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?"

Thumbs down to the UP Fighting Maroons, who lured their fans into getting their hopes up with an improved team featuring rookie Fil-Am Mike Silungan, whom Coach Aboy Castro described as a cross between James Yap and Dondon Hontiveros. True to form, they got plastered by La Salle. They should just go ahead and change their name to the UP Sucking Maroons.

Read my report on the UAAP Season 73 opening weekend over at 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:

Continue reading "Fire Quinito's UAAP postmortem on FHM"

The Far Eastern University Cheering Squad is this year’s surprise winner of the UAAP Cheerdance Competition. FEU is the host school for the UAAP this year.

The Ateneo de Manila Blue Babble Battalion bagged second place with a Michael Jackson-inspired set. Ateneo hottie Sari Campos won a special award for being, well, a hottie.

The UP Pep Squad, the two-time defending champion, was relegated to third place.

Continue reading "UAAP Cheerdance: FEU wins, Ateneo takes second, UP drops to third"

It’s a lazy Thursday, with the long weekend looming, so here are a bunch of links to tide you through the afternoon:

Continue reading "Lazy Thursday reads"

I root for the UP Fighting Maroons in the UAAP, but my UAAP fandom actually predates my allegiance to Maroons basketball. I started watching UAAP basketball in the early ‘90s, and I began rooting for La Salle, starring Jun Limpot, Johnedel Cardel, and Tonyboy Espinosa, against the FEU Tamaraws led by Victor Pablo and Johnny Abarrientos. (I was young and stupid, I know, but Limpot was awesome back then, and this was before he turned into the Pinoy basketball antichrist; also, Espinosa was right up there with Johnny A. before all his injuries.)

A few years later, I was on the other side of the fence, whooping it up with Henry Ong’s three-pointers that made Jason Webb cry, Bal David’s clutch free throws before Elmer Lago missed those layups, and Edwin Bacani’s ballsy outside bombs.

Continue reading "The UAAP opening weekend, starring Kirk Long as Brüno and Mark Barroca on high-def"