Bleacher Talk

Bleacher Talk Aug. 27, 2006 RP Basketball at FIBA's Hands It's on, then off again, and now on again. It's the never ending story about the country's official status in the eyes of the FIBA. And it's also turning out to be an odd situation. While the FIBA continues to recognize the authority of the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) to stand as the country's official national sports association (NSA), the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) has dissolved the BAP from its ranks and now considers Pilipinas Basketball as the legit NSA for basketball. The latest episode of this real-life drama that could easily become a hit reality-TV series (or should it be a sitcom?) is that both the BAP and Pilipinas Basketball have been given the opportunity to present their respective sides to the FIBA. Both will obviously present why they deserve to be the official NSA for basketball. On one side, the BAP is going to claim that they've been the country's lon...

Bleacher Talk Aug. 20, 2006 The “Worlds” It's not the tournament's official nickname, but it's not bad, is it? The basketball world is all set and excited about the 2006 FIBA World Basketball Championship that kicked off yesterday in Japan. And this nickname best describes what has been happening to the sport in the past decade. While the NBA will always be the top league in the world, the international scene is totally different where the world has caught up with the people who invented the sport. Through the history of basketball, the Worlds has never been as popular as the NBA Finals, the other “world championship” of basketball. But times have surely changed, and attention on the Worlds in Japan has reached record levels in the international basketball family. The trigger? Go back to the 2002 version of the tournament that was held in Indianapolis, Indiana, a place known as a hotbed of basketball. And it's right in the middle of the nation that invented the sport. A...

Bleacher Talk August 13, 2006 Phil. Badminton Campaigns Abroad This one is obviously for badminton fanatics. We get so little news about the activities of our country’s best badminton players in the sports pages, and it was the badminton buff in me that said if neither the big newspapers nor the local dailies are going to print anything about Philippine badminton, then Bleacher Talk will. We’ve always believed that if our country’s best shuttlers hope to make any noise in the badminton scene, they shouldn’t be wasting their time on local shores. They need to go abroad to get the much-needed training and exposure. And here’s good news! We have the latest on the activities of the Asuncion siblings Kennie and Kennevic, along with fellow Pinoys Karyn “Chibby” Velez, Paula Obañana and Eric Go. They all saw action recently at the 2006 Yonex OCBC U.S. Open this week in Orange County, California. Before anything else though, special mention though, should be made for 16-year old Chibby Velez o...

Bleacher Talk August 6, 2006 International Basketball: Asa na ta? With the NBA and the rest of the basketball world on its off-season, we may have thought no basketball action is taking place these days. Right? Wrong! It may not be as busy and hectic as the pro leagues, and is in fact going through a more laid-back phase these days. But it’s still basketball at its purest and is due to make its climax in two weeks time. The stage is set for international basketball. Every year, the period between July to September has been “reserved” by the international basketball family to get together for the holding of international basketball tournaments. And this year may be extra special since never before has so much attention been thrown at the international scene. We can credit this to one obvious reason. The USA is no longer the world’s best team, and fans worldwide are aching to see if the trend of the others beating Team USA will be maintained this year. Team USA was creamed at the last Wo...

Bleacher Talk July 30, 2006 The Ring & Alphabet Bodies One of the most confusing things that boxing fans have to deal with is the presence of so many different “types” of world champions. Isn’t a world champion supposed to be the only champion for his weight division? Why are there so many so-called world champions claiming to be just that: world champions, but of the same weight? And why the presence of so many boxing organizations claiming to be the rightful “owners” of the real world champion? I remember the times as a kid when I was told by my father that the organizations that mattered most were the World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Council (WBC). But today, you also hear of the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and the World Boxing Organization (WBO). On the side, there is the IBA, IBO, WBF, etc., etc., etc! Confused? So am I! Let’s take Manny Pacquiao’s case as an example. Did you know that the Pacman is not even a world champion of ...

Bleacher Talk July 23, 2006 Suico in Limbo The country’s boxing fans were stunned as they watched with horror how Randy Suico was thoroughly outclassed by WBA lightweight champion Juan Diaz in a ninth round TKO loss last week. While Suico put up a gallant stand in absorbing Diaz’s punches and never went down, he was really never in the fight and was turned into a mere punching bag. To those of us (and all those boxing fans) who have followed Randy’s career, it was a sorry sight that we never imagined would happen. Was that the Randy Suico at whom we marveled when he was baptized as a “Golden Boy” and “Komo’ng Bato”? Was that the Randy Suico who bulldozed through all his wins, albeit against a bunch of no-names? What happened on top of that Las Vegas ring on July 15? Like all other Suico fans, I couldn’t believe how Suico’s defense was so absent that Diaz could’ve landed punches even if he was blindfolded. And I’m not exaggerating! I was also surprised not to see the later...

Bleacher Talk July 16, 2006 UAAP, NCAA & CESAFI With the PBA set to wrap up its All Filipino championship series and the PBL on its annual break, what time is it? Whose turn is it to shine on the basketball court? Welcome back college basketball! It’s that time of the year again when basketball gives way to that segment of the family that gives us fans a refreshing break from all that we’ve seen in the pros. College basketball has always had a market of its own, at times outselling the PBA in terms of ticket sales and popularity. While the pro league is always considered as the big league in any basketball family, college basketball purists believe that college ball is right up there with the pros. And they do have a point. A brief look at the collegiate scene will reveal that the UAAP and NCAA are acknowledged as the top two leagues of the country with all other leagues following behind. I’d like to put Cebu’s CESAFI up there with the “Big Two” but I’ll have to be ve...

Bleacher Talk July 9, 2006 TV & the Logos War The advent of sports made for TV couldn’t be better amplified these past days (or months) with the avalanche of big sporting events that have hit the boob tube. Unlike the past, it has now gotten to a point where almost the whole year is now filled with big TV sports events that shouldn’t be missed by the avid TV sports fan in all of us. The NBA Finals had us glued to our TV’s for two weeks. For the rabid NBA fans, this meant over a month of playoff games plus the 82-game regular season for the really loyal NBA addicts. Tennis had two weeks each of the French Open and the Wimbledon which ends tonight. Golf had the Masters and soon the British Open. And how can we forget the World Cup, a whole month of football from Germany. Even if it’s aired live only through private pay-pre-view telecasts, football fans have found a way to stay up early morning to catch all the action. On the local TV front, Game 3 of the PBA All Filipino Conference F...

Bleacher Talk July 2, 2006 Who’ll be Celebrating? MP? ABS? Or Both? At around noon today, Team Pacquiao will be having a grand celebration most likely at a five-star hotel for Manny Pacquiao’s knock-out win over Oscar Larios. Pacquiao’s closest aides, friends, business partners and media men will surely be there to join local boxing’s biggest party of the year. For Pacquiao, it’s going to be a double celebration. Not only will he rejoice in winning over Larios. More importantly, he’ll be celebrating his successful project as a boxing promoter, being head and owner of MP Promotions, the boxing promotions outfit that he established this year. Whatever way you look at it, the boxer and/or promoter is laughing is way to the bank with bottom line figures that has all of us boxing fans in awe. The rich really do get richer, don’t they? With a cool $1 million as fight purse, another $4 million going to MP Promotions for the staging of the fight card, plus a still undetermined amount from shar...

Bleacher Talk June 25, 2006 When Bleacher Talk pegged the Miami Heat as a slight favorite to win the NBA championship, we had said that the main ingredient for the feat would be the experience of the team’s players on top of having the tandem of Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal. But I have to admit that there was one very crucial element that I missed. And this was the most obvious factor that gave Miami its first ever NBA title. The championship boiled down to who had the “bigger heart” to win it all. After being down 0-2 in the series, I guess it’s already academic that we don’t need a stethoscope to see how big Miami’s heart is. When two teams are fairly even in terms of manpower match-ups, statistics and win-loss records, the team with the bigger heart always comes out on top. It’s all about having the heart to win. Having a big heart makes one confident, full of hope and possess the kind of faith that is shock-proof, especially when their backs are against the wall. And how is thi...

Bleacher Talk June 18, 2006 Call it MI-4 starring a special agent named D.Wade and his team called the Heat. Mission impossible? Maybe. Doable? Sure. But will it happen? I have to admit that after Games 1 and 2 and until around the last 5:30 mark of Game 3, I felt that Dallas had a good chance of sweeping the Miami Heat (and ruin my fearless forecast of a Miami championship). The Mavs had methodically defeated the Heat on their homecourt, and were only five minutes away from a commanding 3-0 lead when the Heat finally warmed up and declared, “Enough is enough!” So badly beaten were the Heat in the two games in Dallas that they didn't look like a team that belonged to an NBA Finals. Fans had questioned if this was the same Miami team that took out the Detroit Pistons in six games as the Heat played like mere shadows of themselves. How bad was it? Shaquille O'Neal's performance in Game 2 may have been the worst playoff game of his career as everything went right for th...

Bleacher Talk June 11, 2006 Where and how does one start an analysis of the NBA Finals between Miami and Dallas? There are so many interesting highlights and side stories that the series has to offer, and these are hinged on the fact that the league and its fans are being treated to two first-timers in the finals who both deserve to win. This is why the series is going to be one of the best NBA Finals in the history of the league. Miami and Dallas in the finals? If you've been following the league since the 70's, you'd be surprised to hear that the Lakers, Celtics, Bulls, Pistons or Spurs are not in the finals. Some other team(s) is in their place and they both happen to be products of the NBA's expansion of the 80's. And why do both teams deserve to win the championship? A championship for a team outside of the traditional powerhouses will be most welcome for the league and its fans, and will prove that you can win a championship even if you haven't been around...

Bleacher Talk June 4, 2006 Bad Timing & Déjà vu Pacquiao confidant Rex “Wakee” Salud and lawyer Franklin “Jing” Gacal are being sued by Pacquiao’s American managers!!!??? Is this another gimmick or PR move cooked up by the promoters of Manny Pacquiao? Or is this for real? I wrote awhile back that there seems to be a well organized PR campaign for Pacquiao’s upcoming fight against Mexican Oscar Larios, and this included teasers and news on various issues that would add spice to local boxing’s biggest event of the year. But I’m afraid this one doesn’t look like being part of the grand script created by the PR team of July 2’s “Mano A Mano.” Team Pacquiao managers Shelly Finkel, Nicholas Khan and Keith Davidson have filed a suit against Salud and Gacal for “fraud and contract interference” as they negotiated with ABS-CBN for Pacquiao’s upcoming fight against Larios. It appears that Finkel and company weren’t pleased with the way Salud and Gacal did the nego work for Pacquiao’s MP Prom...

Bleacher Talk May 28, 2006 When the NBA Playoffs wrapped up its first round around two weeks ago, we had said that it sure looks like the fans were getting their money’s worth with what could be considered as the best first round in NBA history. Well don’t look now, but it looks like this has been topped off by an even better second round that has featured everything that the first round had to offer plus more! The biggest surprise had to be the near fall of Detroit to Cleveland, and the way the LA Clippers provided some scary moments for the Phoenix Suns. And just in case you were sleeping, the defending champ San Antonio Spurs were knocked out in seven games by the Dallas Mavericks. What more could you ask for? Three of the second round match-ups ended in seven games, and one of the teams knocked out was the defending champ! I have to admit that I’m a sucker for underdogs. While I like the team play and blue-collar style of play of the Pistons, I also wanted the underdogs in Clevelan...

Bleacher Talk May 21, 2006 Cebu will always be known as a top destination for tourism, both local and foreign. The perfect mix of a laid back lifestyle, the heritage of the Sto. Niño, the business-friendly atmosphere, the manageable traffic and a chance to hit the beach on short notice has drawn many to this "island in the Pacific." All these have made Cebua popular "must go to" place in the country. We have thousands of tourists coming over for their annual break to hit the beach and get a chance to know Cebu's heritage. Recent trends have seen the tourism industry go into language/educational and medical tourism. Koreans come over to stay in Cebufor a long time with the purpose of learning English, thus the sprouting of English schools and Korean stores. Others come over for their medical examinations since it's getting to be too expensive in their home countries. Amidst these latest trends, there's another huge potential for the tourism industry that...

Bleacher Talk May 14, 2006 The Philippine boxing scene is on a big high at the moment with the sudden surge of interest for Pinoy boxers to show their stuff in the international big money market in the United States. Manny Pacquiao has been the catalyst for this, and awareness for Philippine boxing is already at its highest level and it's surely a close #2 to basketball in terms of local following. One of the most important benefits from all this is that local boxers now have the opportunity to earn more than a decent paycheck. After all, boxing to them is a profession. It's a business. And they're not the only ones benefiting from this, from a business viewpoint. A lot of other people are cashing in on the trend and trying to make a quick buck on their own. The most visible sector of this boxing boom that is riding on this current phenomenon and seeking to also make it big (no, make that "bigger") is TV. The TV boxing business has always been there ever since th...

Bleacher Talk May 7, 2006 The first round of the NBA Playoffs isn't over yet, but it has turned out to be one of the best in a long time. It has filled the sports pages with more than a just dose of game results, highlighted by competitive and exciting games, controversy and breakthroughs. Over-all, it sure looks like the NBA's wish of making its consumers know the league as more than just a of bunch games is clicking. Traditionally, the first round is supposed to be the “easy” phase of the playoffs where the higher seeded teams go through the motion of disposing of the title pretenders. But this hasn't happened at all. The balance in competition among the teams in the playoffs has stood out that all series (except one) have turned out to be tough battles. Only the Dallas-Memphis 4-0 series followed the norm as all others were relatively close and competitive. The main reason why the first round isn't over is because the round's most exciting and closest clash isn...

Bleacher Talk April 30, 2006 Money In Sports Money and sports. Do you ever wonder what money can do in sports? Do you know how much is invested in sports just to win a medal? Every year, the various National Sports Associations (NSA's) always complain how they don't have the funds to train their athletes and finance their trips to international competitions abroad. It's an over-chewed chewing gum that never goes away. "We don't have funds. Give us money and our athletes will win it for the country," they always declare. But haven't you ever bothered to ask how the money given to our NSA's is spent? Audited? Maximized? I'm a tax-paying citizen. Don't I deserve a report on how the Pinoy's money is sports is spent? Well it looks like the cat is out of the bag. But my question is why only now. It has been reported that some 18 NSA's have yet to liquidate or account for a total of P88 million that was given to them by the Philippine Sports C...