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.

The Empire Strikes Back

Most people actually probably don't care too much what's going on with the country's basketball program. Although I've given up my post in Solar for FOX, I do still care about sports in the Philippines. I've been busy with the new job but reading about how the progress of our basketball program might be derailed again, it got me irritated again.

Graham Lim, a foreigner who ruined the Philippines' international basketball stature, is like Jason from those Friday the 13th movies. He just keeps on coming back no matter how many times to seem to have gotten rid of him. I'm not really sure what exactly this guy has done, or why he still has some influence but he must have done the FIBA guys a huge favor at some point in his life because they seem to act like they owe him something.

He is supported by two politicians (now you know why things are getting screwed up) who also hasn't done anything for Philippine Basketball as long as I can remember. They have convinced FIBA that we were better off being 16th best in Asia instead of now having a legitimate chance of qualifying for the World Basketball Championships meaning we would be among the top 3. They have convinced FIBA that the SBP is doing even worse that when we were at our worse.

This is a slam dunk no brainer case of KSP from the BAP. Please move on and and get a life. Please.

Overkill

The PBA National Team will qualify for the FIBA Asia Championships.  The problem is so can a dozen other teams from the Philippines.  All they have to do is get to the top two of the 4 team tournament.  Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia are the other teams.  Thailand, a normal contender in SEA is not even trying to qualify.

I can understand the PBA Board wanting to ensure that we have a slot for the World Basketball Championships qualifier.  But I think their fears were very misguided as the talent level in Southeast Asia right now is equivalent to a good college team here.  

Now news that Ryan Reyes has joined Helterbrand with a pulled hamstring.  I'm sure Yeng Guiao is trying to figure out what kind of things they can take away from the tournament that will not test this team any bit.

Disneyland or Disneyworld?

It's time to make predictions once again.  This year, the Lakers are back in the Finals but a mild surprise in Orlando awaits them.  I'm not sure about the Vegas odds but I reckon you would've made a lot of money if you bet on the Magic for the Finals appearance before the season started.

I think it would be a huge upset if the Lakers lose this series.  All they really have to do is attack Dwight Howard to get him in foul trouble then make sure to disrupt the rhythm of the Magic shooters.  If Orlando doesn't shoot well, they don't have a chance.

Looking at all factors, the Lakers have the advantage.  LA has the better coach, the better superstar, the better supporting cast, and a lot more (better?) playoff experience.  But the NBA is where Amazing Happens and this is why we still all watch so wait and see when Amazing will Happen again.

It's my first finals in the last four years sans thinking about selling and marketing the series.  Not sure if this matchup beats last year's ratings but if Orlando shoots lights out, it'll come close.

Lakers in 6.

Is Fatigue a Valid Excuse?

I covered the 2nd game last night and one of the reasons that Alaska used was that they were tired which is why the energy was nonexistent. When I was part of the commissioner's office, teams complained all the time if they were scheduled consecutive playdates (ex: sunday then wednesday).

I'm not sure if the conditioning programs are not as comprehensive here but PBA players play maybe 50 games a year (18 elimnations plus playoffs in each conference). Those 50 games are spread out through 9 months which averages out to 5.5 games every month. It seems to me that playing less than two (2) games a week should be easy if you are in tip top shape and play basketball for a living.

The NBA players play back to backs all the time and play at least 2-3 games a week. I don't remeber players using fatigue as an excuse for not playing with energy. I realize PBA players get paid very little compared to the rest of the world but to play 4 to 5 games a month and get paid hundreds of thousands of pesos to do it aint so bad.