This — is a very good night. A great night. A night every Ginebra fan should remember. From the right side of the bed they woke up on, down to their own pre-game rituals come game 7 tipoff. On this night, a worn down, yet (always) fighting Ginebra squad effectively withstood a mighty Air21 onslaught. When each Ginebra player finally gets some alone time after all the victory drinks tonight, they should reflect on how they started the season, and watch tonight’s game on tape.

Aside from my obvious and heartfelt congratulations, Ginebra’s win isn’t what this post is about. Read the rest of this entry »

So is Michael Phelps the greatest Olympian of all time?

I suppose there are two safe answers. Yes and no.

Dangle a 36-year old Olympic record before a go-getting 23-year old swimming scud missile from Baltimore, Maryland and you get a riveting nine-day odyssey. Phelps tried to deflect early pressure by saying it was primarily the media, which wanted him to break the record Mark Spitz set in 1972. It was media hype, not personal ambition, according to Phelps. It was, however, clear upon his first taste of Beijing gold that the super shark wanted more. He wanted it all. Eight gold medals for 8 events. This means Phelps wasn’t just aiming for domination. He wasn’t just going for intimidation. Here was an athlete ambitious enough to target perfection in an ultra-competitive field. Read the rest of this entry »

Before Team USA got on their way to redeeming Olympic basketball glory, three of their stars took a breather from an exhibition game in Shanghai, enjoying themselves to a game of good ol’ billiards. I’ll take Bata, Django, and Alex over Kobe, LeBron, and Melo any day of the year, though.

Kobe and LeBron photos after the jump.

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For a country still searching for its first Olympic gold medal, the national pastime for the duration of the Summer Games is to hope. We don’t expect. We hope. Oftentimes, we pray. Should praying not suffice, we plead. We plead for miracles to unfold. We enter the Olympics often betting all our remaining chips on a dramatic halfcourt shot, Hail Mary pass, 3-2 bases-loaded home run to win the game. It’s a strategy that’s destined to disappoint, a proposition that’s bound to break hearts nine out of ten times. Read the rest of this entry »

For American swimming scud missile Michael Phelps, the heart-pounding race to Olympic immortality is well underway. He’s captured 3 gold medals so far. Three down, 5 to go. The goal is for Phelps to knife through water like never before and win 8 gold medals in Beijing. Phelps aims to smash the record American swimmer Mark Spitz, at 7 gold medals, set in the Munich games in 1972. Poor Mark Spitz. He already felt severely overlooked by Olympic organizers by not being invited to grace the Beijing games. Now, he’ll have to watch the most serious assassination attempt at his 36-year old record from his living room. Read the rest of this entry »