When (Dirty) Harry Met Silly

     When Harry Angping was appointed the new Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman a few months ago, everyone could see trouble brewing for Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Jose "Peping" Cojuangco Jr. miles away.  Unlike other PSC administrators, it was clear Angping, a former Manila congressman, would be completely his own man.  With his deep political and business contacts, he obviously did not lack allies and connections, but what made him even more "dangerous" to Peping was "Dirty Harry" had a concrete set of plans he intended to push.

     SInce A

ngping's entry into the PSC, Philippine Sports has become the backdrop of a most riveting soap opera.  In the months that followed, all of the PSC's moves were met with complaints of bias from the POC, while the PSC returned the favor by closing offices and refusing to release funds.  Recently, a new issue has pushed things to become even more heated.

     The issue stems from the new track suits (jacket, jogging pants, shorts, etc) that the PSC has designed and produced for the Philippine contingent for the upcoming Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in December.  As expected, the POC, through Cojuanco apologizer Steve Hontiveros, dismissed the suits as "not passing standards," going as far as saying they were a big, "waste of money."  

      The "standards" that were not met?  Well, Hontiveros cited that firstly, the jacket design was not submitted for their approval, so aside from the design flaws, certain POC sponsors were not given their due space.  As far as I know, the PSC spends for all of the track suits, so why would the PSC need POC approval?   Why would the POC, a PRIVATE company, have the po

wer to dictate

 how the PSC, a government agency, should spend the government's money?

      Then, the track suits also didn't pass the "standard" of color, since the new suits were yellow, which Hontiveros claimed is not, "our color."  Ummm... seen your own flag lately Steve?  Yellow is our color.  Red, blue and YELLOW are the colors of our flag.  Furthermore, let's keep this in perspective.  In 2002, the Adidas-sponsored track suits were black and red and I don't see black on our flag.  Our Beijing Olympians went to the Opening in Aqua Green Barongs, definitely not "our" color, so why all this flak for the PSC preparing the track suits (a lot earlier than usual I might add)?  

      It would have been a lot more believable if the "standards" the POC were crowing about actually had something to do with the track suits' performance, but seeing the 2006 and 2007 POC appro

ved track suits (the 2006 New Balance suits were too thin for the cold Qatar weather while the 2007 Everlast jackets had faulty zippers), it is clear that their "standards" are all about something else. The only "standard" this set of yellow track suits failed to pass is the "30% commission" standard the previous approved suits "passed."    

      As long as Cojuangco steadfastly hangs on to his ever-decreasing dictator-like hold on Philippine sports and Angping continues his plans of challenging and antagonizing him, the feuds will keep coming on all fronts, just like our favorite telenovelas on television.  From gold medal winning predictions to budget concerns, Harry Angping's PSC and Peping Cojuanco's POC are battling a bitter feud that even the stellar creative teams of ABS CBN and GMA 7 couldn't even dream of, and now, even something as simple as jacket design has become a battleground.  While this whole thing earns a lot of forehead slapping and heaad shaking, it seems I can't help but keep staying tuned to it.  It is clear that the last thing our country needs is a feud that will stunt the growth of our youth and national athletes, but I for one can't turn my head away from this telenovela, When (Dirty) Harry Met Silly.

Typing with Iole: An Exclusive Interview

     With the deluge of bloggers everywhere, it's sometimes difficult to distinguish the real experts from the angry fan and it's no exception in the fighting world of boxing and mixed martial arts (mma).  While I claim to be no expert in these two fields, I do know an expert when I see one.  In boxing and mma, there is no bigger name than Yahoo! Sports' resident expert Kevin Iole.

     Covering boxing since the early 1980's, Iole has an impressive army of insightful and entertaining articles, not only about boxing, but also mma, which he started covering in 2000.  His articles combined the right amount of facts, drama and comedy all within a mostly objective tone.  T

hat's why I it was my great honor and pleasure to pick his brain about the burning questions I have about boxing and mma.  

     In this exclusive web interview, Iole discusses, among other things, his theory on why he's labelled "anti-Pacquiao," and who he believes to have the best chance of becoming the next Filipino boxing star.

Sharwin Tee:  Of all the fights you have covered, what would you consider as the greatest boxing match ever?  What MMA match you covered would you consider 

as the greatest?

Kevin Iole: 

The best fight I ever saw in boxing was Diego Corrales-Jose Luis Castillo I. In MMA, the best was Forrest Griffin-Stephan Bonnar I.

ST: With Marquez and Mayweather fighting soon, do you think it is possible that one of the two could fight Pacquiao by the end of the year?

KI: Unlikely either will face Pacquiao in 2009. I expect Manny to fight Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14

ST: Gerry Penalosa has announced he would fight at least one more time, planning on challenging for the 118 lbs belt (against the winner of the Fernando Montiel vs Eric Morel, if I recall).  Do you think it's a good idea for him and if he does fight for the title, what would his chances be?

KI: I think Gerry would beat Morel, but I think Montiel would beat him. He's younger and still in his prime.

ST: Shane Mosley has been saying all the right things (his willingness to drop weight and take less money) to get a fight with Manny Pacquiao, meaning he really thinks he ca

n handily beat Pacquiao.  Do you agree with him or will the drop in weight mean Sugar will have a difficult time?

KI: I think Shane's going to have a tough time getting to 144. When is the last time he made that weight? I believe it was in 1999.

ST: Other than Manny Pacquiao and Nonito Donaire, are you familiar with other Filipino boxing stars like Z Gorres, AJ Banal, Bernabe Concepcion and  World Champions Donnie Nietes (minimum weight), Brian Viloria?  Who among them would you say has the brightest future in the sport?

KI: I'm familiar with all of them but Nietes. Of that list, I think Viloria has the best sh

ot at becoming a star.

ST: While you have been fair in your articles, there is still a sentiment among others that you are anti-Pacquiao.  Why do you think this sentiment exists? 

KI: I'm not anti-Pacquiao, but I think Manny's fans don't want someone to say what they feel. I felt Oscar would beat him, feeling he was too big, and they took it that I didn't like Manny. Just because I don't believe a fighter is going to win a specific fight doesn't mean I'm against him.

ST: Let's switch to MMA.  With the impressive victory by Lyoto Machida over Rashad Evans, do you think it proves that a wrestling background isn't necessarily always the best base to train for MMA? Or do you think that Machida is merely an exception?

KI: Wrestling isn't a requirement, though it helps. But there are plenty of fighters in MMA who are successful w/o wrestling backgrounds.

ST: Personally, do you feel that Rampage Jackson ducked Machida by choosing to coach TUF 10 instead of challenging for the title because he feels he needs more time to train or does he really hate Evans so much he needs to coach against him?

KI: No. I don't think he ducked him. I think he is trying to make the most money and he'll make himself more known appearing on TV in the US on a weekly basis for three months.

ST: With the countdown to UFC 100 on Yahoo Sports, which would you consider to be the best and most spectacular knockout in the first 99 UFCs?  Best submission?  

KI: Best KO in my mind is Gonzaga over Cro Cop at UFC 70. Best sub was when Frank Mir snapped Tim Sylvia's arm, at UFC 48 (I think)

ST: The UFC is gaining prominence in the Philippines, especially with fighters with Filipino heritage like Brandon Vera, Philippe Nover and Mark Munoz making the UFC shows.  Unfortunately, they have all seemed to run into big time losses.  Which of the three do you see has the brightest chance to achieve popularity and success in the future?  Will any of the three win UFC titles?

KI: Vera is the best by far of that group, but I don't think any of them will win a title.

ST: Again, with regard to the popularity of UFC in the Philippines, is there a chance the UFC would put up a show here?  Maybe feature the Filipino fighters in three matches and then bring in a main event?

KI: UFC will eventually hold a show in Philippines, but will wait until the economy improves.

ST: Thank you for your time.

KI: Thank you for asking me.

Rise of the "Villains"

     Over the weekend, the public was treated to big and entertaining fights, with the victors suddenly turning from hero to villains, from "babyface" to "heel."  I'm not even talking about the WWE Smackdown and ECW Live in Manila show (where I ahem, ahem, held hands with Melina).  I'm talking about the UFC 100 show.  What turned the UFC into a bigger and more outrageous than the WWE?  It's really just two people.  UFC 100 victors, Dan "Hendo" Henderson and UFC Heavyweight Champ (and former WWE champ) Brock Lesnar turned the already landmark and memorable show into a spectacle to be discussed for weeks to come.  Unfortunately for them, they are now being condemned for their actions.  Well, I've decided that before they hang, we ought to give them a trial first.

Case # 1  People vs Dan Henderson

Plaintiffs (Critics) say: Attacking an already knocked out Michael Bisping with a vicious flying forearm/elbow and later saying, "that (elbow/forearm) was just to shut him up a little."  It was poor sportsmanship on Hendo's part and it was very dangerous.  It was fortunate that Bisping was able to leave on his own power.  

Defense (Supporters) says: In a fighting sport, especially MMA, there are plenty of flash knockdowns, where the victim goes down as if they were out but then are capable of standing up and fighting again.  This is why most fighters instinctively keep attacking until the referees stop them.  While Henderson attacked an unconscious Bisping, it was more of an automatic habit rather than a malicious attack.

Judgement (Mine): On the charge of maliciously attacking Bisping, I think Henderson is not guilty.  It's too much of a risk not to keep attacking your opponent in mma as any second of let up could mean your opponent gathering his/her wits, recovering and fighting back.  To his credit, he immediately stepped away when the ref touched him.  Henderson has been known as a classy guy and endangering an opponent by wantonly attacking them while incapacitated doesn't seem to be his style.  I've seen more malicious attacks than this.  "Babalu" Sobral was kicked out of the UFC because he wouldn't let go of his choke hold on an unconscious opponent even after the referee stopped the fight.  "Rampage" Jackson's fight with Wanderlei Silva ended worse that Bisping-Henderson when he landed two or three extra punches on an incapacitated Silva while the referee was pushing Jackson away. 

     What Henderson is guilty of is probably bad taste.  Bisping's brash words all throughout the Ultimate Fighter Season 9 probably wore on Henderson, as he promised to shut him up in behalf of Team USA.  That's probably why he thought it would be funny to joke about having the last elbow/forearm "shut him up."  Henderson has never been an outspoken guy, and maybe he should stay that way.

Case No. 2     People vs Brock Lesnar

Plaintiffs (Critics) Say:  After defeating Frank Mir to become undisputed Heavyweight Champion, Brock Lesnar confronted Mir saying, "Talk all the (expletive) you want now."  Then, responding to the boos of the pro-Mir crowd, Lesnar decided to flip the finger(s) at the mammoth Nevada crowd. As if this display wasn't enough, Lesnar then ragged on Bud Light (UFC sponsor) by claiming he would drink Coors Light since, "Budweiser's not paying me nothing."  The icing on the cake was when Lesnar announced that he would celebrate with friends and then, "get on top of my wife (former WWE diva Sable)."

Defense (Supporters) Says: Frank Mir had the trash talk coming since he kept attacking Lesnar with his own set of trash talk leading up to the fight.  He took great pride in, "poking the bear," comparing Lesnar's ground and pound attack to girl's pulling hair.  Lesnar's giving the finger to the crowd was his response to the unfair public who keeps questioning his skills despite defeating Hall of Famer Randy Couture and then Champion Frank Mir.  Meanwhile, his Bud Light comment and comments about his wife were nothing more than a funny jokes that not all people appreciate.

Judgement (Mine):  After seeing and hearing Frank Mir's trash talking about Brock and even his very entertaining Echo Unlimited ad, I do agree that Mir had it coming.  Mir was hyping up the fight, but attacking your opponents skills and agility is not the classy way to go.  Besides, Lesnar's comments still seem tame compared to other UFC post fight altercations.  Tito Ortiz proceeded to play act digging a grave after defeating a Lion's Den fighter just to piss Ken Shamrock off.  As for his comments about Bud Light, I'm willing to bet that not only do the Bud Light people not care about that comment, they're probably secretly happy about the comments, as they still bring added publicity to their product.  In their minds, those comments actually made their money's worth.

     As for the middle finger response, I think Brock is guilty here.  Fans can get irritating oftentimes, and while they are human, pro athletes have a responsibility to refrain from attacking fans.  Such an obscene gesture is like attacking the fans and Lesnar has to remember that fans are what keeps professional sports alive.  As for his comment about his wife, Brock is guilty a second time.  No matter how hot your wife looked in leather cat suits during her WWE days, it's not classy to make comment like that with any person other than the couple in the room, let alone the thousands in attendance and the millions watching on pay-per-view.  That comment was just boorish and uncalled for. 

     People on the internet are quick to condemn these two victorious fighters, calling for their heads.  I think that's a bit of an overreaction.  What these guys are guilty of is a lack of proper training to deal with high profile public situations with class.  What Hendo and Brock need are PR people helping them speak and act properly in public.  As for the people threatening to ditch the UFC because of the two's boorish behavior?  Please.  When Henderson has his rematch with Anderson SIlva and Brock faces Fedor Emelianenko, these naysayers will be first in line to buy tickets. 

NBA Yearender: Awards

     Every year, the NBA awards its best players with awards recognizing their skills and efforts, but it isn't every year that I agree with their choices.  This year, though, I completely agree with their choices. Now, writing about how I agree with all those choices, so I decided to give my own set of awards to end this past NBA season.

Appendix Award (Best Player who didn't help or worsen the team)

Winner: Zach Randolph (Los Angeles Clippers)

     Every year, Randolph is the top player in this category.  To his credit, Randolph seemed to avoid getting into trouble with the law this past season so he didn't actually worsen the team.The news, on the other hand, is that this past season, he once again provided the team with tremendous points and rebounds numbers (20.8 points and 10.1 rebounds), but as with his past teams, he has not helped lift his team's standings in any way.  The Clippers, despite being stocked with talent, were a mediocre, 19-win team.  He was no great vocal leader and he was no inspiration.  It seemed like he ambled along, getting his own numbers.  It's good to know the Clippers decided to start the Blake Griffin era without Randolph.

Best Value For Money Deal

Winner: David Lee (New York Knicks)

     One of the bright spots for the Knicks, Lee is a base year compensation player and recently the Knicks made the 1 year qualifying offer to keep him a restricted free agent. The offer was in line with his salary and it totaled $2.6 million.  The Knicks certainly got their money's worth on the dynamic forward from Florida, as he averaged 16 points and 11.7 rebounds, while shooting 54.5 percent from the field and 75 percent from the free throw line.  The best part about all that was his sturdiness, managing to play 81 regular season games at that high level of his.  It's no wonder the Knicks are going to have problems keeping him.

Most Disappointing All Star

Winner: Mo Williams (Cleveland Cavaliers)

       For all his talk about how he served to be an all star when he wasn't initially picked, eventual all star guard Mo Williams was a dud when the Cavs needed him the most.  After putting up great numbers (17.8 points on 47 percent shooting), and proving to be clutch with late baskets resulting in wins in the regular season, Williams disappeared in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Magic.  In the critical first 5 games against the Magic, Williams eventually got his numbers, but at the cost of his team's offensive efficiency.  Shooting only 33 percent while taking over 15 shots, Williams was almost a big liability on offense as he usually is on defense.  His disappointing showing was mostly magnified in Game 4 (a game he guaranteed they would win), as he sot 5 of 15 from the field and scoring a mere four points in the tightly-contested 2nd half.  Maybe he should show up more in the playoffs before telling people they're wrong about picking Ray Allen before him in the All Star roster.

"Poor Deal" Player

Winner: Elton Brand (Philadelphia 76ers)

     After scoring what seemed like a free agent signing coup, the 76ers were excited about adding Elton Brand to their young and athletic line up.  Unfortunately, a season ending injury obliterated Brand's season, basically leaving the 76ers paying the first year of the newly-signed $85 million deal on a bench warming former All Star.  What's worse is that in the little time that he got to play, Brand seemed out of place and disruptive to the team's play.  Philly fans hope that new coach Eddie Jordan and his Princeton offense will help integrate Brand back into usefulness country.

"One Step in the Grave" Player

Winner: Bruce Bowen (San Antonio Spurs)

      While I was harsh on Rasheed Wallace's game this year, I still sense a good season or two from him.  Apparently so do the Boston Celtics, who are doing their best college try to recruit 'Sheed.  That's why I think this award should be handed out to Bruce Bowen.  After being a much-valued defensive stopper for those San Antonio Spurs championship teams, Bowen seems to have finally hit the end of his productive career.  This year, almost all his numbers (points 2.7, blocks 0.2, steals 0.5, rebounds 1.8 and minutes 18.48) were down from previous years, causing Coach Greg Popovich to cut his minutes and use someone else.  It's no wonder the Spurs jumped at the chance to trade him in the Richard Jefferson deal.  It will also be no big surprise if the Bucks buy out his contract.

     So there you have it.  These are my own version of the NBA's annual awards, a little unorthodox, but honest, if I may say so myself.  This also concludes my set of year ender stories for the 2008-09 season.  Now, I can fully enjoy the wheelings and dealings before November and for sure I'll write about the more memorable ones.

NBA Yearender: Downer Stories

     While last season was a great season for a good number of people in the NBA, it was also a disappointing season for some.  To continue my NBA yearender stories, I present my top downer stories.

1.  'Sheed and AI, The Collapse - While many blame GM Joe Dumars and Coach Michael Curry for the Detroit Pistons' collapse this season (a disappointing 8th seed and first round sweep exit in the playoffs), equally or more so to blame are the Pistons two veterans.  Rasheed Wallace was considered one of the cornerstones of the franchise, one of its all stars, but he was a shadow of his former self, averaging a mere 12 points and 7 rebounds.  Generally, he looked liked an angry old man, shooting ill-advised threes, barely defending and gathering technical fouls left and right.  Allen Iverson was no better.  Acquired from Denver in a trade for Chauncey Billups, Piston fans' and observers' (including myself) interest were piqued at the possibilities of AI finally playing with a talented playoff team.  He, however, reverted to his old spoiled self, complaining about playing time, bogging down an already slow offense and just destroying team morale in general.  In the end, no amount of coaching could save a Pistons team being dragged down by two grumpy old men.

2.  Lebron's Whiner/Wiener Moment

     I've already dedicated an article on this, but it remains one of the NBA season's most disappointing stories.  Losing a hard fought victory to the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals, Lebron showed poor class in going straight to the locker room, thereby failing to shake hands with the Magic players and avoiding the press.  Instead of apologizing the next day, he claimed that he couldn't be blamed for not shaking hands since he was a winner, and winners don't shake hands with those who beat them.  The NBA fined him for missing media session, and while it was meant to chastise Lebron's poor class, it only gave him an out as he has since then felt no need to publicly and personally apologize to the Magic, especially his Team USA teammate Dwight Howard.  Make no mistake, Lebron is still a great player basketball wise, and maybe he will prove to be a winner in upcoming seasons, but this moment was a wiener moment.

3.  Big Injuries to Big Men

     Injuries are a part of every team in every NBA season, but some injuries are truly worse than others.  This was none more true than for the Boston Celtics and the Houston Rockets.  Both teams were built for the long haul.  They both seemed on their way to challenge for the title, having great regular seasons and beating thier first round playoff opponents, but injuries to Boston's Kevin Garnett and Houston's Tracy Mcgrady and later on Yao Ming eventually derailed both teams.  What made their stories truly heartbreaking was that both teams played over those injuries and even took their opponents, eventual NBA Finals protagonists LA Lakers and Orlando Magic to the full seven games.  Imagine the chaos if they went on to beat their opponents.

4.  Steve Kerr's Losing Gamble

   

      With the Phoenix Suns failing to win or even enter the NBA Finals under Mike D'Antoni's whirlwind offensive teams, GM Steve Kerr was tasked to remold the team, refitting them for another attempt.  With Kerr spending championship years with great defending teams like the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs, he gambled on building a team based on defense and not offense, basically a complete opposite of the previous Suns teams.  While it was a good plan on paper, Kerr inherited a team that couldn't defend.  Furthermore, he hired good friend Terry Porter, who as the head coach, coudn't get his team's ear.  What resulted was a mess.  Phoenix began playing a slow down, boring defensive game, without playing any defense.  As the losses mounted, team chemistry dropped and not even a change in head coach and the addition of Jason Richardson could save the lost season.  With Shaq traded this offseason and Amare Stoudemire on his way out, it's obvious that Kerr has recognized his gamble had clearly failed, and the Sun's run and gun team that was a thrill a minute for several years is now officially dead.

5.  The Donaghy Headache

     If you've had one of those pesky headaches that won't go away, you'd know how David Stern feels every time disgraced ex-NBA referee TIm Donaghy opens his mouth.  Already in jail for fraud, Donaghy continued his assault on the NBA and its integrity, claiming a "mob hit" was executed on him as two inmates allegedly busted up his knee cap.  To rub salt on the proverbial wounds, Donaghy has also warned of his plans to write a tell-all book, that will tell of, "the culture of fraud and manipulation that permeates the NBA."  While police have subsequently ruled out the voracity of his claimed "mob" attack, Donaghy's continued rumor mongering no doubt causes more headaches for the NBA which is looking to move on from this PR nightmare spawned by Donaghy's poor decisions and associations of the past.  His wild accusations, which are most probably false, only adds fuel to the fire that burns for those conspiracy theorists, who are convinced the NBA is a rigged league.  Donaghy's actions merely feed his need for fame and money, and take away form the efforts of all of the NBA's athletes, coaches and trainers.  

     Despite all these downer stories, the NBA continues to be a great source of entertainment, and undoubtedly millions of people around the world eagerly await the upcoming season, just like me.

(coming soon: My NBA Awards)