On Deck: My Gilas Pilipinas 4.0

BAKIT?

PUSO.

For the second straight FIBA Asia Championship, the Philippines has finished second. That is impressive, really it is, even if we again fell short of our ultimate goal. For perspective, before these back-to-back silver finishes, our last podium finish was way back in 1985 when we won the gold. Between 1985 and 2015, our highest finishes were 4th (1987), 4th (2011 - Gilas 1.0), and 2nd (2013 - Gilas 2.0). So at the very least, we can say that the Philippines is competitive again and is back as one of the beasts of Asia. I can firmly say that we are (at least) the 3rd best team in Asia, probably closing in on Iran as the 2nd best.

That being said, I refuse to say that we won the silver medal because what happened was we lost the gold. Eyes on the prize all the time! As a friend put it, "Di naman sa maangas tayo, pero nakakasawa na ang silver at bronze. Kaya naman kasi kung tutuusin eh."

I honestly feel we are on the cusp of the next golden age of PH-International Basketball. The national team program is revived (and hopefully keeps on getting stronger), public awareness and engagement has been on an all-time high compared to years passed, and the skills of our players are on the uprise. 

With the Olympic Qualifiers as well as future FIBA Asia tournaments coming up, I will talk about my ideal Gilas Pilipinas 4.0 line up in this post. I'm sure that all of you have your own ideas, so you are welcome to both agree and disagree. But before going to the line-up, let's state the assumptions for this line up.

On Deck: 1st round's Coming Up!

It's that time of the year once again. 

Eighty two games are done, and we've seen break out performances, disappointing seasons, unfortunate injuries, eye popping stats, and all kind of wacky things. Now it's time for things to get more serious. 

Each NBA's team goal is to win the NBA championship (except maybe if you are the 76ers). And now for the next couple of weeks, the whole world would be focused on the last sixteen teams standing. As of yesterday, the playoff match ups were finalized, as seen below:

Let's look at each of the match ups, starting with the Western Conference, and then I'll give my thoughts and who I think would advance to the second round. Let's get it on!

On Deck: UP and Basketball

I have been willing to write this entry for quite some time, but I always fail to do so. But after that heart-wrenching defeat by the UP Fighting Maroons against the UE Red Warriors earlier today, I decided to finally write it. I won't be talking about my support for the Maroons (I think I already did that in an earlier post), but rather, I'll talk about something else. However, do remember that I haven't done much research about the topic, something that I would really want to do given more ample time. If any of you would like to chime in or help, that would be very much welcome. Then, I shall make a more comprehensive post. If there are any mistakes, or misconceptions, feel free to bring it up in the comments. But for now, I would write this with what I know (granted, it may very well be not a hundred percent accurate). I just don't want to lose the idea that is in my mind right now.

Enough of that, what exactly are you going to be talking about?

I said this in a tweet a couple of weeks ago, and I think it captures perfectly what I would be talking about in this post. "The fact that UP is the only public school among the UAAP schools should never be understated." You most likely already know that, though it is not something that would be lingering in one's mind all the time. It is a fact that carries with it a lot of implications.

On Deck: Sports Thoughts - April 15-21

Just some thoughts about sports for the past few days. :)

Petron Blaze Boosters

So Petron had two games this past three days, against the same team, but with different results. They locked horns with Talk N Text last Wednesday and last night, winning the former and losing the latter. It does sting however as last night was the first game of their best of 3 quarter finals match up. While there may be some questionable calls, specially in the 4th quarter, Petron had their chances, and sadly, they did not capitalize on it, both on the offensive and defensive ends of the court. TNT just made fastbreak plays one after the other. Some luck also helped TNT's cause (hello that Fonacier three?), but then again, Petron had more than their fair share of chances (Tubid losing control of the ball on a fastbreak attempt, Sims losing the ball to RDO).

That being said, at least it has shown that Petron can definitely match up and beat Talk N Text, even if they have to do it twice in a row. They do however, need to play with the same intensity all 48 minutes of the game. With the way that that Talk N Text capitalizes on mistakes and turnovers and turns them into fastbreak points, Petron cannot afford to have unforced mistakes.

On the bright side, boy oh boy, this guy is really making a big fan of me.

June Mar-freaking-Fajardo. Boy got some moves down low. Amazing footwork, with a touch around the perimeter, and an improving defense and passing. Would love to see him reach his full potential. Would be good for the national team, first and foremost, and for Petron as well. It is plenty obvious that him, and Marcio Lassiter would be the future cornerstones of this franchise.

New York Yankees

The Yankees went 4-1 from Monday to today, losing only yesterday in an extra inning affair against the Diamondbacks. The starting pitching is starting to sort itself out, most of the bullpen is returning to their lockdown mode, and the bats are coming alive, at least against right handed pitchers. The line-up they had yesterday was just painful to watch. Can't wait to have the injured players to return. The team would be crazy deep once that happens.

Speaking of injuries and depth, it is sad to know that the Captain, Derek Jeter, would be out until the All-Star Break. Infield depth is really taking a beating now. Nunez would probably be able to provide replacement level value at short, but with injuries an always lingering issue, it is kind of unsettling that the next on the depth chart is Jayson Nix. Nothing against Nix, but if the Yanks aim to compete for the title this year, they would ideally have more depth. It's not like they have any infield depth in the minors as well. They don't need All-Stars or MVP type players in every position, but they would need someone who would be able to contribute something significant, either with the bat or the glove.

And since I have already mentioned the MVP, I am standing by my prediction that Robinson Cano would win the AL MVP this year, en route to his $200M contract.

Look at that swing, LOOK AT IT!

Coming Up:

Petron goes up against TNT for Game 2 of the Quarterfinals, a win-or-go home game for Petron.

Yankees play the Blue Jays for the 2nd game of their series in Toronto. #HIROK would be starting for the Bronx Bombers.

Real Madrid goes up against Betis early Sunday morning here.

The Chicago Bulls open their 2013 NBA play-offs on the road. They match up against the Brooklyn Nets in this first round 7 game series.

The Bahrain Grand Prix is tomorrow. Practice 1 and 2 were done yesterday, with practice 3 and qualifiers later today. Let's hope Ferrari gets the pole position and races upfront until the checkered flag.

A Super Sports Sunday for me, as all my five sports team are with games. Let's see if I can go five for five.
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Playing on the background:

Bright Lights by Matchbox Twenty
"When all your love is gone, who will save me from all I'm up against out in this world?"

All My Life by K-Ci and JoJo
"All my life, I've prayed for someone like you."

On Deck - 8 and 62

Saan nanggaling ang 8-62?

0-14, 3-11, 3-11, 0-14, 2-12

            Those are the records of the UP Fighting Maroons Men’s Basketball Team since I entered UP as an undergrad student back in 2007.

            Over those years, I’ve seen various players come and go. I saw how Migs de Asis impressed and show promise (that sadly wasn’t realized) during his rookie year. I heard how Martin Reyes got compared to a certain Allan Caidic. I saw Woody Co win the rookie of the year award and I saw him play his last game. I saw Jay Agabayani’s gallant effort during his last game as a Maroon, and the same goes to long time Maroon Miggy Maniego. I was one of those that was estatic as Mikee Reyes led the team to a win during his rookie season against DLSU. I am one of those firm believers that Mark Lopez could have been a part of the national team if given more training. I was one of those that were eagerly waiting for Mike Silungan to finish his residency, and one of those pleasantly optimistic with Jelo Montecastro’s performance during the summer leagues of 2011.

            During those years, we saw DLSU win a championship a year after being suspended, Adamson slowly improve and become a contender, UE go 14-0, NU and UST field MVPs, FEU make back to back finals appearance, and ADMU win 4 straight championships.

             UP finished no better than 6^th, and was dead last in the other 4 years. Given that, I still was an avid fan of the team. I am still excited whenever talks about promising new guys are joining the team. Still hopeful after every good showing in the preseason. Still filled with joy with every win, and is still bummed after every defeat. With very little to show for in the last 5 years, why do I still support the team as such?

            I guess it is simply because I love UP so much and I love basketball just as much. Sure, it hurts not to see my team reach the same success the other basketball teams reach, but eventually, it goes beyond winning. I’m proud to be an Isko, and everything that comes with that. Win or lose, I’ll still support the Fighting Maroons. I am sure that within my lifetime, UP would win the championship again, and at that point, all these years waiting would be more than worth it.

           It's bound to happen, right?

On Deck: Jersey Number

Bakit 38?

    Number 38 ang jersey number ko, yung 50 at 6 naman ay Daddy at kay Kuya, respectively. I don't know why my dad chose 50, and I know Kuya chose 6 because anniv nila ni ate ang 6. So ulit, sa akin, bakit 38?

    50 and 6 are what I would call, Basketball numbers. Yun bang magandang tingnan sa jersey. For instance, ano mas magandang tingnan sa likod ng jersey, number 7 o 61? Usually yung mga mababang number (1-10, and to a lesser extent, 11-20) ay magagandang basketball numbers. Then yung karamihan ng rounded numbers (25, 50..etc.). Then meron din dyan yung mga pinasikat ng mga sikat na basketball players (23, 27, 33 among others). But 38? It doesn't necessarily fall under any of those conditions.

   Part of my reason is that I want something unique. 38 is an unusual number. I feel like it has some potential to be a somewhat catchy number. And really, how many people wear 38 as their number? Papansin lang din kahit papaano.

   Another reason is that it is inspired by one of my favorite players, a reason also by a lot of other players, which is why you would see a lot of 23s, 32s, 33s, 24s, and 1s among the jerseys. Mine? The player that I was talking about is San Miguel Beermen / Petron Blaze Booster Forward, Arwind Santos.

His jersey number is 29. Mine is 38. I really didn't want to use his 29, so, take one from 9 and place it on 2, and voila, 38!

And for what it is worth, I tried avoiding picking a number that would be associated with an, let's just say, inspiration. Just to avoid hating the number in case things don't go the right way, and I really wanted to have a number that I would continue to use for a long time. But hey, faith has a way of making things work, and I did say I just tried avoiding it, right? ;)

That's the story of my number, so you, what would your jersey number be?