Polo Bustamante and Carlo Pamintuan are back this week alongside Chuck Araneta in time for the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals. But first, they recap Air 21’s upset of Alaska and the heroics of Mark “The Spark” Caguioa in Ginebra’s win over Rain Or Shine. For this week’s old school versus new school, the guys pit two of the greatest point guards in Ateneo Blue Eagles history: Olsen Racela vs. LA Tenorio.

Continue reading "From the Stands: Air 21’s upset, Mark the Spark’s return, Olsen Racela vs. LA Tenorio"

Ok, crowning him king may just be a tad bit premature – after all, it was only one preseason game – but we haven’t seen a legit college freshman this exciting since… LA Tenorio? James Yap? And those guys are two of the best, if not the two best, homegrown players in the PBA right now.

Continue reading "All hail King Kiefer!"

I let out a chuckle when I read the blurb for Chito Salud’s appearance on the GMANews.TV sports show FTW, which said that the new commissioner’s mantra is “constant innovation.” It was funny because so far, the only real innovation under his tenure has been the changes in the opening ceremony. In fact, most of the ideas the new regime has trotted out, so far, has been recycled.

The “time-tested” three-conference format? It’s obviously a return to tradition, and Sonny Barrios actually proposed the very same thing in 2008.

Continue reading "Constant innovation or recycled ideas? A very early look at the PBA under Chito Salud"

I got a text message late last night from a basketball insider asking if I wanted to get a couple of drinks, and on a whim, I said yes. He was meeting a friend, he said, one of his idols. It turned out that we were going to be drinking with one of the best point guards in Philippine basketball history, a two-time NCAA Most Valuable Player, a former PBA rookie of the year, and the record-holder for most assists in a single game, dropping 28 dimes.

Continue reading "Thursday bullets starring Kiefer Ravena, Johnny Abarrientos, and the PBA’s greatest forgotten point guard"

A popular chorus among lazy sportswriters is that the PBA is a dying league, a gem that has lost its luster. They rattle off the reasons: the PBA’s gate attendance is on the downturn,¹ the TV ratings are down,² and fan interest is dwindling.³

Continue reading "Is the UAAP a dying league?"

AFTER ITS semifinals series against Derby Ace, I thought San Miguel would have a very hard time in the finals going up against either Alaska or Talk N Text, who at the time were still to figure in a deciding seventh game in their own semifinals matchup. It had a lot to do with how San Miguel, the much fresher and deeper team, had so much trouble putting away a tired and overmatched Llamados squad whose import, Tony Washam, couldn’t even get a shot off Arwind Santos. That it took a superhuman effort for Gabe Freeman – who dominated Derby Ace’s injured big guys Rafi Reavis and Marc Pingris – for San Miguel to finally advance didn’t really inspire much confidence in me as a basketball observer.

Continue reading "Bel13ve! Alaska, the thinking fan’s team, wins championship #13 with heart"

Most everything that comes out in Rafe’s blog is a must-read (except for the clips of him singing, only his screaming fangirls would enjoy those), but his latest piece, I feel, is particularly important. In it, he calls out PBA analyst “Dr. J” Andy Jao for making a racist comment about Topex Robinson and Jason Castro in an Alaska-Talk N Text playoff game last week.

Continue reading "Rafe Bartholomew calls out Andy Jao’s racist comment"

It was beer and pizza night for me and my buddies this weekend, watching World Cup quarterfinal matches with a Jean-Claude Van Damme movie thrown in for good measure. I was a bit bummed out by Argentina’s loss, because I was endlessly fascinated by Diego Maradona at the sidelines acting all crazy. He actually reminded me of Jawo out there. I kept waiting for him to put his overweight son Dudut Maradona into the game, to the absolute horror of the Argentine fans. Never happened though.

Continue reading "Monday bullets, starring Rio Locsin, Cesca Litton, Dynamite Danny Seigle, Topex Robinson’s return, and even more James-Kris"

I mentioned earlier that I had been planning to write about the Smart Gilas victory in the recently-concluded pocket tournament over Jordan. However, like everything else, including her brother’s inauguration, it had to take a backseat to an issue concerning Kris Aquino. I apologize for that.

Anyway, here are the things we learned from the invitational, apart from the fact that Mac Cardona punches like a chick:

Continue reading "Putting the Smart Gilas victory over Jordan in context"

Patricia Hizon broke news of the blockbuster trade on Twitter this morning: Alaska sent two-time PBA Most Valuable Player Willie Miller to Ginebra in exchange for the electric Cyrus Baguio.

Alaska coach Tim Cone told the Manila Bulletin that Miller had wanted out of the team for the last two years, but the Aces didn’t bite until this offer came along.

Continue reading "Skyrus arrives to resurrect the Alaska Air Force, as Willie Thriller joins the Barangay Ginebra Security Agency"