The site got some nice words over the weekend from Rafe Bartholomew, a former Fulbright scholar who spent several years in the Philippines to study and write about Philippine basketball. He gained a measure of fame in the local scene after writing a couple of stories for the New York Times, first about the Ateneo-La Salle rivalry, and then about Gilbert Arenas' crazy Manila visit last year.


But his best (published) work so far involved the Philippine Basketball Association, particularly its transplants. He had an entertaining article in Slate about the height limit that the league imposes for imports, a short profile on Sta. Lucia superstar Kelly Williams' roots in the Detroit Free Press, and a pair of absolute must-reads on two PBA imports: Red Bull's Quemont Greer in the Chicago Reader, which took an inside look at the life of a budding mercenary basketball player, and Rosell Ellis in the Seattle Weekly, which examined the dynamics between the import and the local team. The Ellis piece was particularly awesome because Alaska gave him crazy access for the story. These are some of the best writing ever done about Philippine sports, ever.

He hasn't been writing much lately, save for this profile about the insane world of Krypto-Nate, NBA Slam Dunk Champion Nate Robinson. He's probably wrapping up work on his book, which should be a must-read for any Pinoy sports fan.

About the only bad thing you can say about the guy is that he's a much, much, much worse actor than Manny Pacquiao and Alvin Patrimonio. Check out this clip of him acting opposite Sunshine Dizon from GMA-7's Bakekang: