gave Reeves the full nelson. (c/o Busting Brackets)

Life after football has not been easy for JoePa. (c/o College Football Talk)

Curious choice of a coach for the Pac-12 South Champs. (c/o Building A Dam)

After a harrowing season, possible opportunity for catharsis. (c/o Terrapin Station)

Dyer straits. (c/o SB Nation Atlanta)Could be the right fit. (c/o The Battalion)

RG III does the stiff arm. (c/o Washington Post)

Khan gets deposed. (c/o Doghouse Boxing)

Fast start, couldn't finish. (c/o Daily Mail)

If you are making this kind of investment, it better pay off. (c/o Soccer By Ives)

Tar Heels take the NCAA title. (c/o New York Times)

It's over for the Nittany Lions. (c/o Lexington Courier-Journal)

Rivals in the field, partners for life? (c/o BusinessWeek)

Quite simple a parting moment.

You're Quite The Natural, Brandon

2011-12-10T00:25:00.001+08:00

I am a huge fan of Brandon Roy. The shooting guard out of Washington was a Minny draft pick before being shipped out to Portland for the rights to Randy Foye.

You cannot question his heart, his will, his love for the game and his devotion to the sport and to its fans, especially in the Pacific Northwest, where he played for Lorenzo Romar in the University of Washington and for the Portland Trailblazers.

It is with great regret that I heard reports saying that Brandon is seeking medical retirement due to his degenerative knee condition. It is definitely saddening and disappointing his physical body could not withstand the pressure and wear-and-tear that is the NBA.

However, we choose to remember his greatness and in this past postseason, he surely gave us one to remember him by.

Thanks, Brandon. We'll miss you.

There is only one Stan Musial

2011-12-09T00:50:00.001+08:00

I guess the idea that someone playing his entire career with one team is pretty much dead or over. People prided over that notion that you stick with the team through thick and thin, through the good times and benefits, and the bad times, when things get ugly and all that.

Those were the days. It looks so far away now.

I look at this as reports come out that Albert Pujols has agreed to become a member of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim after spending his first eleven years in the National League. A $250 to $260 million 10-year deal for a 32-year old three-time MVP. Said deal has a full no-trade clause and no opt-out.

Maybe this is for the benefit of the Cardinals, not being burdened by such a contract, but I feel this is a missed opportunity for him to burnish a legacy as a true St. Louis legend.

Kudos to the Artie Moreno and the Angels. They wanted to make a stand in a town where the being the main baseball talk can be had with the current state of the Dodgers. Adding him and then adding C.J. Wilson definitely helps.

*Stan Musial played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball. All of them with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Blog Outsourcing - 12/5 edition

2011-12-05T01:07:00.000+08:00

Yup, David Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy arrived in Manila as part of their Asia-Pacific Tour. You could also consider it as the farewell tour for the English midfielder, considering he already has offers from Paris Saint-Germain and others to return to Europe.

You can check out here for some details. Also here.

Football in the Philippines has come a long way after a year. From being nowhere in sight to now being in the spotlight. Hope this continues.

Here forth are the links to make your morning after the jump.
Free your Christmas Day sked. The rest will follow on Tuesday. (c/o SLAM Online & ProBasketball Talk)

Meanwhile, you can commence your chase. (c/o HoopsWorld)

Another Cavs legend heads towards the comfy confines of the state of Florida. (c/o Orlando Sentinel)

The Diva Double-Play Combination set down in South Beach. Or maybe not (c/o Miami Herald and Baseball Nation)

Will Bobby V bring back Papi? (c/o BoSox Injection)

Could they compromise? (c/o Detroit Free Press)

Maybe trading a catcher to the Blue Jays would be in the Angels' favor this time. (c/o Rant Sports)

What to expect in the winter meetings? (c/o MLB)

Manny returns, and is still is being Manny. (c/o Call To The Pen)

Hey Minny, you got Tebow'd. (c/o Yahoo!'s Shutdown)

They're back in the playoffs. (c/o San Francisco Examiner)

Frank Gore. Niner Legend. (c/o San Jose Mercury News)

Screaming Trap Game. And it was. (c/o Landry's Hat)

How much would this save the Bears this offseason? (c/o Chicago Sun-Times)

Would a deep Freeze fix the Rebs? (c/o Jackson Clarion Ledger)

Apparently, playing anytime, anywhere, any place cost Pat Hill his job eventually. (c/o The Collegian)

This has been Sharapova's Thigh's mantra over the past few weeks. (c/o The Coloradoan)

Is this the right one? (c/o Wall Street Journal)

Oklahoma State tried its best, but that loss at Ames really hurt, especially under the circumstances surrounding the university on that day. (c/o The Oklahoma Daily & USA Today)

Welcome to the Urban Meyer Bowl. (c/o CBS Sports)

Time to rekindle the memories of a bygone era. (c/o Slap The Sign)

They have a losing record, yet go to a bowl. (c/o Bruins Nation)

Not fair that the Hilltoppers got screwed out of a bowl and no non-AQs in the BCS. (c/o Louisville Courier-Journal & Examiner)

Someone got in a Hakim Warrick-esque moment. (c/o The Republic)

Yup, the media botched this one. Badly. (c/o Go Local Prov)

Cycledan > Trey (c/o The Juice)

Justice was served. (c/o Boxing Scene)

Was watching the replay of the AMAs last night...

Wishlist for the Azkals versus the Galaxy

2011-12-01T02:33:00.001+08:00

Yes, I am absolutely giddy for the match between our national team and that of the MLS Champions, the Los Angeles Galaxy. At the same time, I would like to put my thinking cap on and dream about what I would like to see this weekend.

1. World class action from the Galaxy. At least, we have an idea on what to expect from them because they faced an Indonesian side first. Hopefully, we can get to experience world-class football action from them for at least a half before Bruce Arena decides to turn the rest of the game into an audition to see who fits into his plans next season.

2. Debuts. Well, Weiss added two new elements previously unknown to the normal masses, Matthew Uy and Demetrius Omphroy. Both are defenders, so at least they can be added onto a pool of possible plug-ins for the future given the age of our back line. Demetrius would be familiar in facing the Galaxy, after all, he was playing for a MLS club in Toronto FC. I also would like to see the only position player that did not see action in the just-concluded SEAG, Jake Morallo of the Loyola Meralco Sparks. And yes, Chris Greatwich finally returns to the side that remembers him well for his goal scoring exploits.

3. Prove-its. No one probably took a huge flak in their individual performance earlier this year than what Edward Sacapano had to go through in the second leg of the AFC Challenge Cup Qualifier at Mongolia. This is his chance to prove the naysayers wrong. Of course, no one else has to be under fire more than Weiss, after what can be said as a disastrous SEAG campaign and with mounting questions about whether he really is fit to handle our national side.

4. Chemistry. This is the chance for the under-23 standouts to see if they can immediately fit right in our senior side. Good opportunity for the likes of Joshua Beloya or Ojay Clarino to play a role alongside their elder counterparts. Yes. This is a good time to experiment, but not at the extent Weiss pulled off in earlier matches. Remember, the Challenge Cup is to be held in March.

5. Crowd. I'd like to see a vibrant, energetic crowd that will inspire our national side to give its fullest effort. Hopefully, a full crowd that can convince the powers that be, that you know what, there is hope in getting people to watch events like this in the future.

Blog Outsourcing - 11/28/11

2011-11-28T21:24:00.001+08:00

Welcome to this week's edition of The Morning After.

I hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving Weekend. Thanksgiving is an opportunity for everyone to be appreciative and reflective. I hope you were able to do that with you and your families.

What I am thankful for is that basketball is coming soon to you and yours. It was a warm Saturday afternoon watching live futbol action outside when my twitter timeline just got flooded by stuff from the likes of Woj, Sheridan, Stein and Bucher.

I am pleased that the NBA is back. Hopefully, all the fine lines are smoothed over. The t's are crossed and the i's are dotted. You can get better enjoyment from your football and baseball. My groove is with basketball and now futbol.

Here forth are the links after the jump.
Things are not Fine at Syracuse. (c/o Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician)

The First Fan in action. (c/o Global Grind)

ONIONS! seen at Cameron Indoor West. (c/o Charlotte Observer)

Viva Las Vegas for the Runnin' Rebels. (c/o The Daily Tar Heel)

The perils of tweeting abound, Alex Oriakhi. (c/o The UConn blog)

They miss Steve Lavin. (c/o New York Post)

Ron Zook crashed and burned. (c/o Hail to the Orange)

Two seasons and it's that for Turner Gill. (c/o The Wichita Eagle)

You deserve to be fired when USC is ineligible and you could not win the division that you're favored to win easily, Dennis. (c/o Arizona Republic)

Quite literally, it's BCS or Bust for UCLA. (c/o Los Angeles Times)

Regardless, he should be invited to New York City. (c/o MVP Texas)

Parrish > Lefty. (c/o Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

The Luke Fickell interregnum. (c/o The Lantern)

The Leader is having a Ball, while waiting for the Spartan Legend at Indianapolis. (c/o Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel & Big Ten Network)

Could Mark Ingram's successor duplicate it? (c/o Sports Grid)

LSU stamping class. Guide if you want to watch it again. (c/o And The Valley Shook)

San Diego gets Tebow'd. (c/o Denver Post)

Matt Leinart is clearly not fit for pro ball. However, Texans still win. (c/o Houston Chronicle)

Raiders get a kick out of the Bears. (c/o San Jose Mercury News)

Just fitting for Ndamukong. (c/o Yahoo!'s Shutdown Corner)

Stevie J in bad taste? But Plax gets final say. (c/o Newark Star-Ledger and New York Times)

Remember Troy Brown in his later years? Meet Julian Edelman. (c/o WEEI)

Astros pressing reset button. (c/o USA Today)

Bobby or Gene, what's it gonna be, Ben? (c/o Call To The Pen)

All systems go for Cotto versus Margarito. (c/o Doghouse Boxing)

It's a great achievement for a team when you last tasted defeat before this was back in April. (c/o The Guardian)

RIP Gary Speed. (c/o The London Telegraph)

Where to, Becks? (c/o BBC Sport)

Lebron 1 - Marc Stein 1. (c/o Belfast Telegraph)

Magpies deny Red Devil satisfaction. (The Daily Mail)

So, you probably had one of this after the long holiday weekend.

Texas State Champions

2011-11-23T00:27:00.001+08:00

You got to love college sports. They always bring out the creative minds of the youth. Whether it is from the Philippines or overseas, if you have something creative, it might just be on a shirt.

The latest neat idea came from the twitter feed of CNBC's Darren Rovell, who tweets sports-related stuff from the business perspective. He is referring to 11th ranked Kansas State (15th if you ask USA Today and 16th if you ask the Associated Press), currently toting a 9-2 record (6-2 in Big 12). They are now selling a shirt that is factual and legit.

Now that is what you call sticking it to them. Because the truth hurts.

Blog Outsourcing - November 21, 2011 edition

2011-11-21T22:00:00.000+08:00

Welcome to the latest edition of The Victory Formation.

The University of Miami is one very very proud institution that has produced lots of NFL greats then and now. Although it has fallen through hard times as of late both on and off the field, it has always taken pride in the success of its athletes in the NFL, especially in its knack to score touchdowns. In fact, they have scored in 149 straight weeks, far and away the longest for a NCAA team. 33 different alumni from Da U! have scored 661 touchdowns.

That streak is now in question. With Monday Night Football in sight, there are only two Canes' alumni who will be playing tonight. Vince Wilfork and Allen Bailey. Can they continue the streak? Who knows.

Here forth are the links after the jump:
Before there was Tim Tebow and Twitter, there was Vince Young. (c/o 700 Level)

The train keeps on chugging for the champs. (c/o Total Packers)

Cardiac Comeback Cats. (c/o Detroit Free Press)

Haven't we seen this all too often in San Diego? (c/o Sign On San Diego)

Do you believe in the power of Hanie? (c/o Chicago Tribune)

Could Matt Moore be what Ryan Fitzpatrick is? (c/o Phin Phanatic)

How bout 'em Cowboys? (c/o Washington Post)

Engaging fans in nasty banter is not good. (c/o The Inquisitr)

Could hard work be enough to succeed? (c/o Broncos Talk)

Will he be Boston's Valentine? (c/o Boston Herald)

Looking back at the past to move to the future. (c/o The Chronicle Herald)

Ouch, J.R. (c/o SLAM Online)

Who is your AL MVP? (c/o Toronto Star)

Latest on the Bernie Fine controversy. (c/o Searching for Billy Edelin)

Hello, Robert Griffin III. Goodbye BCSNCG, Oklahoma. (c/o The Oklahoma Daily)

Could the SEC West be the best division in football, college or pro? (c/o Al.com)

If they were 10-2 and not 6-6, they ain't going to do this. (c/o BC Interruption)

Congratulations to David Beckham. Finally. (c/o Soccer By Ives)

To part, here is a tribute to the voice of Georgia

Are we back at the drawing board?

2011-11-21T15:40:00.000+08:00

So we end our campaign in the Southeast Asian Games in the sport of men's football. What was thought to be a promising opportunity turned into something quite different. Very very different.

The anthem snafu in the opener versus Vietnam probably signaled the woes that our national team had to face. In that match, we managed to snatch a 1-0 lead, only to lose 3-1, with captain Matthew Hartmann having a hand thanks to a own goal. After a narrow 2-1 defeat against Timor Leste, the next thing we knew was that Matthew is back home, getting into an argument against Green Archer players whilst playing for club team Loyola Meralco.

Then, Joshua Beloya against Laos happened.

It buoyed optimism that we can still make it past the so-called "Group of Hope." Raised fervor and enthusiasm. And then reality smashed our dreams and visions. Myanmar and Brunei ended that for us.

So, two losses sandwich a come-from-behind win. Not really what we had in mind. Hey, they thought they could pull off ten points. So did we. And we are reminded that we are miles away from it. We are reminded that band-aid-esque measures ain't gonna work. This ain't basketball where our collegiate studs would get the job done in the region.

Now what? What lies ahead? The same rhetoric is still echoing. The same issues still remain and prevailing. Divisions and controversies and yet it is just there, waiting for a solution. A sincere fix. A permanent one. Maybe when the PFF elections come later this month. The leadership needs to step up to the plate.

The success opened the eyes of the larger populace. It is expected that we are to make upgrades our well.

Blog Outsourcing - 11/14 edition

2011-11-14T21:00:00.000+08:00

Hello and Welcome to the latest edition of The Morning After (which has somewhat morphed into some kind of a weekly thing).

So, there was a fight this Saturday / Sunday. A long awaited fight. Featuring two pound-for-pound greats. One from Mexico, the other, the Philippines. Much has been said before, during and after the match. Lot of debate whether Dinamita won, or should it be a draw, but one thing for sure, come Cinco de Mayo 2012, the Fighting Congressman will be facing someone.

Here forth are the links after the jump to stuff you may not necessarily have missed during the weekend.
The Miami Marlins have arrived. (c/o Call To The Pen)

Cards go back to an old reliable of theirs to retain the essence of Larussa. (c/o STL Today)

How do people deal with Pujols anxiety. (c/o Viva El Birdos)

He's safe and sound now. (c/o Yahoo!'s Big League Stew)

Where should Prince Fielder go? (c/o Detroit News)

Is Dale Sveum the answer? (c/o Boston Globe)

Vermont and baseball. (c/o Chicago Tribune)

He won't solve bat issues, though. (c/o Buzz on Broad)

Here's one rich guy with a good hand. (c/o Compatible Poker)

Yup. Floyd hacked. (c/o Third Age)

Qatar finally gets beaten in securing rights to host an event. (c/o Herald de Paris)

The concept of putting this before the PPV fight was a good idea. (c/o Sportsrageous)

What exactly is Klinsmann's vision for US Soccer. (c/o Sporting News)

The State of the MLS in 2011. (c/o Major League Soccer Talk)

No wonder the NBA needed a lockout. When MLS gets more people to watch games... (c/o BizJournal)

The Best XI have been named. (c/o Washington Times)

3 Lions encouraged after their win against La Furia Roja. (c/o The Guardian)

No Vettel to cause trouble, so Lewis nails a win. (c/o BBC)

Smoke versus the Backflip in Miami. (c/o Examiner)

That means, the JJ dominance is about to close. (c/o Racin Today)

The Carrier Classic is a brilliant idea. (c/o Rivals) What does it mean now? (c/o Searching for Billy Edelin)

Boise gets kicked out of the BCS party. Again. (c/o Idaho Statesman)

Why do you still kick to Devin Hester? Why? (c/o Chicago Sun-Times)

He wants to beat Harvard more than secure a Rhodes. (c/o Bloomberg)

More discussion on Paterno from the collegiate student view. (c/o Student Life)

Soul searching in (not-so) Happy Valley. (c/o The Daily Beast)

How do you win in the BEast this year? (c/o Voodoo Five) And why they might still be able to retain their AQ. (c/o Washington Examiner)

Down on his Luck. (c/o Pacific Takes)

Hmmm... Releasing this to the public is PR positive strike by the NBA. (c/o BlazersEdge)

Now why would you steal Shawn Bradley's bike? (c/o Off The Bench)

Sure feels like the early Nineties, eh? Niners over Giants. (c/o San Francisco Chronicle) Cowboys over Bills. (c/o Fort Worth Star-Telegram)

Is it awkward? (c/o Huffington Post)

I don't think 9-7 will be enough when 10-6 was not enough last year. (c/o Philadelphia Inquirer)

Welcome to (Not-So) Happy Valley

2011-11-09T01:46:00.000+08:00

The Sandusky scandal has rocked Penn State in a way that has not been seen in a long while.

What happened? Well, Jerry Sandusky was the long-time defensive coordinator for the Nittany Lions under Joe Paterno. Just a few days ago, he was arrested on charges of felony sex crimes on children. Crimes that are pretty much too disturbing to illustrate and describe.

This editorial (h/t to the Newseum for this one) pretty much encapsulates the whole thing.

It is unfortunate, but I'm sorry, JoePa. It's time for you to depart the Valley.

Blog Outsourcing - 11/7 edition

2011-11-07T21:00:00.000+08:00

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of The Victory Formation.

Currently penning this piece a little early because I will be focused on watching the Philippines' Men's Under-23 football team play their Timor Leste counterparts at 5pm local time (4am in the turf of most of the TVF writers). We had just lost our first match in the Group Stage in the Southeast Asian Games and I personally would like to start off the new week right.

And I'd like to congratulate the Giants for their entertaining win. Just like last time, someone wearing 85 caught a pass that beat a team maintaining perfection. This is a day after Kirk Ferentz somehow saved his job. Sounds like a cranky gambler coming soon.

Oh and by the way, hopefully you guys have already adjusted your clocks.

Here forth are the links after the jump:
Here's one from the Motherland, Mark Munoz. (c/o Bloody Elbow) What's next for him? (c/o Full Mount)

This time, it's legit for Kelly Slater. (c/o New York Post)

Dan Duquette gets the call because the usuals passed on this one. (c/o Lohud Yankees)

MLB sweeps Chinese-Taipei. (c/o Hardball Times)

Extensions galore for Kirk Gibson and company. (c/o Venom Strikes)

Sure, Jim Thome's a good catch, but Michael Cuddyer might be a better one. (c/o Larry Brown Sports)

Adjust the dimensions, sure, but will the Mets hit? (c/o Amazin' Avenue)

Amy K. Nelson for the SB Nation. (c/o Deadspin)

*Insert something here*> Tebow meme gone overdrive. (c/o Business Insider)

We may have an idea on who will be the one managing the Cubs. (c/o Cubs Insider)

The chase for the Straight Edge Racer has just begun. (c/o Yankees 101)

The Veterans Committee has whittled the ballot down. (c/o Beyond the Box Score)

One week away... (c/o ABS-CBN News)

Floyd always around to steal thunder and make it his own. (c/o Bad Left Hook)

Get well soon, Smokin' Joe. (c/o Yahoo! Sports)

Bute dominant. (c/o Doghouse Boxing)

There's Smoke behind Carl Edwards. (c/o Sporting News)

25 years of Sir Alex Ferguson. (c/o Daily Mail)

Real Madrid on a roll. (c/o SoccerNation)

Yup. It's official. Mizzou is in the SEC East, where they are even further west than LSU. (c/o CBS Sports) And Chuck is disappointed. (c/o College Football Talk)

Jeff Van Gundy's commentary coming soon to a college near you. (c/o Sports Grid)

The Greatests Kabooms in 25 years. (c/o College Courtside)

No sale. (c/o Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

The lockout simplified for the fan. In other words, we're pretty much screwed. Then again, most of y'all could care less, unlike me. (c/o USA Today)

I blame the lockout for this. (c/o SLAM Online)

Here is the chic Grantland piece of the week from Klosterman. Discuss.

They are rumored to be coming to my region in 2012 and I am a huge fan of theirs.

The Blue-Haired Defense

2011-11-05T08:32:00.001+08:00

c/o Life's My Trip

It is very very easy to make allegations if you hid behind the anonymity of a blank face, especially when you making very damaging ones that impede on the integrity of an individual and to a sport and institution.

Here is the said allegation:

It is prudent of a journalist to hear the other side of the story, which the site owner Rick Olivares provided by posting the response around three-and-a-half hours after the anonymous individual placed his. I am posting it here (in full) on a specific post of its own to give it the fullness that it deserves:

This is from Ebong Joson who I have known since our school days in Ateneo. I have also worked with him professionally and have become good friends with in the last few years:

Hello. Si Ebong ito. Gusto ko lang sana malaman kung saan mo nakuha ang info na kumukuha ako sa ticket sales kasi hindi ko kontrolado iyan at ni kailan man ay hindi ako humingi ng cut sa kahit kanino man. Sa totoo lang, ang laki ng nagastos ko just to be able to launch the Kaholeros,at hanggang ngayon ay wala naman akong sweldo dito. Walang perang pampersonal na hinahanap. As for the non-profit incorporation that we are working on, that is the way we can properly seek for sponsorship while giving back to the companies that may help us (and Philippine sports in general and Philippine FOOTBALL in particular) by offering tax breaks to the amount they give. Everything will be in the open. I will never hold any money or bank account, and the distribution and control of assets garnered will be subject to the approval of the Kaholeros board. We will also have a third party auditing firm to make sure everything is properly done. That is why we need the incorportion. Why do we need the sponsorship? Because it costs money to mobilize people. We need to help our members by helping them with transpo, meals, uniforms, and yes, even tickets. Napakarami kong mga members gusto sana mag practice. Gusto sana pumunta sa mga football events, gusto sana makapag cheer para sa PilipinasFutbol, pero hindi kaya kasi sagad ang budget. Yung sponsorships na gusto kong mahanap ay hindi para sa akin kundi para sa mga miyembro ng Kaholeros. Dahil tuwing nakikita ko sila na nahihilo na sa kaka-cheer, iniisip ko kung sila ba ay nakakain ng maigi bago pumunta sa game.

As a parting request, if you really have concrete evidence that I have been raking in the money, or even witnesses to bear to that fact, I would gladly sit down with all of you and Mr Rick Olivares. You can openly reach me on Kaholeros Official (FB Community), or privately through PM in my FB account. Mr Olivares can even put the whole meeting on video, so everyone can see and judge properly the hard work and sacrifice that I and my Kaholeros have made for our country.

Mabuhay, and God Bless.

Ebong Joson
The Blue-Haired Fanatic
Kaholero

I have seen how much he puts himself into this little vocation and how much he has given to the sport. It is unfair that one individual rewards such sacrifice and nobility with crass. It is not right to impinge the integrity of someone like him if you do not back up what you say. I can personally vouch for the commitment that he puts forth each and every single time.

So please, unless you have something to prove, kindly keep your hands off the keyboard and keep those voices in your head just there, inside your head.

Blog Outsourcing - October 21, 2011 edition

2011-10-31T21:00:00.000+08:00

Hello and welcome to the Halloween Edition of The Morning After.

As the norm, the 1st day of November is a holiday here in the Motherland with All Saints' Day, where families all across the islands go to the cemetery and visit their dearly departed loved ones. The government has been kind enough to declare today as a special holiday to accommodate the throngs of people who will going back to the provinces.

As for me, I am looking forward to that, although I will be reporting to work today and tomorrow. Hopefully all of those who had to deal with the nasty weather have been able to resolve things correctly. It has been sunny here, but with November coming, the northeast monsoon brings the cold Christmas atmosphere.

Here forth are the links after the jump.
D-Leaguers get you a bronze. (c/o Ridiculous Upside)

Baseball returning to the Olympics? (c/o Washington Post)

End of the road for B.J. Penn (c/o Inside Fights)

You probably have nothing to do on Super Bowl Weekend, right? (c/o Yahoo! via Cagewriter)

Ok, so Bob Arum is being a pessimist. (c/o NBC Sports via Off The Bench).

Still, Floyd brought in the $$$! (c/o Boston Herald)

Marat Safin, parliamentarian. (c/o Daily Mail)

David Beckham > Thierry Henry (c/o Los Angeles Times & New York Times)

Galaxy to the Motherland. (c/o Soccer Central Philippines)

Soccer has concussion issues, too. (c/o Boston.com)

They're back on top. For how long, we will see. (c/o Managing Madrid)

You remember him authoring this. Now he just authored this. (c/o The Guardian)

16 thoughts over 8 goals at Stamford Bridge. (c/o Football 365)

Vettel dominant in India. (c/o Belfast Telegraph)

Open wheel racing near the bossman's turf. Coming Soon. (c/o Newark Star-Ledger)

The three Roushketeers? (c/o USA Today)

Sprint Cup Chase is already Smokin' (c/o Fort Worth Star-Telegram)

New golf rules for Spencer to tinker. (c/o Golf Monthly)

Where was this, Sergio? (c/o The Australian)

Bill Self cracking the whip. (c/o Kansas City Star)

The NCAA is not going to adjust for you, Jim. (c/o Hartford Courant)

Mizzou bringing redemption to Joplin. (c/o Carthage Press)

We knew this will happen to these Tigers. It's an all too familiar script. (c/o Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Give the guy a break. He's 84. (c/o Chicago Sun-Times)

Andrew Luck bedazzles the Coliseum. (c/o San Francisco Chronicle)

Mats Sundin, Maple Leaf Legend. (c/o Toronto Star)

He's going to be back. (c/o New York Daily News)

Hey, some ballers in the same time zone as I am! (c/o CBS Sports)

Cardinals basking in the glow. (c/o Saint Louis Beacon)

Sure helped the Rams (c/o 101 Sports).

Tebowing sounds like deboning. The latter happened in the Bronco slaughter. (c/o Detroit Free Press)

John Beck is CLEARLY NOT the answer. (c/o Washington Post)

Trick or Treat, everyone!

Beckham(?) and the Galaxy in Manila

2011-10-25T00:23:00.000+08:00

So, there have been rumors about some English superstar coming into our shores in the holiday season. Of course, you have seen the reports and you got all too-giddy.

I'd like to remind you of some things.

1. The announcement of whether this is legit or not lies with the LA Galaxy, first and foremost. The only announcement from their end is their friendly against the Melbourne Victory scheduled on December 6 at the Ettihad Stadium in Australia. As per someone, a LA Galaxy official is said to be checking out if Rizal Memorial is ideal for such a friendly to take place. Bugging them Galaxy players about this is not really a good idea given that the team is currently starting its playoff run.

This measure once again reminds us that we really do need an updated stadium. Not necessarily a cavernous one, but nevertheless, a new stadium fit for an impressive friendly / match. It preferably has to be near the NCR, though. Also, wish said stadium is either covered or uses field turf, to ensure all weather availability.

2. Even if the LA Galaxy do want to come here to Manila, we don't know who are they sending here. Their newest acquisition, Ireland captain Robbie Keane, was injured in their Euro Qualifier and will in all likelihood will be missing most, if not all of the playoffs. The MLS Cup (if they get far enough, will be on November 20). And the biggest question of it all, David Beckham is an upcoming free agent. His contract expires at the end of the season. There has been no reports of David renewing his contract with MLS via LA. Plus, he wants to play in Europe once the transfer window reopens at the start of the year. With rumors of offers in England (Tottenham, Queens Park Rangers and Leicester City) and France (Paris-Saint-Germain) out and about, we are not exactly sure if he's coming.

I do, remain hopeful that they come and play. I just want to properly frame myself up and keep expectations modest and at the same time, realistic.

I ain't some kind of a naysayer. I'm just the truth-teller, y'all.

Blog Outsourcing 10/24 edition

2011-10-24T21:00:00.000+08:00

So, the legend of Tim Tebow continues to grow, eh. Tim pulls off another comeback against Miami. So what if it was Miami, the guy sure knows how to win games late. So what he was missing the receivers left and right, he made them when it counted late in the game. Another thing, he did not throw a pick in this match, given all those missed opportunities. We'll see if Tebow can pull off another win/s in the next few weeks, with Detroit, Oakland, Chiefs and the Jets on tap.

Here forth are the links after the jump.
The New Zealand All-Blacks are the kings of rugby. (c/o Sports Mole)

They may have lost, but they gave it all out. (c/o The Guardian)

No GSP on UFC. (c/o Yahoo! Sports)

Bernard gets his title back. (c/o Sportsrageous)

Nonito retains but it really felt like a lighter version of Pacquiao vs Clottey. (c/o GMA News)

Why do this, Roy Jones, Jr... Why... (c/o SaddoBoxing)

Would you be interested in Flushing Meadows being the first Grand Slam to be have an official Monday finish? (c/o Tennis Talk)

100 wins for RCR. (c/o Washington Post)

Luke Donald is just being awesome right now. (c/o The Australian)

Why I find all this Native American hullaballoo a little too much ado on PC. (c/o Yahoo!'s Puck Daddy)

Won't be too long before Washington gets involved. Not exactly what taxpayers had in mind with their money. (c/o Inside Higher Ed)

An effort to explain what is going on in Mizzou (c/o Columbia Missourian)

Dominique Davis perfecto! (c/o The Ledger)

Kellen Moore just wins. (c/o One Bronco Nation Under God)

Case Keenum has been around since Phi Slamma Jamma. (c/o Houston Chronicle)

Will Joe Buck ruin World Cup Coverage, too? (c/o Sports Illustrated)

"Rooney Rule" in soccer? (c/o Washington Post)

Levante currently pulling off the unthinkable. (c/o Spanish Football Info)

Old Trafford massacre. (c/o The Guardian)

Thanks to the Twitterverse for this lil' gift below

Carson is back... (In Silver and) Black

2011-10-19T03:30:00.000+08:00

The long drama has ended, and Carson Palmer finally gets his wish. He finally exits out of his personal hell in Cincinnati. Took him this long, and finally, after Mike Brown gets a first rounder in 2012 and a conditional first rounder in 2013 (if they procure a playoff win, otherwise it would be a second-rounder) out of the Oakland Raiders.

The guy had been working out with former teammate TJ Houshmanzadeh in the CA, so he won't be moving too far.

Why Oakland? Well, he and Raiders Head Coach Hue Jackson are familiar with each other. Hue recruited him to USC and was in Cincy during Carson's best years as a Bengal. This also brings the Jason Campbell chapter in Oakland to a close. He's a free agent after the season. And nope, Terrelle Pryor clearly is not yet ready for the big lights.

The cost may be a little too exorbitant to their liking, but hey, the Raiders must be smelling something we do not know, that they can win the AFC West and make the postseason.

Sisters-In-Arms

2011-10-13T17:00:00.000+08:00

Remember these names. These ladies are going to play for flag and country. Let's pray for their success and effort.

Ya Gotta Believe

2011-09-29T22:57:00.001+08:00

Thank You Evan. (h/t to SI's Vault)

It's Amazing. 9 games out in early September. After Game 162, they are one game ahead.

Definitely One.Wild.Night.

Blog Outsourcing - 9/26 edition

2011-09-26T21:00:00.000+08:00

Hi and hello! It's the final Monday of September in 2011.

Summer just ended this past weekend, and it is already the start of autumn, where football is afoot and in-depth.

Olympic qualifying for the automatic spots just finished yesterday. China is the last amongst the FIBA regions to lock up an automatic spot with their win over Jordan by a point. They join Great Britain, Tunisia, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Spain, France and the United States. The three remaining spots will be fought over in a wildcard tournament. 12 countries (Angola, Nigeria, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Jordan, South Korea, New Zealand, Russia, Macedona, Lithuania and Greece) get a shot at those slots.

Why am I discussing basketball? Well, the Motherland had a chance to seal its first berth in ages if they beat the Koreans, which they were not able to fulfill (again). It's their best finish though after 27 years, so it's a positive sign.

The other thing? My alma mater is one game away from clinching its fourth straight men's basketball championship.

Here forth are the links after the jump.

Nothing like racing under the lights. (c/o London Telegraph)

It's now official. The state of Texas now official has a SEC feel to it. (c/o I am the 12th Man)

Los Lobos needs a new head coach. (c/o Lost Lettermen)

Bayou Bengals geaux on top of the AP Top 25. (c/o National Football Post)

Red Sox overpaid to get their own Brett Gardner? (c/o FanGraphs)

Nittany Lions (c/o York Daily Record) and Sooners (c/o The Oklahoman) lose key cogs.

MMA Expert Steven Seagal breaks down UFC 135's main event. (c/o Around The Octagon)

Our thoughts are with Jerry Kill. (c/o Minneapolis Star-Tribune)

(Van) Chew on this, Toledo. (c/o Big East Coast Bias)

What does the new Big 12 Commish need to do? (c/o The News Tribune)

End of an era? (c/o Cagewriter)

He's done for the year. Is it enough for Cy Young recognition? (c/o True Blue LA)

Probably one of the most bizarre stories in baseball ever. (c/o SportsGrid)

Encapsulating why it's not happening in the Twin Cities. (c/o Big League Stew)

200k's worth of games. (c/o Sporting News)

Grantland puts out great stuff. Here's the latest. It's the sweet science.

Not much, because I am writing early to attend to some matters of my own later. But to part, here it is, which is appropriate as they end their run.

And here is the song i am currently humming as of late.

The Mat Project

2011-09-22T01:02:00.001+08:00

We know that the government does not really have much financial clout to do much, and if they do, they need to allocate it to the proper parties. So, it is appropriate to do fundraisers of their own to achieve the needed money to get what they need. And, it is up to us to provide the means to help those who deserve it.

I am writing here about a certain cause being undertaken by a couple of professors (Eloi Hernandez and Grace Gregorio) at the University of the Philippines. These two individuals are also the mentors and guardians of the multi-awarded University of the Philippines Pep Squad. Yup, if you recall last weekend, they did a Madonna routine

The UP Pep Squad is something that not just the Iskolar ng Bayan would be proud of, but for all of us Filipinos. In fact, they will be representing our country in a competition later this year (the 6th Cheerleading World Championships), not unlike SMART-Gilas in Wuhan or our beloved Azkals, whose manager Dan Palami has already tweeted his appreciation for the school.

Of course, so that the Pep Squad can prepare for the competition, they'll need new equipment, specifically mats, about 300 of them. Now these mats cost 900 a piece, so it's a little pricey. Like what I said above, the school does not exactly have the finances to shell out, so let's do our role and chip in, if you can. Now as of the latest information, they have already secured enough for 264, so they need just a little more. If you want to make a pledge to help, you can donate here:

Account name: UP Varsity Pep Squad
Checking account no: 1078012117
Bank : BDO

Just make sure to email the details of your pledge to graciegregorio@gmail.com. You may email there for any questions and inquiries as well.

Thanks and Good luck to you.

UAAP Finals Poster (or Not)

2011-09-20T22:22:00.000+08:00

Thanks to @carlo_pamintuan for the tweet containing this.

Just had to post this because it's cute. #GoAteneo

Kindly oblige me. It is my alma mater after all. The quest for four beckons.

Enter Sandman, Exit (to) Greatness

2011-09-20T20:00:00.000+08:00

Hey you, 602. (Thanks to the New York Daily News)

The statistic that a journalist created in the 70s has said to be the most overrated one amongst all the different statistics being recorded in the national pastime. It changed the game from what it was back then, to what it is now with the specialization of the pitcher. Joe Posnanski of Sports Illustrated wrote about it.

His legend continues to grow, and it looks like he is not finished yet writing his epitaph.

Congratulations, Mariano. It is as if he needs this record to validate his greatness. Nope. He already has it way before he came close to 602.

Blog Outsourcing - 9/19 edition

2011-09-19T20:00:00.000+08:00

Welcome to today's edition of The Victory Formation.

Well, well, well. Floyd Mayweather reminded us all that we need to PROTECT YOURSELF AT ALL TIMES. He also reminded us all that he is such a punkass idiot. Seen here below.

I can't wait for the time Manny knocks him into submission, although that will be wishful thinking as of the moment.

Here forth are the links to make your morning, after the jump:
To make up for the idiocy above, here is a Samsung Stunner.

The "Cold War" mirrors itself in Rugby. (c/o Washington Post)

Twitter mess makes its way to the Rugby World Cup. (c/o Planet Rugby)

Luck of the Irish. (c/o Irish Independent)

He really is a World Champ Titleholder. (c/o USA Today)

WADA with a more determined stance to figure out solutions to doping. (c/o The Australian)

What's Happenin' in the Big Easy. (c/o Cage Potato)

I believe this must be the same house that was on Cribs. (c/o Philippine Daily Inquirer)

El Canelo defends his trinket. (c/o Doghouse Boxing)

2nd Mexican to win trinkets in four weight divisions. (c/o Eastside Boxing)

Hey look, the Davis Cup final is set. (c/o CBC)

How the mighty have fallen, eh. (c/o CBS Sports)

Look who got President's Cup berths. (c/o The West Australian)

The British Isles got one in over their continental neighbors. (c/o Leadership Golf)

What now for the non-football BEast peeps? (c/o New York Daily News)

UConn wants dibs on the ACC, too. (c/o Houston Chronicle)

All these news is in bad taste given what happened to Dave Gavitt. (c/o Forbes)

The PAC-16 is closer to becoming reality. (c/o Austin-American Statesman)

Spain nails Eurobasket. (c/o BallinEurope)

Bo McCalebb was the star of EuroBasket for Macedonia. (c/o New Orleans Times-Picayune) / (c/o New York Times' Off The Dribble)

It's Not Happening for Justin Morneau. (c/o The Republic)

Justin Verlander is very good. (c/o Motor City Bengals) 24 wins and 24 (times 10) K's

A Buffalo QB wearing 14 leading a comeback. Sounds familiar. (c/o Buffalo Rumblings)

Cam Newton is good, eh. (c/o NFL Mocks)

Romo survives a bad rib. (c/o Fort Worth Star-Telegram)

Here are some weird statlines. (c/o FIBA-Asia)

To part, here is the winning performance in the 2011 Samsung UAAP Cheerdance Competition.

Revisiting The UAAP Season 74 Preview

2011-09-14T15:30:00.000+08:00

Taken from the Philippine Daily Inquirer

With the regular season ending, it's appropriate to look back at how I fared in trying to figure out the season.

I posted this in the middle of July. The breakdown after the jump.

Adamson: The Falcons can be likened to a mid-major team in the US NCAA, stocked with quality juniors and seniors who played heavy minutes throughout, with a heady and smart veteran tactician. As such with the US NCAA. they are always strong on backcourt play, and they have arguably the best point guard tandem in Lester Alvarez and Jerick Canada. Jan Colina is one the most underrated bigs in the UAAP, even though Greg Slaughter took him to school last Sunday. Austin Manyara and Eric Camson constitute the big men rotation. It's up to the shooters of the Soaring Falcons if they can finally get over the hump.

Well, it was really up to the shooters of the Soaring Falcons. Their offense relies now on their perimeter game and their penetration. I thought Lester was disappointing this season in that I expected more out of him, but he and Jerick have been a heady PG combo. Jan, though is probably one of the bigger disappointments of the season not wearing green.

Ateneo de Manila: The defending champs may have lost its Stag essence (Eric Salamat via graduation, Ryan Buenafe sitting out the season), but Ateneo in this new iteration never rebuilds. It merely reloads. Kiefer Ravena may have had a whimper of a start, but no one questions the potential. Greg Slaughter on the other hand, 23 points for his debut wearing the blue and white. Served notice to everyone. Still, the key cogs are all back, from Justin Chua to Nico Salva to Kirk Long and Eman Monfort. Best of all, you always bet on (Norman) Black. The school along Katipunan is unfazed, and so does its Sixth Man.

13-1, folks. 13-1. It took a A+++++ game from the Falcons to pull off that win.

De La Salle University: Quality depth all throughout the roster, with lots and lots of role players and glue guys, from the comebacking LA Revilla the Zobel alums Luigi Dela Paz and Joshua Webb, to the gaggle of bigs from Jovet Mendoza to Papot Paredes and Yutien Andrada. Relative youth still a major concern, so it's up to the veterans like Simon Atkins and Maui Villanueva to fill the leadership void.

The depth was there, but too many inconsistencies. The potential and disappointment can defintely be pointed at both the coaching staff and the players. Expect turmoil in Taft for the time being.

Far Eastern University: The losing finalists are aching to come back into the chase, with a returning MVP in tow. Bert Flores returns from his consultant duties after Glenn Capacio was let go. JR Cawaling and Aldrech Ramos are still there, but the key cogs remain it's small ball power of RR Garcia, Terence Romeo and Jens Knuttel providing change of pace. Not having Pipo Noundoo

It's actually Tolomia who got the minutes Jens was used to playing. If you follow TJ Manotoc on Twitter, Pipo is going to finally play in his final season, as they need to beat Adamson twice. Of course, the usual meltdown came, but it arrived in the middle part of the season. JR Cawaling has missed the entire second round with his knee issues, but is also said to play as well. It's still RR Garcia's team, and they lived and died with him.

National University: The Bulldogs hitched themselves onto one man to carry them back into the Final Four conversation. Bobby Ray Parks, Jr. He sputtered in his first collegiate game, but they were one miss away from winning against the Tigers last Thursday. Emmanuel Mbe also returns, but can Eric's recruits from the RP Youth program he devised lead to better things?

It's obvious the RP Youth guys were not ready for prime time.They had to ride the coattails of their prized recruit. Given that it is natural that he stuffs the stat sheet. So there. It did not help that the veterans were not really the major contributors. Once the pressure was off, though, they were able to pull out some amazing wins to close the season.

University of the East: The Red Warriors were gutted in the offseason losing key cogs, including Paul Lee, Ken Acibar, James Martinez. They also lost their coach, Lawrence Chongson, who is pretty much preoccupied with PEx as of now. New taskmaster Jerry Codinera asked for commitment, effort and hustle from his crack squad being led by Paul Zamar, JR Sumido and Roi Sumang, but it can only get you far...

Yup, it is all about the hustle. That's how they got their three wins, by outworking their opponents (NU, UP and La Salle).

University of the Philippines: A new regime begets a new era for UP, as it has been 25 years since the special Spirit of '86 squad. Ricky Dandan is banking on the Mike and Mike to greater heights. They already did by ending the 18-game losing streak last Sunday. Alinko Mbah provides the necessary size and anchor down low for the Diliman-squad.

Disappointing. In the sense that they could have gotten more than the two wins they secured this season. Considering though, two is two more than last year.

University of Santo Tomas: Pido Jarencio put some pressure on himself with the Final Four or bust mantra, but it sure helped that they won their first game. They still are a relatively small unit, but Karim Abdul is there to provide size, even if he looked relatively raw. Kevin Ferrer proved to be the goods against NU, and Jeric Fortuna went out with guns blazing after halftime.

At least Pido gets another year. Thanks to the Jerics, he gets to stay and produce more PIDOisms. Karim's play improved once his papers got settled.

Personal Preseason Awards:

UAAP PreSeason 1st Team: RR Garcia, Rayray Parks, Mike Silungan, Nico Salva, Greg Slaughter.

Revised 1st Team would be Ravena, Nuyles, Parks, Salva, Slaughter. Nico really benefited from having Kiefer and Greg get all the attention.

UAAP PreSeason 2nd Team: Kiefer Ravena, Joshua Webb, JR Cawaling, Jan Colina, Aldrech Ramos

Thinking Joshua Webb has to be the worst call I made this season, followed by Colina (as seen above). Cawaling got hurt and missed the whole second round, if I am correct. The revised 2nd team would be Fortuna, Garcia, Abdul, Ramos, Teng.

Defensive Player of the Year: Greg Slaughter - because he's going to rack up double-doubles and blocks.

Yup. Although not much on the double-doubles, since guys like Karim Abdul had better numbers. Still, his presence made a living hell out of anyone trying to drive in the lane or make their living down low.

Most Improved Player: Jeric Fortuna - freed from the PG-by-committee shackles by the academic ineligibility of Clark Bautista, this is the cue for him to rise up and take over.

Agreed. Eric Camson and Tonino Gonzaga would be a close second, here.

Freshman of the Year: Kiefer Ravena - Is there anyone else?

Next. Easiest thing to call, out of all the awards.

Newcomer of the Year: Rayray Parks - Unlike Greg, the pressure is with him more

When you look at the roster NU has, it's built around the former GaTech committ.

MVP: RR Garcia - He's going to rack up statistical points like crazy.

Right explanation. Wrong guy. That mini-slump FEU had to close the 1st round and the start of the 2nd round killed his chances.

PreSeason Final Four: Ateneo, FEU, Adamson, NU (over La Salle and UST)

Got it close.

Blog Outsourcing - 9/12 edition

2011-09-12T21:00:00.000+08:00

Welcome to the latest edition of The Victory Formation.

Yesterday left an indelible mark on everyone. I hope you took the time to remember and reflect and appreciate what went on this day. I watched the different tributes and it was chillin' and stunning. I hope we all do not have to experience this ever again.

P.S. Wonder if someone can send this to SportsCenter.

Here forth are the links to welcome your morning after the jump.
The biggest event in rugby is taking place way down south. It'd be cool if there was this duel at the start of each football match. (c/o Rugby World Cup)

The French tank job is appalling. (c/o Sporting News and Sheridan Hoops)

Germany failed to advance. So do the Turks. (c/o Yahoo! Eurosport)

Finally, Argentina wins an Olympic qualifier. (c/o We're Bucked)

Calipari pulls off the best finish for Team DR. (c/o Coach Cal)

Nick Diaz gets demoted. (c/o Boston Herald)

Klitchko dominance continues. (c/o Boxing Scene)

This. Match. Needs. To. Happen. (c/o Queensberry Rules

Manny Pacquiao as the new Governator. (c/o ABS-CBN News)

Novak pulled it off. (c/o Wall Street Journal) Can he finish it against Rafa? (c/o Sports Illustrated)

Congrats to Sam, but Serena takes the headlines. (c/o Real Clear Sports)

Manchester still playing "Can You Top This" between its blue (Mirror Football) and red (c/o The Guardian) sections all at the expense of everyone else in the Premiership

This is definitely the biggest match in the Group Stages of the Champions' League. (c/o Goal)

Vettel is unstoppable. (c/o Speedlux) Giddy for the Grand Prix under the lights.

The Chase is set. (c/o Yahoo!'s From the Marbles)

The Americans bow to their colonial masters. (c/o Daily Mail)

You're never too old to play football. (c/o Lost Lettermen)

Drama in the Big 12 (c/o MVP Texas)

Gambler's headache involving college football. (c/o Orange County Register)

Baylor Hypocrisy. (c/o Ology)Must be the stress of the job, why he hightailed outta there. (c/o Daily Press)

ACC already hedging its bets. (c/o Gant Daily)

Is NBC to blame for the pressure on Brian Kelly? (c/o Washington Post)

Are the players wilting in the pressure for Mark Richt? (c/o Red and Black)

In the eyes of the NCAA, this game in Ann Arbor did not happen. Irish fans would rather have their game expunged instead. (c/o MLive)

The latest with Jerry Kill. (c/o St. Cloud Times)

Latest on the ill-fated plane in Russia. (c/o The Moscow Times)

At least he can say he has a ring, unlike some other people. (c/o BlogNBAsketball)

There might be hope in this. (c/o Sheridan Hoops)

Joe Torre made this announcement. (c/o New York Daily News)

Tampa might be able to pull this schtick off. (c/o Boston Herald)

Titans sputter. (c/o The Tennessean)

Browns slipped. (c/o NFL Gridiron Gab)

That stadium must have a home atmosphere for Cam. (c/o CBS Sports)

Explaining the 2011 UAAP Postseason

2011-09-09T04:05:00.001+08:00

The final two playdates of the UAAP Season 74 are this weekend. The postseason cast is set. The only thing that needs to be settled is the format. If you don't know how, it's relatively simple.

Ateneo - 13-0
Adamson - 9-4
UST - 8-5
FEU - 8-5

Final games of the UAAP regular season:

UP vs UE
Adamson vs Ateneo

NU vs UST
La Salle vs FEU

The Soaring Falcons can formally book their 2nd place finish if they beat Ateneo, something they can do for the first time since the Fidel V. Ramos administration. If they fail to do so, Ateneo seals their regular season sweep, the third in the history of the UAAP since the Final Four format (UST in 1993, UE in 2007). That then would open the possibility for FEU and UST to grab said 2nd slot and force a playoff against Adamson with that on the line..

Here are the scenarios involving the Tamaraws and the Growling Tigers:

If both win: Triple tie, with FEU taking fourth due to their quotient, AdU and UST fight for 2nd.
If either win: Tied with Adamson, force playoff, loser faces FEU in knockout.
If neither win: no playoff necessary. UST vs FEU knockout, winner faces a twice-to-beat Adamson. Winner then faces a thrice-to-beat Ateneo.

Get it? Got it? Good.

Enjoy postseason basketball in the UAAP. All heart. All out.

Chasing the One Spot

2011-09-08T05:21:00.000+08:00

Season 87 of the NCAA will, in all likelihood, remain a two-horse race between San Sebastian and San Beda, with Letran trying to chase them down. As for the final spot, anybody can grab it from currently fourth place Mapua to last place Perpetual.

Like I tweeted, it's now all about the scheduling, so let's see where each team has.

6-7 Mapua - Baste, Beda, EAC, Arellano, JRU
5-7 Lyceum - Letran, Arellano, EAC, Beda, Baste, Benilde
5-7 Benilde - Baste, JRU, Beda, Letran, EAC, Lyceum
4-9 Arellano - JRU, Lyceum, Beda, Mapua, Perpetual
3-9 JRU - Arellano, Beda, Benilde, Perpetual, Mapua, EAC
3-9 EAC - Perpetual, Lyceum, Letran, Mapua, Benilde, JRU
3-10 Perpetual - EAC, Baste, JRU, Letran, Arellano

Both Lyceum and Benilde have to face the top three teams, whilst Mapua just finished one and will face the other two back-to-back. On the other hand, Arellano and JRU only has to face San Beda and EAC only has to face Letran.

So, let's factor in the SSC, SBC and Letran games as losses, because face it, do you really think they can beat those guys? I know anything can happen, but it feels very very unlikely...

Mapua - 6-9
Lyceum - 5-10
Benilde - 5-10
Arellano - 4-10
JRU - 3-10
EAC - 3-10
Perpetual - 3-12

That's 5 teams with 10 losses, which means the most wins you can get is 8. That puts Perpetual virtually out of the running, unless they run the table AND Mapua ending their season on a 6 game losing skid.

The battle royale lies with those 5 teams potentially 10 losses on the docket. Those games are very very intriguing.

Blog Outsourcing - September 5, 2011 edition

2011-09-05T20:00:00.000+08:00

Greetings to everyone and welcome to the latest edition of The Victory Formation.

First off, Happy Labor Day. You know when this holiday comes, you can smell the sweetness of football. You already had your taste of Saturday football, based on the comments during the weekend. What more this week, when the big boys get to do their thing, kicking off on Thursday Night.

As for me, I am also giddy this weekend. My alma mater is one win away from sweeping the regular season after last Saturday. Click the link there and Lefty might find someone famillar.

Here forth are the links after the jump.
Nice way to end things in Daegu. A blaze of glory for Jamaica. (c/o Jamaica Gleaner)

Sebastian Coe explains the need for the false-start rule. (c/o Yonhap News)

Here is a take on the Blade Runner. (c/o The Tyee)

The Bison stampeding towards the yellow jersey. (c/o Bike World News)

MMA coming to your television, and it's not in pay-per-view. (c/o 411Mania)

No PacMan vs Floyd (yet), but this will do. (c/o The Philippine Star)

Speaking of Floyd... (c/o FightHype)

You know what, Ana Ivanovic is still alive in the US Open. (c/o New York Post)

Did not know this couple first met at a boxing match. (c/o Daily Mail)

Rafa cramped up. (c/o Daily Mirror)

Tuesday morning NASCAR for the rednecks all over the world. (c/o Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Formula 1 is back in the US of A. (c/o Motortrend)

PGA Tour looks to be stable in what might be the post-Tiger era. (c/o Real Clear Sports)

Won't be surprised if he bolts after the scandal is done with. (c/o The Sporting News)

Notre Dame has once again laid an egg to start of their season. (c/o South Bend Tribune)

Life after Cam and Nick is gonna be a little bumpy for Chizik. (c/o Al.Com)

Mother Nature asserts its dominance in college football. (c/o Yahoo! Dr. Saturday)

Pac-12 making headlines off the field. (c/o The News Tribune) But not in Jerryworld. (c/o New Orleans Times-Picayune)

Thanks to kwsn for this link on the comments on one of the posts. Neat. (c/o Wall Street Journal)

Nice how one can circumvent the rules, Jim Calhoun. (c/o Huffington Post) Michael Bradley is the MVP.

Could Peyton's streak end? (c/o NFL Spin Zone)

In the eyes of TVF Commentariat, I might be terribly fit to write an obit for him.

If you are a Gunners fan, this was definitely hard to watch.

Of course, this is in memory of one of our fellow commentariat who is definitely not pleased with the Peyton news. Maybe this would calm the nerves a bit.

College Football Shufflin'

2011-08-31T23:50:00.002+08:00

What we all have been waiting for. The Aggie SECession has begun. The irony of it all, today is also the deadline for the transfer window in futbol in Europe. After the pilfering of the Big Ten and the Pac-12, this is the next step in evolution, baby.

Because Everyday I'm Shufflin...

Why the Gunner Refund made sense

2011-08-31T00:12:00.000+08:00

Got this from the Arsenal Website

I actually got the chance to watch the Manchester United versus Arsenal massacre at a local bar with a few of my friends. Most of them were Red Devils fans, but there were a few who proudly wore their Gunners' shirt.(I personally like the blue hue version, see after the jump)

Manchester United could virtually do no wrong during that match. Rooney nabbed a hat trick, and off-season acquisition Ashley Young had a couple of sweet goals. Although David De Gea allowed two goals, he saved a penalty that current Gunner captain Robin van Persie could have been taken better.

What was admirable was how the Gooners showed their support to the team amidst the disappointment in seeing how they were outplayed by the 19-time champions. They deserved better. That is something not lost in the new American ownership. Stan Kroenke, in possibly a way to get into the good graces of the North London fanbase, decided on rewarding those who made the trip to Old Trafford by giving them a free ticket to an away game. Can you imagine other sports doing the same thing?

Ostensibly, the next step is to find the players. In that sense, that's up to Arsene Wenger. It's just matchday 3 in the season. Maybe this break (no games scheduled this weekend due to the Euro 2011 qualifiers) might serve him and the team well.

Blog Outsourcing - 8/29/11 edition

2011-08-29T06:00:00.000+08:00

Hello! Welcome to the latest edition of The Victory Formation.

I hope everyone in the Eastern Seaboard of the United States is just fine. If you were hiding in a cave, Hurricane Irene was passing by during the weekend, wrecking havoc in the sporting weekend. Meanwhile, in the Motherland, Typhoon Nanmadol (known locally as Typhoon Mina) made its way to the northern portion of the island of Luzon. You can see how the typhoon went here:

It rained hard here, though.

Here forth are the links after the jump:
Manchester is better than North London. The blue side does something (c/o Daily Star), but the red side does them better (c/o Zonal Marking).

Considering that Sir Alex was very complimentary about Arsene earlier in the week, (c/o The Guardian)
It has been definitely one humiliating week for the Frenchman. (c/o BBC News)

Read what a Gooner thinks of the current mess. (c/o Online Gooner)

Seeing that game justified what Fabio Capello just did. (c/o Soccerway)

Serie A on ice. (c/o Soccer Central Philippines)Real Madrid start the season in style. (c/o Managing Madrid)

Champions League > Europa League. Not bad for Cesc Fabregas. In 9 days after joining FC Barcelona, he has won two Cups. (c/o The Offside: Barcelona)

Only Usain Bolt can stop Usain Bolt. (c/o The First Post)

That is an awesome nickname, Oscar. (c/o Opposing Views)

Lep wins a cycling event out in the mountains. (c/o Denver Post)

Missed UFC in Rio. Must have been a riot. (c/o Bloody Elbow)

With Floyd, there is always something happening. (c/o Doghouse Boxing)

If i missed something, someone will always update us all. After all the rain, I just want to be at the beach...

The Shanghai Sevens

2011-08-26T17:50:00.001+08:00

With all the sporting fervor going on in the country, from football to dragon boat racing to the staple of basketball and the anonymity of softball, it is about time that another sport take its place.

We know more about the Philippine Rugby team with their Guadalupe billboard that apparently offended the sensibilities of certain people. It's time and an opportunity to show our countrymen what they can do. Amidst the lack of attention, they have been relatively successful.

This weekend, they will be participating in the first leg of the HSBC Asian Sevens Series, the Shanghai Sevens. Played at Yuanshen Stadium, it pits our Volcanoes against these teams: China, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Chinese-Taipei, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand, UAE and Sri Lanka. On the distaff side, China, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan and Thailand will be facing each other.

The concept of supporting our country should always be wholehearted. No ifs and buts. Not just because of something, but because it is all about playing for the flag.

$28.9 Million

2011-08-24T04:43:00.001+08:00

Yes, we can hear the ka-chings from here.

Are you really worth that much, Samuel? That's the question. Can you prove it on the frozen tundra of Russia, specifically Dagestan? I certainly hope so.

Sometimes, you overspend just to get the attention of people, a sort of flexing of muscle / clout. Let's see what you got, Suleiman Kerimov of Anzhi Makhachkala.

Blog Outsourcing - 8/22 edition

2011-08-23T06:04:00.000+08:00

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of The Victory Formation.

The problem with futbol as of late has been that the clubs "buy" their way to secure success, but at the expense of their own fiscal stability. In other words, they eschew the bottom line for on-field success. There needs a balance between a club's financial viability vis-a-vis the quest for victory. The smart teams get that. But others, because of their wallets that are virtually endless, some owners use the power of the blank checkbook. But if you are a Russian oligarch or a relative of someone with petrodollars, hey, you're not THAT worried. That's why UEFA decided to put in a fairness scheme of their own.

Here forth are the links to make your week after the jump:
Is Samuel Eto'o worth all that moolah? Really? (c/o Forbes)

Meanwhile, Juan Mata is making his way to Stamford Bridge. (c/o International Business Times)

Crisis at the Emirates. (c/o London Telegraph)

When will the Luka Modric drama end... (c/o The Sun)

There was non-UFC action out there... (c/o Cagepotato)

Floyd speaks... (c/o Bad Left Hook)

Hmmm... Pacquiao just fired his accounting. (c/o Asian Correspondent) Must be the backlash from this move by HP. (c/o Engadget)

No Clijsters in Flushing Meadows. (c/o Sportsrageous)

One man has locked his spot in the Chase. (c/o Technorati)

Peace of mind for JT III? (c/o New York Times)

LSU with another entry in the Fulmer Cup. (c/o Opelousas Daily World)

Shapiro and Nutt (c/o Sporting News)

Au revoir, Chris Drury. (c/o New York Times' Slap Shot)

Here, have a fix of the NBA (well, kind of, sorta) (c/o Hoopsvibe)

Boras client gets rich BEFORE he becomes a free agent. (c/o Halos Heaven)

Creative means of blaming Jim Hendry. (c/o Chicago Now)

Irsay's pulling our leg, right? There's no way, right? No way? (c/o ProFootball Talk)

Fan violence evokes more issues. (c/o San Francisco Chronicle)

Parting video: Got 20/20?

Philippine Sports, Inc.

2011-08-19T05:25:00.000+08:00

With the Philippines being cash-strapped as it is, sports needs its patrons and supporters to chip in as most of the time, the government has other priorities that needs its funds more (which is why we need to right people to run our government, especially in those where money is involved).

Good thing there are people who do back the sport. As you can see, Pharma-Rex (the pharmaceutical company behind Cortal SQR) is the latest to provide financial support, as they held a press conference last Wednesday to formally announce their financial contribution to the sport. Most of media emphasized the addition of a couple of German-based players with Filipino descent, but the infusion of cash will definitely help in the development of the sport, especially since they helped with the Homeless World Cup team who will be in competition next week.

Probably the ones best known for assisting with sports has been Manny V. Pangilinan and his conglomerate. Most well known for being the chief force behind SMART-Gilas in basketball, MVP specifically set up his MVP Sports Foundation and SMART Sports for this.

Of course, with all the brouhaha involving our Dragon Boat team and their quest to defend their glory, Filipino-Chinese Tycoon Lucio Tan chipped in with his energy drink and his air carrier.

It sure feels like part and parcel of local sports needs corporate assistance. It's good that these kind-hearted souls see the value of doing their share in uplifting the name of the Filipino.

The Wandering Raul (?)

2011-08-17T03:38:00.002+08:00

It took Bundesliga fiend Ryan Fenix (he of The Prawn Sandwich Brigade and contributor to Interaksyon fame) to tweet me earlier tonight about a rumor that is really hard to believe.

Try googling Bolton and Raul. Yup, the former Real Madrid goal scoring legend is being linked to a transfer to the Barclays Premier League. But when you look at it closely, it's actually another Premiership side, Blackburn Rovers, who are eyeing the all-time leading scorer in the UEFA Champions' League. Apparently, the new owners (Indian poultry giants Venky's) are keen on getting a "name" guy to backstop their franchise. Unfortunately, they seemed to have forgotten that this is 2011 and not the mid 2000s with their targets of David Beckham and Ronaldinho.

But seriously, that would be a personal treat for me if the man who wore #7 proudly for Los Galacticos gets a crack of scoring goals at the Reebok. Bolton manager Owen Coyle still needs to add an additional attacking piece to this motley crew, and that is already with the recent loan deal for Tuncay in place. And he knows it.

Considering the upcoming gauntlet that is about to take place (vs Manchester City, @ Liverpool, vs Manchester United, vs Norwich, @ Arsenal, vs Chelsea), we sure need some more ooomph. May the 4-0 thrashing they pulled on QPR be a good sign for the season ahead for my beloved Wanderers.

Blog Outsourcing 8/8 edition

2011-08-08T22:58:00.000+08:00

Welcome to today's edition of The Victory Formation.

I just finished watching a documentary on the History Channel here that showed the Manila Hostage Crisis. It was almost a year ago today that the gruesome scenario took place. Ugh. I still am embarrassed with how the persons-in-charge handled it and the bad press the Motherland got and is still suffering from until now.

Here forth are the links after the jump:
The Community Shield is retained by Manchester United. (c/o The Guardian)

Let the bidding war for Wesley Sneijder commence. (Yahoo! Eurosport UK)

Who wants Michael Bradley? (c/o SoccerAmerica)

Jerryworld was a soccer stadium for a day. (c/o Barca Blaugranes)

Thanks for the memories at Old Trafford, Scholly. (c/o Big Apple Soccer)

August does not augur well for the Gunners. (c/o Mirror Football) Here lies the rest of the Champions League draw. (c/o Goal)

The Sun is hotter than Mercury. (c/o SB Nation Arizona)

Hey, it's the America's Cup. Sailing time. (c/o San Jose Mercury-News)

Yup. It has been 75 years since Jesse Owens and his legend and legacy. (c/o TeamUSA)

The triathlon is one punishing sport. (c/o Wall Street Journal) Considering that the Philippine Ironman is this weekend already...

Rashad Evans makes his return to the MMA scene. (c/o Heavy)

Here is what you should know about UFC 133. (c/o Bloody Elbow)

Fedor being let go. (c/o The Times and Democrat)

The odds keep getting iffy for the mega-fight we have been waiting since eternity. More likely that the venue will be a courtroom. (c/o Opposing Views). Meanwhile, it's time to get the hype going for PacMarq III. (c/o Philippine Daily Inquirer)

This gives hope for people with broken ankles everywhere. (c/o Pocono Record)

Life after Tiger is sweet for Steve Williams, when the tourney he won was also had Tiger in it. (c/o The Independent)

Should Donnie Nelson go after Bruce Pearl? (c/o The Two Man Game)

Where's Bubba? (c/o Kings of Kauffman)

Sean Avery in trouble again. (c/o TruthDive)

New ownership in the NBA whilst there is a lockout. (c/o Atlanta-Journal Constitution)

Hey look, Stephen Strasberg just pitched. (c/o Washington Times)

Canton welcomes its newest homies. (c/o New York Times' The Fifth Down)

Parting shot, because someone preferred I do not use 30 Seconds to Mars here.

Getting a Basketball Fix During the Lockout

2011-08-06T08:00:00.000+08:00

I presume most of you got a good, make that great whiff of Kevin Durant's 66 points at the legendary Rucker Park. If you didn't, here, have some...

With the lockout probably going to be staying for a while, it might just make sense that the players locked out by the NBA find a way of getting in shape and getting ready in any case the season is somewhat salvaged. The best idea would be for those ProAm baller sessions to evolve and become a little bit of mainstream. Yup, those fabled Drew League, Goodman League, the secret baller sessions in LA that Bill Simmons was referring to at one point, the NC Pro-Am, etc.? It's an opportunity to showcase playground and streetball all across. Time to organize exhibition sessions all across the country. We can have 14 teams in this set up face each other.

Atlanta - Home to TNT. Black Hollywood?

Baltimore-Washington DC - You can have the team go with the vibe of "The Wire"

Charlotte - One can tap into the two differing shades of blue in town. Or Chris Paul.

Chicago - The City that Jordan built and currently maintained by Derrick.

Detroit - The Motor City Ballers have been a hotbed for Ann Arbor and East Lansing.

Houston - People generally flock to apprentice under Hakeem. Veteran former head coach John Lucas has a camp based there.

LA - The glitz and glam of Hollywood has its roots with playground ballers.They might have enough manpower for two teams under this set-up.

Lexington - I would presume the blue-bloods of the Commonwealth may want dibs in this little tourney.

NYC - The home of Rucker needs to be on this list. In fact you can probably have two teams, one from the city with 5 boroughs (a.k.a. the inner-city kids) and then the outskirts people can comprise the other team.

Oakland - Of course, NoCal needs to have representation

Seattle - The 206 Ballers would have a couple of loudmouths in Nate Rob and the Jet. If you want to turn back the clock you can have the Glove there, too. Besides, it sort of rights a wrong. (The only way they can right that wrong is returning the Sonics there)

So, how can we spice this up? We can have the shoe companies (Nike and its underlings, Adidas, UnderArmour, Peak, etc) support it. Playground and streetball culture can also be rooted in the sneaker reputation. Nothing like advertising for the sneaker culture. It's also staying true to the a certain aspect of the sport that Stern wants to keep under wraps. I personally never liked the corporatization of the NBA athlete, but the Commish saw the aftermath of the Malice at the Palace and made draconian decisions that had to be done to restore the reputation.

Incentives? Well, there's cash. I know the sneaker companies have a lot of those. Of course, there's the reputation. You gotta rep your playground. Your domain.

I know this is a pipe dream, but I'd like for this to be a reality that the players might want to opt to if they do not want to go overseas.

Feeding Football to the Masses

2011-08-03T10:05:00.000+08:00

Given the captivation Filipinos have for football as of late, what exactly is the next step to get people to be more interested in football?

The key would be to educate them about the game. Best way to do that? Well, that is to get them to watch more football. The more they watch, the more they get to learn. Add to that, educating them about the basics of the game, and it would be a fine way of having the sport inculcated on their minds.

What are the advantages of football as a television sport? For starters, it has fixed time limit. The game is 90 minutes long. You will have to incorporate extra time, which will not exceed ten minutes if you combine both the first half and the second half. Halftime can be short, plus a quick pregame and postgame and voila, it's pretty much limited to a couple of hours. In addition, there is no interruptions, so companies will have to be creative with regards to advertising (thus the long pregame for the Azkal matches just to put in the commercials). Compare that to baseball, who game is at the crossroads due to its length. With basketball, there is the break in play for timeouts that might be excruciatingly long, especially if it is a highly marketable match-up (i.e. Ateneo vs La Salle)

The idea for this post stems from this recent plug of TV5, through its sports network AkTV (IBC-13):

They are to be showing Barclays English Premier League and Bundesliga games on free television. Perusing through their calendar, they are to commence with the Bayern Munich vs Borussia M'gladbach game on Monday, August 8.Their first EPL match is Liverpool vs Sunderland on Sunday, August 14.

Although it is not live, (the BM vs BM actually commences on August 7, 1130pm and LFC vs Sun actually starts 10pm of August 13) the idea of showing top quality football on local television (not just cable) is a great way of showcasing the sport to people who not necessarily can watch the event. ABS-CBN also did that with its football coverage (via Studio23). Now, if we can get local football to be shown live, is going to be the next step. Getting more people involved with the sport means people become more aware and people become smarter and better in tune with the game.

Moss'd Out

2011-08-02T10:30:00.001+08:00

Is it really the end for him?

Here are his career stats, as per Football-Reference.

Played in 202 games over 13 seasons for four teams (Minnesota twice, Oakland, New England and Tennessee), starting 191 of them. He caught 954 balls (eighth-most) for 14858 yards (fifth-most) and 153 receiving touchdowns (second-most).

Was the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1998. Named to seven Pro Bowls and four All-Pro teams.

Now that Jerry Rice has finally made it to the Hall of Fame, it's finally time for a wide receiver to get in on his first try. When Randy becomes eligible for the call-up, he certainly has earned the right for a bust in Canton. He's the guy whom you groomed Darrelle Revis and Nnamdi Asomugha to shadow.There would not have been the concept of the Randy Ratio without his skill set.

***

It has been a while since I went out and produced this kind of content. The "day" job has been a little taxing, plus my other writing engagement has been a little demanding on the content. I do hope that I get to write more stuff here, besides the one here.

Blog Outsourcing - August 1 edition

2011-08-01T21:00:00.000+08:00

Welcome to the latest edition of The Victory Formation

The baseball trade deadline came and went. Football signings are afoot. Things are in sync. Except for the baller in me. There is still no basketball in the foreseeable future in the United States. It's disappointing, but I still need my normal updates on basketball. By this time, there should be discussion on the Association, like some summer league action.

I was also a little disappointed because our football team exited out of the 2014 World Cup. Sure, we played a tough opponent, but we had our chances and we muffed those. Nothing else to it. We'll be better at it and Moscow beckons for us.

On the other hand, my alma mater is 5-0. And that is a very awesome feeling.

Here forth are the links after the jump:

So, how did the SMART Ultimate All-Star Weekend came about? (c/o Grantland)

Is Lawrence Frank the answer or simply another question? (c/o MSU State News)

FIBA clears the NBA players to play given the lockout. (c/o Peninsula is Mightier)

Kobe Bryant is open to the idea of playing elsewhere. (c/o Washington Post) He also has some futbol skills, too. (c/o Larry Brown Sports)

Bring back the Sonics, Stern. They definitely have more offense than the Mariners. (c/o Hardwood Paroxysm)

Duke committed a possible recruiting violation? (c/o Lost Lettermen)

The final cast for the University Games for USA Basketball is almost set. (c/o Nation of Blue)

Tar Heel football might get worse before it gets better. (c/o Sports Grid)

You reap what you recruit, Zooker. (c/o College Football Talk)

What exactly what the Pac-12 Network entail? (c/o Statesman Journal)

So, Cody Green wants the Golden Hurricane instead. (c/o Tulsa World)

Persa strong? (c/o Heisman Pundit)

Nope, Heath Shuler is not coming through that door. (c/o Tennessean)

Tiger! Tiger! Tiger! Oi! Oi! Oi! (c/o The West Australian)

5 majors already. (c/o The Daily Democrat)

The Brickyard in NASCAR. (c/o NASCAR Insiders)

Jenson marks his 200th race the way he wants it, a win. (c/o Scottish Daily Record)

Serena wins tournaments. (c/o San Francisco Chronicle)

The end for Fedor arriving? (c/o 5th Round)

X Games happened. (c/o ESPN)

Interesting Draw (c/o Sambafoot), but you spent this amount for 100 minutes? (c/o Daily Mirror) Hmmm...

The end has arrived for Bob Bradley. (c/o GazetteNet) And here comes Juergen Klinsmann. (c/o Shin Guardian)

The Special One gets a good break. (c/o Football FanCast)

Futbol really gaining a foothold in the United States. (c/o Washington Times)

New York Red Bulls with a trophy to take home. (c/o Tribal Football) But there was supposed to be a plan to allow Thierry Henry to play for Arsenal for 5 minutes. (c/o Vital Football)

The ticking time bomb (c/o Crunch Sports) that is Mario Balotelli. (c/o The Guardian) Yup, that guy did this recently:

There were some trades... More discussion on The Boxscore later. (c/o Weekly Hit Ground Ball)

Where do you go now, Terrelle? (c/o Mocking the Draft)

Plax to the Green Side of New York. (c/o The National)

Now why would you walk out on a team? (c/o NFL Spin Zone)

To part, these guys were just here this past weekend.

Blog Outsourcing - 7/25/11 edition

2011-07-25T23:50:00.000+08:00

Greeting everyone! Welcome to the latest edition of The Victory Formation.

The past weekend was a great sporting spectacle. I wrote about it here. It's heartwarming and enlightening on how they somehow pulled it off, but they did, and the result is amazing. Once I am done with the pictures from the press conference I attended, I will shed some more tales.

Here are the collation of stories from The Ultimate All-Star Weekend. Thanks to @firequinito for compiling them into one group.

Here forth are the links after the jump.

There was actually a WNBA All-Star game. (c/o Seattle Times) At the same time, they named the top 15 WNBA players ever. (c/o Los Angeles Times)

Well, The November Nine has been revealed. (c/o Eat My Stack)

Aussie Aussie Aussie! Tour de France! (c/o Fairfield City Champion)

I wonder if The Albert would fare better than the Jabulani. (c/o Mirror Football)

Amir Khan pulls off the win. (c/o East Side Boxing)

Tennis perfection. (c/o St. Louis Today)

Lewis Hamilton wins in Germany. (c/o Keeda of Sports)

Could UConn have a new AD soon? (c/o Hartford Courant)

Is the Fighting Sioux worth fighting for? (c/o Kansas City Star)

It's official. Aircraft Carrier for NCAA. (c/o CNN)

Yup. Renardo Sidney is staying at home. No Eurotrip for him. (c/o Searching for Billy Edelin)

The Fulmer Cup is never complete without Tennessee. (c/o Go Vols Extra)

The Cubs look to him hacking it like his dad. (c/o The Cheap Seats)

Lockout buzz. (c/o ProBasketball Talk)

Toronto Blue Jays finally make it to the Hall of Fame. (c/o Toronto Star)

Will BJ Upton finally get traded? (c/o St. Petersburg Times-Forum)

The NFL lockout is about to end... Mercifully. (c/o NFL Spin Zone)

And to part, here's the song that brought fame and notoriety to Amy Winehouse. May you have found the inner peace that you have been searching, Amy.

The Great Filipino Sporting Weekend

2011-07-23T21:00:00.000+08:00

It is already Friday, June 22 as I am writing this. Today is the beginning of the weekend, the huge weekend for all sporting fanatics in the Philippines. Whether it will be basketball or football or whatever, it's going to be a great great day to be either a couch potato or an avid venue-hopper.

Here goes nothing...

Friday, June 22: (all times denoted in local time)

NCAA Season 87: (10am-6ish pm, televised portion begins at 2pm) The Arena in San Juan

(Jrs and Srs) Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers vs Mapua Institute of Technology Cardinals. Talk about the most disappointing performance so far in the early season, and you would instantly look at the winless Cardinals. Many tipped them as the team to fight for scraps for the two remaining Final Four berths (provided someone stops San Beda). Chito Victolero is in the hottest seat as of the moment not named Dindo Pumaren.On the other hand, the Heavy Bombers just got their first win against the EAC Generals. Considering that the Lyceum Pirates already already made a huge headway with a 4-2 record, both teams cannot afford to be far behind, especially since the Letran Knights are at 3-1.

Update: JRU keeps Mapua winless.

(Jrs and Srs) San Beda College Red Lions vs College of Saint Benilde Blazers. Who can stop San Beda right now? They're on a major roll, blowing teams out of the water by an average of 25 points. Looks like the Blazers are the next prey for the Red Lions. Safe to say, we'll see another slaughtering in our midst.

Update: Boy was I wrong on this one, the defending champs barely escaped with a solitary point being the difference.

PBA Semi-finals: (530pm - 10ish pm) The SMART-Araneta Coliseum

Alaska Aces vs Talk N' Text Tropang Texters - The Tropang Texters finished with the best record amongst the semifinalists with a 6-2 record, thanks to the likes of a local juggernaut, from the three-headed backcourt combo of Jimmy Alapag, Jason Castro and Ryan Reyes, to its frontcourt of Ranidel de Ocampo, Harvey Carey and Ali Peek. In their quest for the Grand Slam, they made an interesting decision to replace Maurice Baker with Scottie Reynolds. Yes, the Scottie Reynolds from Villanova:

As for the Aces, they still have Joseph Forte to take care of manning the boards and doing the dirty work with Sonny Thoss while LA Tenorio and Cyrus Baguio does the scoring. In their previous meeting, they got blown out of the water 101-75, something Coach Tim Cone would like to change this time around.

Update: Nice debut for Scottie Reynolds.

Rain or Shine Elastopainters vs. B-Meg Llamados - Arizona Reid has been a beast of a reinforcement for the Elastopainters, rocking his Brian Grant / Etan Thomas-style hair down low. 6 guys average between eight and eleven points so far, including George Mason alum Gabe Norwood and dead-eye shooter Jeff Chan. On the other hand, B-Meg is pretty much similar to Miami with James Yap, Peter June Simon and Joe Devance (53 ppg 18 rpg 5apg combined) reprising the Miami troika. The difference is that Marc Pingris (10 ppg 11 rpg) is an evolutionary Pinoy version of Udonis Haslem and Roger Yap (6 ppg 4 rpg 4 apg 1 spg) doing his Mario Chalmers impression. Just like the Heat, they managed to sign a free agent for the playoff run (a la Mike Bibby), in Josh Urbitztondo who could light it up like this anytime:

Update: Thrilling finish in favor of B-Meg.

Saturday, July 23:

UAAP Season 74: (1pm to 5ish pm) The SMART-Araneta Coliseum

De La Salle University Green Archers vs University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons - The pitchforks are out for Dindo Pumaren and his coaching staff as the fabled Archers lost to their archrivals. The way they have lost on both games have been a cause of major concern, although in their defense, they got dealt with facing teams that were in the UAAP Finals last year (FEU and Ateneo). They ought to be beating UP, a team with a new coach and a new pressing and uptempo system being installed that would be in the favor of La Salle's preferred tempo. However, the Maroons have the combination of Mike & Mike (Gamboa and Silungan) and the M&Ms (Jett Manuel and Jelo Montecastro) to keep pace and Alinko Mbah to basically swat anything that comes close to the paint. If the Archers lose this one, what is currently sizzling might just get toasty. Besides, it is kind of embarrasing when someone manages to put up a top ten like this out of just one half of action.

THE Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles vs University of the East Red Warriors - The three-time defending champions are just rolling along just fine with a 3-0 record. They just finished off dismantling the National University Bulldogs of former Georgia Tech recruit Bobby Ray Parks, jr.. We might just see a blowout far worse as a Red Warrior team that is pretty much relying on guile and will given the huge dropoff in skill compared to previous years, then add to that a new coach that was an assistant to a team that went winless the previous year. Besides, this only serves as an appetize to what is about to transpire at this venue a couple of hours later.

SMART Ultimate All-Star Weekend: (7pm to 930ish pm) The SMART-Araneta Coliseum

All-Stars vs PBA selection - It has been ages since a legitimate selection of NBA players came to Manila to play ball. The lockout has been a godsend apparently, as people have been searching far and wide for tickets for this event, which is sold at these prices:

Patron: P5500 - $129.07
Lower Box: P3800 - $89.18
Upper A: P1500 - $35.20
Upper B: P800 - $18.78
GA: P350 - $8.22

Since this is a hot ticket, obviously, resellers are having a field day. Saw a Upper B ticket being sold for thrice the amount. Saw an General Admission ticket being sold at EIGHT times the cost. A bidding war for a Lower Box ticket was already at P21,000 (almost $500) last time I checked. Another one bid almost $1000 each for a pair of Lower Box seats.

The PBA selection are as follows:

James Yap and Marc Pingris of B-MEG
Mark Caguioa and JC Intal of Ginebra
Arwin Santos and Rabeh Al-Hussaini of Petron Blaze
Ryan Reyes, Jason Castro and Larry Fonacier of Talk N’ Text
Sonny Thoss and LA Tenorio of Alaska
Sol Mercado of Meralco
Gary David of Powerade
Gabe Norwood of Rain or Shine
Danny Seigle of Air21

Talk and Text Head Coach and concurrent head of the MVP Sports Foundation Chot Reyes is the bench tactician for local ballers.

2014 World Cup - Asian Qualifiers: (1130pm Pregame, 1230am kickoff)

Philippines vs Kuwait - The Azkals vs Al-Azraq. Latest reports have noted that FIFA have denied the request of the Philippine Football Federation to allow skipper Aly Borromeo and Stephan Schrock to play in the first leg due to their accumulation of yellow cards. Kuwait has been a competitive team amongst the Gulf States. In fact, they did manage to barge into the World Cup, albeit it was in 1982. On the other hand, the Philippines is reaping the benefits and positivity from their efforts over the past few months.

The game will be broadcast on local television (ABS-CBN), but this is best watched with friends and having a good time. So the place to be would be the different sports bars and pubs all across the metro.

Sunday, July 25

UAAP Season 74: (1pm to 5ish pm) Philsports Arena

National University Bulldogs vs Far Eastern University Tamaraws - Smarting from the blowout handed to them by Ateneo, the Bulldogs get the losing finalists from last year. The Tamaraws are fresh from dispatching the Red Warriors of UE, so they are definitely in the groove after the loss against Adamson. Reigning MVP RR Garcia is still a scoring spitfire while Aldrech Ramos and Emmanuel Mbe can go toe-to-toe against each other. Terence Romeo can light it up off the bench, too. As for Coach Eric Altamirano, he'll have to find a way to diversify the offense. He was effectively muzzled on offense until it was too late.

University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers vs Adamson University Soaring Falcons - UST is celebrating their quadricentennial right now with a bang with two straight wins, while Coach Leo Austria's crew is feeling good even with the opening loss against Ateneo with the bounce back smashing of FEU. Jeric Fortuna was named the Player of the Week for Week 1, and freshman Kevin Ferrer has been as good as advertised. Looks as though Karim Abdul and Austin Manyara would cancel each other out, so can the gangly Tigers keep up the winning form with their SSOL prowess?

SMART Ultimate All-Star Weekend: (1pm to 330ish pm, to be shown at 530pm) The SMART-Araneta Coliseum

All-Stars vs SMART Gilas - SMART Gilas was created specifically for one mission; to get the Philippines to make it to the London 2012 Games. This is part of their preparations for the FIBA-Asia Championships, which will be in China later this year. Handled by Rajko Toroman, these guys are primed and ready to go.

- Ababou, Dylan Simon
- Aguilar, Japeth Paul
- Ballesteros, Jason
- Baracael, Marnel (Mac)
- Barroca, Andy Mark
- Casio, Joseph Evans (JV)
- Douthit, Marcus Eugene
- Lassiter, Marcio Tsongo
- Lutz, Christopher Ryan
- Ramos, Aldrech
- Slaughter, Gregory
- Tiu, Christopher John

PBA players Jimmy Alapag, Kelly Williams, Ranidel de Ocampo of Talk N' Text, Asi Taulava of Meralco and Dondon Hontiveros of Air 21 will join them, as they will also be a part of the team that will be playing in China for the FIBA-Asia tournament.

PBA Semi-finals: (530pm - 10ish pm) The SMART-Araneta Coliseum

Alaska Aces vs Petron Blaze Boosters - Alaska was just fresh from being manhandled by Talk N' Text and they will go against a team that is just playing their first game in the semifinals. Anthony Grundy filled in well in his debut replacing Jeremy Wise, and Arwind Santos is leading the race for Best Player of the Conference Race.

B-Meg Llamados vs Barangay Ginebra Kings - Sure, B-Meg barely escaped with the win against Rain or Shine, but the last team to debut in the semifinals also has momentum from a great performance by Donald Sloan, the former Texas A&M Aggie in their last game. The crowd favorites also added size by acquiring KG Canaleta from winless Air21 in exchange for former MVP Willie Miller. They have not had much depth in the bigs with Rudy Hatfield unavailable and Enrico Villanueva injured.

The UAAP 2011 mini-preview

2011-07-16T22:00:00.002+08:00

Thanks to PhilStar for this picture

Another year has passed and the collegiate scene beckons again. And again I am late in posting the UAAP preview for the upcoming season. The first playdate has been completed and the four remaining teams ~~will get~~ got theirs in last Thursday.

Here lies my brief thoughts on the ~~upcoming~~ ongoing UAAP Season.

Adamson: The Falcons can be likened to a mid-major team in the US NCAA, stocked with quality juniors and seniors who played heavy minutes throughout, with a heady and smart veteran tactician. As such with the US NCAA. they are always strong on backcourt play, and they have arguably the best point guard tandem in Lester Alvarez and Jerick Canada. Jan Colina is one the most underrated bigs in the UAAP, even though Greg Slaughter took him to school last Sunday. Austin Manyara and Eric Camson constitute the big men rotation. It's up to the shooters of the Soaring Falcons if they can finally get over the hump.

Ateneo de Manila: The defending champs may have lost its Stag essence (Eric Salamat via graduation, Ryan Buenafe sitting out the season), but Ateneo in this new iteration never rebuilds. It merely reloads. Kiefer Ravena may have had a whimper of a start, but no one questions the potential. Greg Slaughter on the other hand, 23 points for his debut wearing the blue and white. Served notice to everyone. Still, the key cogs are all back, from Justin Chua to Nico Salva to Kirk Long and Eman Monfort. Best of all, you always bet on (Norman) Black. The school along Katipunan is unfazed, and so does its Sixth Man.

De La Salle University: Quality depth all throughout the roster, with lots and lots of role players and glue guys, from the comebacking LA Revilla the Zobel alums Luigi Dela Paz and Joshua Webb, to the gaggle of bigs from Jovet Mendoza to Papot Paredes and Yutien Andrada. Relative youth still a major concern, so it's up to the veterans like Simon Atkins and Maui Villanueva to fill the leadership void.

Far Eastern University: The losing finalists are aching to come back into the chase, with a returning MVP in tow. Bert Flores returns from his consultant duties after Glenn Capacio was let go. JR Cawaling and Aldrech Ramos are still there, but the key cogs remain it's small ball power of RR Garcia, Terence Romeo and Jens Knuttel providing change of pace. Not having Pipo Noundoo

National University: The Bulldogs hitched themselves onto one man to carry them back into the Final Four conversation. Bobby Ray Parks, Jr. He sputtered in his first collegiate game, but they were one miss away from winning against the Tigers last Thursday. Emmanuel Mbe also returns, but can Eric's recruits from the RP Youth program he devised lead to better things?

University of the East: The Red Warriors were gutted in the offseason losing key cogs, including Paul Lee, Ken Acibar, James Martinez. They also lost their coach, Lawrence Chongson, who is pretty much preoccupied with PEx as of now. New taskmaster Jerry Codinera asked for commitment, effort and hustle from his crack squad being led by Paul Zamar, JR Sumido and Roi Sumang, but it can only get you far...

University of the Philippines: A new regime begets a new era for UP, as it has been 25 years since the special Spirit of '86 squad. Ricky Dandan is banking on the Mike and Mike to greater heights. They already did by ending the 18-game losing streak last Sunday. Alinko Mbah provides the necessary size and anchor down low for the Diliman-squad.

University of Santo Tomas: Pido Jarencio put some pressure on himself with the Final Four or bust mantra, but it sure helped that they won their first game. They still are a relatively small unit, but Karim Abdul is there to provide size, even if he looked relatively raw. Kevin Ferrer proved to be the goods against NU, and Jeric Fortuna went out with guns blazing after halftime.

Personal Preseason Awards:

UAAP PreSeason 1st Team: RR Garcia, Rayray Parks, Mike Silungan, Nico Salva, Greg Slaughter.
UAAP PreSeason 2nd Team: Kiefer Ravena, Joshua Webb, JR Cawaling, Jan Colina, Aldrech Ramos

Defensive Player of the Year: Greg Slaughter - because he's going to rack up double-doubles and blocks.
Most Improved Player: Jeric Fortuna - freed from the PG-by-committee shackles by the academic ineligibility of Clark Bautista, this is the cue for him to rise up and take over.
Freshman of the Year: Kiefer Ravena - Is there anyone else?
Newcomer of the Year: Rayray Parks - Unlike Greg, the pressure is with him more
MVP: RR Garcia - He's going to rack up statistical points like crazy.

PreSeason Final Four: Ateneo, FEU, Adamson, NU (over La Salle and UST)

Here is the 1st round schedule for your perusal and reference.

Blog Outsourcing - 7/11 edition

2011-07-10T21:00:00.000+08:00

Welcome to today's edition of The Victory Formation.

Earlier this week, there was a retirement that was announced. It was that of Yao Ming , the Chinese center who played his entire NBA career with the Houston Rockets. Injuries plagued the former number one overall draft pick in 2002 all throughout his tenure, especially on his foot. He's just 30 years old, with a multitude of possible greatness ahead of him, but like Bill Walton, his feet denied him of it.

The frustrating thing about this is, that the Houston Rockets themselves cannot make a statement on this. The decision of Yao to retire had to be coursed through the NBA's offices in New York. Yup, this is a direct result of the NBA lockout. You see, the teams cannot say anything regarding players. In fact, these teams cannot even retweet or mention the players when they do use the social media. The NBA probably would not even give the Rockets a one-off for this, which is a damn shame. But then again, these are some bitter times, and as long as the lockout is on, this is the norm.

However, if you have NBA TV, you must be enjoying the trips down memory lane with all the stuff they're putting up.

On other Motherland news, Hey, it's collegiate basketball time again here at home. My alma mater is gearing up for its title defense, and boy, I am so giddy about it. In addition, some guy also complained about this particular billboard that is located near a main thoroughfare, and managed to successfully take it down.

Here is a much closer look.

Here forth are the links after the jump.

Because it was after all, one year ago...

No Rafa, no problem. Spain moves forward in the Davis Cup. (c/o 10sBalls)

Yup, there is a team called the Washington Kastles. (c/o The Sacramento Press)

Andre Agassi gets inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame. (c/o Sportsrageous)

How did Korea nail the 2018 Winter Olympics? (c/o Yonhap News)

The final Tour de France of Alexandre Vinokourov goes crash and burn. (c/o VeloNation)

One sign that television is not good for you. (c/o The Guardian)

There is only one Ricky Hatton... (c/o East Side Boxing)

Cotto vs Margarito. This time without the loaded gloves. (c/o BoxingNews24)

The Punisher ekes out a victory. (c/o The Examiner)

Ferrari mark the 60th anniversary of their debut win the right way. (c/o Sportinglife)

Thomas Levet pulls a Kendrys Morales. (c/o Today's Golfer)

Colin Montgomerie talked smack about Rory McIlroy (c/o Irish Central). Karma must have struck (c/o The Independent).

Steve Stricker won the same tournament three straight years. Ain't that sweet (c/o Chicago Sun-Times).

Who says conference shake-ups are a football / basketball thing? (c/o Boston Herald) Of course, some are solutions-oriented... (c/o Western College Hockey)

How do you remember Armon Gilliam? (c/o Washington Post)

This game set Twitter abuzz with madness against Paul Hewitt. (c/o Huffington Post) They did salvage 5th place, though. (c/o NCAA)

Bruce Pearl wants another shot. (c/o SLAM Online)

Caleb King joins Terrelle Pryor as the jewels of the Supplemental Draft. (c/o NFL Mocks) Will Isaiah Crowell save Mark Richt?

Where will Tate Forcier go? (c/o CBS Sports)

Here's a novel idea. Offer cash back instead of wins. (c/o Forbes)

Buckeyes trying to appease the NCAA. Will it work? We'll see come August. (c/o Crimson & Cream Machine)

Mike Vrabel chipping in on the task of reimaging Ohio State. (c/o The Lantern)

Willie Lyles is one smart person knowing that he can get a school to fork over more money because of the swoosh. (c/o Lost Lettermen)

Nice job description there, Oregon. Hope it pays well given what it will entail you. (c/o The Register-Guard)

What should Mike Modano do? (c/o Crash the Crease)

Figuring out the NHL-KHL MOU for the simpleton. (c/o Puck Daddy)

It's now official. Ettore Messina in LA. (c/o Yahoo!)

Deron likes the challenge Turkey poses. (c/o ProBasketball Talk)

Kobe in China? Why not? (c/o Hoopsvibe) He'd might be more interested in Los Angeles given that his dad is coaching and all... (c/o Los Angeles Times). Oh, and he's coming to the Motherland soon. (c/o Nike Philippines)

This solution might be too good to be true for both the NBA and the Players Association. (c/o Grantland)

PacMan Jones acting like PacMan Jones. (c/o Outside the Boxscore)

Should Pat Tillman be in the Hall of Fame in Canton? Discuss below. (c/o Gang Green Nation)

Speaking of Canton, something new will be there as well. (c/o Cleveland Plain Dealer)

Christian Lopez is the guy who caught Jeter's 3,000th hit. (c/o Pocono Record)

Will Mike Trout be a good catch? (c/o Philadelphia Inquirer)

Could Bryce Harper open Nationals Park in 2012? (c/o Sports Illustrated)

Got $150? You can have a gold ball. (c/o So Hood)

Bored and nothing to do later? Go tweet the baseball All-Stars during the Home Run Derby a.k.a. US (National League) vs the World (American League). (c/o The News-Journal)

I am still jarred by the idea of a guy dying trying to catch a ball. (c/o Baseball Nation)

It happened just like that 12 years ago. (c/o New York Daily News)

Some of the people who will be facing Manchester United later this month. (c/o MLS Soccer)

Here are the highlights from the scintillating game in Stuttgart.

Blog Outsourcing 7/4 edition

2011-07-04T21:00:00.000+08:00

Welcome to the latest edition of The Victory Formation.

I want to wish every single American I know a happy Independence Day. Remember this line:

Just when you think about the Fourth of July, you think about fireworks and similar stuff like that. Then again, in Ohio, there is a new way to celebrate in the clubs. This comes too late for Plaxico Burress, as it would have better for him to have played with the Cleveland Browns or the Cincinnati Bengals instead of the Giants.

Here forth are the links.

An American (c/o The Daily Mail) leading the resurgence of Palestinian Football (c/o FIFA).

Nothing like having the Sheik of Abu Dhabi sign off on wish lists. (c/o Soccerlens)

Frank Rijkaard tasked to bring back respectability to Saudi Arabian football. (c/o The Sun)

West Ham and Tottenham want the Olympic Stadium after 2012. (c/o Sport Business)

Handball in the Women's World Cup for football. (c/o Australian Four Four Two) The Hungarian referee has since apologized for the gaffe and will most likely be exiled back. (c/o Daily Telegraph Australia)

The magic of Marta, the best female footballer in the world. (c/o Boston Globe)

The latest on what used to be dubbed as the Tour de Lance. (c/o The Register-Guard)

Michael Phelps is slowly getting into form. (c/o New York Times)

Looks like Nate Marquardt has been given the kibosh. (c/o Bloody Elbow)

Wanderlei Silva. Probably the end of his era. (c/o Digital Journal)

The Djokovic is on you. (c/o Daily Mirror)

TWWL poached another victory away from Comcast NBC. It's one of their prized traditions. (c/o Media Bistro)

Ana Ivanovic must still have a pretty strong clout to do this. (c/o The Independent)

David Haye could not walk the walk. (c/o East Side Boxing)

The fight that needs to happen probably will not happen. (c/o Boxing Scene)

What you want to know about Lon Kruger and his contract? (c/o Tulsa World)

This Longhorn is gunning for the long jump. (c/o Burnt Orange Nation)

But wait, there's more to the Sharks and Wild. (c/o Minneapolis Star-Tribune)

Look who's back in the good ol' USA. (c/o Broad Street Hockey)

Quite simple and quaint, but here is a simple end to a simple post.

Football madness about to ensue

2011-06-29T13:00:00.001+08:00

Photograph taken by Ms. Araceli Socorro Estose

To borrow Hank Williams, jr...

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL!!!!!! I hope you are, as well.

Blog Outsourcing - 6/27 edition

2011-06-27T22:18:00.000+08:00

Welcome to today's edition of The Victory Formation.

First of all, thanks to P@ and Jen for the message they left on Facebook. Much appreciated.

I read here that someone was whining about the rain they had during the weekend. Well, the past few days have been a little rough on my end. I even got a case of the sniffles right now. But I need to remain healthy and stay the course. I have to focus because I need to be in tip-top shape for the week ahead. On Wednesday, the Philippines will be facing off in the 2014 World Cup Qualifier against Sri Lanka. Me and my friends will go to a sports bar to watch this in the afternoon. This Sunday, we will be hosting them and hopefully, I can secure media accreditation to cover this event.

Here forth are the links you requested after the jump.

So, how did Mexico win their 5th Gold Cup? (c/o Zonal Marking)

Jonathan Bornstein had a tough night at the Rose Bowl. (c/o Goal)

Tim Howard caught sourgraping. (c/o Dirty Tackle)

Unbelievable. Imagine the Boston Celtics getting sent to the D-League. That just happened in Argentina. (c/o Toronto Sun)

Spanish dominance extends to their Under-21 squad. (c/o London Telegraph)

The Women's World Cup has already commenced. (c/o San Francisco Chronicle) The United States will make their 1st match tomorrow against North Korea. They are definitely under pressure.

Apparently, there are concerns over World Cup preparedness. And we just had the event last year. (C/o Sambafoot)

Football trying its darndest to eliminate acting. Other sports *cough*basketball*cough* should take heed. (c/o The Union Leader)

Just so you know, this is what GITC is doing... (c/o Guy in the Corner)

Really great piece by Chad Ford on Jimmy Butler (c/o ESPN)

Mutant Russian Mark Cuban wants to be a political kingpin (c/o Gant Daily).

Nene is a free agent. Sorry, Brazil. He needs to ensure he gets paid. And he will be. (c/o SB Nation Denver)

Why would David West turn down the extension? (c/o Thunderous Intentions)

Odds are the lockout might be here to stay. (c/o Tuscon Citizen)

Now the national nightmare of Scottie Pippen can end now. (c/o Sportsgrid)

Adios, Nate Marquardt. (c/o NBC Sports)

Meanwhile, looks like UFC in the NY is still a probable no-go. (c/o NY Post)

There actually is a fashion police in Wimbeldon. No wonder it's a white party at SW19. (c/o The Australian)

Just one American dude left in Wimbledon. (c/o Tennistalk) On the other hand, the women's bracket is so wide-open. (c/o The Sports Campus)

It ain't Rosenblatt, but its legend might get there. (c/o Kansas City Star)

The U-19 basketball roster has been released. (c/o Detroit News)

Ohio State and soul-searching. Really. (c/o The Sporting News)

There was a NHL Draft. (c/o Montreal Gazette)

They're back. (c/o Toronto Star)

Could Davey Johnson keep things rollin'? (c/o Washington Post)

Sparky in Detroit. (c/o Detroit Free Press)

Top sports movie cameos. (c/o From The Marbles)

Really bad job in editing. (c/o New York Daily News)

MMA mockery rankings. (c/o Cracked)

If there is a season, this is what you will see at the Ralph. (c/o Buffalo News)

To part, here's one of my favorite musicians. I'd love for them to come here and do a gig.

Dissecting the 2011 NBA Draft (Lottery Portion)

2011-06-23T22:00:00.000+08:00

The NBA draft is coming in a few days, so let's dissect the lottery-bound draft selections after the jump.

Cleveland - It looks as clear as day that they will be selecting Kyrie Irving. If that is the case, the question is when will he become the PG of the present instead of the future. They'll have to trade either Ramon Sessions or Baron Davis or possibly even both. If one goes, the other will be mentoring the Duke alumnus.

Minnesota - It is still unclear if they will be keeping this selection. Derrick Williams is ideal pick here, so this could possibly be a placeholder. The fate of the 2012 Clippers draft prospects lies with how David Kahn handles this.

Utah - Could it be indicative that the Jazz are planning on trading away Devin Harris if they draft Brandin Knight? All those who were in the pro-Jason Kidd side of the Mavs-Nets deal are currently giddy.

Cleveland - It makes sense for the Cavs to draft a big to pair it with their Irving selection. They would prefer getting Williams here, but that is probably unlikely. A young big body like an Enes Kanter to pair with another young big body in JJ Hickson, with Anderson Varejao being the chief reliever for both would be just fine.

Toronto - Wise selection of Dwayne Casey as their head coach. He surely deserved a second shot at a head coaching gig. Team need post players because of their current roster is littered with jump shooters, so drafting the Lithuanian bigman Jonas Valanciunas makes sense. Buyout price is a little steep and he might need some more seasoning in Europe

Washington - The Wizards need players to complement John Wall. They already have something to work with in Javale McGee and Andray Blatche. A guy like Kawhi Leonard would suffice. A plus would be the fact that he is not a headcase.

Sacramento - The Kings need more weapons. Jan Vesely fits the bill. It is important to note that one of the bigger rumors has been the interest of San Antonio for this lottery pick with the use of Tony Parker as bait.

Detroit - The Pistons have their ownership issue resolved. They have not yet finalized on who will be handling the team, but for now, Joe D calls the shots. They need succession plans for the likely departure of Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince, so a pick like Klay Thompson might just be the right one.

Charlotte - Jordan's crew typically go after those who came from name schools, so I would go with Marcus Morris of Kansas. The Bobcats took a step back in trading away Crash, so they need anybody who can contribute.

Milwaukee - After the disappointment of missing the playoffs following a season where they took the Atlanta Hawks to the limit, they need to reload. I have the enigmatic Bismack Biyombo here, as the someone who can be plugged in given Andrew Bogut's injury history as of late.

Golden State - The new regime has come in and taken over what was Nellieball. Mark Jackson will ask for a greater effort on the defensive end. What they need is additional size in the backcourt, because they currently start two Lilliputians in Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis. The Colorado guard Alec Burks fits the bill here, because he's 6'6".

Utah - Since they took a guard at 3, expect them to go for a big man at 12. Tristan Thompson makes sense. Having him and Derrick Favors is like having Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap, only much cheaper. This might not be popular with those who want "native son" Jimmer to be their choice. The only way that happens is if Derrick Williams falls to three, freeing the need for a big.

Phoenix - They still need additional spare parts, but the allure of pairing Steve Nash with Jimmer Fredette is intriguing.

Houston - Morey has a knack for going after role players who can contribute in multiple ways. Chris Singleton would be a nice toy for new head coach Kevin McHale to play with.