Nothing is safe. Not even the sanctity of a "state-of-the-art" facility, as a break-in of a locker room took place while the team was playing on the court. What was worse was that the coaching staff not only lost belongings, but also the game.
The venue and its management has had a rough week, not only having to deal with that, but also with this move by Sting.
Meanwhile, you'll never ever see Transformers the same again after watching this clip.
Here forth are the links after the jump.
John Farrell for Mike Aviles. Fair trade for the 46th manager of the Red Sox? (c/o Toronto Globe and Mail)
A-Rod can no longer relate with Al Capone. (c/o Baseball Think Factory)
The Diamondbacks reshuffle on the field and in the booth. (c/o Rising Apple and AZCentral)
List of players on ice to kick off season grows longer, with Dallas, Golden State and New York showing concern. (c/o CBS Sports, San Jose Mercury News and Sporting News)
Davidson stays, College of Charleston goes. (c/o Rant Sports and Gant Daily)
He has been cleared, but they haven't. Also this guy. (c/o Lexington Herald-Leader, Los Angeles Times and College Basketball Talk)
Welcome to the latest edition of The Morning After.
I am sure you had your fill of football. You missed it like heck. You love it like your significant other. May this be the beginning of something great.
Here forth is the Storify I did for this week after the jump.
To part, here is Coldplay closing out the Paralympics.
Hello and hope your Bastille Day weekend went well.
I managed to get a taste of witnessing my first-ever Mixed Martial Arts event last Saturday night. I have been always accustomed to watching them on the television, on a delayed basis, too. But, thanks to some people I know, I managed to get in and see for myself what exactly goes on in such an event, considering that this could also be ongoing in boxing, too.
The event I watched is PXC 31. Its main event featured someone named Crisanto Pitpitunge becoming the 2nd ever homegrown Filipino to become a PXC champion, issuing a knockout victory on the former titleholder Justin Cruz in the bantamweight division. Seeing what goes on behind the scenes and looking around at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig was an interesting thing to observe on Saturday night.
Meanwhile, the UAAP opened it's 75th Season this weekend. Host National University, led by former Georgia Tech recruit Bobby Ray Parks, jr., issued a 90-55 beating over the University of the East. However, my alma mater also issued a 73-57 victory in their quest for a fifth straight crown in men's basketball. We face them this weekend.
Here forth are the links after the jump. Borat's Mankini as prom wear? (c/o Buzzfeed)
Greetings and welcome to the latest edition of The Morning After.
Shocked. Surprised. In awe. That happened after Michael Buffer announced the decision. Considering the statistics, conversations and observations all across the timelines, Timothy Bradley, Jr. remains undefeated.
When the winner himself says that he himself was not sure and wanted to watch tape, something is definitely amiss. This will definitely be worse if Manny Pacquiao had decided to not take the high road.
Let's see if Timothy will take the same path.
Here forth are the links after the jump. What a way to open Euro 2012. (c/o National Post)
The Group of Death that makes the previous Groups-of-Death come alive. (c/o Sportige)
The Croats take advantage of the titanic clash. (c/o The Scotsman)
The final group of teams in the Euro 2012 kicks off later. Here is what to expect. (c/o The Hard Tackle)
There was a interesting segment within ESPN's Euro 2012 telecast detailing a dark portion of the region's history. (c/o The Independent)
82,000 at the Metlife Stadium. Very neat, eh. (c/o New York Times)
Sometimes, the best advertising ideas come from people you don't expect. Ever since the lockout that put a kibosh to an entire season, it has not been the same for the National Hockey League. They needed a spark of an idea, especially since tWWL has not been really THAT helpful in advertising the product. After all, they cast their lot with Comcast / NBC. Maybe an 11-yr old kid would do the trick.
(h/t Barry Petchesky a.k.a. @barryap1 of Deadspin for the tweet containing the photo)
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)
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)
Welcome to today's edition of The Victory Formation.
First of all, thanks to P@ and Jen for the message they left on Facebook. Much appreciated.
I read here that someone was whining about the rain they had during the weekend. Well, the past few days have been a little rough on my end. I even got a case of the sniffles right now. But I need to remain healthy and stay the course. I have to focus because I need to be in tip-top shape for the week ahead. On Wednesday, the Philippines will be facing off in the 2014 World Cup Qualifier against Sri Lanka. Me and my friends will go to a sports bar to watch this in the afternoon. This Sunday, we will be hosting them and hopefully, I can secure media accreditation to cover this event.
Here forth are the links you requested after the jump.
So, how did Mexico win their 5th Gold Cup? (c/o Zonal Marking)
Unbelievable. Imagine the Boston Celtics getting sent to the D-League. That just happened in Argentina. (c/o Toronto Sun)
Spanish dominance extends to their Under-21 squad. (c/o London Telegraph)
The Women's World Cup has already commenced. (c/o San Francisco Chronicle) The United States will make their 1st match tomorrow against North Korea. They are definitely under pressure.
Apparently, there are concerns over World Cup preparedness. And we just had the event last year. (C/o Sambafoot)
Football trying its darndest to eliminate acting. Other sports *cough*basketball*cough* should take heed. (c/o The Union Leader)
Just so you know, this is what GITC is doing... (c/o Guy in the Corner)
Really great piece by Chad Ford on Jimmy Butler (c/o ESPN)
Mutant Russian Mark Cuban wants to be a political kingpin (c/o Gant Daily).
Nene is a free agent. Sorry, Brazil. He needs to ensure he gets paid. And he will be. (c/o SB Nation Denver)
Why would David West turn down the extension? (c/o Thunderous Intentions)
Odds are the lockout might be here to stay. (c/o Tuscon Citizen)
Now the national nightmare of Scottie Pippen can end now. (c/o Sportsgrid)
Welcome to today's edition of The Victory Formation.
I am sure everyone was looking forward to the rapture moment the other day. The world was looking forward to whether the world was going to end or how epically bad it was going to become. It even spawned lots and lots of memes, from confessions to playlists to even views on fave videos on Youtube. Unfortunately, the day came and went, and pretty much no cataclysmic event occurred. And so, the man who "cried wolf," then goes incommunicado, probably embarrassed that his prediction did not push through.
Considering that we were ahead of most readers time zone wise, I sort of was anticipating what was to happen to us, last Saturday, at 6pm. Nothing happened, although I was watching these ladies perform and do their thing, I'd die happy if if it really ended on that moment.
Here forth are links to make your morning.
First up, some local news. Oddly enough, I did not feel an earthquake late last night. Must be really dense. (c/o Philippine Star) Not only that, there is a storm in the midst (c/o Philippine Daily Inquirer).
Only in the Philippines, where a prisoner actually gets a "vacation" (c/o GMA News)
Football preparations well underway for our World Cup Qualifier being slightly over a month away. (c/o GMA News)
Manny Pacquiao does not want you to use condoms. (c/o Fire Quinito) Meanwhile, he already has something lined up for November (c/o San Antonio Express) and it is not this guy (c/o Underdog Boxing). He is already earmarked for Glee, by the way. (c/o ABS-CBN News)
Bernard Hopkins still knows how to throw barbs, and not just the ones he threw at Donovan McNabb. (c/o Bragging Rights Corner). Chad Dawson is the next hurdle, I presume (c/o Boxing News 24).
On the other hand, it's time, Roy Jones, jr. It's time. Enough. (c/o Ball Junkie).
Oscar Dela Hoya needs to get things back in order. (c/o Daily Star)
Hey, got nothing to do due to the lockout, Ray Edwards goes the Zbikowski route. (c/o Shutdown Corner). On the other hand, Garrett Wolfe takes the Dez Bryant route and goes another notch. (c/o Bear Goggles On)
Tedy Bruschi successfully climbs Mt. Kilimanjaro. (c/o ESPN Boston)
Appy State might crash the BCS party. It'll take forever, though. Still remember how the pulled the rug at the Big House. (c/o College Football Talk)
The Lacrosse Final Four is complete. (c/o Washington Post) and one ended in clutch (SB Nation DC).
The Belmont Stakes lost luster, but the battle between Shackleford and Animal Kingdom might be the headline. (c/o Louisville Courier-Journal)
There was volleyball in the Preakness. (c/o Examiner)
The French Open has begun! (c/o Wall Street Journal) As such, it also gives me license to post this:
FC Porto is dominating Portugal (c/o Pravda) and Europe (c/o New York Times' Goal).
A French club ended their title drought that lasted as long as the San Francisco Giants. (c/o Football Fan Cast)
Why should Landon Donovan go to AS Roma? A guy gave 100 reasons. (c/o Sensible Soccer)
We know college football and how some teams handle Twitter, Manchester United might provide a template for professional clubs to go forth with. (c/o The Guardian)
Real Madrid and Philadelphia fans about make themselves comfy with each other. (c/o Yahoo!)
Adios to the Premiership for Birmingham (c/o Daily Mail). But for Blackpool, they might luckily get a European backdoor amidst their relegation (c/o Blackpool Gazette).
Roman Abramovich does not like failure. (c/o The London Telegraph)
Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooolllllllllllllllll! Ronaldo! (c/o Who Ate All The Pies)
Canada at the pole. (c/o Toronto Sun) Here are your 33 racers for the milk bottle (c/o Auto Racing Daily). Their Euro-based cousins had a race in Spain with Bassy dominatin'. (c/o The First Post)
Can the Iceman make the Montoya transition? (c/o Autoblog)
The slide downwards continues for Tiger Woods, and with that, so does golf's major relevance. (c/o ProGolf Talk)
Canucks just one game away from Lord Stanley's finals. (c/o Vancouver Sun)
The Bolts are around (c/o Slap Shot). And they made themselves known (c/o Boston Globe).
Because they do not understand this procedure, MLB thinks this is performance-enhancing. (c/o New York Daily News) And with the results Colon is showing, others want it, too. (c/o San Francisco Chronicle)
Cliff Lee shows the Rangers what they're missing. (c/o Dallas Morning News)
What lies in the immediate horizon for the Yankees: tempering Jose Bautista (c/o Newark Star-Ledger).
Is the cure for the Philly woes is with them all along? (c/o Philadelphia Sports Daily)
Fredi now has no worries on where Jason Heyward is in the batting order. (c/o Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Mavs lead Thunder after three games. (c/o Sports Illustrated)
NBA does the right thing and rescinded the Chandler tech after the James Harden acting job. (c/o Sportsgrid)
These are the kind of things that wrecked the Garnett-Starbury pairing in Minnesota. Can KD and Russ fix it? (c/o Larry Brown Sports)
Found it odd that a guy who shot 24 free throws two games later just shoots one. (c/o CBS Sports)
Welcome to the latest edition of the Morning After.
Yesterday is Palm Sunday in the Roman Catholic calendar scheme of things, so this will be a special week. Holy Week means a time to reflect on its significance on the Christian context. You probably heard of people in my 'hood getting crucified as a way of expressing their faith and belief and devotion. No, I am not going to go to that level of expression, but I do have my own ways.
Might as well do my own little TWTWTNBA via the links, so to start if off, here is a preview vignette c/o Two Man Game via Youtube). You want more in depth, check my site later.
I originally pegged a Laker sweep of the Hornets, but CP3 willed New Orleans to victory with a 33-7-14 monster stat line. (c/o Sports Illustrated) Hidden in that was the idea that the Lake Show only forced 3 turnovers.
I had pegged the Spurs to advance in 6, so it is inevitable that the Grizz to seal their first-ever win in the playoffs (c/o Memphis Commercial Appeal). Oh, it has been a huge day for the Battiers (c/o Ball Don't Lie) and also for Z-Bo (c/o ProBasketball Talk).
I had pegged the Blazers to beat the Mavs in 6. Unfortunately, there was some sort of home cooking Dallas (c/o Mavs Moneyball) provided for Portland to taste. It left Nate McMillan with a bitter taste in the mouth (c/o Inside Hoops).
I had pegged the Thunder to beat the Nuggets in 7. Thunder pull out the win (c/o The Oklahoman). Boy, it had the social media abuzz with a certain goal-tending non-call (c/o Real Aspen). And you will not be getting incendiary comments / retorts from Kevin Durant anytime. He's too nice.
I had pegged the C's in 6 over the Knicks. Jesus Shuttlesworth (c/o Boston Herald) just showed us why Bill Simmons values him more over Reggie Miller. But Knicks got no chance if Billups (c/o MassLive) will be sidelined for a while. Oh, who knew that Jermaine O'Neal (c/o Sporting News) was the go-to- O'Neal for this game?
I had pegged the Bulls to sweep the Pacers, but Danny Granger was *that* close to winning this game. It's just the guy (c/o Indianapolis Star) he compared to a crazy stalker ex-girlfriend (c/o Cosby Sweaters) just raised the ante. Yup, A Rose is a rose is a MVP.
I also had pegged the Heat to sweep the Sixers, but just like the Bulls, the Heat (c/o Miami Herald) can figure things out just like that. Again, Wade is the closer. Lebron needs to feed him the ball and let him do his schtick.
I had pegged the Magic to beat the Hawks in 6, but the Hawks somehow successfully allowed Dwight Howard to dominate and still won the game (c/o SB Nation Atlanta). That's surely going to make someone's day a little more frustrating, eh? (c/o Magic Playoff Beard)
For non-NBA Playoff links:
MLS should bring back the New York Cosmos (c/o New York Times).
The 1st El Clasico of 4 in a span of 18 days began with a simple draw that in all likelihood, sealed FC Barcelona's La Liga title. (c/o The Guardian). Up next, the Copa Del Rey match at the Mestalla on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila).
The FA Cup Final is set in stone at Wembley. Manchester City (c/o The Daily Mail) and Stoke (c/o The Sun) will face off. Stoke already playing with house money because they're guaranteed to play in Europe (Via the Europa League, thanks to City being ensured with a Champions League spot due to their current placement as one of the top 4 teams in the Barclays Premier League.) As a Bolton Wanderers fan, it was an excruciating experience.
In other English football news, Arsenal only drew with Liverpool, increasing the chances of Manchester United sealing their title hopes. (c/o A Different League)
I guess the American invasion into football ownership is not just an English matter. (c/o BBC Sport)
Gareth Bale is the best player in the EPL. (c/o London Telegraph)
Brad Penny is one very very lucky guy (c/o Moondog Sports)
The Red Sox won and yet they still have the fewest wins in the majors. (c/o Boston Globe) At least Josh Beckett is doing quite ok. (c/o WEEI)
Jason Heyward is batting second. Finally. (c/o Talking Chops)
It still remains Opposite Day in the AL Central, as Cleveland (c/o Massillon Independent) and Kansas City (c/o Kansas City Star) are still neck-and-neck.
Nice to know leaving Rihanna is paying dividends for Matt Kemp (c/o Los Angeles Times).
Quite simply, Talladega. It was wild. (c/o From The Marbles)
As a fan of Formula 1, I relish the idea of its drivers making headway into NASCAR. I want to see the Iceman do it. (c/o Speed)
Lewis Hamilton ends the Vettel charge. (c/o The National)
Canucks just keep on rollin' (c/o Vancouver Sun) Oh, and if you think the Timbers Army is raucous, well, Canadians raise the ante up a notch. (c/o Youtube via Bill Simmons)
Wings without Zetterberg (c/o Detroit News)? Flyers without Pronger? (c/o Philadelphia Inquirer)
Today is the last day of February, and with the Ides of March about to begin just hours from now.
Today also serves as the end of Awards season. With the Academy Awards, we all now await the big releases that pepper the landscape like Thor, Captain America, etc... Oh, and Wrestlemania.
I wish I could share something about the Oscars, but I slept through it. I was awake watching TLC when they showed back to back of Bizarro Foods and No Reservations featuring the Motherland. Yes, I finally and luckily got to watch those two shows. It felt good when a great show features and highlights your own heritage.
Hereforth are the links:
Change of Relationship status for Cristiano Ronaldo. (c/o Digital Spy)
Let's get it on, Ozzie and Bobby. (c/o Chicago Breaking Sports) have Tito Francona as the special guest referee. (c/o Boston Herald)
Some standouts in the Combine. (c/o Shutdown Corner) Also here. (c/o Sports Illustrated)
One last thing before the Youtube portion, I think Darren Rovell of CNBC said it best, imagine if Steve Bartman occured during the era of Twitter. The poor Louisville cheerleader got it bad on the interwebs.
Welcome to today's edition of The Victory Formation.
The previous weekend has been dubbed as the welcome to the Blake Griffin Experience. He played in the Rookie-Sophomore Game, with his team winning and John Wall being named as the MVP. We all know the Dunk Contest. And of course, he is the first rookie after Tim Duncan to be selected by the reserves. Naturally, being a first-timer, he got limited minutes.
So, let me use this to give my own personal viewpoint and assessment of the past few days:
Rookie-Sophomore Game: Dejuan Blair does not need ACLs to fly. Budenholzer has a sense of humor like Pop.
Celebrity Game: Apparently, fans did not allow someone to screw over Justin Bieber again, even if it was in a losing cause.
Shooting Stars: The mantra of "Beat Kenny" was enough as Team Atlanta eases out the champs as the Texans could not make any of their midcourt tries.
Skills Challenge: Stephen Curry wins it. He's wicked quick. Terribly disappointed though with Derrick Rose coasting during his run.
Three-Point Shootout: Finally, Miami beats Boston, as James Jones (also known as Reggie Miller's apprentice) beat out both Jesus Shuttlesworth and the self-proclaimed best shooter in the world.
Dunk Contest: Best field to compete in years. The creativity was awesome. I personally want all four of them back in Orlando for a rematch. Kenny Smith is a preacher man.
The Game itself: Hey, Kobe was on a Wilt-like scoring record pace, but Kevin Durant scored probably the quietest 34 pts in an All-Star game. In the end, Kobe ties Bob Petit with his 4th All-Star Game MVP. Lebron secures the 2nd triple-double in the Game's history.
Sidelights: Loved the musical intros. Kudos to TNT for stuff like these:
Hereforth are the links:
It's not a good idea to stir debate on a topic like this when you yourself admit that you lack certain aspects. (c/o National Football Post via Yahoo)
Regrets, yes, I have had a few - David Stern. (c/o Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
Jim Gray gets himself involved again. (c/o USA Today)
The 70s represented the psychedelic era. Obviously, with the fashion tastes, must be prevalent. (c/o Sports Illustrated)
In order to keep this guy (c/o Colts Chronicle), Indianapolis has to release this guy. (c/o Indianapolis Star)
Basketball Hall of Fame Finalists named (c/o International Business Times). Don't worry, Reggie. You'll get in eventually. (c/o Dime Magazine)
Why the Knicks should or should not go for Carmelo? (c/o Hoopsworld)
Los Angeles Kings of Anaheim? (c/ o Los Angeles Times)
Need a bat? Well, whilst pitchers and catchers report? In India, it is in full swing. (c/o Cricket World)
Gary Bettman wants a new arena for Edmonton. (c/o Toronto Sun)
Heritage Classic was a success for the Flames. (c/o Calgary Herald)
The Motherland caught between football and basketball. Can't they all get along? Or maybe a reality check. (c/0 Fire Quinito)
The Filipino Flash can knock you silly. (c/o Fire Quinito)
Stu Holden > Clint Dempsey in the FA Cup. (c/o The Sun)
Trevor Bayne won the Daytona 500. Trevor who? (c/o Washington Post)
NASCAR must know something is afoot with its Daytona scheduling. (c/o Fox News)
General Greivis gets his jersey retired. (c/o San Francisco Chronicle)
Who's #1 now? Both the Longhorns (c/o SB Nation Kansas City) and the Buckeyes got beat (c/o Fort Wayne Journal Gazette). The Blue Devils escape the axe, however.
You're a New York City, boy... Where St. John's Basketball is rockin' (c/o Sportsrageous)
Wassup people and welcome to today's edition of the Victory Formation!
I would like to wish everyone here a Happy Valentine's Day or for some like me, Happy Singles' Awareness Day. I mean, my own personal lovelife has been elusive and it can be a pain, so sometimes, one just has to continue and just wait for the right girl to come and sweep me off my feet and let me sweep her off hers.
You're probably wondering where I got my picture for today. Well, I spent 40 hours in a place called Bacolod to watch a football qualifying match for the first time. I was holed up there from February 8 to 10.
You see, the Philippines is now basking in football glow. We have been pretty much down in the doldrums, being the whipping boys over the years for this sport. Not only that, they have been pretty much ignored. But then, the 2010 Suzuki Cup happened. We made it all the way to the semifinals, losing to the eventual champions Indonesia, but made a good account of themselves.
With the newfound fame, the Azkals (the team's monicker, which is a colloquialism to askals when translated means street dogs) aimed to capitalize that with the next step, qualifying for the AFC Challenge Cup. (c/o Fire Quinito) Being on a home-and-away format, the only place that can currently handle a match like this is the Panaad Stadium (c/o Wikipedia) in Bacolod. Thus the reason why I flew down there. (spending slightly over US $50 for a plane ticket (inclusive of taxes) & spending a total of US $75 for my whole stay in Bacolod.)
Hey, it was worth it. It really was. See below. (c/o Philippine Star)
Here are the links to love! (Note: you can always tweet me @misterjpmanahan if you have links for me to use.)
Has been a tough year for the Redskins, and you can add their best offensive weapon to the victims. (c/o SB Nation DC)
Jerry Gray is back in the NFL, after a month. (c/o Dallas Morning News)
The old guys are still better than the young guns. (c/o Celticsblog)
The Cavs ended two streaks the past few days. Theirs (c/o ProBasketball Talk) and the Wizards' (c/o the Washington Post).
Lebron needs to have his kids around all the time, then? (c/o SportsGrid)
Ford wants to show the world that there is only one thing that comes to mind with the F-150. (c/o Ford Muscle)
The Glazers and Qatar both benefitting from the Manchester United buzz.(c/o Telegraph)
Wayne Rooney wants to ride a bicycle. And he did it in style. (c/o Huffington Post)
West Ham gets to keep the 2012 London Olympic Stadium. (c/o Forbes)
Can Roy Hodgson save the Baggies from the drop? (c/o Mirror Football)
The leading goal scorer in World Cup history has announced his retirement. (c/0 Bloomberg)
America, you ready for Pacquiao on free TV? (c/o Boxing Scene) He's also rockin' the Bieb do, also (c/o Fanhouse). Here are some more quotes. (c/o Fight News)
Toronto fans must be giddy for this as practice if they want to engage Chris Bosh for screwing with them. (c/o Inside Fights)
End of an era for the MMA Legend known as the Last Emperor? (c/o Baltimore Sun)
To end this day, here is a new long song. Also serves as a LSS.
