Blog Outsourcing - January 30

Welcome to The Victory Formation.

Whilst most of you were asleep when the 2012 Australian Open Final took place, the most fascinating of a final happened. 5 hours and 53 minutes of serves, strokes, grunts, shouts between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. The top two players in the world in a showdown that enthralled all who watched.

I was actually on the road when the conclusion happened, but was kept updated on Twitter, because everyone else on my timeline was talking about it. Still, it was almost 6 hours of competitive tennis. That is incredible. Can't doubt their endurance and skill.

Here forth are the links after the jump:

Now we don't have to hear about Woz's current inability to win being the top female tennis player in the world. (c/o Daily Mail)

The Quest for 12 has been postponed. (c/o BBC Sport).

So, was that match the best final ever? (c/o Herald Sun)

Wait, there was a Pro Bowl? (c/o Los Angeles Times)

There's the NHL All-Star Game, too. (c/o The Chronicle Herald)

These players have mad skillz. (c/o Fighting for Stanley)

Media taking off from what Tim Thomas did. (c/o Boston Herald)

The All-Star Game in Columbus next year! (c/o The Lantern)

What's happenin' with Sidney? (c/o Montreal Gazette)

At least this match was longer than the last one. (c/o Yahoo!'s MMA Cage-writer)

So, there is promise with watching futbol in the United States. (c/o EPL Talk)

Lying just to get people to like you more is pure bad PR, folks. (c/o Deutche-Welle)

Landon > Clint in FA Cup. (c/o Toffeeweb)

In a matter of days, Liverpool dispatched Manchester City in one cup competition and Manchester United in another cup competition. Satisfaction, guaranteed. (c/o Yorkshire Post & London Telegraph)

Can the FA Cup become their version of the Super Bowl? (c/o San Francisco Chronicle)

Bad blood continues between two London clubs. (c/o The Daily Mail)

Tiger ran into a Rock in Abu Dhabi. (c/o Chicago Tribune)

Guy needs a break. Hope he is healthy next year. (c/o Charleston Post & Courier)

Lebron bikes to work and jumps over people. (c/o CBS Sports & Pippen Ain't Easy)

Here is something to sing at 5'o clock in the morning.

5-Hour Energy and the PBA's Powerade Tigers

H/T to Brosi Gonzales for this celebratory photo of the Tigers

I finally got the opportunity to watch the PBA Finals live for the first time last night. It was Game Three of the Best of Seven PBA All-Filipino Finals involving the defending champions a.k.a Heavyweights Talk N' Text Tropang Texters and the 8th-seed a.k.a. Underdogs Powerade Tigers. TNT had a 2-0 lead over Powerade and no PBA or even a NBA team has escaped from a 3-0 deficit.




It was not surprising that the games have been hi-scoring. Powerade's identity has been to be aggressive and pick up the pace, sort of what Golden State does.They love pushing the tempo and shooting the lights out. TNT on the other hand, can play that way or play slow (just ask Petron). The Tropang Texters' depth allows them to play any way that Coach Chot Reyes wants them to.

Game 3 showed what Powerade really is. Powerade is like someone who is on 5-Hour Energy. The team is always on the go, seems to be always high on adrenalin and plays all out. And then, once it wears off, they sort of wilt and fade away, running out of gas.

That spurt at the end of the 3rd (because I missed the 1st quarter and the early 2nd) showed what Powerade can do. They run up the court, they slash and they love to shoot. The run was initially anchored by Marcio Lassiter, who finished with 25 pts. It seemed as though the Tigers will finally nail that first win in the series, as Sean Anthony and Gary David were on a roll with their offense.

Their strength lies with their core players and rely on them they did. Their starters (Lassiter, JVee Casio, David, Anthony and Doug Kramer) all accrued at least 40 minutes of court time in a 53 minute game. Romel Adducul was the only other guy who played more than 6 or 7 minutes, playing 24, either subbing or playing alongside Kramer down low. And that took a toll on the team, with Anthony eventually fouling out and the team starting to miss shots, save for that miracle of JVee to force OT. Once the extra period came, the depth of the champions took hold and eventually got them the win. TNT had 7 players in double figures, led by Larry Fonacier's 25.

One might say that it was Powerade's best shot at winning (see the stats) and yet they fell short. One might say that they are done, but these Tigers have bucked the odds since the start of the season, why not do it one more time, right? As what Jaemark Tordecikka remarked on Twitter, they are harder to kill than some zombie in the Walking Dead.

The Wiz picked the Wrong Guy

The Washington Wizards are a sad sack of a franchise as of the moment. They are at 2-15, which is the worst record in the NBA. They finally made the inevitable move to fire Flip Saunders after an embarrassing loss against Philadelphia and after team captain Andray Blatche pretty much threw him under the bus with his comments.

Sure, they selected Randy Wittman to replace him, probably because he already had previous head coaching stops, but that is the a "meh" hire. Ted Leonsis wanted to make a splash and make sure Washington is relevant in the Association. This move won't allow you to do that.

What would? Having Sam Cassell coach the team would. The 42-yr old two-time NBA Champion is currently an assistant with the team. Besides, he would be a quote machine given his reputation during his playing days.

The Wizards need a total shakeup. The team is young. Maurice Evans is the oldest guy on the team. And he's 33. Your next oldest guy is Rashard Lewis, who is 32 and spent 13 years in the NBA, the most in the team. Only four guys (Evans, Lewis, Ronny Turiaf,  Roger Mason) are over the age of 26. Its lottery pick, Jan Vesely, has played in only 10 games, averaging under 12 minutes, not reflecting the reputation that precedes him. Your key players have somewhat regressed. It's really a mess.

Leonsis preaches on the nation's capital becoming a destination. I don't think Randy Wittman would make people want to go there. It might be if Sam I Am was, and if he could run the team the way the team had been constructed.

Blog Outsourcing - January 23, 2012

Welcome to The Morning After.

Today marks the Lunar a.k.a. Chinese New Year, where 2012 marks the Year of the Dragon.

The Chinese calendar has an animal for the 12 years that comprise the cycle, as seen below:

The Dragon: 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012  
The Snake: 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001

The Horse: 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002
The Sheep: 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003
The Monkey: 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004
The Rooster: 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005
The Dog: 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006
The Pig: 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007
The Rat: 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008
The Ox: 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009
The Tiger: 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010
The Rabbit: 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011

You can go here to check what this year lies ahead for you.

Here forth are the links to keep you busy after the jump.
The New York Football Giants remain undefeated in NFC Championship Games. (c/o New York Daily News)

The New England Patriots earned the right to atone for the botched opportunity at perfection, depriving the Giants the chance to atone for their own missed opportunity. (c/o Washington Post)

If you're a Patriot, you have to be ready to do virtually anything. (c/ Boston Globe)

Chip pulled a Billy Donovan? (c/o The Register-Guard)

Sweatervest in Indy blue on the sidelines? (c/o Ology)

The Dolphins have their man, but will they have him? (c/o Miami Herald & ProFootball Talk)

Re-engineering the Auburn offense is tasked for this guy. (c/o Columbia Ledger-Enquirer)

You beat both Duke and North Carolina? You must be good, Florida State. (c/o Yahoo!'s The Dagger)

And then, there is only one, thanks to Notre Dame (c/o Murray Ledger & CBS Sports).

Closure for the Todd O'Brien case. Sadly. (c/o Birmingham News)

Who is Fausto Carmona? (c/o Hardball Talk)

From Moneyball to Mannyball. (c/o San Jose Mercury News)

Carlos Pena redux. (c/o Technorati)

What would Yu do? (c/o Nolan Writin')

Red Sox seeking salary relief. Who knew? (c/o Firebrand of the American League)

Serena says adios. (c/o The West Australian)

Hope vanished. (c/o The Sweet Science)

Here is something to keep you waiting.

Could Pacquiao-Mayweather finally happen?

All we need is for Floyd's camp to confirm this conversation. This match needs to happen.

(h/t to @tigastorres for theYouTube clip)

Just do it, Bob Arum, Leonard Ellerbe. Do it. For the sake of the sport.

Update: it has been confirmed. Now the world awaits.

The USA Basketball Shortlist

The finalists as to who will be comprising the Olympic Team competing in London has been named. Here are their names in alphabetical order:

LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland Trail Blazers)
Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks)
Chauncey Billups (Los Angeles Clippers)
Chris Bosh (Miami Heat)
Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers)
Tyson Chandler (New York Knicks)
Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies)
Eric Gordon (New Orleans Hornets)
Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers)
Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic)
Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers)
LeBron James (Miami Heat)
Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves)
Lamar Odom (Dallas Mavericks)
Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers)
Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls)
Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat)
Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Deron Williams (New Jersey Nets)




By grouping this will be the breakdown:

Bigs: LMA, Bosh, TC, Blake, Dwight, Love, Lamar (7)
Wings: Melo, Kobe, KD, Rudy, AI9, LeBron (6)
Guards: Chauncey, Eric, CP3, DRose, Wade, Russ, Deron (7)

The 2008 team a.k.a. Redeem Team looked like this:

Bigs: Boozer, Dwight, Bosh (3)
Wings: Lebron, Redd, Kobe, Prince, Melo (5)
Guards: Kidd, Deron, Wade, CP3 (4)

The 2010 team a.k.a. The B-Team / The Young Guns looked like this: 

Bigs: Love, Odom, Chandler (3)
Wings: KD, Gay, Iguodala, Granger (4)
Guards: Billups, Rose, Russ, Curry, Gordon (5)

My personal choice:

Bigs: Dwight, Love, Bosh (3)
Wings: LeBron, Kobe, KD, Iguodala, Melo (5)
Guards: CP3, Wade, Rose, Russ (4)

My biggest concern with this lineup is perimeter shooting. The previous two iterations had someone that you can say is a designated shooter (Redd in 2008, Curry in 2010). Still, imagine the talent on that lineup for a second. They are heavily favored to retain the title considered by many as a virtual American birthright.

Blog Outsourcing - 1/16/12 edition

Greetings and welcome to the weekly Morning After, where someone tries to remind you what you could have missed.

The iconic boxer of his generation, and probably most of ours, Muhammad Ali, will be celebrating his 70th birthday this week. The heavyweight champion attended an advanced birthday party for him in his hometown in Louisville. That party also served as a fund raiser for the Ali Center, a educational and cultural complex, where it will be an illustration of his legacy both inside and outside of the squared circle.

He may have been ravaged by Parkinson's, but he is still an inspiration and a legend.

Here forth are the links after the jump and staring at another meme pic from me:

The NFC Championship Game has a retro late 1980s feel to it. On one end, there is this nice little pun of a rhyme: (c/o New York Times' 5th Down)

Brees be nimble, Brees be quick, Brees can't win at Candlestick. (c/o Niner Noise)

The other end just made good on a guarantee, something we already covered earlier in the week. (c/o Newark Star-Ledger)

The AFC Championship Game is what can be said is an opportunity. (c/o Baltimore Sun)

On one end, Denver got Gronk'd. (c/o Sporting News)

Not your time, yet, Houston. (c/o Sports Illustrated)

Jaguars (c/o Jacksonville Daily Record) and Falcons (c/o The Falcoholic) "trade" their Offensive Coordinators.

Could officiating be a full-time job? (c/o ProFootball Talk)

Does Pioli have the same shady routine, too? (c/o Larry Brown Sports)

One quarterback is staying, while another is going. (c/o Baxter Bulletin & Oregonian)

Derek Dooley got his man to run the Vols D. (c/o Rocky Top Talk)

This has to be a ploy for a raise, right? (c/o Crimson & Cream Machine)

The Urban renewal continues. Out with the old, in with the new. (c/o The Lantern & The Buckeye Battle Cry)

JoePa tells all. (c/o Washington Post)

All that is needed here are pitchforks and torches. (c/o Philadelphia Inquirer)

Evisceration in Tallahassee. Not what you think, though. (c/o Miami Herald)

Probably the only downer for the Bossman this weekend. (c/o The Only Colors)

More drama in the Fine mess. (c/o Gothamist)

Pitching issues resolved, and that's with AJ Burnett. (c/o CBS Sports)

This is going down the wire. Will there be a clutch performance from somebody? (c/o Hardball Talk)

The Pujols rule being adopted by Josh Hamilton. (c/o MLB Daily Dish)

Will this Bud be for you? (c/o Forbes)

It's all your fault. (c/o The Boxing Scene)

Interesting backstory with the Aussie Open already underway. (c/o London Telegraph & The Roar)

MMA fun in Rio. (c/o AlphaKick)


Since there will be a Korean team coming to the Motherland:

The King has returned.

He's back. Albeit for a short while, but it's quite magical to see his return to the stadium he helped build.

Blog Outsourcing - January 9, 2011 edition

Welcome to the latest edition of The Morning After on The Victory Formation.

So, later today, the BBWAA will be announcing who will make it to the Hall of Fame. Rules are quite simple. You only have a limit of 10 people to select.

Who would I vote? The pool to select can be seen here.

I would vote the DH's: Raines and Edgar. The latter was THE name when it came to the Designated Hitter pre-Papi.

I would vote Larkin, Bagwell, Bernie and Larry Walker in. Veterans who defined themselves with their respectives franchises (Reds, Astros, Yankees, Rockies)

I would vote McGwire, Palmeiro in, because you saw for yourself in his playing career that they warrant it, in spite of the allegations.

Who is in yours, then?

Here forth are the links to catch you up after the jump.
The Saints went marching in. (c/o New Orleans Times-Picayune)

Breakthrough win for Houston. (c/o Sportsrageous)

Big Blue scored all 26 points today. (c/o New York Daily News)

Tim Tebow throws 316 in 10 completions. Steelers get Tebow'd. (c/o Denver Post)

Think before you click, Aaron Berry. (c/o Yahoo!'s Shutdown Corner)

One Republic sang this... It's too late to apologize... It's too late... (c/o ProFootball Talk)

Tebow now faces the man who drafted him next. (c/o Washington Post)

Where to, Jeff Fisher? (c/o Turf Show Times)

Jim Irsay looks certain already. (c/o Waiting for Next Year)

James Harrison also issues kill shots to receivers. (c/o NFL)

New era in Penn State football. (c/o Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

He's a man. He's gonna be f'n rich. (Enid News)

Kobe can easily determine the people he knows have his competitive gene. (c/o Black Sports Online)

Is there still a chance at a split title? (c/o Team Speed Kills)

Was he worth it for UCF? (c/o Florida Today)

Ouch for the Hilltoppers. (c/o SportsGrid)

One less unbeaten squad, thanks to the Wildcats. (c/o Topeka Capital-Journal)

And then there were two? (c/o Baseball Nation)

After fishing, time to do some extending. (c/o Halo Hangout)

Floyd pulls off another great escape. (c/o Fighters)

Really annoyed with Bob Arum. (c/o Opposing Views)

Bitterness remains in the City of Manchester. (c/o Herald Sun)

High stakes in the next round of the FA Cup. (c/o The Guardian)

The Blaugranas squandered an opportunity. (c/o El Centrocampista)

Time to get your Aussie Open on. The seedings. (c/o Bloomberg)

This is an ode to Lefty.

Twitter and the Student-Athlete

I always believed in the context of free speech and its expressive nature. So the recent move by newly-minted Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer to bar his student athletes from using social media is eyebrow-raising.

I understand the premise and the need for the move. After all, we have seen too many scenarios where these student-athletes get into trouble because of what he said and all. In fact, it's not just on social media. Remember when the brawl at the Crosstown Shootout took place, when after the game, Tu Holloway decided to use his "gangsta" bit in the post-game press conference? It illustrates that there is a dire need instead of banning the tool, one should instead educate them on the use and its repercussions, because after all, they are representing the institution that they play for, no matter if they put a disclaimer on the top.

I love tweeting, and so do most of the writers here at TVF. We enjoy how helpful this tool has been for everyone. Some more than others. (You probably know who that particular person is already) As always, one should always be prepared to handle the responsibility of wielding this instrument. As such, I leave you with this reminder.

Think Before You Click.

More Details on the #SendongCharityGame

On January 7, 2011 at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium and televised on Studio 23, the Dili kamo nag-iisa charity football match will take place. It will involve Tercera Division side CF Internacional de Madrid, a club that is currently twelth in their table.

The lineup for the locals, dubbed as Azkals Alyansa for this match, which is an mix of players from the national side and from the United Football League are as follows:

Goalkeepers: Eduard Sacapaño (Army Fritz & Maciol), Edmundo Mercado, Jr. (Philippine Air Force Phoenix FC), Paolo Pascual (Global FC)

Defenders: Roel Gener (Army Fritz & Maciol), Roxy Dorlas (Loyola Meralco Sparks FC), Ange Tressor-Guisso (Global FC), Yves Ashime (Pachanga FC), Martin Doctora (Philippine Air Force Phoenix FC), Anton del Rosario (Kaya Cignal FC), Jerry Barbaso (Global FC)

Midfielders: Emelio Caligdong (Philippine Air Force Phoenix FC), Misagh Bahadoran (Global FC), Valentine Kama (Global FC), Angel Guirado (Global FC), Carli de Murga (Racing Club Portuense), Lexton Moy (Kaya Cignal FC), James Younghusband (Loyola Meralco Sparks FC)

Attackers: Phil Younghusband (Loyola Meralco Sparks FC), Ian Araneta (Philippine Air Force Phoenix FC), Nate Burkey (Kaya Cignal FC), Ojay Clariño(University of Santo Tomas)

Philippine Air Force Phoenix head man Edward Cabalida will be handling the squad, whose UFL Cup Winning Squad will be having a separate friendly with the Spaniards at a yet to be determined date and time. The Spaniards also are scheduled to have a friendly with the senior women's national side on January 6, from 7-9pm at the newly built Bonifacio Global City turf field. That info came from Malditas captain Marielle Benitez.

Prohibited items for the charity match are as follows:

Cigarettes and lighters
Laser pens and pointers
Weapons and/or sharp objects
Candles, fireworks, or any type of pyrotechnics
Glass bottles, PET bottles, cans, and hard plastic containers
Posters, banners, and signage with any politics slogans or advertising without explicit Local Organizing Committee approval
Alcoholic beverages
Illegal drugs
Large chains, spike bracelets, wallet chains, metal belt buckles
Balloons Chairs

Waivers needed for Pregnant women and for Parents of children below 12 years old

As part of the activity, the classic chant of Liverpool FC supporters and other clubs, Gerry and the Peacemakers' You'll Never Walk Alone, will be sung. Here's the actual song with lyrics so that you can sing along.

Tickets for friendly are already available. Kindly check your nearest Ticketworld outlet.

Soccer Central Philippines will let you know more details when we have the information available.

Blog Outsourcing - 1/2/12 edition

Welcome to the New Year. Welcome to The Victory Formation in 2012.

A new year brings optimism and positivity. Such is needed when you have been challenged. Whether through serious matters to frivolous ones, or from pertinent issues or trivial campaigns, the new year allows us to reset and start again from scratch. If you have been through a great moment, it's an opportunity to exceed it or at least maintain the level. Otherwise, it is a means to forget about the frustrations and leave them all behind. So go forth and make the year yours.

Here forth are the posts to make your day:

So, Aaron Rodgers is a system QB? Matt Flynn was even better (don't mind that it was a small sample size). (c/o Lombardi Ave.)

Apparently these Niners can score, too. They earned that first-round bye. (c/o Chico Enterprise-Record)

Saints made sure Tom Brady could not touch the passing record. (c/o New Orleans Pro Football) After seeing Matt Flynn torch the Lions...

Victor Cruz issuing the last dance. (c/o Newark Star-Ledger)

Talk about some Angry Birds. (c/o Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

The Pats are once again on top of the AFC because this game mirrored the Bills' season. (c/o Pats Pulpit)

The Ravens secured the other bye. Still, the Bengals backdoored their way into the postseason, saving Marvin Lewis yet again. (c/o Purple Chaos)

Cortland Finnegan and Houston definitely do not mix. This division title saved Gary Kubiak. (c/o CultureMap Houston)

The powers of Tebow did not work against Kansas City (c/o Kansas City Star).

The powers of Tebow was instead directed to the Black Hole. (San Jose Mercury News)

John Skelton has a better record as a starter to Tebow. Yes. John Skelton. (c/o Arizona Republic)

The Andrew Luck sweepstakes has begun in Indianapolis. (c/o Indianapolis Star)

Nice to know that they resigned him over Braylon. (c/o Gang Green Nation)

Don't think they should be firing him. (c/o ProFootballTalk)

Oh, NBC gets screwed out of Tebow. Again. (c/o Yahoo! Sports)

Remember the Alamo Bowl. (c/o Houston Chronicle)

Nick Holt will definitely remember the bowl. (c/o Rant Sports)

Sooners did not need a camera to help in dispatching the Hawkeyes. (c/o The Score)

Dabo is the Dodd winner. (c/o Miami Herald)

Are they aware the mediocrity of the Hoodie's coaching descendants? (c/o Boston Herald)

It is intriguing how you can put fiscal value onto a football season. (c/o Forbes)

Oh, this will make the upcoming draft the new "Manning versus Leaf" debate. (CBS Sports)

White Sox shufflin' of Carlos and Jason. (c/o Call to the Pen & Jays' Journal)

H-O-R-S-E shot for the win. This is the YouTube clip. (c/o Staten Island Live)

Nice time lapse. (c/o Kentucky Athletics)

Upset in Manchester. Twice. (c/o Daily Express & Herald Sun)

To part, here is the story of music in 2011, mixed just the way you like it.