Noy Noy for Prez?

     There has now been a growing and rumbling clamor for Noy Noy Aquino, the only son of Ninoy and Cory Aquino, to continue his parents' fight for true Philippine democracy by running for the Philippine Presidency in 2010.  Noy Noy has been deliberate, asking for some time before announcing his decision on whether to run or not.  Meanwhile, people from all sides of the political fence have raised the pros and cons of another Aquino presidency, and at the heart of the debate is Aquino being a "second generation" politician.  Will his pedigree serve him well? The sports world has its fair share of examples, which could help decide Noy Noy's fate.  

Inborn OJT

     Having a parent engaged in the same sport as you is considered a great advantage.  Growing up, you get an insider's view, especially when you join your parents when they work.  You get to see how things work, what to do and what to avoid, and perhaps, most importantly, you have your parents to look up to as an example.  

     None have benefitted more than Kobe Bryant of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers, John Paxson of the NBA's Chicago Bulls and the WWE's Randy Orton.  Kobe, son of former NBA journeyman Joe "Jellybean" Bryant tagged along his dad's games both in the NBA and in Europe.  While Joe struggled to find a home in the NBA, averaging only 8.7 points in his stints with the Philadelphia 76ers, San Diego Clippers and Houston Rockets, his son Kobe watched, trained and then conquered the NBA game.  Kobe, named after the steak his dad enjoyed so much, has gone on to become a 4-time NBA champion, an NBA season and finals MVP, and an Olympic gold medallist. 

     John Paxson had a relatively more low key career than Kobe, but his career is certainly nothing to scoff at.  While John's dad Jim played a mere two seasons for the Minneapolis Lakers and Cincinnati Royals before retiring, John enjoyed great success in his 10 years as an NBA player.  The heady point guard won three straight NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls, including the 1992-93 championship, where his dagger-like three buried the Phoenix Suns for good.  

     Pro Wrestling has put great importance on "second generation" superstars, essentially because they are "second generation."  They have a built-in understanding of the entire game, and none have taken better advantage of this than Randy Orton.  His dad, Hall of Famer "Cowboy" Bob Orton carved a great career for himself, becoming quite a ring innovator and a well-hated heel (bad guy).  Mostly, though, "Cowboy," was just known as a sidekick, backing up "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and then later on "Adorable" Adrian Adonis.  Over the years, though, his son Randy hung around, trained and blazed a more successful albeit still ongoing career.  This early, Randy has established himself on a higher pedestal than his dad, winning world championships on multiple occasions and being a part of two dominant groups, Evolution and the aptly-named Legacy.  Before anyone scoffs that achieving things in pro wrestling is more luck than hard work, keep reading on.

Shadow Boxing

     Then, the bad news.  While having illustrious parents can help facilitate your entry into that realm, some "second generation" stars have found that that same illustriousness becomes a big stumbling block as well.  If the parent has done well for himself before, the son or daughter is often compared with his/her parents.  Sometimes, that shadow is just to hard to escape from.  

     It is this shadow that has imprisoned the likes of Paolo and Derrick Hubalde, sons of the "Master of the Bank Shot" Freddie Hubalde.  While both Derrick and Paolo have carved out nice careers in the collegiate basketball ranks, neither has come even halfway close to what their dad has done.  A multiple title winner and considered one of the Philippine Basketball Association's greatest players, Freddie seems to have set a legacy too enormous to overcome.  

     Ditto for Damien Wilkins.  The former Seattle Super Sonic and Oklahoma City Thunder player has found an NBA job for five years, averaging an acceptable 7.6 points per game.  Unfortunately for him, he has a dad Gerald and an uncle Dominique, that have established long and impressive careers that dwarf his.  Dad Gerald was a solid NBA player, playing a total of 13 seasons (12 complete) averaging double

 figures in points in all but two seasons.  Gerald's best season, the 86-87 season, saw him average 19.1 points, more than double Damien's best scoring season, the '07-'08 season.  Uncle Dominique is an even tougher act to follow.  The "Human Highlight Reel" was a multiple time All Star, Dunk Contest winner and stunning playoff performer.  It's safe to say that if Damien WIlkins wants to leave a bigger mark than his predecessors, he's got one hell of a handicap.

     While Pro Wrestling has been knocked as a "pre-determined" show, it still demands perseverance and hard work like any sport.  "Second generation" superstars like The Rock, Carlito and Randy Orton have made marks in the WWE bigger than their fathers, others have suffered under the weight of carrying on their fathers' legacy.  Names like Scott Putsky and Sim Snooka never became household ones, despite their fathers' illustrious careers.  Scott Putsky had a mere short stint with the WWE, his career completely dwarfed by his dad's.

 "Polish Power" Ivan Putsky had a career that spanned over two decades with the WWE, giving him a chance to win the World Tag Team Championship (with Tito Santana) and a place in the WWE Hall of Fame.  Sim Snooka had a slightly longer and more successful career than Scott Putsky, winning a Tag Team Title as "Deuce" (with Domino) and he had a short stint with a still forming Legacy.  Unfortunately for him, it wasn't just Randy Orton that got bored with him.  He was unceremoniously released from Legacy and currently, he is nowhere to be found.  Undoubtedly, Sim has not even scratched what his dad Jimmy "Superfly" Snooka has achieved.  The Barefoot Jimmy had a career, filled with main events, for over twenty years, and it ended with his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame.  Even with all the "pre-destination" in pro wrestling and the distinct advantage given to "second generation" superstars, Scott Putsky and Sim Snooka discovered the glory their fathers achieved is an honor not everyone can attain.

The Verdict?

     Before voters like me decide on Noy Noy as a president, it is incumbent upon Aquino to ask himself some tough questions.  How will his being an Aquino affect him?  Will his parents' tremendous legacy be a motivation that pushes him or an obstacle that stymies him?  Does he consider himself to be Kobe or Paolo Hubalde?  Is he a Randy Orton or a Scott Putsky?  When he answers these questions, it will then be our turn to ask them.

photos courtesy of nba.com and wrestlingtradingcards.com

Too Good For Their Own Good?

     With any sports organization, the champion is the embodiment of the organization's character and spirit.  That's why it's always nice to have a great champion because the organization is only as good as its champion.  The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), then, should be mighty proud of themselves at this point.  After all, each of their champions have dominated their divisions, almost too well.  This led me to think, "Are the UFC Champions too good for the UFC's good?"  

     First, a look at the UFC's Champions' Fraternity.

Lightweight (155 lbs) - B.J "The Prodigy" Penn

Record: 14 wins, 5 losses, 1 draw

Last Fight: Defeated Kenny Florian via submission

     Despite being thoroughly dominated by George St. Pierre in their welterweight bout, Penn reminded everyone that he is human only in

 a division higher than 

lightweight.  With his domination of a game Florian, Penn has defeated all challengers deemed to have a chance against him, save for one.  With Penn's scary knockout power and his underrated Brazilian Jiu Jitsu skills, even the threat of Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez is not enough to sway the people's confidence that "The Prodigy" will remain atop the lightweight division for quite awhile. 

Welterweight (175 lbs) - George "Rush" St. Pierre

Record: 19 wins, 2 losses

Last Fight: Defeated Thiago Alves via unanimous decision

     Considered by many as one of the world's top pound for pound fighters, GSP had defeated every single challenger to his belt.  Currently on a 6-match win streak, "Rush" has made sure of defeating his legendary rivals (Penn, Matt Hughes) twice for good measure.  While an interesting fight between Martin Kampman and Mike Swick will d

etermine his next probable challenger, no one on this planet believes either would give GSP any trouble whatsoever.  His wrestling skills are bordering on legendary and his striking is not shabby either.  He is simply too skilled, too well rounded and too hard working to be challenged right now.

Middleweight (185 lbs) - Anderson "Spider" Silva

Record: 24 wins, 4 losses

Last Fight: Defeated Forrest Griffin via knockout

     The world's top pound for pound fighter as voted in by Yahoo! Sports, Silva has a

stounded everyone not only with his devastating striking but also his current UFC record of 10 straight wins.  What was supposed to be a challenge in a light heavyweight bout against Forrest Griffin turned out to be another piece of evidence supporting "The Spider's" greatness.  In fact, he has become so good that he has never had to resort to fighting a ground game (he is also a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) in all but one round of his 10 UFC wins.  While another bout with Dan Henderson would make a good main event, UFC President Dana White and Silva himself are contemplating on a move to the light heavyweight division just to find Silva a challenge.

Light Heavy Weight (205 lbs) - Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida

Record: 15 wins, 0 losses

Last Fight: Defeated Rashad Evans via knockout

     Possessing an unorthodox fighting stance and style, Machida has befuddled all of his opponents, even those who are supposedly tough and dangerous.  Big names like Tito Ortiz, Thiago Silva and Rashad Evans have all fallen victim to Machida Karate and they have been utterly dominated.  Machida moves well, is hard to hit and lately, has shown tremendously accurate and sudden knockout power.  His own karate style combined with his study on sumo wrestling has made it tough for opponents to take him to the ground and if the fight remains a stand up one, it can only mean bad things for fighter not named Machida.  His skill has even Quinton J

ackson passing up a title shot, leaving Mauricio Rua the task of trying to solve the mystery of this Japanese Brazilian martial artist.

Heavy Weight (220 lbs) - Brock Lesnar

Record: 4 wins, 1 loss

Last Fight: Defeated Frank Mir via knockout

    

 Love him or hate him, the former WWE Superstar has proven he can fight the real fights.  People consider him largely untested with just 5 fights to his credit, but considering the quality of his last two opponents and the way he dominated them, Lesnar is for real.  A freakishly large but amazingly quick athlete, Lesnar is a difficult match up for most heavyweights.  

He has power in his hands and his wrestling skills in the octagon show why he was an NCAA National Wrestling Champion.  Perhaps his next opponent, Shane Carwin, could give him trouble with his knockout power, but Lesnar has shown he can win on the ground as well and he will have a significant advantage over Carwin there.  Perhaps the only thing Lesnar can't do in the UFC is perform an "F5" on his opponent in the octagon.

     

     With a list of dominating champions like that, it's easy to think that the UFC could get in trouble, pay per view wise.  If the champs continue to dominate their opponents with ease just like what they've been doing, then PPV buys could go down, as promotions become predictable.

     I, however, beg to differ.  Each of these fighters bring excitement to the table, despite being seemingly too good for their opponents.  From Penn's and GSP's overall skills showcase, to Machida's unorthodox movements, to Silva's creative and devastating striking, to Lesnar's quickness and power game, each of their fights promises to be worth watching.  Furthermore, despite their past domination, fights are won in the octagon, not on paper or web blogs.  A slip here, a mistake there, and any one of these champs could be taken down a notch. 

     That's why I plan on continuing to watch the UFC despite the high probability of all their champions retaining their belts.  Who knows? I'd hate to miss a historical fight.  

photos from bjpenn.com and mmajunkie.com

Foregoing Dinner

     Much has been said about President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's expensive dinners at Le Cirque and Bobby Van's Steakhouse.  While people keep showing their outrage, her apologizers (aka freeloaders) keep hammering that nothing is wrong because the president a) is entitled to eat in first class establishments (rather than a hotdog stand) and b) it was personal money and not government money.  I think the problem the people have is not as much as where she ate or whose money was used, but more of how much was spent.

     All in all, it was approximated that she spent around $ 35,000 or approximately PhP 1.75 million, and that ladies and gentlemen, is a lot of money.  Perhaps the apologizers have yet to see the light because they can't see how much $ 35,000 really is.  That's why I'm doing them a favor by helping them see how much, in sports terms of course.

Being Smart About It

     In order to lock up the country's top collegiate stars to the national team development program, Manny Pangilinan and Smart Communications offered young stars like Chris Tiu and JV Casio three year salaries that would match whatever they would receive as rookies in the PBA.  Currently, PBA rookies can receive a maximum of PhP 150,000 a month.  That being the case, GMA's two dinners would be enough to pay the monthly salary of all 11 local players (naturalized recruit C.J. Giles not included).

Putting Up a Fight

     In the historic UFC 100, one of the preliminary matches featured a fight between two tough up and comers C.B Dolloway and Tom Lawlor.  The fight pay for both fighters, including the victory bonus was $ 30,000 (Lawlor had $ 16,000 icluding the $ 8,000 win bonus and Dolloway received $ 14,000), well within the $35,000 GMA and her party spent to stuff themselves silly.

Pac Man Watch

     Due to Manny Pacquiao's popularity, ringside tickets to his next fight in Las Vegas against welterweight champion Miguel Cotto has reportedly inflated by as much as 22 times.  As last reported by Top Rank officials, ringside seats are now available from scalpers for $ 22,000.  Counting in airfare which is approximately $ 1,000, two-night villa stay at Caesar's Palace for $ 5,000, and $ 2,000 for gambling money at the black jack tables, that is a complete luxury weekend at the cost of two lovely dinners.    

Developing the Next Superstar

     In his book, Adam Copeland on Edge, the wrestling superstar revealed that the first paycheck he received from World Wrestling Entertainment was a weekly one worth $ 210.  Suppose you adjust for inflation, the weekly wrestling development contract could have doubled to $ 410 weekly.  President GMA's two dinners?  They could have paid for a developing wrestler for over one and half years! If she's not down with that, I've got two words for her...

Got Balls?

     One of the Philippine Bowling Teams greatest needs has always been equipment, especially bowling balls.  High performance balls cost around $ 220 (retail) right now.  With a national bowler's salary pegged at around $ 204 dollars a month, it's almost impossible to build a six-ball arsenal.  With GMA's dinner, though, it will be child's play to accumulate 159 bowling balls.  That number means a total of 26 six-ball arsenals.  That would mean new six-ball arsenals for our 6 person senior men's team and their two alternates, our 6 person senior women's team and their two alternates, the 4 person youth boy's team and their alternate and 4 person youth girl's team and their alternate!  Now foregoing dinner to provide our four national bowling teams with the equipment needed to compete?  That takes balls.

Enjoying the Rivalry

     Ateneo vs La Salle in UAAP basketball is always an event and tickets, even scalped ones, are hard to come by.  That's why according to reports, ringside seats have gone up to over a thousand pesos.  Supposing your scalper is a real tool and he sells you tickets at PhP 1,750, using the money that paid for GMA's two dinners would enable you to buy 1,000 tickets.  That's the number of graduates in my graduating batch of 2000.  Now that would be a sea of blue at ringside.

     I'm not really a Math wizard, but I'm pretty sure I've made my point.  The next time President GMA wants to bring her entourage over for dinner, she might want to try the hotdog stand.  Sabrett dogs? They're great with relish and mustard. 

PBA Offseason Report Card (Part 2)

A hectic week has prevented me from posting for a while, but I think the schedule's clearing up so I will post away. First is my continuation of my PBA Offseason Repot Card, featuring the five remaining teams, Burger King, Rain or Shine, Sta. Lucia, San Miguel and Talk and Text.

Draft: Japeth Aguilar, Chris Ross

Other Moves: Traded Arwind Santos (for Ken Bono and Marc Pingris), Traded Marc Pingris (for draft picks), Traded Chris Ross and Marvin Cruz (for Ron Jay Buenafe)

New Projected Starters: Wynne Arboleda, Ron Jay Buenafe, Gary David, Beau Belga, Japeth Aguilar

While it may seem like picking first in the draft is an easy job, it really isn't and BK did well. Numerous tempting offers to trade Japeth Aguilar were dangled (reportedly including a package that included MVP Jay Jay Helterbrand), but the Whoppers refused to budge. While Aguilar may seem raw for the pro game, highly athletic and quick 6'10" players with natural shot blocking timing don't grow on the proverbial trees. With Aguilar, the Whoppers finally have a "cornerstone" player to build on, with enough "experienced" veterans to show him the ropes. With another set of draft picks coming next year and the addition of young gun Buenafe, BK figures to be a hot bed for young, developing talent. What is a head-scratcher though was the Whoppers trading away superstar Arwind Santos to San Miguel. Not only does it make SMB stronger, but BK loses their erstwhile franchise player and depriving themselves of what could have been the best shot blocking frontcourt in the league. The only explanation I could find was a possible rift between Santos and Coach Yeng Guiao, as evidenced by the "Spiderman's" very limited playing time in the FIBA ASIA tournament.

BK is slowly investing in the future, so look for the Whoppers to be dominant then. Meanwhile, enlisting loads of young talent while being mentored by the fiery Coach Guiao will ensure that the BK Whoppers will still be highly competitive now. Grade: B

Draft: Jervy Cruz, Marcy Arellano

Moves: Traded Rob Wainwright and Mark Andaya (for Jeff Chan), Signed Mark Telan

Projected New Starters: TY Tang, Sol Mercado, Gabe Norwood, Jervy Cruz, Jay R Reyes

It's always nice when the draft gives you what you need. This year, ROS's biggest need, a rebounder and inside scorer in Jervy Cruz was neatly packaged for them in the first round. Cruz's inside presence as well as Telan's, will be a big help to erstwhile center Jay-R Reyes, as this will allow him to hang out outside, where he is more comfy. Adding Jeff Chan and Marcy Arellano gives an already potent outside shooting team more options from rainbow country. Now, perhaps the basketball gods will finally answer my prayers and have Coach Caloy Garcia not utilize overhyped trigger-happy guard Don Dulay anymore. Hey, a guy can hope right?

It has been quite an offseason for the Elasto Painters. One can already see the potential fastbreaks and boatloads of threes coming the opponents way every time ROS will play. Certainly, the Elasto Painters figure to be both competitive and exciting, good news to all hoops fans. Grade: A

Draft: Mark Benitez, Charles Waters
Other Moves: Traded draft pick (for Gabby Espinas)

Projected New Starters: Denok Miranda, Ryan Reyes, Bitoy Omolon, Gabby Espinas, Dennis Espino

Never considered draft savants, the Realtors did not pick up much in the draft, unless Waters (franchise player Kelly William's bro-in-law), all of sudden becomes a stud. Their best move would have been getting Gabby Espinas, who, albeit undersized, brings a lot of energy in and out of the paint. Espinas will join Williams and Bitoy Omolon in giving the Realtors an energetic and versatile front court, to slowly ease out the aging tandem of Marlou Aquino and Dennis Espino, who were never really in danger of being mistaken for enrgy dynamos. With that frontcourt combining with Ryan Reyes, Denok Miranda and Joseph Yeo, look for an all new (and fast) Sta. Lucia. This is not your Dad's Realtors for sure.

It was a so so off season foe the Realtors, but admittedly, as the best move they had done this offseason was probably funding William's medical treatment for a blood disorder. Grade: B

Draft: James Sena

Other Moves: Traded Ken Bono and Marc Pingris (for Arwind Santos)

Projected New Starters: Jonas Villanueva, Don Don Hontiveros, Arwind Santos, Danny Ildefonso, Dorian Pena

What do you do when you're the deepest team in league? Why, get deeper of course! Trading for Santos, arguably the league's most versatile player, for essentially two replaceable players is one heck of a coup. Now, the reigning Fiesta Cup Champions will figure in both conferences with this Mariana's Trench deep line up. Being two deep at each position with two all stars each, the Beermen will be the most feared team of all. Question is, will the power on paper translate into reality?

Another tremendous of season for the Beermen. It probably helps that "Boss" Danding Cojuangco is your team owner. Grade: A+

Draft: Kevin White

Other Moves: Will trade unnamed player (for Nic Belaso)

Projected "New" Starters: Jimmy Alapag, Mark Cardona, Jared Dillinger, Ali Peek and Harvey Carey

An already deep team that won the All FIlipino Cup, Talk and Text tried to augment their forces by offering numerous deals for Japeth Aguilar. Being unsuccessful, TnT turned to the draft to pick relative unknown Filipino American Kevin White. Now the team with the league's longest name has the longest list of Fil Ams in the roster. As Jason Webb pointed out, TnT might exceed the maximum number of Fil-Ams allowed in a roster. This means that trading for Belasco may mean they need to trade a fellow Fil-Am for him.

Overall, all the Topang Texters have done is create a possible logjam with the FIl-Am situation for themselves. In any case, their less that sterling offseason's grades, while I predict to be between B and C, is on hold until the Belasco trade.

So there it is. It has been quite an off season for the PBA and while some teams have clearly gained and some have bombed, the only thing absolutely sure is that the upcoming season will be one to watch.

The PBA Offseason Report Cards Part 1

     While the Powerade Team Pilipinas is busy battling it out in the FIBA-Asia Men's Basketball Championships, team owners and coaches of their respective PBA teams have been busy themselves.  There has been a flurry of activity in this PBA offseason that has not been seen in recent years.  Now, I'm taking the time to fill up each of the team's report cards.

Draft: Michael Burtscher (1

st round), Sean Co (2nd Round)

Other Moves: None so far

New Projected Starters: LA Tenorio, Willie Miller, Jeff Cariaso, Jon Ferriols, Sonny Thoss

 

Coach Tim Cone has always danced a "triangle" dance while the others engaged in square dancing, so it's no surprise that his first round pick, Fil-Swiss Michael Burtscher, was a surprise.  The former Liga Pilipinas player is in no way highly-touted, but he is a 6'5" player and his size will be a boost to th

e Aces' smallish front line.  If he can learn the triangle, and he did say in his pre-draft statement that he is willing to learn, then he could fill in the slot of a Poch Juinio or Reynel Hugnatan in Cone's triangle.  Former Pharex Generix shotmaker Sean Co is another of the less-touted players in the draft, but active swingmen like Co could learn a lot from veterans Willie Miller and Jeff Cariaso and c

ould soon find himself a PBA job.  

Overall, though, Alaska seems to have made very little m

oves, perhaps thinking they could improve on last year's runner-up finish in the All Filipino Cup by having an extra year of experience on their belts.  Grade: B-

Draft: Ogie Menor, Benedict Fernandez, Edwin Asoro

Other Moves: Traded Gabby Espinas (for future draft picks), Traded Jeff Chan and Mike Hrabak (for Mark Andaya and Rob Wainwright), Traded Larry Rodriguez (for future draft pick)

New Projected Starters: Well, let's just say they would do well to even have a starting line up, any starting line up.

Financial problems facing Barako Bull have been well documented, so some of their moves, while they seem lopsided, are understandable  (letting go of Es

pinas and Hrabak are to designed to lessen payroll).  Meanwhile, it is hard to project the futures of their own draft picks as even the team is in talks 

of either leaving the PBA for good or deferring their franchise to the Smart Gilas Development Team.  Grade: INC

Draft: Chris Timberlake, Orlando Daroya

Other Moves: Traded Chris Timberlake, Orly Darroya, Paul Artadi Rafi Reavis (for Enrico Villanueva, Rich Alvarez, Paolo Bugia, Celino Cruz and Cholo Villanueva)

New Projected Starters: Jay Jay Helterbrand, Mark Caguioa, Ronald Tubid, Billy Mamaril an

d Enrico Villanueva

It's a virtual Blue Roast as Ginebra will now feature five Ateneo alums from their glory years of the early 2000s.  Needing to shore up their front court, the Kings targeted Villanueva and his 6'6" frame and traded fo

r him by offering their draft picks.  Further filling up a front line that used to only have Billy Mamaril and Eric Menk are former UAAP MVP Alvarez and outside-shooting big man Bugia.  The line up will further speed up an already up tempo Ginebra squad and the addition of Cruz will bolster their already deadly three point shooting.  Meanwhile, the addition of Cholo Villanueva will, er... well, let's just say the OTHER Villanueva was more important.

Overall, Ginebra, anticipating the return of Caguioa and "Hitman" Junthy Valenzuela, got more complete by adding a brigade of long, athletic big men.  While the scoring load will still be with the guards, it does not bode well for other teams that the baranggay's line up just got more well-rounded.  Grade

: A

Draft: None

Other Moves: Traded Ron Jay Buenafe and draft picks (for Chris Ross, Francis Allera and Ma

rvin Cruz), Traded Nic Belasco (for Larry Rodriguez but the deal has yet to be approved)  

New Projected Starters: Chris Ross, Alex Cabagnot, RJ Rizada, Mark Telan, and Asi Taulava

Even with Team Manager JB Baylon busy with Team Pilipinas, Coke has indeed made a splash in the off season.  Longing for a more natural point guard to help ease the load of Alex Cabagnot, the Tigers traded streak-shooting Buenafe to land Pharex Fil Am Guard Chris Ross.  Then, in moves that almost certainly signif

y that the Tigers want to win now, they traded away picks for Allera and Cruz.  With these moves, it looks like Cabagnot could afford to play shooting guard, which is his natural position, since there won't be a size disadvantage with Ross playing point.  This is officially Cabagnot's chance to show the offensive skills which helped him topple Mark Caguioa's school scoring record in the U.S. many years ago.

Overall, the moves make the Tigers younger and more athletic, so look for them to run whenever they can.  They gained by solidifying their point guard spot while losing only Buenafe, who the coaching staff couldn't use on a consistent basis anyway.  Even head coach Kenneth Duremdes seems to be finally excited to coach.  Grade: B

Draft: Rico Maierhoffer

Other Moves: Traded Enrico Villanueva, Rich Alvarez, Paolo Bugia (for Chris Timberlake, Paul Artadi and Rafi Reavis), Traded draft picks (for Jean Marc Pingris)

Projected New Starters: Paul Artadi, Roger Yap, James Yap, Jean Marc Pingris, Kerby Raymundo

Purefoods had always relied on Roger Yap and Celino Cruz, natural shooting guards, to handle point guard duties and on a team that featured scorers like James Yap, Kerby Raymundo, Don Allado, Peter Simon, that was a tough job.  The Giants have since taken care of that problem by getting themselves Artadi and Timberlake, two more natural points.  Meanwhile, the Giants have solidified their front line by trading away picks for rebounding monster Pingris and drafting highly-touted big man Maierhoffer.

Overall, the Giants did well for themselves.  While I think Maierhoffer may be an overrated prospect at no. 2, the Giants were not wrong to pick him (and forego Ross) with a draft as weak as this and with Timberlake already coming via trade.   Solving their two nagging problems (lack of point guard and overloaded front line) in a couple of trades is certainly no laughing matter.  Now, the GIants have a legitimate chance to contend, if only they can get Coach Ryan Gregorio to actually coach and not just give the TV cameras multiple poses and facial reactions.  Grade: B+  (If they fire Gregorio and promote Assistant Coach Koy Banal, the grade automatically becomes an A)

(to be continued soon)

logos were taken from the PBA website

Goodbye Madam President

     As the world says good bye to former President Corazon Aquino, one of the world's icons of democracy, I would like to pay my respects as well.  As president, Aquino managed to make an impact on Philippine sports (including setting up the Philippine Sports Commission), despite being handed a gargantuan task of restoring Philippine democracy after over 20 years of Marcos rule.  Now, a good many people have a lot of wonderful and personal things to say about Aquino, I have no such luck.  Instead, I am listing down my favorite sports moments during her presidential years as my tribute.

1986 - The Crowning of Asia's Sprint Queen

     The 1986 Asian Games was the setting for one of Philippine sports' greatest moments.  Lydia de Vega, one of the young products of Michael Keon's Gintong Alay program, sprinted her way to gold medal in the 100m dash event, the centerpiece event for athletics, earning herself the distinction of be

coming Asia's fastest woman.  This achievement, coupled with de Vega setting an Asian record of 11.35 seconds, is especially significant, since the country has never again won for this event in the Asian Games.

1989 - The Upset at Roland Garros

     Few people knew of Michael Chang, a Chinese-American who helped the U.S. dominate the junior circuit together with batchmates Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and Todd Martin.  After the 1989 French Open, though, everyone was buzzing about the 5 foot 9 Chinese kid with blinding speed.  It was this blinding speed on Roland Garros' relatively slower surface that enabled Chang to break through onto the senior circuit as he copped his first and only Grand Slam Championship.  The then teenager defeated the more highly-touted Steffan Edberg in a thrilling five set match, 6-1, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4 and 6-2.

1989 - The Arrival of an "Earthquake"

     Luisito Espinosa, one of the Philippines' well-loved boxers stepped into the world stage in 1989.  The boxer, known as "Lindol" (earthquake in Filipino), challenged Thai Kaokhor Galaxy for the WBA Bantamweight Title.T

he Filipino announced his arrival by knocking out the champion in the very first round.  Espinosa would later on defend this title twice before losing it to Israel Contreras in 1991

1990 - Here come the Pros

     Basketball-crazy Philippines got a reason to celebrate as professional basketball players were finally allowed to compete in the international arena, just in time for the 1990 Asian Games. Immediately, an all-PBA selection was formed to help the country win the much-coveted basketball gold medal.  It was a veritable who's who in basketball as the team featured Allan Caidic, Samboy Lim, Alvin Patrimonio and Ramon Fernandez and the team went on to win the silver medal, losing only to perennial champion China.  That all star team, coached by the legendary Robert Jaworski, would become the highest placed Philippine basketball team since.

1990 - Warrior Wins at 'Mania

     The Toronto Skydome was filled to the rafters with over 68,000 fans as they cheered on the likes of the Hart foundation, the Rockers and the like in the sixth edition of Wrestlemania.  This particular 'Mania, though, was dominated not by the charismatic tag teams but by two iconic singles competitors.  The main event featured the controversial Ultimate Warrior and the immortal Hulk Hogan and in a testament to both of their charisma, the 68,000 fans were split down the middle.  In a thrilling match filled with non stop action and false finishes, the Warrior defeated Hogan, landing his trademark splash after Hogan missed on his patented leg drop. 

1991 - Just One Away 

     In a testament to the FIlipino spirit, the archipelago nation bid and then successfully held the 1991 edition of the South East Asian Games, just 5 years after regaining independence via "People Power."  The Filipino athletes didn't disappoint the local crowd, as the Philippines had their finest showing in history then, winning 91 gold medals, one gold away from overall champ Indonesia.  

1991/92 - The Dream Becomes Reality

     Just like in 1990 with the Philippines, the USA relished their chance to finally send their NBA professionals to play in the Barcelona Olympics.  In 1991, USA Basketball assembled what many consider the greatest basketball, the "Dream Team."  The USA looked to avenge their Olympic loss in 1988, assembled a team at least two deep at each position with future Hall of Famers, including the legendary trio of Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.  The team absolutely destroyed the opposition in the Tournament of the Americas to qualify for the Olympics, and then cruised through the Olympics to claim the gold that was meant to be theirs the moment their team was formed.

     There they are, my favorite sports moments form 1986 to 1992.  I hope that somehow, former President Aquino will take some time off her busy schedule in heaven to read my post.  Although I would appreciate her not commenting, lest I lose my mind.