Sabio and Greatwich arrive safely in Japan!

Jason Sabio and Simon Greatwich, members of the Azkals who were ont heri way to Japan yesterday when the internsity 8.9 earthquake struck, have tweeted and messaged friends and family that they are fine.

Greatwich's plane was diverted to Osaka while Sabio was stuck inside his plane in the airport while Tokya was still battered by aftershocks.

Read the GMA News story here.

Philippine Patriots Overhaul Roster, More Teams Join ABL!

Fresh off their championship loss to the Thailand Slammers, Mikee Romero and Tony Boy Cojuangco’s Philippine Patriots have decided to overhaul the entire roster, including its coaching staff.

Romero said that they will try to lure PBA and the D-League players to join the team, as the Patriots offer the same pay scale as the PBA.  Among the PBA players being eyed by Romero are Rob Wainwright, Aris Dimaunahan and Chad Alonzo.

Romero also said that 3 new teams are being considered for membership in the ABL. Two of those teams come from the Philippines, with one based in Manila, the other in Cebu. The third team hails from Jakarta, Indonesia and stands an outside chance of making it as well.

Patrombon Makes It To Semis!

Top Pinoy netter Jeson Patrombon recovered from a first set loss to Teodor Nicolae Marin and won the next 2 sets to advance to the semifinal round of the ITF/LTAT Junior Tennis Championships in Nonthaburi, Thailand.

He faces Serbian Pedja Krstin who is seeded 7^th in the tournament.

Please Pray For Jason Sabio and Simon Greatwich!

The 2 Azkals were supposed to arrive in Japan today when the earthquake struck. Please pray for their safety.

The rest f the Azkals are safe in Gotembo, Japan.

Read the entire story here.

Michael Jordan's 2010-2011 MVP Is...

Yup,  Jordan thinks Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls, a team Jordan once owned lock, stock and barrel, should be named MVP.

Here's an excerpt from an article posted by huffingtonpost.com...

''He's the MVP for the season,'' said Jordan, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. ''He deserves it. He's playing that well. And if he doesn't get it, you'll see how I felt a lot of years.''

Jordan still thinks he's the measuring stick for everyone. He may be right.

Frenchman Pwns Blake Griffin's Dunk!

Impressed by Blake Griffin's All Star Dunk Contest winning dunk?

Twenty-something year old 6'3" Frenchman Guy Dupuy wasn't...and he decided to show Blake Griffin how to really dunk over a car.

NBA Putting A Concussion Rule In Place!

Finally! After years of players getting hit in the face, spitting out teeth and blood, dealing with broken noses and orbital bones and suffering from concussions, the NBA has finally decided to put a concussion policy in place.

Read the full ESPN article here.

Heat snaps Lakers 8 game winning streak and own 5 game losing streak!

Finally, the Heat have won over someone.

And that someone wasn't just anyone. They hacked out a 94-88 win over the two-time defending champions LA Lakers with a stellar effort from their Big Three Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade and LeBron James.

Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum played well for the Lakers but they were unable to prevent the Heat from going 2-0 up on their head-to-head match ups.

The full ESPN story here.

Jeson Patrombon Barges into Quarterfinals!

Jeson Patrombon, the country's heir apparent to Cecil Mamiit's throne as best active Pinoy netter, solidifies his stellar international reputation by barging into the quarterfinals of the Chang ITF/LTAT Junior Championships in Nonthaburi, Thailand.

Patrombon defeated Dutchman Paul Monteban 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

Reinforcements For The Azkals!

The loss of Neil Etheridge, Chris Greatwich and Rob Gier, three stalwarts from the Azkals team that went to the semi-final round of the AFC Cup, are a major cause of concern for all the die-hard followers of the Azkals.

But never fear, Azkal-lovers, help is on the way!

Gerald Wallace: "It Was A Stab In The Back!"

For seven long years, Gerald Wallace was the face of the Charlotte Bobcats. He was its most recognizable player, its most popular player and its first and only All-Star.

Then, at trade deadline, he became a Blazer.

Azkals Update! No Etheridge Til' The Second Week Of May?

Did I just turn prophetic? I posted earlier today that I was alarmed by Etheridge's (admittedly) good fortune because I was afraid it would prevent him from playing for the Azkals.

Well, lo and behold, my fears have just come true.

Especially after the shellacking we just got from a Japanese college team! So what's Plan B, Azkals?

Click the link and read the full story!

Azkals Lose To Japanese College Team, 4-0!

Should we be scared? Should we be alarmed? Should we despair? Yes, yes and no.

We should be scared and alarmed because our boys in blue just got whipped by the Kanto Gakuin University football team of Japan. Take note, these guys are not the Blue Samurais. They are a college team.

Smart Gilas Wins Third Straight Game!

For a team so young, they certainly have a lot of poise and composure.

Despite the pressure exerted by the Air21 Express, the Nationals still walked away with a win, 102-99.

Here's the excerpt from gmanews.tv

Smart Gilas lost grip of an 11-point lead in the final five minutes, and then watched Jay-R Reyes missed a potential game-tying basket at the buzzer to book its third straight win and grab a share of the lead with idle Rain or Shine.

Azkals Miss Key Pieces For Mongolia Match But Will They Miss Those Pieces For More Matches?

We already knew that Neil Etheridge and Chris Greatwich would not be able to join the Azkals for the March 15th match against the Blue Wolves of Mongolia.

But some recent developments on the professional lives of Etheridge and Greatwich have me very alarmed.

Chris Webber Gets Affected By Crygate!

Everyone's jumping on the Heat's Crygate Incident. Here's Chris Webber taking a dig at them after their loss to the Portland Trailblazers (courtesy of Yahoo! and NBA TV)

Is Smart-Gilas For Real?

Smart-Gilas is seeking their third straight PBA win, after beating powerhouse teams Alaska and Talk N Text.

They do have an advantage with the hulking Marcus Douthit (6'10") at center while the other PBA teams have imports standing at 6'4" or less but they also have young "amateur" players who lack the experience and craftiness of PBA veterans.

However, the young guns have been showing up their elders, going toe-to-toe and ending up on top.

Could they indeed be the better team?

A Question Of Basketball Money.

The most common reason why companies buy PBA franchises is for the advertising mileage. When you have a team playing the country's "national" sport, you build tremendous goodwill, foster talkability and create awareness amongst the patrons and consumers, which you can parlay to a "brand in mind, brand in hand" strategy.

Which is why I understand why teams like Coca Cola, San Miguel, Rain Or Shine, Ginebra, Alaska and other consumer-driven companies field teams. After all, the business world is a dog-eat-dog world and they have to do anything and everything to get a leg up on their  numerous competitors. If having a team means people will buy your drink, paint, food or goods, so be it.

However, I am disturbed by the presence of companies who are veritable monopolies. Why would they need the advertising mileage? It's not like they have competitors to beat into the ground.

Is Iguodala The Best Wing Defender In The NBA?

Andre Iguodala of the Philadelphia Sixers is not a scoring machine. He is not a rebounding monster. He is not an assist man extraordinaire. But he does all three at such a high level that one could make the mistake of thinking that those are what sets him apart from the ordinary NBA player.

Frosty the Azkal!

The Azkals have landed in Gotemba, Japan and have started training in 0-3degrees weather.

To explain why Mongolia's cold weather is such a hot topic right now, we have to take into account the effect this will possibly have on the Azkals.

For athletes used to playing in hot weather, they may suddenly find themselves sluggish and unable to "get their motor running" in cold weather games. Having to think about the cold also lessens your concentration and leads to slower reaction times and more mistakes.

This is also beside the fact that cold weather exposure of the airways is also considered as chronic trauma and brings a host of other problems.

But here's hoping that the Azkals can fortify their constitution against the cold weather and come away with a win in wintry Mongolia!

Was Bosh The Crying Heat?

Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony seem to think so.

Here is their alleged exchange, according to Seth Lakso, as posted in nesn.com (after the jump).

Crygate: A New Chapter in the Miami Heat Saga!

And when it rains, it pours.

The Miami Heat find themselves in another kind of scandal when Heat coach Erik Spoelstra remarked the some Heat players were crying in the locker room.

This, of course, touched off a chain reaction of snide remarks from people within the league.

Here are some excerpts from Michael Wallace's ESPN article (after the jump).

Saludo kami sa 'yo, Kuya Rudy!

Rodrigo "Rudy" Salud, an icon of Philippine basketball, died yesterday at the Medical City in Pasig.

Salud is credited with bringing back the credibility of the PBA, when fans were turned off by allegations of officiating impropriety. After being unanimously chosen as PBA commissioner, he sacked half the referee pool and started with a new batch of referees, stressing the importance of skill and officiating credibility.

He is also the founding secretary general of of the World Boxing Council and served as sec-gen of the Games and Amusement Board as well as the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines.

Truly, Philippine sports have lost one of its luminaries today. But we thank you, Ka Rudy, for all your work and contributions.

Miami Heat Are Falling Apart?

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports writes about the debacle in Miami. Here are some choice excerpts!

James has used the words “fail” and “blame” a lot of times, but seldom in context of his own performances. His idea of accountability has always been his cronies and him nudging you in the direction of the guilty parties – his coach, GM, teammates – but never the global icon in the mirror.


The Heat have two of the best five players in the world, and they still can’t play together when it matters most. Derrick Rose never wanted to play with James, but he welcomed the idea of Wade as his shooting guard.
Four straight losses, and the gulf between James and Wade widens with every embarrassment.


Yes, you live with the consequences. Wade has started to say publicly what he’s been saying privately for a long time: Why don’t I get the ball when it matters? Miami’s no longer his town, and the Heat no longer his team. Didn’t you hear James? It isn’t our team. It isn’t D-Wade’s team.


For the complete article, click the title and follow the link! 

Don't Hate LBJ. Love To Root Against Him.

Great article by Joe Posnanski. Gives us a new perspective on the LeBron James saga.

Click on the title and follow the link!

Is LBJ Anti-Clutch?

Could have won it. Instead, Bulls sweep heat in regular season match ups.

RP Davis Cupper lose to Japan 3-1!

It was a gallant battle but history won out once again.

Cecil Mamiit, the face of Philippine tennis the past decade succumbed once more to a younger, well rested Go Soeda, 7-6(5), 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 during the 4th match of the Davis Cup held in Cebu.

Mamiit gave it his all but the taller, harder hitting Japanese simply overpowered the Filipino with crisp shots from the baseline.

The Filipinos were holding on to a glimmer of hope after Mamiit and Huey won the doubles match last Saturday in style, blitzing the Japanese tandem of Takao Suzuki and Hirko Kondo 6-1, 7-6(5), 6-2.

The Japanese have now won 18 Davis Cup ties (out of 27) against the Philippines, including the last 4 ties.

The Filipinos go up against New Zealand this July, in a bid to retain their position in Group I.