SMART GILAS FINISHES 4TH

While the entire country was hoping for a championship for Smart-Gilas Pilipinas, the 4th place finish was a respectable one. At the 22nd FIBA-Asia Champions Cup 2011 held here at Philsports Multi-Purpose Arena, Pasig City, the RP team placed 4th after bowing two consecutive matches, a close semifinals against Mahram-Iran  and the battled for 3rd place against Al Rayyan of Qatar. While many pundits were so mad and keeps on saying that the team failed miserably, I have a different take on that.


In the country's 15 years of participation in the games, it is the second best showing behind the championship crown won way back 1996. That alone was a good effort already. And while I do think they missed their chances against the Iran squad in the semifinals losing by a close margin, I do believe the Smart-Gilas team is on the right track. It has shown that it can compete again on the highest levels in Asia. Let's just hope that the good things continue for our team moreso in the upcoming FIBA-Asia Championships in China this September.

NBA 2011: HEAT VS. MAVERICKS

The 2011 NBA Finals is one of the most anticipated game events this month. And though the teams I love are out, (I love Lakers, Spurs and Bulls) the two teams that are in this year's finals are no pushovers for the title.

Dallas Mavericks are the West champions and I think everyone will agree that the Mavs are one of the more consistent teams for the past few years in NBA. I thought they will go out early specially with the Lakers on their path to the playoffs. But man they did play well as a team as they trashed LA in 4 games. One big person has actually made its presence felt with the Mavs and that is Dirk Nowitzki. But as good as he may be, the Mavericks would certainly won't win with just him doing the job. The rest of his team mates should be doing their share as well to challenge the strong line-up of the Heat.

Miami Heat was one of the stronger teams on paper when this season started and while I was rooting for Bulls to win the Eastern championship, the Heat winning it was still a good one. All eyes are now focused on Lebron James, touted by many as the best player without a Championship ring. Will he be able to take a crown this time around? The good thing is that Heat line-up is a strong and deep one with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.

My money's on the Heat winning this year's championship. In 6 games!

MY 2011 ROLAND GARROS BETS - WOMEN

The women's side might be more open than you think as anyone who has the will and determination to win can actually take this year's crown. It's a wide race for the FO 2011.

First Quarter: Julia Goerges

Currently ranked No. 17 in the world, Julia Goerges has been one player going under the radar. But I fancy her chances to do well into the seond week at Roland Garros. Even with workd No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki and 2010 FO Runnerup Sam Stosur in her bracket, I choose her over the two. She has been more consistent with a 14-3 clay record coming into Roland Garros and a finals victory over Wozniacki at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix followed by a semifinals showing at Madrid losing to Victoria Azarenka.

Second Quarter: Jelena Jankovic

Even with a mediocre 8-4 record on clay this 2011, I'd still pick former top ranked Jelena Jankovic to make it to the semis. This has been her perennial hunting ground as she usually makes a good run into the second week in Paris. She seems to up it a bit during French Open and has the tools and determination to advance past the earlier rounds. She'll face stern challenge against 2010 champ Francesca Schiavone in the 4th round and could possibly meet Vera Zvonareva in the quarters that is if the Russian don't falter early.

Third Quarter: Petra Kvitova

Victoria Azarenka is hot in clay but her health is still in question moreso after she retired hurt with her match against Maria Sharapova in Italy. That being said, this quarter belongs to Petra Kvitova. The Czech is 7-0 in clay after capturing the Madrid Open beating the likes of Li Na who is her likely 4th round opponent, Vera Zvonareva and Azarenka who is lurking in the quarters. The current world No. 9 should handle them with ease.

Fourth Quarter: Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova has been in the upward swing with her comeback from injury. The former No.1 and 3 time Grand Slam champion is looking for her first French Open for her to complete the Slams. Her victory in Rome establishes her as a force in Paris. I see an easy passage for her up to the quarters where she can either meet Andrea Petkovic or No.2 Kim Clijsters.

MY 2011 ROLAND GARROS BETS - MEN

Carefully looking into the draw and their respective brackets, I have made my choices for the 4 players most likely to be in the semifinals in the 2011 French Open

First Quarter: Rafael Nadal

Defending champion Nadal is aiming for his 6th FO title and 10th Grand Slam overall. Coming off 2 clay titles in 4 finals (the two being defeats to Novak Djokovic), he still has the imposing game to actually have him take the crown once more. Despite the two losses to Djokovic, I still favor his chances as this time around the games are best of 5, not best of 3. Posing possible hurdles to Nadal would be Fernando Verdasco who he might face in the round of 16 and Robin Soderling, the only person ever to defeat Nadal in French Open in the quarters.

Second Quarter: Nicolas Almagro

I'm going wild on my prediction for the second quarter. Spaniard Almagro is one of the players that could do well in the claycourts of Paris when he is at 100%. His recent form maybe in question but this bracket is a loosely contested one. The only problems I see for Almagro is a possible 4th round with Jurgen Melzer and a quarterfinals bout with Andy Murray provided the Scot hurdles some of the names in his bracket like Clement, Troicki or Dolgopolov.

Third Quarter: David Ferrer

Though I like Roger Federer's chances in this bracket, I can't help but go to the enigmatic Spaniard David Ferrer. Currently ranked 7th in the world and is on 12-4 record on clay, his two notable loses were from King Rafa himself. But if Federer can master his way out of the first round hurdle that is Feliciano Lopez, expect the two to slug it in the quarters.

Fourth Quarter: Novak Djokovic

The hottest man on tour is in the fourth quarter and definitely I would root for him to advance to the semifinals. Having won 7 titles already for 2011, Nole is on a high with his 37-0 win streak coming into the FO. I'm not seeing much that coudl derail his campaign except for the possible blockbuster 3rd round with Juan Martin Del Potro. Whoever wins that might take the crown and my bet's on Nole.

DJOKOVIC LEAPS TO NUMBER 2

Serbian tennis superstar Novak Djokovic is making lots of noise in 2011. Still undefeated in 18 outings, he capped a wonderful week at Indian Wells with  victories over then No. 2 Roger Federer and current top ranked Rafael Nadal.

The victory was extra special as he has now dislodged Federer into the No. 2 spot behind ailing Nadal. If his current form is to be the basis, I think he's gonna challenge Fed and Nadal for the Slams this year. He has added the Australian Open 2011 titls to his collection and by the way it looks he is bound to get more.

Well, I like Novak ever since. He's my 3rd most liked tennis player behind Nadal and Roddick. Vamos, Novak!

NADAL JOINS EMPORIO ARMANI MODELS

Tennis superstar and current number 1 Rafael Nadal of Spain is really making waves in and out the tennis courts. He is making it big in the modeling world as well. Following the footsteps of compatriot Fernando Verdasco who donned Calvin Klein undies, Nadal is also making a big splash.

Nadal is now one of the newest models for Emporio Armani's underwear and denim line. See for yourself and I know you'll spell hot.

NO NADAL OR FEDERER IN AUSTRALIAN OPEN FINAL

It has been a while since a Grand Slam final does not have the name of Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal on it. But in 2011 Australian Open, it surely was the case. An injury to Rafa has caused his dream of a "Rafa Slam" shut as he bowed in straight sets to cuntrymen David Ferrer in the quarterfinals. It was not long enough that rival and world number 2 Roger Federer followed suit. He was unceremoniously dispatched in staright sets as well by Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. Nole will be facing the winner of the other semifinal with pits Ferrer and British hope Andy Murray.

Who will win this AO 2011? My bet is on Djokovic.

2010 IN REVIEW: TOP 10 FEMALE ATHLETES

I might seem biased but most of the ladies on y list came from tennis, a sport I love to watch and also have tried playing. 2010 truly belong to them as the rest of the ladies from other sports did not really make much of an impact. Here's my top 10.

1. Serena Williams
- I don't mind the Serena haters. What I know is that when she palys and when she's healthy, she can beat the rest of the pack. Winning the AO and Wimbledon in 2010, she could not keep much of her ranking points as she failed to play in the US Open. But still for me she is tennis' top female.

2. Maria Sharapova
- Gorgeous. I simply love MaSha. Never mind her shrieks on the court, she still plays nice tennis. Slowly climbing back the rankings after injuries, she also graced several magazines and newspapers with her endorsements and her relationship with NBA star Sasha Vujacic.

3. Elena Dementieva
- You will be sorely missed. My personal opinion is that she is the best player never have to won a Slam. After an uninspiring campaign in 2010, she called it quits and the tennis world surely misses one of the best sportswomen in the game.

4. Michelle Wie
- The first non-tennis star in the list is ace golfer Michelle Wie. Long touted as one of the brighter prospects of golf, she somehow failed to live by the expectations. But in 2010, she has once again shown her great form and won one title in Canada silencing her critics for now.

5. Danica Patrick
- The world of racing is an often masculine heavy sport but with Danica Patrick in NASCAR, it has somehow added a different dimension. Not as competitive as the other drivers are, she still never fails to spring surprises in some occassions.

6. Aliya Mustafina
- Russian gymnast Mustafina has really made a big impact in 2010. Winning golds at the World Championship (Team and All-Around), she has stamped her class after suffering an injury early on in 2010.

7. Kim Yu-Na
- Immense pressure for the Korean as she entered the Olympics. Anything less than gold is considered a failure for her. After all, she is the 2009 World Champion , the 2009 Four Continents champion and 2006 World Junior champ to name a few of her achievements. And she delivered winning and adding an Olympic Gold to her already crowded shelf of trophies.

8. Ana Ivanovic
- Serbia's Ivanovic groped for form in the most part of 2010 but she managed to end the year on a high note, winning matches and tournaments along the way. But aside from that, she's on the list because I simply like her. For me, she's the prettiest face there is.

9. Lindsey Vonn
- Champion Alpine Skiier won the downhill gold in 2010 Olympics.

10. Caroline Wozniacki
- She is full of smiles and I don't mind if she is being criticized for reaching the number 1 ranking without winning any Slam. She's great and she's still young. I know she would win some one of these days. Kim Clijsters was like that as well sometime in her career, right?

Credits: Yahoo Images, Facebook

2010 IN REVIEW: TOP 10 MALE ATHLETES

2010 sports was on a new high as men really showed the world that they can play. The guys separated themselves from the boys as on every sport area, a big name or two stood out among the rest in and out of the sport. Here is my top 10 for the past year.

1. Manny Pacquiao
- Aside from the fact that he is a Filipino, he has shown the whole world that he is currently the best there is in boxing winning his last matches convincingly against Joshua Clottey and Antonio Margarito. He has shown that he is a good draw in PPV as well. And who could forget his victory in the recent elections in May of 2010. And the awards and accolades just keeps going and going.

2. Rafael Nadal
- Rafa started 2010 in odd fashion retiring in his semifinal match against Andy Murray in the Australian Open. But after that he turned up one notch above the others as he swept the last 3 remaining Grand Slams beginning with his most loved French Open, then Wimbledon and his first US Open. With the victory he completes a career slam already and comes in AO 2011 with a possibility to hold all slams at one time.

3. Lebron James
- James' move from Cleveland to Miami has been a vey hot item in 2010. Some have criticized him for the action but I don't mind. I still love Lebron and I hope that with his new team, he gets a chance or a crack at an NBA Championship.

4. Cristiano Ronaldo
- Ronaldo is everything football and the world asks for. He has talent, looks, charisma and is gorgeously hot. Topping David Beckham for me as the hottest footballer there is, this A/X endorser also busies himself with several endorsements and modelling chores.

5. Kobe Bryant
- With Kobe helping the Lakers again in capturing the NBA crown, he has sure cemented himself as one of the greats that ever has played in the league. When Jordan left NBA, it was Kobe that I learned to admire and despite negative stuff written about him, he's still one of my all-time faves.

6. Tom Daley
- Diving's brainchild and UK's best bet at diving competitions is filled with talent and is oozing with charisma. This youngster has proven his prowess in 2010 Commonwealth Games and is sure touted to be one of the names to beat in the 2012 London Olympics.

7. Sebastian Vettel
- Formula 1 has been one of my liked sports and after Schumi's dominance in the past years the sport has been looking for a charismatic champion. And I was so happy that Sebastian Vettel did take home the championship trophy in 2010. Go for more glory in 2011.

8. Lin Dan
- China has all the reasons to rejoice as their best shuttler Lin Dan has finally grabbed the only major title that has eluded him for the past few years. Line Dan was all smiles when he took home the top prize in the Asian Games 2010.

9. Tiger Woods
- Once the top player in golf, he has struggled in 2010 with his play and his personal life. I know some might argue that he should not be part of the list but for me he came to play golf and not be a role model or something. Hope he swings back in 2011.

10. Evan Lysacek
- American figure skater Evan has again wowed audiences as after grabbing the World Championships in 2009, he followed that up with the Olympic Gold in Italy. Man, does he move so gracefully in ice.

Photo Credits: Yahoo Images, Facebook

AZKALS INTO THE SEMIS

Another thing to rejoice for the Filipinos. Our football team currently participating in the Suzuki Cup in Vietnam has barged into the semifinals of the prestigious event. This is a welcome development for the Azkals as this is a big accomplishment to them.

Chris Greatwich

The past few days have been headlines as they trounce traditional powerhouse and defending champion Vietnam 2-0 causing a very big buzz in the Southeast Asian region. This came after the opening 1-1 draw of the Filipinos against 3-time champion Singapore. After they had a goal-less draw against Myanmar, it is now time to celebrate as the Philippines has finally made steady grounds in football.  Two more famous names in the team include Phil Younghusband and Chris Greatwich.

It will face powerhouse Indonesia in the semifinals. Here's hoping we can still spell the same magic we have weaved in the first 3 matches. Defense has been the key of Philippines victories and despite criticisms from others about the inability of the team on the offensive side, I think that they just can't accept the fact that the Azkals really did a good job. Go Azkals!

Photo Credits: affsuzukicup.com, yahoo

DONAIRE KOS SIDORENKO

Another Filipino boxer is steadily climbing up the ranks and making us all proud. And he is doing so with a bang.

Much like Manny Pacquiao, Nonito Donaire is surely making big steps to his boxing career as he stomped his authority against ertswhile unbeaten Wladimir Sidorenko at 1:48 of the fourth round of a scheduled 12-round bantamweight fight Saturday at the Honda Center. Well, I always thought from before that Donaire has got goods to really make it big in boxing.

With the victory, Donaire improves his record to 25-1 with 17 KOs while dropping Sidorenko to 22-2-2. This is an outstanding accomplisment for the young Filipino as before this fight the Ukranian has not been knocked out ever. in this match alone, Sidorenko fell on the canvass 3 times, the last time being in the fourth round. Aside from that feat, with this win, he gets to challenge Fernando Montiel's 118-pound titles on February.

To Donaire, Congratulations!!!

Photo Credits: Top Rank/Chris Farina

RP TEAM AT ASIAN GAMES 2010: FAR OFF

The Philippines ended their latest Asian campaign on a low. As China steamrolled past the competitions, Philippines limped to its worst finish in the quadrennial event landing at 19th overall and finds itself as the 5th only among the Southeast Asians.

The RP contingent ends the Asiad with 3 golds, 4 silvers and 9 bronzes. This is even worse than the 2 previous Asiads. In 2002 at South Korea, the RP team finished with 3-7-16 and in Doha (2006) grabbed 4-6-9. And Philippines seems to lose interest in the Asian Games together with the dwindling level of talent in our pool of athletes. For the first time, no local coverage of the games. I know that we might be facing the Goliaths in the event but it is still good to at least see how our Filipino athletes try to outdo themselves but apparently no one is interested in airing the games anymore.

Aside from lack of local coverage, there were lots of misses in the entire games. The 3 golds came from Bowling, Boxing and Billiards - three of the traditional sports we excel but the entire campaign of the whole team was bland. For bowling, the only additional medal was that of a bronze while for billiards, notables like Efren Reyes and Rubilen Amit failed to even land in the podium. For boxing, it was somewhat a good showing with 1 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze. Taekwondo fizzled with only bronzes to show. Our tennis stars failed to nab any medals so as with our basketball team, Smart-Gilas which ended in 6th place. Centerpiece events like athletics and swimming failed to really make a mark morseo with our tankers who failed to even advance past the qualifiers.

There were some bright spots but they were few and oftentimes random. We need to get back to our grass roots program and show the rest of the Asian community that we can fight with the best once more. I know it will not come easy but for sure, it can be achieved.

Photo Credits: http://www.gz2010.cn/en

ALBANIA, SALUDAR FIGHTS FOR GOLD

Annie Albania and Rey Saludar have both moved into the gold medal match in boxing of their respective categories. This came on a day where good news for the Philippine contingent were scarce. Rey's younger brother Victorio bowed in the semis giving the country another bronze and the Smart Gilas team was bundled out by a strong South Korean team in the quarterfinals of Men's Basketball.

Albania scored a thrilling 16-1 trashing of Japanese Ava Shinmoto and moves into title bout with local bet Ren Cancan. Rey Saludar on the other hand will face a Chinese, Chang Yong as well after he demolished Japanese Katsuaki Susa 13-4. It will be a tough match for both our bets as fans would be rooting for Chinese victories.

Photo Credits: Philstar.com

SMART GILAS BARGES INTO QUARTERS

My heart was pounding when 2 days back Qatar defeated Japan in the Asian Games. That is bad new for the Philippines as it required the Smart Gilas squad to have a win against dangerous Chinese Taipei which they have share of losses in the past years.

But yes, a victory it was for the RP Team. They defeated the Taiwanese 82-73 to move into the knock out quarterfinal stages against South Korea. They finished the eliminations with a 3-2 record and avoided the dreaded Chinese team in the quarters. Their 3 wins were against India, Qatar and Chinese-Taipei. They lost against Iran and narrowly defeated by Japan. Hope they can squeak a victory against South Korea although I know it would be a daunting task. Go Smart Gilas!

Photo Credits: Will Arlas

LIN DAN FINALLY GETS ASIAD GOLD

China's top badminton star, Lin Dan has finally taken an Asian Games gold as he defeated current World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia at the Badminton Men's Singles finals at the Asian Games being held in China.

It is a remarkable achievement for the Chinese superstar as this is the only title he is missing. He has already won the Olympics and has been 3 times world champion as well. Lin Dan has been previously ranked number one in the sport and his new victory is something Chinese fans are really rejoicing. Though it seems love overdue, for Lin to actually grab the Asiad gold is a wonderful chapter in his illustrious career.

1-2 FINISH FOR CUE ARTISTS, RP STILL AT 11TH

The RP Team has something to rejoice anew. Dennis Orcollo and Warren Kiamco led a gold-silver finish at the 9-Ball Singles competition at the Asian Games 2010 in China. The RP Team duplicated its effort from 4 years ago at Doha where it also finished 1 and 2. But medals still elude Philippines as aside from the 2 billiards medals, only 2 more bronzes were added to medal tally thanks to Wushu.

The Philippines now stand at 2 golds, 1 silver and 4 bronze medals good for 11th currently. RP Team have chances of grabbing more as its boxers and taekwondo jins are doing good jobs in their bouts. Taekwondo alone has assured RP delegation additional 2 bornze medals.

Photo Credits: Bob Dungo Jr.

RIVERA STRIKES FIRST RP GOLD IN ASIAN GAMES

Engelberto "Biboy" Rivera of the Philippines finally broke the gold medal drought of the country at the 2010 Asian Games currently being held in Guangzhou, China. Rivera romped his way to the individual gold in Men's Bowling Squad A with a score of 1414 pins ahead of Mohammed A M A Alrgeebah of Kuwait who bowled 1404 pins and Filipino compatriot Frederick Ong with 1390. It is the first good news for the Philippine contingent who has suffered numerous setbacks early on the quadrennial event.

Notable misses are from tennis and billiards which all bowed out of medal contention. Majority of our swimmers also failed to advance beyond preliminaries and therefore out of medal contention. As of today, Philippines stand at 1 gold and 3 bronzes good for 11th place. The other bronze medals came from dance sports.

Picture Credits: Yahoo archives

PACQUIAO: A CLASS ACT

I have long liked Manny Pacquiao but after watching him win his 8th title today, I have not just admired the athlete but also had a higher respect for the man. Watching it in Pay-per-View at the Cuneta Astrodome, thanks to Nuffnang, the experience was surreal and the energy was really to the highest level. It was intense and you could feel the emotions are running high from every person.

The match went the distance but it could have been stopped at a much earlier round. It was actually one of the more lopsided victories I’ve seen from Pacquiao. From the get go, “Pacman” was just relentless and took the assault to Margarito. He was truly on a league of his own. The hand speed of Manny was just amazing as the height and reach advantage of Margarito was not evident by any means.

But aside from his immense talent and the level of athleticism he has shown, one thing was evident. He is a complete gentleman, a great sport and a very kind person. On the 11th round when he was doing a barrage of punches to Margarito and when it seemed his opponent was all out of sorts, he could have easily beaten the hell out of Antonio. But he paused and actually looked at the referee as if he is asking him why not stop the fight. That showed that he has due respect to his opponent and while he want to amaze his fans by doing a knockout, he knows he has already sealed the deal. He obviously knows the sport by heart, and he knows that a single bad punch on a badly bruised opponent could change his foe’s life. He showed his human side because he knows boxing is not just a sport but a life.

On the 12th when they were about to start the round, he showed more of his sportsmanship by going towards Margarito as if he’s asking if he’s okay. And it is evident that he backed it down a little as he knows his opponent is already hurting and does not want to deal more damage physically and even mentally. With this show of emotions, I now admire Manny by much. For me he is not a legend in the making but already a legend – a living one. For sure, he has etched his mark in the history books and for me he is already the greatest. Congratulations Manny!

Photo Credits: Yahoo

PACQUIAO DOMINATES MARGARITO

Manny Pacquiao has made history again as he demolished Antonio Margarito in a unanimous decision to add an 8th world title at the Cowboys Stadium to his already huge accomplishments of victories. This is his biggest weight division so far but has showed that indeed David can trounce Goliath. The judges saw the fight 120-109, 118-110, 119-109 all in favor of Pacquiao. Fans of Manny all around the world rejoiced more so the Filipinos as Pacquiao was victorious anew.

The other undercards saw a mixture of results as the judges’ decisions were not what people expected it most specially the fight between Mike Jones and Jesus Soto-Karass which saw the judges give the fight to Jones in a rather lopsided way. Also the unofficial undercard featuring Juan Martin Elorde of Philippines and Angel Rodriquez did stir some controversy as Rodriguez scored an upset causing Elorde his first defeat. Guillermo Rigondeaux scored a victory as well but did not win any fans as he usually run away from Ricardo Cordoba on their The other matches were good as Brandon Rios blasted past Omri Lowther in 5 rounds.

HISTORY BECKONS: PACQUIAO FIGHTS MARGARITO

Yes, I am so excited and nervous at the same time. Once more, Manny Pacquiao will be fighting for pride and glory. 8 is the magical number as he shoots for an unprecedented 8th boxing title. That would be a feat indeed. For Filipino fans, the world would stop once more as he tries to outpummel one tricky opponent in Antonio Margarito. There is indeed a slight height advantage to the Mexican but I know Pacquiao has all the stuff to stop Margarito and seize history once more.

I'll be watching the fight at Cuneta Astrodome. (Ringside B - B19) Thanks Nuffnang for the free tickets. Hope to see some nuffies there. Let's hope Manny wins anew and bring our country into another frenzy.