Blog Outsourcing - September 17, 2012 edition

The alma mater just finished its regular season with a win and a 12-2 record, sealing the 1st spot after 14 games.

It was a solid one, too.

 

Now we wait for our Final Four opponent.

Here forth is the Storify after the jump.

Blog Outsourcing - August 20, 2012 edition

Today is Eid'l Fitr, where we pay homage to our Islamic friends as they end their Ramadan fast. It is an occasion and celebration.

But also, something happened today. Tony Scott, the famed director, passed away. In tribute, this is an appropriate intro.


Here forth are the links after the jump.

Blog Outsourcing - July 16, 2012 edition

 

Hello and hope your Bastille Day weekend went well.

I managed to get a taste of witnessing my first-ever Mixed Martial Arts event last Saturday night. I have been always accustomed to watching them on the television, on a delayed basis, too. But, thanks to some people I know, I managed to get in and see for myself what exactly goes on in such an event, considering that this could also be ongoing in boxing, too.

The event I watched is PXC 31. Its main event featured someone named Crisanto Pitpitunge becoming the 2nd ever homegrown Filipino to become a PXC champion, issuing a knockout victory on the former titleholder Justin Cruz in the bantamweight division. Seeing what goes on behind the scenes and looking around at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig was an interesting thing to observe on Saturday night.

Meanwhile, the UAAP opened it's 75th Season this weekend. Host National University, led by former Georgia Tech recruit Bobby Ray Parks, jr., issued a 90-55 beating over the University of the East. However, my alma mater also issued a 73-57 victory in their quest for a fifth straight crown in men's basketball. We face them this weekend.

Here forth are the links after the jump.

Blog Outsourcing - July 2, 2012 edition

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

It's already the second half of the 2012. Hope the reader has had a productive first half of 2012. It has been an interesting stretch for everyone and hope the remainder of the year makes it even better.

Meanwhile, the NBA season may have concluded on the court, the mantra of the swoosh remains true and legitimate. Basketball Never Stops.

The NCAA already has commenced action last week. The big buzz was naturally, how 5 rookies and a sophomore beat a veteran squad. The rival league UAAP already is making preparations for its campaign, which will begin on July 14. They even have a "Call Me Maybe" meme ready.



In the pros, the quest for a semifinal seat will need a playoff. One of the teams involved has Mario West as their reinforcement. And coming soon, a Legend gets his jersey retired.

The NBA Draft just ended, and Summer League beckons. Of course, there's the drama of free agency. And the quest for Olympic Gold. Being a basketball fan in the Motherland is just blissful.

Here forth are the links after the jump.

Blog Outsourcing 4/23 edition

The weekend for me was pretty much dictated by this football match. A match between two titans, not just in Spain, but in the world. Even if it took place at 2 in the morning here in the Motherland, these kind of things are must-watch stuff, if you could do so, you must.

The Catalans have dominated this match-up the past few years, especially at the Nou Camp. So to see this victory (as deconstructed here) is really awesome and sweet. Now with four matches remaining, all the current La Liga leaders need are two wins and they secure the title.


HalaMadrid!

Here forth are the links after the jump.

Blog Outsourcing - October 21, 2011 edition

 

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.

Blog Outsourcing - 8/29/11 edition

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:

Blog Outsourcing - 6/27 edition

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.

Blog Outsourcing - 5/2 edition

Hello! Good Morning.

Welcome to today's edition of The Victory Formation.

I was supposed to be doing a little experimentation for today's edition of TMA. But instead, I'll have someone else speak to you.


Here forth are the links.

Blog Outsourcing - 4/18 edition

Welcome to the latest edition of the Morning After.

Blog Outsourcing - 3/21 edition

As I was writing this, there was a slight earthquake that struck the Motherland. Reports say it was of 5.7 magnitude. Unfortunately, I did not feel it. I presume we all are tired and exhausted from the bracket monitoring we have been doing.

We learned about the Nantz's Fabricated Five, Pitt's continued bad breaks. John Henson's brain farts. And yes, the BEast possibly being a bit overrated.

I presume we will have further discussion on this soon, so I'll leave it at that.

Blog Outsourcing - 2/14 edition

Wassup people and welcome to today's edition of the Victory Formation!

I would like to wish everyone here a Happy Valentine's Day or for some like me, Happy Singles' Awareness Day. I mean, my own personal lovelife has been elusive and it can be a pain, so sometimes, one just has to continue and just wait for the right girl to come and sweep me off my feet and let me sweep her off hers.

You're probably wondering where I got my picture for today. Well, I spent 40 hours in a place called Bacolod to watch a football qualifying match for the first time. I was holed up there from February 8 to 10.

You see, the Philippines is now basking in football glow. We have been pretty much down in the doldrums, being the whipping boys over the years for this sport. Not only that, they have been pretty much ignored. But then, the 2010 Suzuki Cup happened. We made it all the way to the semifinals, losing to the eventual champions Indonesia, but made a good account of themselves.

With the newfound fame, the Azkals (the team's monicker, which is a colloquialism to askals when translated means street dogs) aimed to capitalize that with the next step, qualifying for the AFC Challenge Cup. (c/o Fire Quinito) Being on a home-and-away format, the only place that can currently handle a match like this is the Panaad Stadium (c/o Wikipedia) in Bacolod. Thus the reason why I flew down there. (spending slightly over US $50 for a plane ticket (inclusive of taxes) & spending a total of US $75 for my whole stay in Bacolod.)

Hey, it was worth it. It really was. See below. (c/o Philippine Star)

Blog Outsourcing - 2/7 edition

Welcome to today's edition of The Victory Formation. Congratulations to the Green Bay Packers

Blog Outsourcing - 1/31

Welcome to the latest edition of the Morning After, the final one this month of January 2011.

I pretty much spent the whole day watching television. Watched a little of the FA Cup before proceeding with the NBA on ABC. Managed to catch a little of the NHL All-Star Game and the start of the Pro Bowl until it was the Royal Rumble. Really have nothing to say, but again, the Royal Rumble is probably my favorite PPV match ever. It even screwed the TNA storyline by having both Kevin (a.k.a. Big Daddy Cool Diesel) Nash and Booker T appear on it.

Blog Outsourcing - 1/10 edition

Welcome to today's edition of The Victory Formation.

Later tonight (in my case being tomorrow morning), it will be the BCS National Championship Game featuring the Auburn Tigers (a.k.a War Eagles) powered by UnderArmour against the Oregon Ducks powered by Nike. I am sure we will be covering it in our own little simplistic way, the way we do it best.

The key will be which defense can pull off the necessary stops against the imposing offenses devised by each squad. Any turnovers produced would really benefit as the University of Phoenix Stadium will become a scoring slot machine. Special teams would be crucial, too. Anyway, I'll just look back and enjoy this game, still hoping for a miracle of a split title with TCU. No matter how unlikely that might be.

Anyway, as for me, in a few days, I will be going to go on a brief 2-day family vacation to Vietnam, specifically Ho Chi Minh City. Hope I can find some neat Viet Cong stuff for me to take home. That story could be coming to you, next week.

Blog Outsourcing - 12/20 edition

Welcome to Today's edition of The Victory Formation.

Christmas is just a few days away. It's this Saturday already and we can already feel the moment is just upon us. The midnight masses have already commenced. The traffic has been horrendous with all the sales that have popped up. After all, it was payday weekend and the bonuses have already arrived onto the payroll.

Over the weekend, I decided to give back and do a charitable venture. It is important that we remember the true meaning and spirit of the holiday season. It's not just about the ancillary parts. The truth about the holiday is that someone was born that was of importance and value. That individual would also remind us of a particular passage entitled Matthew 25:40.

Blog Outsourcing - 12/13 edition

Hi and Hello to the latest edition of The Victory Formation!

It's only 12 more days until it is Christmas and some can already feel it in the air, with Christmas parties, decors galore and the tunes that become Last Song Syndromes.

Meanwhile, the economy's hard times have spread everywhere. It seems unthinkable, but maybe it is time for the four major pro sports to think about advertising as a proverbial option for revenue. Look at futbol / soccer. They have been doing this for a long time and it brings in big revenue. Even a team like FC Barcelona (who hasn't received payment for jersey sponsorship ever until the start of next season) eventually had to capitulate and accept the harsh reality. (Considering that UEFA just tightened qualification rules for Euro football.)

At the same, I find it interesting that the Qatar Foundation (who will be joining UNICEF on the FC Barca shirt) just swooped in with a deal. After all, the Qataris have money to burn and a sneaky and smart plan that could be very beneficial. This might be something to work on for Qatar since they have 12 years to define a generation of football players.

As such, teams that are in such dire need of cash, like the NBA-owned Hornets, might want to look into this. The WNBA already has companies like Microsoft, Farmers Insurance and Foxwoods for shirt deals.

Speaking of football, the Motherland's National Team just had their send off party earlier today. They have made the semifinals and they will face Indonesia in a supposed to be a "home-and-home," but apparently we do not have the facilities to support a FIFA event. For more details, read this recapper of the state of Philippine football.

Blog Outsourcing 8/9

Hello! Welcome to the latest edition of Sparty and Friends!

Today is August 9, 2010. In numeric terms, it is 8/9/10. That of course, is numerically cute.

First, I have been advised to fix my posting schedule. After all, there is supposed to be a proper time to be posting TMAs and obviously, I have been slacking off a little bit. As such, with the usual prodding, I will do my best to approximate said deadline. (EDIT note: Looks like I am slightly late again. A glitch happened on my laptop.)

Second, since I am on the "Floyd Mayweather is a chicken" bandwagon, I just want to inform people that the PacMan has decided to call out Floyd. It is not the norm for Manny to call out people. He lets his fists do the talking on his behalf, while the power brokers (like Top Rank's Bob Arum) do the negotiating for the nitty gritty. Since the self-styled pound-for-pound icon has decided to prioritize frivolous things instead of choosing his next probable opponent, Top Rank decided to set up a farce of a match on November against the guy named Marga-cheato. Goes to show how selfish some people are instead of focusing on what the sport exactly needs. Meanwhile, to keep himself busy, the Congressman is currently doing political work.

So there. End rant.

Hereforth are the links:

The Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays had a bad weekend. First, they got Arencibia'd. Then, they got Morrow'd. Rays with a losing streak just after they retook 1st place from those damn Yankees. Speaking of J.P., he surely treasured that day.

Boston could not really take advantage and gain ground as they faced off against the Evil Empire. They missed a chance when A-Ro(i)d missed a game. They missed another chance when AJ Burnett was suddenly scratched. Good job by the Yankee pitching staff, especially to Dustin Moseley. One more game to play for both squads before the final series (second-to-the-last-weekend of the regular season) between the two rivals.

One Yankee legend passes another, while another milestone set by A-Ro(i)d. Speaking of Alex, here are some tidbits regarding the 600 long balls.

The Buck stops here. Orioles now 5-1 under the new manager.

Enough with the AL (B)East, the AL Central features a chase by the plucky Twins, who won wearing the Jedi-like Negro League uniforms as well as the Pavano pornstache. In addition, Thome could still be chasing 600, as he has 578 now.

On the AL West, things are getting worse in Griffey-land, where bathrooms are hazardous.

How the Greenberg-Ryan Express was able to survive the Mark Cuban aggression.

Surprise stat: Why are the Oakland Athletics so good during day games?

Torii Hunter has a dark side beneath the good-guy image.

Get well soon, Chris Coghlan.

Domo Arigato, Mr. Joey Votto!

Here are your 50 greatest Cubs!

For Pittsburgh fans, they cannot wait until football season already.

It's not about who finished first, it is about who finished 79th. I think Corey Pavin would be served best if he did not select Tiger with his captain's picks. Tiger needs to fix his mess before he can really be back to form.

Finally, a fake football game.

And on the tenth day, Albert Haynesworth finally passed his test. And you know it has become ridiculous when minor league teams use it as a promotion. And the moral of the story is...

He still wants to be a Cowboy, baby!

Apparently, the success of Houston next season is on Brian Cushing.

It's never too late to apologize. Unfortunately, that does not come with a Lombardi trophy.

Where does Friar Tim rank among the bad hair days?

Here are some nice excerpts from the HoF Enshrinement Ceremony. But we are waiting for Primetime's turn next year. Which makes me wonder if the bust's design will include the trademark bandanna.

Keith Olbermann has been DQ'd from the pregame show.

Do you really really want T-Mac?

The First Baller can hold down the fort, y'all. And he's bringing in the Who Dat later.

Interesting read about a what could have been alternate reality where Pau Gasol is deftly handling the scalpel instead of a basketball.

The Community Shield means that the Premier League is close.

Because this is a tribute to Littlefoot and Cerah after this news shocked all dinosaur fans.

Blog Outsourcing - 7/26

Welcome to today's edition of Sparty and Friends.

Earlier today, I was listening to my new president give his State of the Nation Address (SONA for short). It was 36 minutes of talking about the current state of my country and what he initially intends to do about it. You call it your State of the Union Address. It was done in the vernacular, so if you are interested, you can read the English translation here.

On the other hand, the weekend was wracked with disappointment as my alma mater lost in the 1st round of our rivaly game. The way we lost it was a little ugly as we held a 9-pt lead late in the 4th quarter with 3+ minutes left, and all of a sudden, we could not score and their shots began falling. What sucks even more is that all those hiding in the woodwork came out and pounced on the opportunity to talk smack. After all, they finally got their chance after the past few years of failure. Hope we can bounce back from this better than ever. It has been a tough start this season, but it is still early. Lots of games to go before the post-season comes in about a couple of months.

Of course, one good lesson you can gleam from this experience is that these are the kind of things that can be cured by sleep. Something obviously Dan Gilbert should have done before the Comic Sans mishap.

Here are the links:

Contador wins the Tour de France, in which Lance Armstrong ends in a whimper.

Round and round they go, Jamie Mac takes the Brickyard 400.

How one wins a race without leading a lap, and how team orders can affect a race.

The so-called "next Danica" is on probation, while bickering drivers say they're all good.

Dan Haren is the Angels' response to Cliff Lee. But Alberto Callaspo is a bigger acquisition.

The Mets and Royals in trade talks. Mediocrity for mediocrity.

The Hawk finally gets in. You think Tim Raines is in eventually?

Quest for 600 delayed. The little engines that could in Florida strike.

Tigers lose key cogs, but Miggy carries on.

Bobby V in a Cubs jersey?

Obviously, Deion taught him well.

Get well soon, Sergio Kindle.

How Dan Beebe "saved" the new Big 12.

Adios! Here's an old parting track:

Blog Outsourcing 6/14

Welcome to today's edition of the TMA.

Recently, it was the 112th anniversary of the Philippine Declaration of Independence. Yes, we freed ourselves from Spanish occupation. Then again, under the treaty of Paris, the Americans took over control until 1946.

Imagine if we became Americans, too. Oh, that would be an interesting what-could-have-been. Then again, I love my country.

Oh, here is a picture of an interesting situation during the World Cup. Our football team is crap, but this was awesome. Thanks to that guy.



Here are the links:

The German machine at work.

Slovenia take advantage of a Robert Green. America, meet your opponent on Friday. Speak of Robert Green...

Africa has something to celebrate. So far, a 1-1-2 record.



Meanwhile the Dutch are getting ready. So are the Azzurri. Will Samuel Eto'o secure Africa's 2nd win?

English television has some similarities with American ones, too.

He says it is not the ball's fault. Actually, he is right. The Algerian goalkeeper should have handled that. So should Robert Green.

Meanwhile, the African version of the cowbell to get the kibosh?

Another great pitching gem. Credit the Stanley Cup for that one.

Guess who's back on top...

For a last-place team, they get lots of buzz. Guess 19Ks get you something. Oh, this might interest someone...

Last ditch effort... Speaking of Longhorns, nothing ever goes right when it is 330am.

Boston withstands a Kobe going nova moment and an off-kilter Rondo.

This is for the Celtics.