GMA News is reporting that the Air 21 Express is on the verge of trading Nonoy Baclao, Rabeh Al-Hussaini, and Rey Guevarra, the top three picks in the 2011 PBA draft, to San Miguel in exchange for the Beermen’s 2011 first round draft pick, Joseph Yeo, and the corpses of Danny Seigle and Mick Pennisi in yet another lopsided deal. Baclao led the PBA in shotblocks in the recently-concluded Philippine Cup, while Al-Hussaini led the Express in scoring and rebounding in the tournament.

Continue reading "Air 21 to send Baclao, Al-Hussaini, Guevarra to San Miguel, continues to ruin the PBA"

In a way, the Philippine Cup finals showdown between San Miguel and Talk N Text is a hater’s nightmare; for fans like me who relish watching highly-touted teams fall flat on their faces, a series featuring the league’s most loaded teams isn’t exactly the first choice. These two teams have been the most brazen in poaching top stars from less heralded teams. Consider that just in the past three seasons, these teams have made transactions to acquire Ranidel de Ocampo, Arwind Santos, Denok Miranda, Joseph Yeo, Alex Cabagnot, Kelly Williams, and Ryan Reyes in what were obviously lopsided deals with the Air 21 and Sta. Lucia franchises.

In this series, there’s no underdog that a casual PBA fan who’s not among the San Miguel or Talk N Text faithful could get behind.

That said, it’s hard to imagine the level of play being less than excellent in the series, considering the talent levels of both squads. A hardcore basketball fan could then take solace in the fact that at least the games are going to be good.

Continue reading "San Miguel versus Talk N Text: A PBA Philippine Cup finals fearless forecast"

Over the existence of this blog, I’ve had the opportunity to have candid conversations with a lot of people who are insiders when it comes to PBA basketball. In these conversations, one thing about coaching keeps cropping up: the X’s and O’s matter a lot less than fans would want to believe.

Of course, there have been coaches whose attention to game planning and preparation have given their team solid edges, such as Ron Jacobs and Tim Cone. Still, at the end of the day, the biggest impact that a PBA coach has on his team is measured by how willing his players are to bust their asses for him.

Continue reading "San Miguel beats Ginebra in 6, sets up Philippine Cup showdown vs Talk N Text"

Veteran coach Yeng Guiao has left the Air 21 Express to join the Rain or Shine Elastopainters. The news was confirmed to GMANews.TV by current Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia, who will slide down to become Guiao’s deputy on the bench.

Continue reading "Yeng Guiao ends tumultuous run with Air 21, takes his talents to Rain or Shine"

The bloggers called it. Last weekend, The Boxing Bulletin gathered boxing’s top bloggers for a roundtable discussion about the fight between Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito, and none of them were particularly optimistic about Margarito’s chances.

Continue reading "Manny Pacquiao dominates Antonio Margarito"

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?"

Gabe Freeman and Arwind Santos will be teaming up for San Miguel this year

Listed below are ten statements about the PBA Fiesta Conference, which kicks off this Sunday, March 21. In the comments, leave a post on whether you think each statement is true or false, and a short explanation why this is so.

Continue reading "True or False: The 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference Preview"

Here’s the thing: before I was a fan of anything else, I was a fan of Purefoods as a kid, and I still am, despite the ridiculous (and frankly, kinda gay) nicknames like Tender Juicy Hotdogs, Corned Beef Cowboys, Carne Norte Beefies, Chunkee Giants, and Tender Juicy Giants. I’ve remained a loyal fan through the years, Ryan “The Genius” Gregorio notwithstanding.

It should come as no surprise then that I’m absolutely, ridiculously stoked about Purefoods’ upcoming semifinals series versus San Miguel. Not only is the team making its first semifinals appearance in two years (a drought courtesy of Ryan’s genius), but it’s going up against an old school traditional rival. Sure, battling Sta. Lucia and Red Bull was fun, but playing San Miguel evokes pleasant childhood memories of Alvin Patrimonio camping out on the low block and making Yves Dignadice his bitch.

Continue reading "The James Yap fanboy video tribute"

After a crazy quarterfinal round, the stage is set for the PBA Philippine Cup final four. The cast features 3 teams that belong to the San Miguel Corporation, which again reinforces perceptions by the league’s critics that the PBA is an SMC league. Some even say that the PBA is set up so that SMC teams would always end up on the winning end of most tournaments.

The grand conspiracy argument doesn’t hold much water. If it were true, there’s no way Sta. Lucia would have won the 2008 Philippine Cup over Purefoods in a close seven-game series wherein James Yap was suspended for one game for the same flagrant 2 penalty called on Ranidel de Ocampo last Friday. Imagine David Stern suspending Kobe Bryant on an iffy call in an NBA finals series against a team like the Milwaukee Bucks.

Continue reading "The SMC League"