Bleacher Talk

Bleacher Talk May 31 2009 Kobe-Lebron Show? NBA Commissioner David Stern is “halfway” glad that the NBA finals cast is 50% complete. Kobe Bryant, the other side of the anticipated leading actors of the NBA Finals “show,” is now resting after a tough six-game series against Denver. The bad news is that the other side of the coin isn’t developing according to the script, at least not just yet. Everyone is already expecting a Finals showdown between Kobe Bryant and Lebron James as if it were the only script available for the current season. I can guess that even if they’ll never say it openly, the NBA’s finance and marketing teams are also praying for an LA-Cleveland finale. I feel really sorry for the Orlando Magic and Dwight Howard. They find themselves in a tough situation of being the “unexpected” guest at a big party. It’s as if they were invited to the party, but with the hosts not really praying that they arrive. In fact, I had wanted to see a Denver-Orlando finals just to prove th

Bleacher Talk May 24, 2009 Milo BEST: A Summer Tradition For the past 31 years, a basketball clinic that started as backyard lessons for the Jorge family has now become an annual tradition for thousands of basketball enthusiasts around the Philippines. It’s called the Milo BEST basketball clinic. Organized by the Basketball Efficiency and Scientific Training (BEST) Center which was founded by Coach Nic Jorge, the clinic has virtually transformed itself from a hobby-type activity to a modern-day summer spectacle that’s a sure-hit for young basketball upstarts. But what makes it different from all the other clinics here in Cebu? What has made it the top clinic in the country in terms of reach and coverage? Is it something fancy? Modern? Anything new? Ironically, there’s nothing new or modern about the BEST clinics. In fact, the clinic has thrived on a basketball curriculum that’s anchored on the basics. It’s all about going back to the basics. Dave Uy of SHSJ (left) & Mikaihl Loren

Bleacher Talk May 10, 2009 5 World Champs With the recent demolition job that Manny Pacquiao did on Ricky Hatton, the Philippines is off to a hot start in the first half of the year. We are 4-1 in world championship fights, and we still have five world champions. This only proves that we’re no longer a one-man team, and that Pacquiao’s feats have opened the doors for the country’s top boxers to show their stuff. 1-0. Donnie Nietes started out the year defending his WBO minimumweight championship title over Erik Martinez in Mexico last February. Nietes is admittedly the least known among the country’s current world champions, primarily because he fights in the lightest weight division of 105 pounds which hardly gets any mileage on TV and the national sports pages. It’s not exactly the most glamorous weight division these days, but then again, a world title is still a world title It’s for this purpose that I mention him first today. Did you notice Solar Sports’ plug on our world champs?

Bleacher Talk The Freeman - Cebu May 3, 2009 Pacman over the Hitman Today’s sports pages (like this past week) will all be about the Pacquiao-Hatton fight, and for as long as we’re all here in the Philippines, all stories will be expectedly pro-Pacman. If you were a Pinoy boxing fan, it will sound like Hatton was a patsy being lined up to make the Pacman look good. And if you followed the trending of all these stories, there doesn’t seem to be any chance for Pacquiao to lose at all. While we also like Pacquiao’s chances of winning, neither can we take away the fact that Hatton also has a chance of breaking all our hearts. Before we get carried away with our blind loyalty towards Pacquiao, we also need to set our feet on the ground and be realistic. Hatton is a legitimate fighter who is tough, well-respected and admired by the other side of the globe just as much as Pacquiao is admired on our side. Thus the appropriate tag of East vs. West when they meet on top of the ring. With all sto