Just Another Game

Or so the DOJ says.

“Accordingly, having been born on February 9, 1985, of a Filipino mother makes Gabriel Daniel Norwood, a Filipino citizen under Sec. 1(2) of Article 3 of the 1973 Constitution which declares as citizens of the Philippines those whose fathers or mothers are citizens of the Philippines at the time of their birth,” he said.

Full article can be found here.

My opinion? After making him play in an Olympic qualifying tournament as a Pinoy a few months back, this was the only way to go. After settling on Devance by default in a very lean 2007 PBA draft, Norwood may very well be the franchise player Welcoat is looking for.

For the PBA’s sake (and their own) though, I hope the Welcoat management makes an extra effort to surround him with all the support he needs. I’d sure hate to see that 4-position versatility go to waste.

A fitting way to end their stint on ABC5.

With a few days left before Air21 feels how it is to step on the court for the PBA Finals, Ginebra fans everywhere can only cringe. The team’s last few games against the Express haven’t really turned out the way they would want them to.

Ginebra may well be facing the only team that can keep up with the fast, furious, fearless, and whoever F they want to throw out there. Though it’s obvious who I want to win, I’ve also learned to appreciate a good series when I see one.

My only wish? For Alex Crisano and Homer Se to do their respective WWE impressions. Kidding aside, I just want to see some high scoring basketball games. The whole defense wins championships thing is overrated.

On a more serious note, does anyone know where I can get tickets?

Who said all the big name stars would only be available in 2010? One look at the current crop of players available, and you know adding any of them will be more than enough to bump up the numbers on your win column.

Restricted or unrestricted, we have Elton Brand, Baron Davis, Josh Smith, Emeka Okafor, Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Andris Biedrins, Monta Ellis, Corey Maggette, and Ron Artest out there. While they’re not considered max contract stars, they’re not there just to hand out Gatorades either.

And then there’s Gilbert Arenas.

“Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas has informed Wizards team president Ernie Grunfeld he will agree to a six-year deal worth $111 million, in his words, giving back roughly $16 million of the max, $127 million deal the team offered him Tuesday morning. “This is in line with what I’ve been saying the whole time,” Arenas said Thursday evening in a telephone conversation from China. “You see players take max deals and they financially bind their teams. I don’t wanna be one of those players and three years down the road your team is strapped and can’t do anything about it.”

Link to full story here

Although I’m reserved to the fact that I won’t be seeing that much money in this lifetime, I think Agent Zero is giving himself too much credit here. He “gave back” $16M spread over 6 years? Based on the 06-07 salaries of NBA players, you won’t even be able to sign an aging Brian Scalabrine with that amount. Pffft.

Even if the guy is a bonafide superstar, no one coming from a career threatening injury should be given a contract of that magnitude. If he had played an injury free 07-08 season, his intentions would have been much more believable.

*Comments for this post have been turned off. Please post all comments on the Buzzer Beater Section of FHM.com.ph.

I think I speak for everyone when I say that Chino Trinidad is a douchebag. Though I appreciate what he’s done for the PBL, his strength definitely doesn’t lie in his ability to cover a basketball game (or any sport for that matter). Truth be told, every word that comes out of his mic almost always devoid of any technical insight that can spur even the minutest of Ahhhhhh moments.

“Ramdam na ramdam ni <insert name here> sa suntok ni<insert name here> ang lakas ng buong sambayanang Pilipino”

“Yan ang lakas ng isang <insert name here>”

Quinito: I think the Celtic bench is turning out to be underrated, and the Laker bench is turning out to be overrated.

Chino: Bakit hindi nalang yung buong Lakers team?

Bakit hindi nalang yung buong Lakers team?

What kind of commentator says stuff like that on air? Though I understand the need to relate to the masses, is this really the best we can come up with? You can find a thread about all that crap here.

Don’t get me wrong, the Celtics deserve to win games 1 and 2 fair and square, but to the words above I say — STFU Chino Trinidad. I don’t know if you saw the first Garfield movie, but if my memory serves me correctly, Odie was made to wear an electric collar (which was activated on cue every time he refused to perform a trick). If there was such a thing for people, and if Chino was made to wear it, I’d definitely pull the trigger every time he starts greeting anyone on air. That would really make a lot of people feel better. Lolness.

Game 3 is starting in an hour or so, and I’m glad I don’t have to settle for someone who keeps a book of nonsensical terms in his back pocket.

Okay, okay, the Lakers dropped game 1, but that’s not what this post is about. It’s about Paul Pierce’s lame excuse for an injury the ear to ear smile on David Stern’s face right now. After one of the most boring and low-rating NBA finals the past three years, basketball fans around the world are being rewarded with a rehash of probably the most storied rivalry in professional basketball.

This brings to mind how dependent even our own local leagues are on the performance (or absence) of their most marketable teams.

According to an official from ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp., the television network that doubles as the UAAP’s marketing arm, approximately half of the league’s top advertisers have pulled out this season. The percentage as to how much La Salle’s absence has to do with it is even greater.

“Admittedly, there are less advertisers because the landscape is different,” Jojo Garcia, ABS-CBN’s customer development head for sports, told the Inquirer. “Some clients cited the absence of La Salle, but it’s also more than that.”

July 2006

It just makes you think — will the UAAP be as successful as it is without an Ateneo-Lasalle rivalry? My answer to this question is a flat out no. There’s nothing even remotely close to the excitement a Jvee Casio and Chris Tiu shootout can provide this coming year.

When it comes to the PBA (And I know I’m going to get more flak for even posting this), you don’t need to be commissioner to know that gate receipts and ratings are highly dependent on how far Ginebra goes. Whenever the league’s most popular team makes it to the finals, I’ve gone as far as sneaking in as dancer’s companion just to get into the Araneta.

Don’t believe me? You don’t even Nielsen to tell you that all of the above is true. Just go and find your friendly neighborhood scalper. His word is definitely more believable than “The Truth”‘s drama queen act.

*Don’t get me wrong, Boston won game 1 fair and square. I want KG and Allen to get rings. Wag lang sana ngayon

Kobe Bryant – The Tale of an Epic Era from Marlo I.B. on Vimeo.
According to this report, Kobe Bryant will be officially declared as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for the 2007-08 season.

“MVP nowadays is not an individual award,” he said last month. “You really have to make your teammates better and elevate your ballclub. For me to be nominated in that race is a tremendous honor because that’s really been one of the criticisms that people have had of me, is how well do I make my teammates better. From that standpoint, I feel like I’ve already won.”

It’s hard to fathom that at the beginning of the season, the guy was lobbying for a trade. Look at where he is now. Congratulations KB24! All the way to the finals baby!

It’s only the first round of the NBA Playoffs, and players are talking more than they are playing. Psychological warfare? It all doesn’t make sense to me. If adding fuel to their respective opponents’ fire (like Mamba above) is what pumps all of these players up, then good for them. Just a few comments in tagalog regarding these quotes. Mas malutong kasi.

“The way he was going, we could have put 10 people on the court and probably not been able to stop him.” – Allen Iverson from Yahoo Sports, referring to Kobe Bryant’s 49 point outburst.

Kahit matanda na si Iverson, marunong pa din rumespeto sa ibang players. Isa sha sa mga players na hindi pa nananalo na dapat manalo ng “We are the championship” ala Jun Limpot.

“Better learn not to talk to me. You shake the tree, a leopard’s gonna fall out.” – Kobe Bryant from ESPN, on JR Smith’s “jabbering” during the former’s 49 point explosion.

Langya, ang kapal ng muka mo ulul. Ingay pala ah, o loko, 3-point play ka ngayon. Asa.

Continue reading →

Thanks to Marc for sending this link. This is probably the funniest Laker vid I’ve ever seen. Props to the vocals specifically. A for effort on everything. Kuhang kuha eh.

Apparently, you won’t find it on ESPN.

According to J.A. Adande (who is he?) of ESPN.com, the MVP race is going to come down to Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, and Kevin Garnett. Chris Paul? There is no mention of his name in the article. After what the guy has done this season (not that it matters, but he’s he #1 player in Fantasy Basketball now), you gotta at least throw his name in there somewhere.

I’m a self-confessed Kobe Bryant fan, but believe me, the CP3 faithful  didn’t come up with CP3MVP.com for nothing. What team can afford to lose 21 pts, 11 asts, and almost 3 steals a game? All the praise is well deserved. Check out his dunk on Supah’ Man on the last play.