Archive for January 2012
Sheamus wins the Royal Rumble!
Here are the wrestlers I
thought did well in the 2012 edition of the Royal Rumble match.
And no, I am happy not to see Brodus Clay dance in the middle of the
Rumble just like Rikishi and Too Cool a few years back.
Although someday I want to see
both squads simultaneously dance.
Anyway, here are the guys that
made it fun for me.
10 ROAD DOGG
How come people think he’s just
a bad worker in TNA but when he returns to the WWE, people are happy to see his
existence? Well, I was happy to see Dogg back with his green and black attire.
Him and Hacksaw’s return to ring action is bad for current WWE superstars
because these two were cheered awesomely.
9 THE MIZ
The Miz was in the background
for most of the fight. Except with the notable eliminations of ex-buddies
R-Truth and Alex Riley, he was pretty much the guy that always held the ropes
for dear life. He actually was a great choice for first entrant because he made
a wonderful promo on how he’ll survive the odds... heel style. However, I
thought the WWE dropped the ball on the first entrant disadvantage because
R-Truth was the third entrant. They should have just had him enter at 15 and
have the same result.
8 DOLPH ZIGGLER
Ziggler lost the WWE Title to
CM Punk so he found himself on the Rumble mix. Ziggler’s first two eliminations
had him teaming up with Cody Rhodes for Great Khali and Booker T. Anyway,
Ziggler was also part of a pretty sick spot where he sold an awesome-looking
Implant Buster from a returning Kharma. Afterwards he took out the female.
7 THE BIG SHOW
Like Orton, in a matter of
minutes, he did what was expected from him. Fresh from a World Title battle
that he lost, Big Show barged to the ring to eliminate four threats in the
Rumble. After ripping the sanity out of Jack Swagger’s head, Show went on to
send The Miz, Dolph Ziggler, and Cody Rhodes packing. He also held the “threat
to win” card in the Final Four but he was stopped by a Randy Orton RKO.
6 RANDY ORTON
He had a short but showing in
the Rumble. The hometown boy is recovering from a real injury and this was why
his Rumble action was limited. With that said, he still made a good account of
himself by taking out Jey Uso, Wade Barrett, and The Big Show. After the Big
Show elimination, Jericho sneaked on him and dumped Orton on the floor.
5 KOFI KINGSTON
With John Morrison gone, Kofi
was left in charge to do something cool. I’m glad he didn’t settle with the
double Boom Drop because the handstand was awesome. He also went out wearing
his usual Jamaican gear and pre-Air Boom, which frightens the shit out of me
with regards to the fate of Evan Bourne. Sheamus shipped him out when he found
it fit.
4 RICARDO RODRIGUEZ
His entry was one of the most
shocking and most hilarious... ever! He fooled everyone by coming out with
Alberto Del Rio’s music, entrance, and gestures and then doing a comedy bit
with Santino. The good thing about Ricardo was he looked like ADR’s deadbeat
version and it worked to perfection. He also eliminated Gabriel and I’m happy
he’s the guy used for the laugh spots instead of Hornswoggle.
3 CODY RHODES
Rhodes had a “dashing”
performance in the Rumble where he got the most Rumble eliminations with six
(Santino, Mick Foley, Lawler, Hacksaw, Khali, and Booker T). He was also one of
those wrestlers that had an actual shot of winning it all. While I would have
wanted Goldust to join the Rumble and create a program with his brother, he did
eliminate four legends, a former world champion, and a guy who wears a green
sock in his hand.
2 CHRIS JERICHO
Months of restraining any
physicality and a week after he finally spoke, Jericho went no-nonsense on his
competition. He drilled in the moves and he actually made people think that he
was about to win it all. Jericho hits the Codebreaker and the Walls of Jericho
to awesomeness but it wasn’t enough to clear Sheamus out. People think Jericho
should have won it but I have to disagree. Y2J will heel up and duel with CM
Punk for his belt. Jericho is the best choice to face off with Punk... unless
Stone Cold Steve Austin or The Undertaker decides to show up.
1 SHEAMUS
Screw the kids who think he
doesn’t deserve the win. He was my bet to win the match and I am pretty psyched
of his victory. I hate the Celtic (High) Cross but I absolutely enjoy the
Brogue Kick. WWE needs to build more stars. When Sheamus was champion, I felt
he was too protected because he had feuds with John Cena and Triple H. Now that
he has been established, I think he’ll have a wonderful match once he clashes
with Daniel Bryan.
If there are great
performances, there are also abysmal states. Not entirely their faults are Jinder Mahal, Jey Uso, Ezekiel Jackson, and
Epico because the action they produced was bland. For Epico though, he’s
just unlucky because he fell victim to Mick
Foley and Santino Marella’s Socko versus Cobra showdown. Speaking of which,
Mick Foley having a hoot with Santino was funny. What’s not funny was the logic
behind the announcers getting a slot at the Rumble. I was hoping guys like Triple H, The Undertaker, and Christian
would return because the pop generated by the current flock of superstars don’t
hold a candle from theirs. Also, how can they not know what the other is doing?
Jerry Lawler was wearing his
wrestling gear, Booker T was slowly “nuding
up” beside Michael Cole and Cole...
well that was kind of shocking... if we never saw Booker and Lawler enter the
Rumble.
Anyway, I applaud the match
because it was entertaining.
Hopefully the Road to Wrestlemania will become
awesome as the days go.
Game over.
2012 Royal Rumble predictions
I guess apart from some
expected names, the 2012 Royal Rumble
participants will shock us. Last year, the Rumble participants ballooned to 40
so that meant guys like Yoshi Tatsu and
Tyler Reks found their way to the Rumble.
However this time, with a
compressed field of 30 and with a couple of superstars that could pull double
shifts for the PPV, I have no idea why WWE is not giving us the complete roll
call of those that will complete.
Here are the names that are
expected to compete:
1 CHRIS JERICHO
2 MICK FOLEY
3 THE MIZ (slated
to be the #1 entry)
4 R-TRUTH
5 SHEAMUS
6 WADE BARRETT
7 RANDY ORTON
8 SANTINO
9 CODY RHODES
10 KOFI KINGSTON
11 JACK SWAGGER
12 BRODUS CLAY
13 JINDER MAHAL
14 DREW MCINTYRE
15 PRIMO
16 EPICO
17 HUNICO
18 EZEKIEL
JACKSON
19 HEATH SLATER
20 JUSTIN GABRIEL
21 DAVID OTUNGA
22 TED DIBIASE
Name I think that will be
included:
23 CHRISTIAN
24 ZACK RYDER
25 KANE
26 JOHN CENA
27 LOSER OF WORLD
TITLE MATCH #1
28 LOSER OF WORLD
TITLE MATCH #2
29 LOSER OF WWE
TITLE
30 THE UNDERTAKER
There was talk that past icons
like Brock Lesnar, Bobby Lashley, and
Batista could join the Rumble. This is a remote possibility but I am
heavily psyched at the sight of The Undertaker. The Streak has been an integral
part of Wrestlemania and I’m certain a 20-0 is vital before The Undertaker
retires.
As for Brock and the other
muscleman, these names are rumors. Hell I can even see either Rob Van Dam or Booker T making their
way for the Rumble. Other names that surfaced are Triple H, Kevin Nash, Goldust, and Alberto Del Rio.
There is also a rumor that The Rock could participate in the
Rumble.
I don’t want Rocky to win the
Rumble because they don’t need a title to sell his match with Cena.
Maybe costing Cena... that’s a
bolder choice.
FEARLESS
FORECAST: I know Randy Orton is the hometown boy but I am setting my sights on Sheamus.
I like the guy and if Daniel Bryan keeps the title, their Wrestlemania match
will be redemption of sorts. Last year, they were part of the Wrestlemania card
but they got cut at the last second. Their dark match for Sheamus’
intercontinental belt was great but they have stayed away from each other ever
since.
Here are my other fearless
forecasts:
John Cena wins
over Kane
Daniel Bryan
retains World Title over the Big Show and Mark Henry
CM Punk retains
WWE Title over Dolph Ziggler
The Royal Rumble match is a
great kickoff to the Road of Wrestlemania and I think with the title matches,
this event should be awesome.
Game over.
Fonacier is the Finals MVP!
Talk N Text’s Kelly
Williams and Jimmy Alapag have
MVP trophies tucked on their shelves
while Jason Castro, Ryan Reyes, Ranidel
De Ocampo, Harvey Carey, and Ali Peek have won Mythical Team selections in the course of their careers.
Larry Fonacier has a Rookie of the Year award... that he obviously won in the first year
of his pro career in 2006.
But that’s about it...
Then.
Now he is the 2011-12 Philippine Cup/All-Filipino Cup
Finals MVP.
Nice.
When Macmac Cardona was traded to Meralco
(for a first round draft pick) and Talk N Text traded for him so that the Alaska Aces can get the draft rights of
Elmer Espiritu, no one believed for
a sec that Fonacier would inherit Captain
Hook’s field goal attempts. After all, before Alaska, he was a rarely-used
benchwarmer in San Miguel/Magnolia
which was disappointing considering that he had an amazing tenure with Red Bull.
However, Fonacier was slowly getting
back to things. Even in Alaska, we can see him getting his confidence back. He
was an important part in their team’s second unit and during his stay with the
Aces, Alaska was its height in the 2000’s.
It’s a welcome shock that
Fonacier was voted Finals MVP. Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio exclaimed that he is the most consistent Tropang
Texter not just in the series but in the entire conference. He also has
improved his defense and because of the team’s other weapons he is not forcing
his shots. He is one of two Tropang Texters to play in all of their games but
while Japeth Aguilar struggled to find his spot with the return of Peek and De
Ocampo, Fonacier flourished when his services were needed. His efforts combined with a consensus team effort proved too much for their nemesis as they successfully defended their All-Filipino Title in five hard-fought games.
While Coach Ryan has also
stated that Gary David could also
been made the Finals MVP for powering the Powerade
Tigers despite the losing effort, Fonacier is a very worthy candidate in
his own right.
A few years back my thoughts
were bent on LA Tenorio being the
only successful Atenean in his batch
(especially with the downgrade of Enrico
Villanueva’s marquee status) because he is taken care of by his franchise but
under Chot Reyes and Manny Pangilinan’s
wing, Fonacier is not far behind.
Congratulations to the Baby-Faced Assassin!
Game over.
Now Noynoy news is no news at all
 |
| Is she the last one that people will try to fit in the "Yellow Family"? |
While the Chief Justice Renato Corona’s defense team led by former justice Serafin Cuevas are screaming “ownage”
at the barely-organized ensemble of the prosecution (which is leading me to
believe that the government shouldn’t have messed with the judiciary)...
... President Noynoy Aquino’s claim to broadsheet headlines fame now is
his search for his one true love.
Philippine Star’s
front page a
few days back has Noynoy Aquino dropping verbal hoo-hahs with Thailand’s Prime Minister Yingluck
Shinawatra. Now Noynoy is in The Star’s headlines for the second straight
day with his romantic involvement with Magic
89.9 DJ and GMA’s entertainment and lifestyle correspondent Grace Lee.
Dammit! I pay ten percent of my
taxes (and more) for this!
No offense to those who love
the guy but I don’t shell out a huge chunk of dough to find out the truth of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s evil
administration and I can really care less with the undisclosed amounts of CJ
Corona’s SALN. I want the government
to get my money’s worth like stopping the fluctuation of gas prices, making the
flag down of taxi meters thirty pesos again, and restarting the white elephant
they call the Baguio to Manila express train! I want the government to make
noodles and Tortillos under five
pesos again! I want the government to re-open the ZTE Broadband case but instead of investigating it, I want it to do
what it was meant to do in the first place – make wifi easier for Filipinos! Okay fine, I want Gloria to spill her flaws and make her pay for her sins but I don't want THAT to be the only contribution this administration gave to the world!
Sure Grace Lee is beautiful but
I don’t think that it’s appropriate for a president to have no accomplishments
made public and have dates (or un-dates) to get seen in front of Philippine Star!
Hell this love affair is
getting Mo Twister in a broadsheet’s
front page!
The falling out of his romantic
endeavours is meatier than this situation but you don’t see Mo Twister getting
front page brouhaha!
Dammit... GAME OVER!
The Sydrified Proposal
This
is not by any means sports or fantasy-related (it’s real dammit!) but
nonetheless this is an awesome occasion.
I will
be busy preparing for my... maybe you just need to check out the article at
(Yes,
by touching down to my site and going to my other site, you are helping me get
more page views.)
Gary David named Best Player
At least this is one of the
best consolation prize a player can ask for.
This shouldn’t shock people.
After all, Arwind Santos had his
shadow on the gold but the Petron Blaze
Boosters had to waste their three chances to dispose of the Talk N Text Tropang Texters. Gary David has been a monster scorer
especially during the games that mattered.
Santos had to fight a tough
trifecta to lock out David from the title. The first obvious flaw is that he
failed to bring Petron to the finals. The second kind-of-obvious flaw as well
is that David went on an almost consistent 30-point tear in the playoffs. The
third flaw – well he looked as if he was contented on a backup role for Alex Cabagnot, Chris Lutz, Danny Ildefonso,
and whoever does well to overshadow him.
In Powerade, sometimes you can
see Marcio Lassiter, JV Casio, Sean
Anthony, Doug Kramer, and even Romel Adducul lighting up the scoring column
but you are always assured that David will play a major role in their scoring.
I can’t say David is Powerade’s Michael
Jordan because he hasn’t been compiling on the other stats (plus its
basketball blasphemy) but it looks as if that he can be the NBA’s version of
the “statistical lovechild” of Kobe
Bryant and Kevin Martin (Reggie
Miller is my first choice but I had to pick someone from this season).
With Petron ousted, David will
just have teammate Marcio Lassiter
and Tropang Texters’ Jayson Castro,
Japeth Aguilar, and Harvey Carey to contend for the plum. Lassiter is the
league’s top rookie but admittedly is a David backup. Aguilar and Carey have
reverted to second team status following the return of their starters and while
Castro remains a TNT top guy, he is sometimes overshadowed by Jimmy Alapag, Larry Fonacier, and Ryan
Reyes.
Basically the trophy is
drooling to be in the hands of David. If the trophy is a female, then the
trophy will probably want David to give her mini inanimate objects. Like I
said, David is on a roll and I will NOT understand logic and reason if he gets
snubbed in the 2012 PBA All-Star Game.
El Granada is playing with extreme
passion and the only way to cap off this amazing conference for him is that if
he wins his first PBA title to end an almost nine-year drought.
Unfortunately while the Tigers
avoided a sweep with a 100 to 97 victory, I’m going to go on a limb and say
that the Talk N Text Tropang Texters will unleash the fury on David and his
Tigers.
Game over.
Loyalty Swap: Kerby ends ties with B-Meg
Correcting the wrong move they
had in the 2011 PBA Draft, the Barangay Ginebra Kings has finally rid
themselves of Reil Cervantes to
claim Dylan Ababou from the Barako Bull Energy.
I don’t care if Ababou is a
mere conduit so that the San Miguel Corporation
can juggle their men. Ababou’s Smart-Gilas
credentials are enough for Ginebra to come in at ninth. Come to think of it,
Ababou’s credentials are enough to make him ahead of Allein Maliksi.
Not unless the trade fizzles,
Ginebra will get Dylan Ababou and a “very loyal B-Meg Llamados player” in
Kerby Raymundo in a swap that rid
the Gins of JC Intal (to B-Meg), Ronald Tubid, and Cervantes (to Barako
Bull).
However I just don’t understand
why Ababou is happy to be in this trade. This should suck for Ababou who was
averaging 28 minutes a ball game for the Energy. Sure, Barako Bull is littered
with former superstars but these guys are old and he has the chance to wrestle
the top duties once his development continues to flourish. With Ginebra I have
no idea what’s Siot Tanquingcen has
for him. Maliksi, a mid-conference acquisition by the Kings from Barako Bull,
averaged in double figures before getting benched in Ginebra. I hope that
Ababou at least gets 75 percent of his Energy playing time with the Kings.
I also can’t figure out why Barako
Bull would be contended in claiming Tubid and Cervantes. Tubid is a good player
but in the All-Filipino, he was lost in Ginebra’s shuffle. The same can be said
with Cervantes who was too bent in scoring that his shot selections was seen as
seriously atrocious. Ababou is the Energy’s second-best scorer and if they can’t
get Willie Miller, Tubid, and Danny Seigle to produce hot numbers, I
am just led to believe that Barako Bull again made a grave mistake. Tubid is
older than Ababou and even with Cervantes’ youth, I question the Energy’s claims
for the future. Anywho aside from Tubid and Cervantes, the Energy traded Paul Artadi to Meralco for Chico Lanete and claimed big man Mark Andaya from free agency.
Lastly, I can’t see the logic
as to why the Kings need to get Kerby. Sure, it’s a major upgrade but this will
force the Gins to seriously change their high octane run and gun offense. Kerby
is a big-time low post scoring option just like Rudy Hatfield and Enrico Villanueva prior to their entry to the Gins’
fold. These guys had to become single-digit scorers because Ginebra gets their
offense on Mark Caguioa, Jayjay
Helterbrand, Mike Cortez, Intal, Tubid, or any other shooting guard or
small forward they have employed in their roster. Sure, with the subtraction of
these guys perhaps Maliksi and Ababou will gain ground to jumpstart the Kings’
slashing and shooting offense but for the first time in a long while, I believe
that the Kings are overcrowded in the frontline spot.
They also picked the wrong time
to have this trade with seven-foot former Best Import Chris Alexander in town.
Don’t get me started with the
obvious minutes slash that Willy Wilson,
Rico Maierhofer, and Billy Mamaril will get.
I think Alfrancis Chua had something to do with this. Yes, the fiery mentor
who steered PBL’s Stag Pale Pilsen
(renamed Tanduay), PBA’s Tanduay (formerly Stag Pale Pilsen), and Sta. Lucia to championships is now back
after a long hiatus and he is taking his long and gorgeous black hair to the
Barangay as team consultant. Just when Siot thinks his job is secured with the
departure of Jong Uichico, some dude
returns to break his tranquillity.
The best team here is B-Meg.
The Llamados got the slasher they are hoping to find. With Raymundo gone, Joe Devance, Rafi Reavis, and Marc Pingris
will have extended minutes. Devance had it worst last conference with lows in
terms of points, rebounds, assists, minutes, and blocks.
The only qualm I have in the
Raymundo trade is that just like Danny
Seigle, the San Miguel Corp just
lets go of the players that poured their guts for that jersey. While Raymundo
didn’t start his pro career with B-Meg/Purefoods,
his entry to the squad gave the team a low post threat. Even if Raymundo still
is in the SMC “waters”, fans will always remember The Kid grow up and engage
battles alongside James Yap, Roger Yap, Pingris, Artadi, and Peter June Simon. Following his debut in Purefoods, Alvin Patrimonio was eased out from the
starting spot and The Captain didn’t
argue with the development since Raymundo looked like and true enough was his
heir apparent in the low block.
I just hoped that Raymundo
would have that awesome retirement ceremony that Patrimonio had and James Yap
will get.
Anyway, I just wish for these
guys the best in their future endeavours.
Game over.
Tag :
alfrancis chua,
b-meg,
barako bull,
conduit,
dylan ababou,
ginebra,
kerby raymundo,
pba,
ronald tubid,
trade
Powerade fears the sweep
I thought the semifinal round
of the 2011-12 PBA All-Filipino Cup
was kind of imba because I felt that the Talk
N Text Tropang Texters versus the Petron Blaze Boosters series looked like
a final round than the winner of this match and the “lucky” winning contestant
in the series that pits the Powerade
Tigers and the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.
I was rooting for the Powerade Tigers at this point because
they just temporarily butchered Tim
Cone’s dreams to win a title away from his usual Alaska colors and I believe the Tigers grew fangs with the
ascension of Gary David who’s
getting consistent support from Marcio
Lassiter, JV Casio, Doug Kramer, and Sean Anthony.
In their finals matchup though,
it looks like the Tropang Texters will have an easy time defending their title
against the Tigers. With a game left on their title retention, it’s a safe bet
that the Tigers can win a match or two but the Tropang Texters will win the
whole shebang.
Game Three was the kicker for
me. The match was a great one and all with Gary David storming the lanes in the
first three quarters, JV Casio extending the match with a cold-blooded troika,
and Ranidel De Ocampo controlled the
action in overtime. However, it made me think that the Tigers are biting off
more than they can chew. Game Three ended at 133-126 and even if it needed
extra time, this was Powerade’s game to win. It was a high scoring match that
is definitely their bread and butter. Their five main men also scored 14 points
and more which never really happens.
It’s just that TNT has their
number. In the three games, the Tropang Texters confused the Tigers by having
different sets of heroes. In Game One it was Jason Castro, and then it was Jimmy
Alapag, and then came Ranidel. Let’s not forget that the team had Larry Fonacier, Kelly Williams, Ali Peek,
Jared Dillinger, and Ryan Reyes doing superb damage.
Hell Gilbert Lao, a guy who scored four points in eleven games this
conference, was two points shy of eclipsing his conference output.
I can’t see the Tropang Texters
sweeping the Tigers but I sure as hell can see Talk N Text repeating their
winning ways. Hell, Talk N Text fought from hell and back to send Petron to a humiliating end so who's to say that Powerade can't recover from a 0-3 binge.
Probably I can see this in
five for the Tropang Texters.
Game over.
Air21 Express is back and they're bringing in Douthit!
 |
| One of the team's best incarnations. |
The Ube Republic has finally returned to the PBA!
While the Air21 Express has yet to grab a title, they are one of the league’s
most famous staples. One reason is that their team color is violet (indigo to
state a more regal color) – which is their monopoly. I bet my balls they are
the only team that can pull off the violet color just like when the Mobiline Phone Pals pulled off their
teal/light blue jersey. Their last jersey was also camera-friendly... unlike
the Powerade Tigers’ uniform.
Whoever designed that uniform
must have eyesight issues.
I also like the franchise to
stick around because it reminds me of the MBA.
Yes, the franchise while acquiring the spot from Tanduay traced its roots as the MBA squad Laguna Lakers. Moving to the PBA as FedEx (eventually as Air21), the Bert Lina-owned team at one point had MBA stars in their squad like
John Ferriols, Biboy Simon, Bong
Alvarez, Bruce Dacia, Gherome Ejercito, Chito Victolero, Omanzie Rodriguez,
Ryan Bernardo, Jovy Sese, Homer Se, and of course Wynne Arboleda who played for the Lakers when the MBA debuted. Yes,
I know some of the stars mentioned never really carved a mark in the PBA but
they were a big deal in Metroball-landia. Even their coaches like Bonnie Garcia, Bong Ramos, and Bo Perasol
also had tenures with the league.
Anyway, the Air21 brand will be
taking over the Shopinas.com name which makes me wonder if Shopinas will end up as the only team name TO NOT WIN A MATCH!
Also, I think this is the first
Air21 incarnation to not have Arboleda in their roster.
Air21 will have on their hands
one of the team’s most influential stars in Renren Ritualo.
Let’s not get your hopes up.
Air21 team
manager Jovie Saddul
said that “a lot of people didn’t know that we rebuilt the team from scratch”
and I beg to disagree. From the last roster ever fielded in by the Photokina-owned Barako Bull Energy Boosters,
Jojo Duncil, Paolo Hubalde, Dennis Daa,
and Borgie Hermida are all that remained. The rest of the roster came from
trades (because they are always raped by big money teams), rookie free agents,
and journeymen.
On paper the name “Air21
Express” sound amazing but in reality they are still the erstwhile-winless Shopinas.com Clickers that Shiela Lina owns. They still lack
offensive firepower but hopefully prized
Smart-Gilas reinforcement Marcus
Douthit could help the Express finally get on the winning track. Yes, that
naturalized hardworker who gave Team
Pilipinas their best finish in almost two decades in the FIBA-Asia Championship will suit up for
their squad. While it looked as if the Express are “beggars” because Commissioner Chito Salud just gave
Douthit to Air21, Shiela Lina and her wards will flourish under this situation.
After trying out Douthit’s former NBA D-League
teammate Randall Orr, the Express
set their sights on Malcolm Thomas.
Unfortunately the Express lost Thomas to the San Antonio Spurs which in hindsight is a no-brainer. The kicker
for Air21 is that they have to wait for Douthit to finish his commitments with
the Foshan Dralions of the Chinese Basketball Association. Coached
by former Milwaukee and Utah guard Jay
Humphries with former Buck Marcus
Haislip also in tow, the Dralions’ weak season will probably end on February 18. So while waiting for
Douthit, the Express might tap Darnell
Lazare, Jeff Foote, or Taj Gray.
As for the locals, there is
still room for James Sena to grow.
Sena almost averaged with a double-double and I can see this guy still finding
his way in the import-laden conferences. Air21’s slashing and shooting
department must also step up since Ritualo, RJ Jazul, Jojo Duncil, Ogie Menor, and Khasim Mirza are unharmed
from Orr’s playing time. Elmer Espiritu
can also work the small forward spot but I doubt Magi Sison will log the minutes he had last conference. In the
point guard spot, I can see Hubalde, Hermida, and Pong Escobal to orchestrate for the squad.
The fans and the league never
really warmed up on the concept of online shopping. Hell, some fans can’t even
write the dot com part of their brand! I have no idea why the franchise gave up
on the name this early, but return of Air21 makes me want to ask the San Miguel Corp to bring back the Purefoods Hotdogs as well as the San Miguel Beermen.
Game over!
Marc Gasol is the Statmonkey of the Day! (January 21, 2012)
Marc Gasol won his first Statmonkey of the Day!
The Memphis Grizzlies’ big man had 20
points, crashed 11 rebounds, hauled 5 assists, had a steal, and most importantly
knocked off 6 shots in the 128 to 95
rout of the Memphis Grizzlies.
Also doing damage are Miami’s Lebron James, Denver’s Danilo
Gallinari, San Antonio’s Tony Parker, and Minnesota’s Ricky Rubio.
Game over!
Jim Carrey's daughter on American Idol
I saw this clip where Jim Carrey’s daughter auditioned on American Idol.
She kind of looks like a meatier
version of Miley Cyrus.
Anyway, it was funny when Jennifer Lopez and Jane Carrey conducted a conversation. Pre-Ace Ventura Jim Carrey was a mainstay in the popular sketch show In Living Color. Pre-Robin Williams’ Jack J-Lo on the other
hand, used to be a dancer for the program.
Check out the video.
Game over!
Up yours, Twilight!
The first Twilight movie was a pit trap for all men.
A movie with a vampire and a
werewolf is a good by all means but for some reason the movie messed up that
thought.
Some women found the flick
repulsive. I was one of those who got lucky. My ex-girlfriend and soon-to-be
wife hated the franchise.
Unfortunately for most of the
manly men in the world, they failed to escape the wrath of eager girlfriends
who wants to see Robert Pattinson and
Taylor Lautner’s body take a beatdown on their manliness. Who knows when this franchise will stop producing sucky sequels!
Lucky for us there are avenues
that would give us normal persons good entertainment like Pixar.
Up is awesome by the day.
Vlad Guarina shared this on his Facebook
pic.
Game over.
Slam Dunk live action opening credits
My friend Hyubs posted this
video on Facebook.
It’s basically a live action
version of Slam Dunk’s opening credits.
Except for the highly-pixelled
version of the show’s title logo, the lens flares, and the really, REALLY
crappy jacket at the end, this group project is neat.
Game over!
El Granada versus The Spiderman: PBA Power Rankings (Up to January 22, 2012)
Happy Chinese New
Year!
With that said, this is my
final and official power ranking list for the 2011-12 PBA All-Filipino Cup. Since Day One, Arwind Santos has dominated the list but what are the repercussions
of the Petron Blaze Boosters’ ouster
and the eruption of Gary David in
the playoffs?
Having more games means more
stats. However, the bad side of this is that your averages drop for every time
a coach has figured out how to match up with you and you get engulfed to an
uncontrollable stat slump.
The leaders of the list are
consistent, their teams are contenders, and have at least played 15 games and
more.
So here is the breakdown of the
bonus points:
TEN POINTS: Talk N
Text and Powerade
get ten points for making the finals.
SIX POINTS:
Petron and Rain or Shine
acquires six points for reaching the semifinals.
TWO POINTS:
B-Meg, Ginebra, Barako Bull, and Meralco gets two points for reaching the quarterfinals.
ZERO POINTS:
Alaska and Shopinas.com
get nothing for their early elimination.
There are a lot of “undeserving”
names on the list. Compare them to the superstars of the league, their numbers lag.
However those players were barely healthy in the course of the conference and their
teams failed in their title bids.
Here are my best 20.
Game starts now!
20 RAIN OR SHINE / JR QUINAHAN
10.0PPG • 6.5RPG • 1.9APG • 1.6BPG
By far his best conference,
Baby Shaq led the E-Painters in rebounds and blocks.
19 PETRON / DANNY ILDEFONSO
8.7PPG • 7.0RPG • 2.8APG • 0.9SPG • 0.7BPG
Playoff time is “Raise the Roof”
time. These stats were definitely higher when his playoff performances were
included.
18 RAIN OR SHINE / JEFFREI CHAN
15.5PPG • 3.4RPG • 2.2APG • 0.7SPG
Chan blew hot and cold in the
semis. Had he been his usual self, maybe Rain or Shine would have barged to the
finals.
17 TALK N TEXT / JAPETH AGUILAR
9.8PPG • 5.5RPG • 0.8APG • 1.9BPG
His averages dipped following
the return of Talk N Text’s injury-plagued stars. He is still however the
league’s most accomplished blocker.
16 B-MEG / KERBY RAYMUNDO
12.9PPG • 7.6RPG • 2.9APG • 0.8SPG
Imagine if B-Meg didn’t screwed
up their series with Powerade?
15 POWERADE / SEAN ANTHONY
9.3PPG • 6.5RPG • 1.9APG • 1.1SPG
One of the league’s smallest
power forwards, Anthony is nicely complementing Powerade’s Big Four. He is also
a valuable contributor in the Tigers’ playoff surge.
14 ALASKA / SONNY THOSS
15.4PPG • 9.4RPG • 2.4APG • 1.3BPG
If only there is no such thing
as a post-elimination round, he could been a BPC contender.
13 TALK N TEXT / HARVEY CAREY
9.2PPG • 8.9RPG • 1.5APG
His averages seriously fell
when Ali Peek, Jared Dillinger, and Ranidel De Ocampo returned to active duty. With
that said, how can take this guy lightly?
12 B-MEG / JAMES YAP
19.0PPG • 5.2RPG • 2.3APG
Even if it has been more than a
month since he last saw PBA action, he is still a BPC contender.
11 TALK N TEXT / KELLY WILLIAMS
11.7PPG • 7.7RPG • 1.2APG • 0.8SPG • 0.9BPG
A blown hamstring tear failed
to gag this hard worker from playing. He might have slowed down but he is still
an integral part of the squad.
10 RAIN OR SHINE / PAUL LEE
14.8PPG • 4.1RPG • 4.8APG • 1.0SPG
Paul Lee is a great work in
progress for Yeng Guiao and the Rain or Shine organization. While his performances
dipped as the semifinals raged on, expect this to be a learning curve for the
future.
9 BARAKO BULL / WILLIE MILLER
15.8PPG • 4.9RPG • 4.7APG • 1.7SPG
Just like Yap, Miller remains a
contender. Unfortunately the chances of him getting the plum are from slim to
none.
8 POWERADE / JV CASIO
12.2PPG • 2.7RPG • 6.1APG • 1.1SPG
I saw this Pinoy Exchange
comment on how the Big 3 of the Tigers resemble the Big 3 of the Oklahoma City
Thunder. While Casio doesn’t turn the ball over as much as Russell Westbrook, he
can be as awesome as that guy. He should stay healthy though...
7 POWERADE / DOUG KRAMER
11.5PPG • 10.8RPG • 1.1APG
I caught the Game One
commentary and they were telling how Kramer could have given up pro hoops when
he was benchwarming at Ginebra. Luckily he didn’t because if he did the fans
wouldn’t see his best conference ever.
6 PETRON / CHRIS LUTZ
17.5PPG • 3.5RPG • 3.4APG • 1.8SPG
Lutz is an exceptional talent
and his worth was noticed in the playoffs. When Santos and Cabagnot were
struggling, he was valuable in the scoring chores. Hopefully he can continue
with his offensive production even with the imports in the second conference on
board.
5 PETRON / ALEX CABAGNOT
14.3PPG • 4.1RPG • 6.9APG • 1.2SPG
The Crunchman falls out of the
top two that he’s been on like... almost forever. The reason for this is
because while he continues to give brilliant plays in the fourth quarter, his
averages have been subpar. Actually he was averaging 9.5ppg, 3.3rpg, and 8.5apg
which is definitely high in most standards but he was getting 18.7ppg, 4.3rpg,
and 5.3apg in the first three games of the semis.
4 TALK N TEXT / JAYSON CASTRO
15.4PPG • 5.0RPG • 4.6APG • 0.8SPG
While most of the Tropang
Texters in this list succumb to second-tier status once the major players returned,
The Blur was successful in keeping his spot. Despite the return of Jimmy Alapag
and Ryan Reyes, Castro found ways to meshing with these guys brilliantly. Also,
playoff time is his time and his stats remain one of the best for the Tropang
Texters.
3 POWERADE / MARCIO LASSITER
17.0PPG • 6.1RPG • 4.0APG • 1.5SPG
One might ask as to why there
are barely any Tropang Texters in the Top Ten. My answer is simple: take a look
at Marcio Lassiter. He is just a rookie but because the Tigers were so hopeless
last season, he was quickly pushed to the spotlight. Lassiter has yet to
disappoint – with the Rookie of the Year award definitely in his sights. His
all-around game is helpful in Powerade’s rise to the top.
2 POWERADE / GARY DAVID
24.3PPG • 4.0RPG • 2.9APG • 0.9SPG
David is a walking offensive
onslaught and he made Yeng Guiao pay for not giving him better defenders to “play”
with. Actually, Tim Cone also had the same mistake and I’m pretty sure Ryan
Reyes, Jason Castro, and Larry Fonacier will have their hands full in
containing El Granada. Before Game One of the finals, David was shooting 50
percent from the floor with 40 percent coming from long distance. With David in
the finals, he has a shot in stealing the BPC from Arwind Santos.
1 PETRON / ARWIND SANTOS
17.3PPG • 11.8RPG • 1.3APG • 1.2SPG • 1.4BPG
Now here’s the hard part. At my
final list, I rated Santos as my top bet. While Santos has been productive
since day one, you can’t discount the fact that the rise of Gary David and
Petron’s ouster will lead him to “bridesmaid” the Best Player of the Conference
Award. Also, I think it’s hard for any player to belittle the things David had
done in his semis series. For conference-long brilliance, I am going to side
with Arwind.
THE WINNER:
GARY DAVID / powerade tigers
I am basing this from the stats
and while I ranked Arwind as my number one, I can’t see the judges awarding the
plum to a guy that didn’t reach the Finals. I can compare this to Jimmy Alapag’s
MVP win even if Arwind had the better finishing kick since Alapag struggled in
the third conference because of injuries. While David only scored 19 points at
the opener, which broke a nine-game streak of 20 points and more, a couple of
15 points and up games will be enough for him to secure the plum. It also didn’t
help Arwind that he let Alex Cabagnot (on the first three games of their
series) and Chris Lutz (at the last four games of the series) do much of the
offense which made his other explosive nights “normal”.
I have said my piece... now let’s
wait.
POINTS
BREAKDOWN:
1. SANTOS 54.3
2. DAVID 53.7
3. LASSITER 53.3
4. CASTRO 48.5
5. CABAGNOT 47.8
6. LUTZ 45.3
7. KRAMER 44.0
8. CASIO 44.0
9. MILLER 43.0
10. LEE 42.9
11. WILLIAMS 42.6
12. J YAP 40.1
13. CAREY 39.3
14. THOSS 38.9
15. ANTHONY 38.3
16. RAYMUNDO 38.2
17. AGUILAR 37.9
18. CHAN 37.4
19. ILDEFONSO 37.0
20. QUINAHAN 36.9
21. NORWOOD 36.4
22. TENORIO 36.1
23. ESPINAS 35.5
24. FONACIER 34.5
25. BELGA 33.3
Game over.
