An SMB fan speaks
Editor's Note: This guest post comes for Tiger Gimenez, a self-confessed San Miguel fanatic. I figured we needed a voice from the San Miguel side of things to balance things here at the blog. I had no idea he would go Tony Atayde on San Miguel management. Enjoy!
I am a San Miguel fan who wrote to Fire Quinito after the Alaska trade article, hoping to see a follow-up focusing on San Miguel. I was surprised when Jaemark asked if maybe I could do it instead since, according to him, I was “in a better position to give color to San Miguel’s trades over the years.” I think he also wanted it to come from someone who’s an SMB fan and not from someone who’s a huge Purefoods supporter like him, especially now with the hotly contested semi-final battle between both teams currently ongoing (I think it goes 7 games). Now even though I'm a HUGE SMB fanatic (ever since Ramon Fernandez came over), I’ve always been a very critical one – my family laughs at me because I shout advice and invectives at the SMB players and coaches on TV whenever they play – and I wanted to do a breakdown and analysis of all their recent bonehead moves.
One thing I notice is that Alaska always seems to be giving SMB the short-end of the stick in these trades and transactions. It’s like a never-ending litany of idiocy for San Miguel management.
First off they trade Nic Belasco for Brandon Cablay, and what happens? Cablay gets injured! Honestly, I don’t remember Brandon ever playing a full season, much less play any extended minutes in any SMB game. And this was the guy they hoped would replace Olsen in the line-up? As for Nic he became a vital cog and a very productive player for Alaska.
Then there's the god-awful LA Tenorio trade which just takes the cake for me. This is the best way to build a super team, trade away a young point guard on the cusp of greatness for an older one who's not as good and has a long history of injuries!
So what happens the first year of that trade? Tenorio blossoms and was a big reason why Alaska made the finals of the All-Filipino that year. As for Mike Cortez? He blows out his knee during the eliminations! Granted, they do win the Reinforced Conference that year, but that’s probably due more to the addition of Gabe Freeman than anything else. I tell you every time I see Tenorio hitting a crucial shot or dishing out an incredible assist while wearing an Alaska uniform, it just breaks my heart.
And now to top it all off, they leave Sam Eman unprotected, and sure as rain is wet Alaska snaps him up! WHAT IDIOTS! Alaska management totally owns the SMB brain trust. I have a feeling whenever Joaqui Trillo needs to upgrade his roster the first thing he thinks to himself is, “I wonder who on SMB we can use and how can we pry him away from them.” I've got to say, even though I hate Alaska's guts, their management team has earned my undying respect and admiration. Joaqui Trillo is the Filipino Jerry West! (Jerry West when he got Shaq and Kobe, not Jerry West during his Memphis Grizzlies years)
Seriously, who the hell makes the personnel decisions for SMB? It’s like watching a three-year old playing in rush-hour traffic. They did luck out with Arwind Santos, but that can be attributed more to Burger King’s ineptitude rather than the competence of SMB management. I guess it also helps that Alaska has had only one coach in 21 years, while SMB has gone through 5. I mean it’s probably easier to get people who’ll fit your system if your system didn’t keep changing every two or three years.
Also, what’s with this UAAP collegiate trip that SMB seems to be on? A couple of years ago they tried out an all-Ateneo core (Villanueva, Tenorio, Fonacier and Gonzalez), this time around it’s an FEU thing (Santos, Jonas Villanueva and Denok Miranda, who I HATE, but more on that later on). I mean just because they won a championship together in college is no guarantee that they’ll be able to do the same in the pros! Who thinks up of these schemes?
Finally, do you realize that all the super rookies that people were gushing about that SMB drafted in the past three years are now playing and even excelling in other teams? Tenorio and Eman with Alaska, and Gabby Espinas with Sta Lucia. I have a sinking feeling that now that Eman's in Alaska he's gonna start putting up double-doubles on a regular basis. Arrggghh! So even though the team that SMB has right now is really, really deep, imagine how much scarier they'd be if Tenorio , Belasco, Espinas and Eman were still there.
Just to say, even though I have a lot of complaints with how this team is built not to mention how it’s coached (Coach Siot maybe you should try taking advantage of your team’s size, I mean you have 8 guys who are all above 6’ 3”, just saying maybe you should look into that). I still root my heart out for them, I still watch them every time they play, I still shout and scream every time they win. I guess in the end I’ll still always be a true-blue SMB fanatic.
FINAL NOTE: I just have to say that I hate, I HATE Denok Miranda!! He's constantly driving to the hole but he can't freaking finish! Either he gets blocked or he misses the shot! Then on the rare occasions that he gets fouled he can't for the life of him sink his freethrows! Jeez! An added downside to this is that when he gets blocked or misses it usually leads to an opposing fast break since our safety guard (Denok) is usually on his back on the other end of the court! Denok, here's a suggestion: STOP going to the rack!
Seems I remember this also happening in one of their championship games against La Salle, instead of giving the ball to Arwind, Denok decides, the hell with it I'm going to the rim! Of course, he misses the shot, they lose the game and the championship. Sheesh, the thought that SMB could’ve had an LA Tenorio-Jonas Villanueva guard combo for the foreseeable future just makes me wanna cry!
I am a San Miguel fan who wrote to Fire Quinito after the Alaska trade article, hoping to see a follow-up focusing on San Miguel. I was surprised when Jaemark asked if maybe I could do it instead since, according to him, I was “in a better position to give color to San Miguel’s trades over the years.” I think he also wanted it to come from someone who’s an SMB fan and not from someone who’s a huge Purefoods supporter like him, especially now with the hotly contested semi-final battle between both teams currently ongoing (I think it goes 7 games). Now even though I'm a HUGE SMB fanatic (ever since Ramon Fernandez came over), I’ve always been a very critical one – my family laughs at me because I shout advice and invectives at the SMB players and coaches on TV whenever they play – and I wanted to do a breakdown and analysis of all their recent bonehead moves.
One thing I notice is that Alaska always seems to be giving SMB the short-end of the stick in these trades and transactions. It’s like a never-ending litany of idiocy for San Miguel management.
First off they trade Nic Belasco for Brandon Cablay, and what happens? Cablay gets injured! Honestly, I don’t remember Brandon ever playing a full season, much less play any extended minutes in any SMB game. And this was the guy they hoped would replace Olsen in the line-up? As for Nic he became a vital cog and a very productive player for Alaska.
Then there's the god-awful LA Tenorio trade which just takes the cake for me. This is the best way to build a super team, trade away a young point guard on the cusp of greatness for an older one who's not as good and has a long history of injuries!
So what happens the first year of that trade? Tenorio blossoms and was a big reason why Alaska made the finals of the All-Filipino that year. As for Mike Cortez? He blows out his knee during the eliminations! Granted, they do win the Reinforced Conference that year, but that’s probably due more to the addition of Gabe Freeman than anything else. I tell you every time I see Tenorio hitting a crucial shot or dishing out an incredible assist while wearing an Alaska uniform, it just breaks my heart.
And now to top it all off, they leave Sam Eman unprotected, and sure as rain is wet Alaska snaps him up! WHAT IDIOTS! Alaska management totally owns the SMB brain trust. I have a feeling whenever Joaqui Trillo needs to upgrade his roster the first thing he thinks to himself is, “I wonder who on SMB we can use and how can we pry him away from them.” I've got to say, even though I hate Alaska's guts, their management team has earned my undying respect and admiration. Joaqui Trillo is the Filipino Jerry West! (Jerry West when he got Shaq and Kobe, not Jerry West during his Memphis Grizzlies years)
Seriously, who the hell makes the personnel decisions for SMB? It’s like watching a three-year old playing in rush-hour traffic. They did luck out with Arwind Santos, but that can be attributed more to Burger King’s ineptitude rather than the competence of SMB management. I guess it also helps that Alaska has had only one coach in 21 years, while SMB has gone through 5. I mean it’s probably easier to get people who’ll fit your system if your system didn’t keep changing every two or three years.
Also, what’s with this UAAP collegiate trip that SMB seems to be on? A couple of years ago they tried out an all-Ateneo core (Villanueva, Tenorio, Fonacier and Gonzalez), this time around it’s an FEU thing (Santos, Jonas Villanueva and Denok Miranda, who I HATE, but more on that later on). I mean just because they won a championship together in college is no guarantee that they’ll be able to do the same in the pros! Who thinks up of these schemes?
Finally, do you realize that all the super rookies that people were gushing about that SMB drafted in the past three years are now playing and even excelling in other teams? Tenorio and Eman with Alaska, and Gabby Espinas with Sta Lucia. I have a sinking feeling that now that Eman's in Alaska he's gonna start putting up double-doubles on a regular basis. Arrggghh! So even though the team that SMB has right now is really, really deep, imagine how much scarier they'd be if Tenorio , Belasco, Espinas and Eman were still there.
Just to say, even though I have a lot of complaints with how this team is built not to mention how it’s coached (Coach Siot maybe you should try taking advantage of your team’s size, I mean you have 8 guys who are all above 6’ 3”, just saying maybe you should look into that). I still root my heart out for them, I still watch them every time they play, I still shout and scream every time they win. I guess in the end I’ll still always be a true-blue SMB fanatic.
FINAL NOTE: I just have to say that I hate, I HATE Denok Miranda!! He's constantly driving to the hole but he can't freaking finish! Either he gets blocked or he misses the shot! Then on the rare occasions that he gets fouled he can't for the life of him sink his freethrows! Jeez! An added downside to this is that when he gets blocked or misses it usually leads to an opposing fast break since our safety guard (Denok) is usually on his back on the other end of the court! Denok, here's a suggestion: STOP going to the rack!
Seems I remember this also happening in one of their championship games against La Salle, instead of giving the ball to Arwind, Denok decides, the hell with it I'm going to the rim! Of course, he misses the shot, they lose the game and the championship. Sheesh, the thought that SMB could’ve had an LA Tenorio-Jonas Villanueva guard combo for the foreseeable future just makes me wanna cry!
Posted by tiger
on February 21, 2010 at
16:12
| Comments (23)
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Tags: Alaska Aces, Arwind Santos, Ateneo Blue Eagles, Basketball, Philippine Basketball Association, Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants, San Miguel Beermen
Tags: Alaska Aces, Arwind Santos, Ateneo Blue Eagles, Basketball, Philippine Basketball Association, Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants, San Miguel Beermen
Weekender Links
Just some stuff to cap the sports week. Happy weekend everyone!
- Whenever I went out drinking with a boss from my old office and talk turns to UAAP basketball, he would always bring up how dominant Ateneo’s Danny Francisco was even against UP’s Benjie Paras, even though we were both Maroons fans. One of the biggest questions in Philippine basketball history, in my mind, was always how Francisco’s career would have turned out if he didn’t have the career-ending heart condition. Would he have been consistently dominant, like Alvin Patrimonio? Would he have been maddeningly up-and-down, like Benjie Paras? Would he have been the poster boy for wasted potential, like Jun Limpot? Or would he have been a bust like Alex Araneta? It’s a shame that we’ll never know.
In his latest story for Inbound Pass, Charlie Cuna writes about another player who remains legendary for his college exploits: Eddie Viaplana, the De La Salle hotshot who shared the backcourt with “The Bullet” Dindo Pumaren. Viaplana blew out his knee before getting to the PBA. We’ll never know how good he could have been: was he going to be another Caidic? Or maybe he was an Apet Jao or a Joey Guanio. Or somewhere in between, like a Naning Valenciano. - My buddy Toff Rada argues that basketball is an essential skill for the incoming Philippine president now that the White House is occupied by an avid baller, and details the basketball credentials of presidential candidates Noynoy Aquino, Erap Estrada, Dick Gordon, and Gibo Teodoro. If you could assign basketball teams to each, Aquino would definitely be Purefoods (James Yap, after all, is his brother-in law), Teodoro, the so-called political son of Dandinng Cojuangco, would share his uncle’s favorite San Miguel, Erap would probably be have to take Ginebra because Johnny Walker Blue Label isn’t available, and Dick Gordon is a true-blue Eagle. By the way, is anyone else surprised that all these years, Manny Villar didn’t try to bankroll the UP Fighting Maroons just for the exposure he’ll get? I mean, it didn’t take him long to become the top patron of billiards in the country, and he’s gotten to be close to Pacquiao too. I wonder why he didn’t bother ‘investing’ in basketball.
- Carlos Acevedo of the boxing blog The Cruelest Sport eavesdropped on the hilarious negotiations for the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather superfight. Seriously though, Bob Arum is reportedly in town to discuss the final details of the fight with the Pac-Man.
- An American boxing promoter in Cebu was arrested this week for bringing an underage girl into a hotel room. Which reminds me of one of Manila Vanilla’s posts from when he first arrived in the country: “Whenever you pass a middle-aged white man in Manila, you're faced with that all-too-common conundrum: Was he a missionary or a sex tourist?”
- Speaking of boxing, did you guys catch the sensational knockout by Danny Green over Roy Jones?
Posted by jaemark
on December 4, 2009 at
17:52
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Tags: Ateneo Blue Eagles, Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings, Basketball, Boxing, De La Salle Green Archers, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants, Rafe Bartholomew, San Miguel Beermen
Tags: Ateneo Blue Eagles, Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings, Basketball, Boxing, De La Salle Green Archers, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants, Rafe Bartholomew, San Miguel Beermen
The CJ Giles saga brings up even more questions for Smart Gilas
Apart from troubled pasts, infamous stints in the Philippines, and local columnists drawing knives after they left, there’s one more thing that Lee Benson and CJ Giles had in common: they signed more lucrative deals immediately after leaving the Philippines.
Right after his tumultuous stint with Sta. Lucia, Benson burned the hoops in China and Puerto Rico, without much incident. Meanwhile, Giles flew off to Lebanon to sign with club team Al-Riyadi, the richest team in the Lebanese league, to replace NBA veteran Mamadou N’Diaye.
The thing is, because the reports by Quinito Henson and Rick Olivares only reported one side of the story, we never know how true these reports were. Could it be possible then that these imports acted up because they were trying to get out of their contracts in the Philippines for better deals abroad? Could the bitter articles that followed be just mechanisms for our local clubs to save face?
I suspect the truth is somewhere in the middle. Unfortunately, we’ll never know these things because of the way Philippine sports are covered.
For example, very little useful reporting has been done about how the current import search for a great replacement for Giles has been hard, because now the pool is limited to players who couldn’t get a deal in China, where players are paid up to $40,000 a month, or even more.
Instead, we get fluff pieces about the credentials of prospect Jamal Sampson, who’s in town trying to sign a deal with Gilas. No one reports, however, that Sampson was a cautionary tale for players leaving college to turn professional early – he left the University of California after his freshman year – and how that lack of seasoning has had disastrous effects on Sampson’s development; he’s already 26, and as Sham Sports noted: “Sampson is still a pretty awful offensive player, who spent last year in China, where he averaged 10.7 points and 10.7 rebounds for Liaoning. And if he can't score there, he won't score anywhere.”
But for whatever reason, no one is asking why Gilas has not brought (or cannot bring) in anyone else other than Sampson. Considering how critical an import is to the success of the team, you’d think they would tread more carefully, perhaps bring in more than, you know, one guy.
And now, apparently, Gilas is having trouble closing a deal with Sampson. There’s a curious trend that no one’s talking about, with Gilas having problems getting or holding on to players. Consider:
I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with what Gilas is doing to recruit players; team captain Chris Tiu detailed, in his usual articulate manner, the merits of the program and why it was the right decision for him.
But I’m curious to know is why all these other players refused. At the very least, there are interesting stories here beyond the usual lackey pieces. Or are we not supposed to talk about anything that’s not part of, as Imelda Marcos would put it, the true, the good, and the beautiful?
(Even more on the topic tomorrow.)
Right after his tumultuous stint with Sta. Lucia, Benson burned the hoops in China and Puerto Rico, without much incident. Meanwhile, Giles flew off to Lebanon to sign with club team Al-Riyadi, the richest team in the Lebanese league, to replace NBA veteran Mamadou N’Diaye.
The thing is, because the reports by Quinito Henson and Rick Olivares only reported one side of the story, we never know how true these reports were. Could it be possible then that these imports acted up because they were trying to get out of their contracts in the Philippines for better deals abroad? Could the bitter articles that followed be just mechanisms for our local clubs to save face?
I suspect the truth is somewhere in the middle. Unfortunately, we’ll never know these things because of the way Philippine sports are covered.
For example, very little useful reporting has been done about how the current import search for a great replacement for Giles has been hard, because now the pool is limited to players who couldn’t get a deal in China, where players are paid up to $40,000 a month, or even more.
Instead, we get fluff pieces about the credentials of prospect Jamal Sampson, who’s in town trying to sign a deal with Gilas. No one reports, however, that Sampson was a cautionary tale for players leaving college to turn professional early – he left the University of California after his freshman year – and how that lack of seasoning has had disastrous effects on Sampson’s development; he’s already 26, and as Sham Sports noted: “Sampson is still a pretty awful offensive player, who spent last year in China, where he averaged 10.7 points and 10.7 rebounds for Liaoning. And if he can't score there, he won't score anywhere.”
But for whatever reason, no one is asking why Gilas has not brought (or cannot bring) in anyone else other than Sampson. Considering how critical an import is to the success of the team, you’d think they would tread more carefully, perhaps bring in more than, you know, one guy.
And now, apparently, Gilas is having trouble closing a deal with Sampson. There’s a curious trend that no one’s talking about, with Gilas having problems getting or holding on to players. Consider:
- Japeth Aguilar originally chose to join the PBA draft over signing up with Gilas. Of course, he reversed course, and we all spent months getting worked up over that stupid discussion.
- Top college prospects Rico Maierhofer and Ogie Menor also chose to go pro. It’s crazy, when you think about it: Maierhofer is now being “developed” by Ryan “The Genius” Gregorio instead of Rajko Toroman, while Menor is doing his Tubid 2.0 with Barako freaking Bull, which is just a step up from a Liga Pilipinas team. Both of them could have helped Gilas tremendously.
- 6-11 center Greg Slaughter trained with Gilas in the offseason, but refused to rejoin the team after leading the University of the Visayas to a Cesafi championship, saying he wanted to focus on his studies. Of course, focusing on his studies did not preclude him from playing for UV in the Philippine Collegiate Champions League.
- Rabeh Al-Husseini did not join Gilas in the team’s offseason training abroad, also saying that he wanted to focus on his studies. Of course, this did not preclude him from joining Ateneo’s offseason training in Las Vegas. After leading the Blue Eagles to a championship, Al-Husseini finally joined Smart Gilas.
- Despite love letters from Noli Eala, sensational University of the East guard Paul Lee and promising University of Cebu June Mar Fajardo have refused to join the team.
- When Gilas ran a recruitment camp in Las Vegas last summer, top Fil-Am prospects such as Stanley Pringle did not show up. Which might have been for the best, actually. Pringle is now playing for the Passe-Partout Leuven Bears in Belgium.
I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with what Gilas is doing to recruit players; team captain Chris Tiu detailed, in his usual articulate manner, the merits of the program and why it was the right decision for him.
But I’m curious to know is why all these other players refused. At the very least, there are interesting stories here beyond the usual lackey pieces. Or are we not supposed to talk about anything that’s not part of, as Imelda Marcos would put it, the true, the good, and the beautiful?
(Even more on the topic tomorrow.)
Posted by jaemark
on December 2, 2009 at
16:13
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Tags: Ateneo Blue Eagles, Barako Bull Energy Boosters, Basketball, Chris Tiu, CJ Giles, Jamal Sampson, Philippine sports media, Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants, Quinito Henson, Rafe Bartholomew, Ryan "The Genius" Gregorio, Smart-Gilas RP National Basketball Team
Tags: Ateneo Blue Eagles, Barako Bull Energy Boosters, Basketball, Chris Tiu, CJ Giles, Jamal Sampson, Philippine sports media, Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants, Quinito Henson, Rafe Bartholomew, Ryan "The Genius" Gregorio, Smart-Gilas RP National Basketball Team
Fire Quinito's UAAP postmortem on FHM
I wrote a feature about UAAP for FHM, and it includes a wrap-up of season 72 and a sneak preview of season 73. Also, corny jokes:
Read the whole thing at FHM.
UE Red Warriors
Looking back: UE had a fun run through Season 72, led by the spectacular Paul Lee and the solid frontcourt of Elmer Espiritu, Pari Llagas, and Val Acuña. The Warriors gave Ateneo a good scare in the Finals with a huge game 2 victory, but faded away in game 3.
Looking forward: Espiritu, Llagas, and Acuña will be leaving the team, which means that UE’s front line will be paper-thin, unless coach Lawrence Chongson is able to recruit quality big men. Chongson, meanwhile, has enough guards in his rotation to start a security agency.
Analysis: While both Chongson and fellow Tsinoy coach Alfrancis Chua rock the long hair, the UE mentor should consider asking Chua for hair care advice. Chua has nice, moisturized locks while Chongson’s hair is dry.
Read the whole thing at FHM.
Posted by jaemark
on October 17, 2009 at
21:23
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Tags: Adamson Falcons, Andy Mark Barroca, Ateneo Blue Eagles, De La Salle Green Archers, FEU Tamaraws, NU Bulldogs, UAAP, UE Red Warriors, UP Fighting Maroons, UST Growling Tigers
Tags: Adamson Falcons, Andy Mark Barroca, Ateneo Blue Eagles, De La Salle Green Archers, FEU Tamaraws, NU Bulldogs, UAAP, UE Red Warriors, UP Fighting Maroons, UST Growling Tigers
Ateneo hammers UE, wins back-to-back UAAP championships
What else is there to say? Ateneo has been an awesome team all season long. They’re the deepest team with the most talented players, and an excellent coach in Norman Black who used all his assets to build an overwhelming basketball machine, like an expert poker player with the big pile cleaning out the other people in the table.
UE was a good, plucky challenger, but the third game saw the Warriors running out of pluck after encountering the Blue Eagles at their best. Sports writers and announcers harp on the cliché that the team that wants it more would win the championship, but that rarely ever happens. I don’t think Ateneo had any more heart than UE did, or does; they just had better basketball players.
And they knew it too, and that’s ok. I was mildly amused by all the Ateneo antics during the game, from Jai Reyes cocking his arm like a shotgun after made three-pointers and Rabeh Al-Husseini popping his jersey after big plays. The Blue Eagles carried themselves like villains from Karate Kid.
I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. Maybe it’s high time that Ateneo embraces their Cobra Kai identity, the same way that the De La Salle Green Archers did in the early part of this decade. In real life, the Daniel-Sans of the world can wax in and wax out all they want, but they still get plastered by the bigger, better team.
The only downside is that everyone else will call them names. It’s happened with the New York Yankees, the Duke Blue Devils, the Dallas Cowboys, and Manchester United.
Bullies.
Villains.
Bad guys.
But you know what else they call them?
Champions.
UE was a good, plucky challenger, but the third game saw the Warriors running out of pluck after encountering the Blue Eagles at their best. Sports writers and announcers harp on the cliché that the team that wants it more would win the championship, but that rarely ever happens. I don’t think Ateneo had any more heart than UE did, or does; they just had better basketball players.
And they knew it too, and that’s ok. I was mildly amused by all the Ateneo antics during the game, from Jai Reyes cocking his arm like a shotgun after made three-pointers and Rabeh Al-Husseini popping his jersey after big plays. The Blue Eagles carried themselves like villains from Karate Kid.
I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. Maybe it’s high time that Ateneo embraces their Cobra Kai identity, the same way that the De La Salle Green Archers did in the early part of this decade. In real life, the Daniel-Sans of the world can wax in and wax out all they want, but they still get plastered by the bigger, better team.
The only downside is that everyone else will call them names. It’s happened with the New York Yankees, the Duke Blue Devils, the Dallas Cowboys, and Manchester United.
Bullies.
Villains.
Bad guys.
But you know what else they call them?
Champions.
Posted by jaemark
on October 8, 2009 at
18:22
| Comments (15)
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Tags: Ateneo Blue Eagles, UAAP, UE Red Warriors
Tags: Ateneo Blue Eagles, UAAP, UE Red Warriors
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