We all know about Felix Baumgartner. We saw what he did. It surely was crazy. It was unprecedented. It takes balls to do that.
It also means that nothing is impossible, to borrow a tagline from another brand. It means that the human spirit remains indomitable. May it inspire us the way previously unheard of achievements inspired the previous generations.
Welcome to the latest edition of The Morning After.
I am sure you had your fill of football. You missed it like heck. You love it like your significant other. May this be the beginning of something great.
Here forth is the Storify I did for this week after the jump.
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.
Greetings and welcome to the latest edition of The Morning After.
Shocked. Surprised. In awe. That happened after Michael Buffer announced the decision. Considering the statistics, conversations and observations all across the timelines, Timothy Bradley, Jr. remains undefeated.
When the winner himself says that he himself was not sure and wanted to watch tape, something is definitely amiss.
This will definitely be worse if Manny Pacquiao had decided to not take the high road.
It is a special day for all my friends in the United States. A time to celebrate, remember and respect those who have worn the uniform with pride, dignity and honor. A day to express your admiration, love and devotion. Remember that when you enjoy the weekend.
Here forth are the links to keep you busy this holiday.
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.
So, the Final Four is set. Congratulations to Kentucky, Louisville, Kansas and Ohio State. The establishment once again reigns in the NCAA, as a SEC, B1G, Big East and a Big 12 team asserted their claim.
Kentucky is filled with boatloads of talent, which Cal will reload, and reload he will until the NBA pries him away. Standing in his way is a familiar nemesis in Rick Pitino and his Cardinals, the champions of the Big East. Then we have Bill Self against Thad Matta on the other bracket.
Maybe we will see the drama we're normally accustomed to here. Who knows.
The women are in their Elite 8 (Baylor-Tenn vs Stanford-Duke, Notre Dame-Maryland vs UConn vs Kentucky)
The NIT is also in their Final Four, too. But most of you don't care about that. What more the CBI and the CIT...
Here forth are the links to make your morning catch-up worthwhile.
Congratulations to the 68 teams who made it to the Big Dance. First to the 31 Conference Tournament Winners, since they earned the automatic bid. Then to the other 37 institutions whom the NCAA Selection Committee has deemed to be deserving of the spot.
I am pretty sure we will have a myriad of posts upcoming to deconstruct the bracket, and other what nots, but there are other things to look at, as there is the NIT and the CBI and the CIT, too.
Good luck and may the bracket gods be nice to you.
Here are the links to make your day after the jump
It feels odd that I actually managed to watch only a little of the All-Star Weekend. I missed out on the festivities... Am I disappointed? Maybe. Or maybe not.
You see, it has been a weekend habit of mine as of late to cover football here, doing tweetcasts on behalf of Soccer Central Philippines for the United Football League. That means, for the past few weeks has been no rest for the weary, so the upcoming break will be a great reprieve.
I actually missed the Saturday activities (which is on Sunday) due to previouscommitments. Ditto for the game itself, which oddly enough, took place on Oscar night.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Welcome to the special Memorial Day edition to The Victory Formation.
Just to remind everyone, Memorial Day is an American Federal Holiday that they observe yearly at the last Monday of May, in which this year falls on the 30th. This commemorates all those who died while serving in the United States military.
Like most of the people in the United States, I am also getting the day off. To all my Stateside friends, I hope you get to do the right thing and honor the ones who gave their lives to defend your country from threats known or unknown.
It has been a while since I got the weekend off, and I really need it to get some rest, relaxation and time to stay at home. Unfortunately, most of my family got the chance to go out and frolic. At least, I get to do some more editing of photos and finish some blogs that I really need to go and write about, I hope.
How does the U.S. Embassy here honor Memorial Day? Recently, the U.S.S. Carl Vinson docked in our shores for a routine port call and then some. That aircraft carrier is the so-called funeral hearse for Osama Bin Laden. Some of my blogger friends luckily were able to go on-board and check the dock out.
Here is a nice picture of the U.S.S. Carl Vinson in Manila before we give way to the links.
Welcome to today's edition of The Victory Formation.
I am sure everyone was looking forward to the rapture moment the other day. The world was looking forward to whether the world was going to end or how epically bad it was going to become. It even spawned lots and lots of memes, from confessions to playlists to even views on fave videos on Youtube. Unfortunately, the day came and went, and pretty much no cataclysmic event occurred. And so, the man who "cried wolf," then goes incommunicado, probably embarrassed that his prediction did not push through.
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)
Hey, I was in the minority with regards to the Black Eyed Peas performance. Not necessarily because I like the group (feel free to lambaste me for such), but mainly due to the fact that the sound technicians botched this one, like pretty much how this year has been for Jerry Jones and Jerryworld. What we all can agree on is to how the hell Alex Rodriguez tried to steal the show again for a brief moment?
A year ago, I spent the night in a mall alongside others stuck amidst the floods as a result of a typhoon. I walked and saw its carnage. I, on behalf of my fellow countrymen, appreciate the efforts of those who tried to chip in and help.
Walking home that fateful Sunday morning and seeing what transpired during the night, it really surprised me as to how we were caught off-guard, unprepared and shellshocked we all were. All the mud, the damage, the carnage. Good thing we were able to secure electricity that night.
I hope we learned from that experience and move on to become better prepared and better focused on handling disasters like this in the future.
Onto other things:
I'll need a miracle to beat GITC. You heard me, Aaron Rodgers? I need an aerial attack to work. And if you stall, I'll need Mason Crosby to make field goals. You got that?
Hereforth are the links:
Records are meant to be broken, but these are somewhat unassailable.
More reasons why people blame the economy. But it's also on Title IX perhaps.
We're getting closer and closer to looking like the peeps on Wall-E.
Remember when people got scared on the possibility of OT during the NFC Title game as well as the Super Bowl? It just happened in Aussie Rules Grand Final.
The Reds have a flamethrower in their midst. Think he can do a 2002 K-Rod facsimile? They only need either a win or a Cardinal loss and they've sealed it.
Finally, the Texas Rangers secure the division. Looks like their rotation is set, too.
Michael Owen saves the Red Devils from defeat. But on the other hand, Chelsea goes down to Manchester City.
Real Madrid having problems scoring goals. Not for Barca. Meanwhile, Valencia leads the Primera.
Ryan Mallett's Heisman chances are at the same tier as Jake Locker's.
Boise State did enough to stay in the chase, but what is interesting now is that Nevada is giving them an unintentional lift. They meet on Thanksgiving Friday at Reno. Meanwhile, Virginia Tech helping the Broncos out with a shutout against Boston College.
Oregon escapes with a win against Arizona State with an undefeated Stanford (fresh from blasting the Irish that had the Stanley Cup in their midst) looming in the horizon.
Ohio State and Wisconsin plaster their opponents with 70+ scores. Their Big Televen play opens next week with Buckeyes facing the Zookers and the Badgers facing the Spartans. Speaking of which, we still don't know if Dantonio is going to coach, but Don Treadwell's doing fine so far.
The Red River rivalry lost a little luster as Oklahoma's stumbling through and Texas actually losing in Austin.
Things are about to get ug(a)ly in Athens. First, they lose at Starkvegas. Then, they kick out a player.
The past two days have some weird special significance that are very interesting and weird.
First, July 31 not only serves as the end of the month, but also serves a special day for all Jesuits and its institutions. That day is St. Ignatius Day. Saint Ignatius of Loyola was after all, the founder of the Society of Jesus. He died on that day in 1556. Known for the Spiritual Exercises, he is also the patron saint of the Basque region and spritual retreats.
In the midst of the collegiate season, we normally win those games. And we did last Saturday against National University.
Yesterday, August 1, is a special day for all Simpsons fans. Specifically, yesterday was the day Lisa Simpson was to be married. Yup, Lisa Simpson was to be married to Hugh St. John Alastair Parkfield. That occurred during Season 6.
Interesting tidbits from the wedding include:
- The networks have merged into ABCNNBCBS; FOX is now a hardcore sex channel
- Brits can brag about saving America's ass in WWIII.
- The Rolling Stones have embarked on their "Steel Wheelchair" tour (and are lauded for their "tireless efforts to preserve historic buildings").
And this is the invitation:
Hereforth are the links:
So, the Yankees got Berkman, Wood & Kearns, but lost to the Rays, who only added Chad Qualls. But these additions are for the long haul, with October in mind. Veterans hungry for a ring of their own.
The Dodgers added arms in Ted Lilly (and Ryan Theriot) and Octavio Dotel, but they sorely needed bats, who were MIA in their loss to the Giants, who also needed bats but only secured Javier Lopez and Ramon Ramirez.
Cardinals trying to chase the Reds for both division and wildcard, acquire Jake Westbrook. They sent Ryan Ludwick to the Padres, which sorely needed bats at pitcher-friendly Petco and already made an immediate impact against the Marlins.
Hello. Good Morning.
