Here’s how it ends, not with bang, but with a whimper: Indonesia beat the Philippine national football team on 2-0 aggregate goals in the semifinals of the 2010 Asean Football Federation Suzuki Cup, ending the latter’s miracle run in the tournament. The Azkals displayed every bit of the grit and heart that has made them the darlings of our basketball-crazy country these past two weeks, but in the end Indonesia’s edge in talent, experience, and home field was too much to overcome for the Philippine side.

Continue reading "Midnight tolls for the Cinderella Azkals"

Filipinos are naturally short, which is why we should forget our unrequited love for the tall man’s game of basketball, and instead focus our resources of football, where we can be more competitive internationally. It’s a common refrain that has grown louder with the recent success of the Philippine national football team in the ongoing Asean Football Federation Suzuki Cup. Traditionally the doormats of the competition, the Azkals’ 2-0 victory over defending champion Vietnam has galvanized the Filipino sports fan base with dreams of more international football glory.

On its face, the argument for football over basketball seems sound. It’s easy to imagine the graceful Pinoy athlete gliding through the pitch to dominate the beautiful game. Watching tiny Pinoy hoopsters soaring above the rim over foreign 7-footers, however, is much harder to fathom.

The numbers, however, tell a different story.

Continue reading "Why we need to love football"

I wrote a post this afternoon for the PCIJ blog about the success of the Philippine national football team, and the issues surrounding the sport in the country. For me, it was a thrill to be able to write about sports on the job (without doing it sneakily, hehe). For people who are not yet familiar with the whole issue surrounding the Philippine football federation, its deposed and reinstated head Mari Martinez, and the lack of a suitable home field, it serves as a handy guide. And for those who are already familiar with those stories, I also write about the interplay of sports and politics in other countries in Southeast Asia.

Go read the whole thing.

This AV Club article by Noel Murray about why sports announcing is generally terrible hits so many nails right in the head that I’ve decided to devote a whole post to it. Well, if you’re a sports nut who cares about this stuff, I highly suggest heading over there to read the whole piece, as well as most of the comments, which have some real gems as well.

But here are a couple of points that I wanted to discuss from the article:

Continue reading "Why does most sports broadcasting suck?"

Hehe, who would have ever thought “Kris Aquino” and “Lou Gatumbato” would appear in the same headline? Only on Fire Quinito! Also, a reminder for everyone that the Philippines vs. Burma game tonight will be broadcast on ESPN at 8:30 PM.

Anyway, here are some interesting reads to get you through humpday:

Continue reading "Wednesday bullets starring the Azkals, Kris Aquino’s leading man, and Lou Gatumbato"

I traveled to Thailand a couple of times this year along with my colleagues from the day job to conduct training seminars for expatriate Burmese journalists working for Mizzima News. It was an eye-opening experience, to say the least, and even though the training schedule was packed, there was time to shoot the breeze a little with the Burmese journos. In fact, I was even able to ask them about how they felt about the last Rambo film, which was set in Burma and filmed in Thailand. Apparently, the pirated DVD of the movie was a huge hit among the Burmese, and the guys I talked to were even proud to share that they knew fellow Burmese exiles who scored gigs as extras in the Stallone film.

Continue reading "Philippines versus Burma"

Writers often come up with all these “Cinderella goes to the Big Dance” analogies in any major sports tournament where a big underdog scores a few upsets against the heavy favorites. The dance that is the ongoing Asean Football Federation Suzuki Cup has officially found its Cinderella: the Philippine national football team, nicknamed the Azkals.

The team had an auspicious enough opening result after drawing 1-1 against Singapore, which was the equivalent of making goo-goo eyes at Prince Charming. And last night’s 2-0 upset against defending Suzuki Cup champion Vietnam? That was Cinderella giving the Prince a handjob in the men’s bathroom – it was thrilling, it was audacious, and it was a different kind of happy ending.

Continue reading "Go Azkals! Philippine national football team upsets Vietnam, 2-0, in the Suzuki Cup"