Audience (And Player) Participation

The past week's sports news had Burger King's Wynne Arboleda's succesful attack on a fan Alain Katigbak at the Araneta during a semi exhibition game. (the game only counts for 1 of the teams).

What rights do tickets to any kind of game entail? Fans pay good money to watch games mainly to be part of history, the possibility to be part of a moment they will remember for a lifetime. Some do it because watching live certainly brings a lot more to the viewing experience than staring at a square screen nomatter how HD it is. For some it gives them a chance to be within an earshot of the larger than life athletes you normally only see on billboards, newspapers and television.

So who draws the line and where is it drawn as far as interaction between players and fans go? Hecklers are part of the game. It's part of the elements athletes have to contend with when they sign up to play for pay. For all of us who have watched thousands of games, we know that some passionate fans say the nastiest things specifically to distract and rattle some players to get them off their game. The good players learn to ignore and the great ones even use it to fuel themselves and take their game to the next level and get the W's.

Unfortunately, Mr. Arboleda isn't one of the great ones. He is at best an average PBA point guard (for the record, an average PBA point guard is still among the top in the country) who a couple of weeks earlier had his manhood questioned when he was on the wrong end of a blowout when two National Teams competed for a cause. In a semi rematch (same coaches and many players) he couldn't ignore the verbal assaults from Mr. Katigbak and in fact took it personally and instead of his game going to the next level, he took his emotions to the next level and went into a full assault. He would have made Dana White of the UFC proud.

We all know basketball can create very emotional situations. But it's still only a game. At the end of the day, whether you win or lose, it doesn't affect things that matter most in real life, your health, family, and friends, etc.

So my hats off to the commissioner for sending a strong message. Professional athletes are paid to play their best regardless of the elements around them. There are security personnel to take care of the rowdy fans. We rely on them for security and order just as we rely on the players to play good basketball. And oh yes, we rely on fans to keep the league alive.

The Best for Japeth

I think most have already said what needs to be said about Japeth but just so I can get it out of my system, here goes another opinion on the matter.

Being a great potential talent attracts all kinds of characters and opportunities. Japeth, it seems always decides to go with whatever's he feels best for himself. He went to Ateneo because Norman Black was going to be a great teacher. He transferred to Western Kentucky because the competition was going to make him better. And he came back here because he felt he was the best young prospect who had Filipino blood.

When he first moved back, I'm sure he felt very wanted. The PBA, Team Pilipinas, agents, coaches, teams, etc. all wanted a piece of him. A young guy getting pulled in different directions can get a little confused as to what he wants. I'm sure he wanted everything that was offered him.

My general gut feel is that he did not enjoy playing for coach Yeng Guiao. Yeng is a love 'em or hate 'em kind of coach. He is known for yelling at his players, saying harsh things as a motivational tool to push them. Problem in this case is that Japeth had other options. So given the choices, he will always opt for what he feels is best for himself, not necessarity what's more popular. Some people just don't like getting yelled at I guess. I'm sure other players don't like it either. Difference is, the other players don't have a choice.

What's Wrong with DLSU?

DLSU has 4 games left and it seems they will have to win at least 3 of those to have an outside chance of making it to the final four.  With FEU, UE, and UST among those who they still have to play, I would give them less than 50% chance of making it this year.  I'm not sure if La Salle has ever missed the final four since joining the UAAP.

I would venture to say that if results are the barometer, the Green Archer program has been the most successful since joining the UAAP in the 80's.  It was always a big surprise if they did not make it to the finals each and every year.  The other schools would take turns getting there, UST, FEU, ADMU got their share of titles but it was almost always DLSU that they had to beat.  Heck, I wouldn't be writing about this very topic if this was happening to another team.

What would be the main reason for this sudden change in elite status?  All of a sudden, the swagger is gone?

In my opinion, they've blown it in recruitment for about two years.  As they watched other schools convince blue chip high school players from 2-3 years ago, they are paying the price as their veterans right now are not as talented.  The board might have had a little to do with it.  Remember the Fil-Foreigner residency rule of 2 years?  The Archers used to rely heavily on Fil Foreigners recruited by their extensive network abroad.  Don Allado, Mon Jose, Mike Cortez, Calijohn Orfrecio, Manny Ramos are some players who made an impact off the top of my head.  La Salle did not adjust well right away.

Basketball is still a player's sport.  I think 70% of your chances lie in the talent you have.  The other 30% comes from coaching and chemistry.  They used to get the PBA caliber recruits.  Limpot, Webb, Telan, Allado, Cortez, Ritualo, Espinosa, Cardona, Aldeguer and a host of others made sure the green and white was a title contender.  Now, the other schools have been able to snatch the best from the last few years.  

La Salle has had good recruiting classes the last 2 years but it will take another year or two before those players can become among the elite in the UAAP.  So for now, the void in not being able to recruit the best from 3-4 years ago has caught up with them.  I think the coaching staff and the alumni care too much and are smart enough not to make this linger for longer than 1 or at most 2 years.

So far, it has been obvious that DLSU has gotten very much used to winning and many are uncertain how to react to all this losing.

The Mother of Our Nation R.I.P.

The first and only time I’ve gotten to meet and talk to “Tita Cory” was predictably a sports related event. My family had moved to Chicago shortly after her husband’s assassination so I watched as a teenager from afar when the ESDA revolution happened.

I moved back to the Philippines in 1995 after college graduation and was working in sports media within a few months. For some reason, she was the guest of honor at the Grant Hill Philippine visit through FILA.

She was the unwilling leader who (and it was obvious) did not want to have anything to do with politics. She looked like a housewife. She acted like a housewife. She spoke like a housewife. It was this trait that I think endeared her to the Filipino people. She was the anti politician. She was the mother for all to follow. For all to get comfort. And for all to be free again.

As friends with some of the members of the Aquino family, I offer not only my condolences but my gratitude for being a beacon for us all as we continue to figure out our very imperfect democracy.

Lessons from Kobe

I went with Vince & Patricia Hizon along with Dodot Jaworski & his kids.  The traffic around Ultra was at a standstill since the event coincided with the dismissal of St. Paul across the street.  I had already interviewed him a few times during my assignments  at the NBA All Stars but anytime you get a chance to see him up close, you gotta take it.

The most eventful part of the afternoon was when Kobe took aside Nico Salva from the Ateneo Blue Eagles and gave him about 20 minutes worth of personal instruction.  He went through part of his daily training routine on offense.

I thought two things Kobe said was worth taking note.  First, the attention to details.  You have to check film and practice to the extent of where you hold the ball while making your move.  It ensures protection from being stripped by placing it at the right place for the duration of the possession.  Details on the footsteps for the most efficient way to get the shot off.  

Once you've figured out the details, the second is in the repetition.  Muscle memory is learned even for the most difficult and spectacular plays.  Kobe seems to practice and repeat as many kinds of iterations possible from the basic to the complicated of shots.  The repetition also gets you tired enough to know the feeling so that you can adjust to the fatigue during the real game.

Kobe is as good as it gets right now as far as basketball is concerned.  It was a pleasure to see him again in the flesh. 

C.E.O. of the P.I.?

I met him once before, many years ago, and in Chicago while he was visiting one of his old classmates (who was my “ninang”) during one of his U.S. trips to visit his children studying in the Midwest. He became a hero of sorts as he led the House of Representatives in the filing of impeachment raps against Joseph Estrada. And he continued his rise in Politics as he became a member of the Upper House and eventually became the President of the Senate.

I, along with a few other bloggers got a whole morning’s worth of face time with Manny Villar, one of presidential bets for next year’s elections. Just a quiet discussion on a whole range of topics predictably related to his bid next year. I was there to represent the sports bloggers (yes, it's true, that's the reason!), a genre he has started to support in the last few years.

Here are my impressions:

Villar is a very simple man with very big accomplishments. He breaks down the issues into its simplest form before he offers a solution. He seems to be a very practical person and a great manager. He’s still a little shaky talking about the environment as he hasn’t proactively pursued the issue as politician. He has done a lot but really publicized it like others in politics.

As most other politicians, he parades his record as one of leadership and accomplishment. It seems though, the Philippines still has a long way to go in its maturity to consider those criteria as most important for voters. The Senator realizes this, which is why most of his efforts are geared toward his popularity, as much as he’d prefer it not to be.

There were a couple of issues that got his juices flowing. You can tell if a man is passionate about something by the look in his eyes and the conviction of his voice. You start talking about the OFW’s, the unsung heroes of our generations, and he will gladly spend a few cups of coffee discussion how helping them will be a big part of his presidency. He is already helping many, out of his own pocket because of his passion for the issue.

The other issue that made his eyes light up was entrepreneurship. This is a topic that doesn’t excite most people, which is why he hardly brings it up. But the smile in his face and the authority in his voice made it obvious that this was the topic closest to his heart. “Entrepreneurship will be the lifeblood of our economy” he says. “Our people need to learn to compete, and how to grow their money”. These are words full of credibility coming from man who started with nothing to now being one of the wealthiest in the Philippines. He even gave some very practical financial advice to boot (which might be for another entry) but the topic of business and money seems to be his forte.

Lastly, as a sports blogger, we did have to tackle some sports stuff so I asked him about why he sponsors Billiards and his opinion of the Pacman running again for public office. The first was simple, his name sounds like the Filipino pronunciation of Billiards, thus the tie-in. As for the second question, he like most of the Philippine population wants to see more of the other Manny as the boxer who has inspired a nation. “He has done something all of us politicians haven’t done, unite the country at least for brief moments”.

Overall, he seems to be one of the candidates least prone to corruption. He doesn’t need the money, and does have respect of his peers (thus not having to buy loyalty). Only time will tell if he becomes our country’s CEO.

Weekend Couch Potato

It's been awhile since I made a update. The new job has gotten me very preoccupied with running some cable channels. I was able to finally watch some games the last few days.

Last weekend was great for sports fans. We got UFC 100, the UAAP Opening games, some F1 racing, and a PBA Finals game on a Monday for an encore.

UFC 100 was like most of the first 99 and most other bigtime events and games. The build up was much cooler than the actual. Not that it lacked enough excitment becuase it had its moments. The problem sometimes with the UFC is that you really have to appreciate the intricacies of Jujitsu and the ground game to be entertained by it.

The UAAP had a mixture of blowouts and exciting games. Ateneo and FEU are shoe-ins for the Final Four while the other 6 will be fighting for the last two slots. With the top two having a twice to beat advantage, it would take some major improvements from the other teams for major injuries from FEU/ADMU for us to see a non Tamaraw/Blue Eagle finals.

For the PBA, only one game out of the first five was extra exciting. Let's hope game 6 and maybe 7 will have more suspense. They did flash a stat that only 1 out of the last 4 times did the team who won game 5 eventually became champs. That bodes well if the PBA wants at least a game 7.