Just hours after Ateneo captured the 2008 UAAP Men’s Basketball Championshipm on a rainy, raucous Thursday evening, this blogger scribbled some notes in the serene company of a notebook computer. I enjoyed the silence after having to endure the maddening scene inside the Araneta Coliseum for game 2 of the Finals.

When spectators plopped into their seats, they noticed the disparity in attendance. The coliseum was predominantly blue. Ateneans, understandably, grabbed more tickets in anticipation of their team’s UAAP triumph. Inhaling the sights and sounds of the pre-game cheers and warm-ups, it felt like a royal coronation was about to unfold. Read the rest of this entry »

Still basking in the afterglow of an impressive victory over arch-rival DLSU in its final second round assignment, Ateneo enters the UAAP Final Four with the unmistakable swagger of a title contender.

The Blue Eagles could have treated the game as a high-profile warm-up, hyped-up practice scrimmage having wrapped up the top spot and twice-to-beat advantage prior to Saturday’s showdown with the Green Archers. La Salle, on the other hand, needed to win to avoid facing FEU in a play-off for the second spot and the twice-to-beat advantage that comes with it. Read the rest of this entry »

Game 7 of the recently concluded PBA Fiesta Conference Finals between Ginebra and Air 21 was a milestone on many levels. The game not only concluded a phenomenal winning run by Ginebra all the way to championship glory, it also served as a fitting valedictory address for ABC Sports.

For close to five years, 9 conferences, 5 seasons and over 1,000 televised games, the Sports Division of the Associated Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) worked hand-in-hand with the PBA in delivering basketball games to living rooms all over the country. As such, it was only proper that ABC finished its commitment to the PBA with a Game 7 Ginebra victory. After all, the network began its relationship with the league with a Ginebra win back in 2004.

Standing behind the goalpost nearest to the South Gate, one could truly appreciate the massive attendance — over 20,000 fans — for Game 7. Every big moment on the hard court was welcomed with a thundering roar from the pro-Ginebra crowd. Kudos likewise to Air 21’s die-hard corps of fans, The UBE Republic. For any series that goes the distance, one has to salute the devotees of both teams who fight, scream and grin through the maddening pressure of 7 pulsating games.

You take in the spectacular view, inhale the wondrous smell of championship basketball and listen to the floor-pounding jet-plane murmur of a Game 7 crowd waiting for the big game to start. That’s when the realization kicks in.

The PBA is hardwired to the Filipino DNA. This is not to say that ALL Filipinos are die-hard fans of PBA teams. But we can all agree that ALL Filipinos know of the PBA and its integration, whether direct or indirect, in the fabric of Pinoy culture. Since the league is so ingrained in Philippine sports and entertainment, the PBA is thus, a shared commodity. Ownership of the league is a community matter. Run by professionals, top-billed by stars, Owned by the people. Owned by the fans.

And so ABC Sports passes the PBA torch to its next broadcast partner, Solar Sports (which begins its duties with the PBA Rookie Draft) and wishes them all the best. ABC, now TV5, a new network opting to go in a different direction, has shaken hands with the PBA and, like true sportsmen, thanks it for 5 seasons of highlights, championships and a shared legacy. For at the end of the day, those of us tasked to cover the games, especially the games that define what the PBA means to most Filipinos, are but caretakers of a shared culture, a sporting heritage, a long-standing tradition. 

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 »

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 »