College Football Shufflin'

What we all have been waiting for. The Aggie SECession has begun. The irony of it all, today is also the deadline for the transfer window in futbol in Europe. After the pilfering of the Big Ten and the Pac-12, this is the next step in evolution, baby.

Because Everyday I'm Shufflin...  

Why the Gunner Refund made sense

Got this from the Arsenal Website

I actually got the chance to watch the Manchester United versus Arsenal massacre at a local bar with a few of my friends. Most of them were Red Devils fans, but there were a few who proudly wore their Gunners' shirt.(I personally like the blue hue version, see after the jump)

Manchester United could virtually do no wrong during that match. Rooney nabbed a hat trick, and off-season acquisition Ashley Young had a couple of sweet goals. Although David De Gea allowed two goals, he saved a penalty that current Gunner captain Robin van Persie could have been taken better. 

What was admirable was how the Gooners showed their support to the team amidst the disappointment in seeing how they were outplayed by the 19-time champions. They deserved better. That is something not lost in the new American ownership. Stan Kroenke, in possibly a way to get into the good graces of the North London fanbase, decided on rewarding those who made the trip to Old Trafford by giving them a free ticket to an away game. Can you imagine other sports doing the same thing?

Ostensibly, the next step is to find the players. In that sense, that's up to Arsene Wenger. It's just matchday 3 in the season. Maybe this break (no games scheduled this weekend due to the Euro 2011 qualifiers) might serve him and the team well.

Blog Outsourcing - 8/29/11 edition

Hello! Welcome to the latest edition of The Victory Formation.

I hope everyone in the Eastern Seaboard of the United States is just fine. If you were hiding in a cave, Hurricane Irene was passing by during the weekend, wrecking havoc in the sporting weekend. Meanwhile, in the Motherland, Typhoon Nanmadol (known locally as Typhoon Mina) made its way to the northern portion of the island of Luzon. You can see how the typhoon went here:

It rained hard here, though.

Here forth are the links after the jump:
Manchester is better than North London. The blue side does something (c/o Daily Star), but the red side does them better (c/o Zonal Marking).

Considering that Sir Alex was very complimentary about Arsene earlier in the week, (c/o The Guardian)
It has been definitely one humiliating week for the Frenchman. (c/o BBC News)

Read what a Gooner thinks of the current mess. (c/o Online Gooner)

Seeing that game justified what Fabio Capello just did. (c/o Soccerway)

Serie A on ice. (c/o Soccer Central Philippines) Real Madrid start the season in style. (c/o Managing Madrid)

Champions League > Europa League. Not bad for Cesc Fabregas. In 9 days after joining FC Barcelona, he has won two Cups. (c/o The Offside: Barcelona)

Only Usain Bolt can stop Usain Bolt. (c/o The First Post)

That is an awesome nickname, Oscar. (c/o Opposing Views)

Lep wins a cycling event out in the mountains. (c/o Denver Post)

Missed UFC in Rio. Must have been a riot. (c/o Bloody Elbow)

With Floyd, there is always something happening. (c/o Doghouse Boxing)

If i missed something, someone will always update us all. After all the rain, I just want to be at the beach...

The Shanghai Sevens

With all the sporting fervor going on in the country, from football to dragon boat racing to the staple of basketball and the anonymity of softball, it is about time that another sport take its place.

We know more about the Philippine Rugby team with their Guadalupe billboard that apparently offended the sensibilities of certain people. It's time and an opportunity to show our countrymen what they can do. Amidst the lack of attention, they have been relatively successful.

This weekend, they will be participating in the first leg of the HSBC Asian Sevens Series, the Shanghai Sevens. Played at Yuanshen Stadium, it pits our Volcanoes against these teams: China, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Chinese-Taipei, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand, UAE and Sri Lanka. On the distaff side, China, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan and Thailand will be facing each other.

The concept of supporting our country should always be wholehearted. No ifs and buts. Not just because of something, but because it is all about playing for the flag.

$28.9 Million

Yes, we can hear the ka-chings from here.

Are you really worth that much, Samuel? That's the question. Can you prove it on the frozen tundra of Russia, specifically Dagestan? I certainly hope so.

Sometimes, you overspend just to get the attention of people, a sort of flexing of muscle / clout. Let's see what you got, Suleiman Kerimov of Anzhi Makhachkala.

Blog Outsourcing - 8/22 edition

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of The Victory Formation.

The problem with futbol as of late has been that the clubs "buy" their way to secure success, but at the expense of their own fiscal stability. In other words, they eschew the bottom line for on-field success. There needs a balance between a club's financial viability vis-a-vis the quest for victory. The smart teams get that. But others, because of their wallets that are virtually endless, some owners use the power of the blank checkbook. But if you are a Russian oligarch or a relative of someone with petrodollars, hey, you're not THAT worried. That's why UEFA decided to put in a fairness scheme of their own.

Here forth are the links to make your week after the jump:
Is Samuel Eto'o worth all that moolah? Really? (c/o Forbes)

Meanwhile, Juan Mata is making his way to Stamford Bridge. (c/o International Business Times)

Crisis at the Emirates. (c/o London Telegraph)

When will the Luka Modric drama end... (c/o The Sun)

There was non-UFC action out there... (c/o Cagepotato)

Floyd speaks... (c/o Bad Left Hook)

Hmmm... Pacquiao just fired his accounting. (c/o Asian Correspondent) Must be the backlash from this move by HP. (c/o Engadget)

No Clijsters in Flushing Meadows. (c/o Sportsrageous)

One man has locked his spot in the Chase. (c/o Technorati)

Peace of mind for JT III? (c/o New York Times)

LSU with another entry in the Fulmer Cup. (c/o Opelousas Daily World)

Shapiro and Nutt (c/o Sporting News)

Au revoir, Chris Drury. (c/o New York Times' Slap Shot)

Here, have a fix of the NBA (well, kind of, sorta) (c/o Hoopsvibe)

Boras client gets rich BEFORE he becomes a free agent. (c/o Halos Heaven)

Creative means of blaming Jim Hendry. (c/o Chicago Now)

Irsay's pulling our leg, right? There's no way, right? No way? (c/o ProFootball Talk)

Fan violence evokes more issues. (c/o San Francisco Chronicle)

Parting video: Got 20/20?

Philippine Sports, Inc.

With the Philippines being cash-strapped as it is, sports needs its patrons and supporters to chip in as most of the time, the government has other priorities that needs its funds more (which is why we need to right people to run our government, especially in those where money is involved).

Good thing there are people who do back the sport. As you can see, Pharma-Rex (the pharmaceutical company behind Cortal SQR) is the latest to provide financial support, as they held a press conference last Wednesday to formally announce their financial contribution to the sport. Most of media emphasized the addition of a couple of German-based players with Filipino descent, but the infusion of cash will definitely help in the development of the sport, especially since they helped with the Homeless World Cup team who will be in competition next week.

Probably the ones best known for assisting with sports has been Manny V. Pangilinan and his conglomerate. Most well known for being the chief force behind SMART-Gilas in basketball, MVP specifically set up his MVP Sports Foundation and SMART Sports for this.

Of course, with all the brouhaha involving our Dragon Boat team and their quest to defend their glory, Filipino-Chinese Tycoon Lucio Tan chipped in with his energy drink and his air carrier.

 

It sure feels like part and parcel of local sports needs corporate assistance. It's good that these kind-hearted souls see the value of doing their share in uplifting the name of the Filipino.

The Wandering Raul (?)

It took Bundesliga fiend Ryan Fenix (he of The Prawn Sandwich Brigade and contributor to Interaksyon fame) to tweet me earlier tonight about a rumor that is really hard to believe.

Try googling Bolton and Raul. Yup, the former Real Madrid goal scoring legend is being linked to a transfer to the Barclays Premier League. But when you look at it closely, it's actually another Premiership side, Blackburn Rovers, who are eyeing the all-time leading scorer in the UEFA Champions' League. Apparently, the new owners (Indian poultry giants Venky's) are keen on getting a "name" guy to backstop their franchise. Unfortunately, they seemed to have forgotten that this is 2011 and not the mid 2000s with their targets of David Beckham and Ronaldinho.

But seriously, that would be a personal treat for me if the man who wore #7 proudly for Los Galacticos gets a crack of scoring goals at the Reebok. Bolton manager Owen Coyle still needs to add an additional attacking piece to this motley crew, and that is already with the recent loan deal for Tuncay in place. And he knows it.

Considering the upcoming gauntlet that is about to take place (vs Manchester City, @ Liverpool, vs Manchester United, vs Norwich, @ Arsenal, vs Chelsea), we sure need some more ooomph. May the 4-0 thrashing they pulled on QPR be a good sign for the season ahead for my beloved Wanderers.

Blog Outsourcing 8/8 edition

Welcome to today's edition of The Victory Formation.

I just finished watching a documentary on the History Channel here that showed the Manila Hostage Crisis. It was almost a year ago today that the gruesome scenario took place. Ugh. I still am embarrassed with how the persons-in-charge handled it and the bad press the Motherland got and is still suffering from until now.

Here forth are the links after the jump:
The Community Shield is retained by Manchester United. (c/o The Guardian)

Let the bidding war for Wesley Sneijder commence. (Yahoo! Eurosport UK)

Who wants Michael Bradley? (c/o SoccerAmerica)

Jerryworld was a soccer stadium for a day. (c/o Barca Blaugranes)

Thanks for the memories at Old Trafford, Scholly. (c/o Big Apple Soccer)

August does not augur well for the Gunners. (c/o Mirror Football) Here lies the rest of the Champions League draw. (c/o Goal)

The Sun is hotter than Mercury. (c/o SB Nation Arizona)

Hey, it's the America's Cup. Sailing time. (c/o San Jose Mercury-News)

Yup. It has been 75 years since Jesse Owens and his legend and legacy. (c/o TeamUSA)

The triathlon is one punishing sport. (c/o Wall Street Journal) Considering that the Philippine Ironman is this weekend already...

Rashad Evans makes his return to the MMA scene. (c/o Heavy)

Here is what you should know about UFC 133. (c/o Bloody Elbow)

Fedor being let go. (c/o The Times and Democrat)

The odds keep getting iffy for the mega-fight we have been waiting since eternity. More likely that the venue will be a courtroom. (c/o Opposing Views). Meanwhile, it's time to get the hype going for PacMarq III. (c/o Philippine Daily Inquirer)

This gives hope for people with broken ankles everywhere. (c/o Pocono Record)

Life after Tiger is sweet for Steve Williams, when the tourney he won was also had Tiger in it. (c/o The Independent)

Should Donnie Nelson go after Bruce Pearl? (c/o The Two Man Game)

Where's Bubba? (c/o Kings of Kauffman)

Sean Avery in trouble again. (c/o TruthDive)

New ownership in the NBA whilst there is a lockout. (c/o Atlanta-Journal Constitution)

Hey look, Stephen Strasberg just pitched. (c/o Washington Times)

Canton welcomes its newest homies. (c/o New York Times' The Fifth Down)

Parting shot, because someone preferred I do not use 30 Seconds to Mars here.

Getting a Basketball Fix During the Lockout

I presume most of you got a good, make that great whiff of Kevin Durant's 66 points at the legendary Rucker Park. If you didn't, here, have some...

With the lockout probably going to be staying for a while, it might just make sense that the players locked out by the NBA find a way of getting in shape and getting ready in any case the season is somewhat salvaged. The best idea would be for those ProAm baller sessions to evolve and become a little bit of mainstream. Yup, those fabled Drew League, Goodman League, the secret baller sessions in LA that Bill Simmons was referring to at one point, the NC Pro-Am, etc.? It's an opportunity to showcase playground and streetball all across. Time to organize exhibition sessions all across the country. We can have 14 teams in this set up face each other.

Atlanta - Home to TNT. Black Hollywood?

Baltimore-Washington DC - You can have the team go with the vibe of "The Wire"

Charlotte - One can tap into the two differing shades of blue in town. Or Chris Paul.

Chicago - The City that Jordan built and currently maintained by Derrick.

Detroit - The Motor City Ballers have been a hotbed for Ann Arbor and East Lansing.

Houston - People generally flock to apprentice under Hakeem. Veteran former head coach John Lucas has a camp based there.

LA - The glitz and glam of Hollywood has its roots with playground ballers.They might have enough manpower for two teams under this set-up.

Lexington - I would presume the blue-bloods of the Commonwealth may want dibs in this little tourney.

NYC - The home of Rucker needs to be on this list. In fact you can probably have two teams, one from the city with 5 boroughs (a.k.a. the inner-city kids) and then the outskirts people can comprise the other team.

Oakland - Of course, NoCal needs to have representation 

Seattle - The 206 Ballers would have a couple of loudmouths in Nate Rob and the Jet. If you want to turn back the clock you can have the Glove there, too. Besides, it sort of rights a wrong. (The only way they can right that wrong is returning the Sonics there)


So, how can we spice this up? We can have the shoe companies (Nike and its underlings, Adidas, UnderArmour, Peak, etc) support it. Playground and streetball culture can also be rooted in the sneaker reputation. Nothing like advertising for the sneaker culture. It's also staying true to the a certain aspect of the sport that Stern wants to keep under wraps. I personally never liked the corporatization of the NBA athlete, but the Commish saw the aftermath of the Malice at the Palace and made draconian decisions that had to be done to restore the reputation.

Incentives? Well, there's cash. I know the sneaker companies have a lot of those. Of course, there's the reputation. You gotta rep your playground. Your domain.

I know this is a pipe dream, but I'd like for this to be a reality that the players might want to opt to if they do not want to go overseas.

Feeding Football to the Masses

Given the captivation Filipinos have for football as of late, what exactly is the next step to get people to be more interested in football?




The key would be to educate them about the game. Best way to do that? Well, that is to get them to watch more football. The more they watch, the more they get to learn. Add to that, educating them about the basics of the game, and it would be a fine way of having the sport inculcated on their minds.

What are the advantages of football as a television sport? For starters, it has fixed time limit. The game is 90 minutes long. You will have to incorporate extra time, which will not exceed ten minutes if you combine both the first half and the second half. Halftime can be short, plus a quick pregame and postgame and voila, it's pretty much limited to a couple of hours. In addition, there is no interruptions, so companies will have to be creative with regards to advertising (thus the long pregame for the Azkal matches just to put in the commercials). Compare that to baseball, who game is at the crossroads due to its length. With basketball, there is the break in play for timeouts that might be excruciatingly long, especially if it is a highly marketable match-up (i.e. Ateneo vs La Salle)

The idea for this post stems from this recent plug of TV5, through its sports network AkTV (IBC-13):

They are to be showing Barclays English Premier League and Bundesliga games on free television. Perusing through their calendar, they are to commence with the Bayern Munich vs Borussia M'gladbach game on Monday, August 8.Their first EPL match is Liverpool vs Sunderland on Sunday, August 14.

Although it is not live, (the BM vs BM actually commences on August 7, 1130pm and LFC vs Sun actually starts 10pm of August 13) the idea of showing top quality football on local television (not just cable) is a great way of showcasing the sport to people who not necessarily can watch the event. ABS-CBN also did that with its football coverage (via Studio23). Now, if we can get local football to be shown live, is going to be the next step. Getting more people involved with the sport means people become more aware and people become smarter and better in tune with the game.

Moss'd Out

Is it really the end for him?

Here are his career stats, as per Football-Reference.

Played in 202 games over 13 seasons for four teams (Minnesota twice, Oakland, New England and Tennessee), starting 191 of them. He caught 954 balls (eighth-most) for 14858 yards (fifth-most) and 153 receiving touchdowns (second-most).

Was the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1998. Named to seven Pro Bowls and four All-Pro teams.

Now that Jerry Rice has finally made it to the Hall of Fame, it's finally time for a wide receiver to get in on his first try. When Randy becomes eligible for the call-up, he certainly has earned the right for a bust in Canton. He's the guy whom you groomed Darrelle Revis and Nnamdi Asomugha to shadow.There would not have been the concept of the Randy Ratio without his skill set.

***

It has been a while since I went out and produced this kind of content. The "day" job has been a little taxing, plus my other writing engagement has been a little demanding on the content. I do hope that I get to write more stuff here, besides the one here.

Blog Outsourcing - August 1 edition

Welcome to the latest edition of The Victory Formation

The baseball trade deadline came and went. Football signings are afoot. Things are in sync. Except for the baller in me. There is still no basketball in the foreseeable future in the United States. It's disappointing, but I still need my normal updates on basketball. By this time, there should be discussion on the Association, like some summer league action.

I was also a little disappointed because our football team exited out of the 2014 World Cup. Sure, we played a tough opponent, but we had our chances and we muffed those. Nothing else to it. We'll be better at it and Moscow beckons for us.

On the other hand, my alma mater is 5-0. And that is a very awesome feeling.


Here forth are the links after the jump:



So, how did the SMART Ultimate All-Star Weekend came about? (c/o Grantland)

Is Lawrence Frank the answer or simply another question? (c/o MSU State News)


FIBA clears the NBA players to play given the lockout. (c/o Peninsula is Mightier)

Kobe Bryant is open to the idea of playing elsewhere. (c/o Washington Post)  He also has some futbol skills, too. (c/o Larry Brown Sports)

Bring back the Sonics, Stern. They definitely have more offense than the Mariners. (c/o Hardwood Paroxysm)

Duke committed a possible recruiting violation? (c/o Lost Lettermen)

The final cast for the University Games for USA Basketball is almost set. (c/o Nation of Blue)

Tar Heel football might get worse before it gets better. (c/o Sports Grid)

You reap what you recruit, Zooker. (c/o College Football Talk)

What exactly what the Pac-12 Network entail? (c/o Statesman Journal)

So, Cody Green wants the Golden Hurricane instead. (c/o Tulsa World)

Persa strong? (c/o Heisman Pundit)

Nope, Heath Shuler is not coming through that door. (c/o Tennessean)

Tiger! Tiger! Tiger! Oi! Oi! Oi! (c/o The West Australian)

5 majors already. (c/o The Daily Democrat)

The Brickyard in NASCAR. (c/o NASCAR Insiders)

Jenson marks his 200th race the way he wants it, a win. (c/o Scottish Daily Record)

Serena wins tournaments. (c/o San Francisco Chronicle)

The end for Fedor arriving? (c/o 5th Round)

X Games happened. (c/o ESPN)

Interesting Draw (c/o Sambafoot), but you spent this amount for 100 minutes? (c/o Daily Mirror) Hmmm...

The end has arrived for Bob Bradley. (c/o GazetteNet) And here comes Juergen Klinsmann. (c/o Shin Guardian)

The Special One gets a good break. (c/o Football FanCast)

Futbol really gaining a foothold in the United States. (c/o Washington Times)

New York Red Bulls with a trophy to take home. (c/o Tribal Football) But there was supposed to be a plan to allow Thierry Henry to play for Arsenal for 5 minutes. (c/o Vital Football)

The ticking time bomb (c/o Crunch Sports) that is Mario Balotelli. (c/o The Guardian) Yup, that guy did this recently:

There were some trades... More discussion on The Boxscore later. (c/o Weekly Hit Ground Ball)

Where do you go now, Terrelle? (c/o Mocking the Draft)

Plax to the Green Side of New York. (c/o The National)

Now why would you walk out on a team? (c/o NFL Spin Zone)

To part, these guys were just here this past weekend.