the mungo conspiracy

His name is Andray Blatche and he played for the Brooklyn Nets, averaging 10.1 points and 5.4 rebounds. He will become a Filipino citizen on the strength of Senate Bill 2108 as proposed by Sen. Edgardo Angara in order for him to play for Gilas Pilipinas, the Philippine national basketball team. So there you have it folks -- if PNoy approves the Senate bill, we have a legitimate Filipino NBA player. Not exactly how you imagine it would happen, right?

And with that one decisive counter-punch to end the sixth, Juan Manuel Marquez ended the era of Manny Pacquiao. The greatest Filipino athlete of all time. Make no mistakes about it, that is it -- this is the end. There is no more getting up from being knocked out that way. No one has. And Manny, the politician/actor/tv-host/pastor/boxer surely will not be the first one to do it. He no longer has the passion. He is a fat rich man. And boxing is a cruel sport driven by hunger. Well Manny, thanks for the memories. It was a fun ride while it lasted and I enjoyed every second of it. You were a great champion. And I am proud to call you my own. On and off the ring, you did the Filipino proud. Even in defeat, you are, as always, ever the gracious and classy sportsman. We are all proud of you still. But time hang up those gloves. Enjoy your wealth and your health. Boxing is no longer the sport for you. Take a deep breath and maybe even a sigh of relief for you are now free to do the every...

While two of the three judges scoring the Manny Pacquiao-Timothy Bradley fight saw it going Bradley's way, the boxing world is unanimous. Manny Pacquiao won that fight -- or at least, that Bradley didn't do enough to win the world title belt. Go google it now. Do not even bother reading the articles of Filipino sportswriters who may have bias for the Filipino boxing superstar. It was not even a close fight. This was a robbery, plain and simple. The numbers says it all. Compubox scoring had Manny Pacquiao dominating the fight 253 to 159. You out-punch your opponent by almost a hundred, simple logic is that you win. That two of the three judges saw it otherwise leads one to conclude that boxing is so desperate that it is contemplating to try professional wrestling's formula. Controversy sells. That that farce of a "sports entertainment" league can sell tickets only proves the efficacy of this tact. The sad truth is, Manny Pacquiao's luster alone is no lon...

And to think that just a few months ago, I was ready to give up on the NBA. The league of millionaire players squabbling with billionaire team owners over the last scrap of dollar. "This is not what inspires people!", if can paraphrase Jerry Maquire. This was the league as one Jeremy Lin struggled to find his place under the NBA sun. He didn't quite fit the profile. Harvard degree in economics, undrafted even by colleges, and of course, Lin is Asian. Born in the USA to Taiwanese immigrant parents. But the kid loves to play. All he wants to do is play. Even after he was cut by Golden State Warriors, waived by the Houston Rockets, then found himself the third-string point guard of the hapless New York Knicks. He was willing to ride the bench out and play garbage time, if only so he can hold on to that quickly dimming chance that he may be allowed to really play in the NBA -- one day. And that day finally came when both starting and relief point guards suffered an inju...

Saw the Nonito Donaire fight this morning. Ho-hum, boring. And it is by no means "The Filipino Flash's" fault. It's really hard to make a fight of it when your opponent is intent on just surviving the twelve rounds with you. Nonito even had to monkey around a bit, trying to goad Vasquez to mix it up, but to no avail. What is this guy's ring name by the way? "El Pagong"? Not that he is slow. There is just no getting this guy out of his defensive shell. I hate it when fighters do not live up to their ring names. When I read in the fight card "Matador" is fighting, I expect to see bodies being carried out of the arena. You see, there was a time folks, when fighters actually lived up to their billing. Gone are the day of  Roberto "Manos de Piedra (Hands of Stone)" Duran, "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler,  and Tommy "The Hitman" Hearns. Sugar Ray Leonard didn't even need a monicker. His name sans embellishment was enoug...

I am aware of my own bias. Yes, I want our own Manny Pacquiao to win the fight. But because of this awareness, know that I am making a conscious effort to not let this bias taint my opinion. That said, I honestly believe that Pacquiao clearly won that fight against the game challenger Juan Manuel Marquez. 1. CompuBox scoring had Manny Pacquiao ahead.  Here is the link.  Juan Manuel Marquez was ahead slightly in the first half of the fight. But Manny clearly scored more power punches in the latter rounds. Marquez was wailing wildly and missing badly near the end of the fight. Watch the video again. 2. For rounds too close to call, judges usually reward and give the round to the aggressor and not the counter-puncher. There are at least 4 rounds that may be deemed "too close to call". And who was the aggressor in the fight? Who was constantly pushing forward? 3. Manny Pacquiao was the defending champion. Champions only need to defend their crowns. Challengers need to take...

Took me a long time to post this. So long that this is not even news anymore. Still hurts a bit, but hats off to the Dallas Mavericks for beating the talented Miami Heat. I am a die-hard D-Wade fan, you see. One thing, I am glad that if the Miami had to lose in the Finals, it would be to the Mavs. I would still be too pissed today had it been those flamboyant Laker show-offs. Hate them. The Mavericks played like champions. No real highlights to speak of. Not really. Not even in the Finals. They just quietly went about doing their jobs the entire year. Slaying one pretender after the other. And exposing that biggest pretender to the throne, James, in the Finals. Hate to admit it, but part of me was happy for Cleveland. There is a lesson to be learned by all from this, I guess. Spectacular is for a-holes. Resiliency and quiet efficiency, now, that gets the job done.

You might just get it.  Remember that, Juan Manuel Marquez. You wanted this third fight with Manny. You chased after it. Now you are going to get it. But in fairness to the Mexican great, you know this is going to be an exciting fight. Not a Joshua Clottey or a Sugar Shane Mosley farce. So, let's get ready to rumble!

Shane on you Sugar for that Mosely disappointing fight. Somebody hold the man's paycheck! He auditioned for "Dancing with the Stars" and didn't come to fight. Give everyone a refund. I want my 3 hours back.

Congratulations to the Philippines' boxing hero Nonito "the Filipino Flash" Donaire -- for finally getting the ringside announcer to pronounce his name right. It's DO-NAY-RE, and not DO-NEYR. Oh yeah, that too, that second round knockout against Mexico's Fernando Montiel was simply brilliant. Finally, Dyan, landing one good punch (in the first round) is NOT dominating your opponent. Thank you Ronnie Nathanielsz for correcting her. But hey, I am  just too happy right now for that to irritate me. So let me congratulate you too Dyan Castillejo for not mentioning the name "Oscar dela Hoya" in that championship fight. Maybe the fight was just too short? But hey, whatever, you got through one championship boxing match without mentioning his name and deserves kudos for that accomplishment.  

They couldn't have picked a better name, homeless and unloved, these Azkals were never given a chance and was considered by the experts as merely a warm-up match for the traditional footballing nations in Southeast Asia. Practically a bye for teams Singapore, and of course, the defending champion and host Vietnam. So pathetic has been our previous participation in this tourney, once named Tiger Cup now renamed AFF Suzuki Cup, that the betting is not whether we will win or lose, but by how much we will lose. And lose we have mastered, by as much 13. That's akin to losing by 200 points in basketball. We are not even supposed to be in the tournament, let alone tie or win a match. But saling-tuta or not, these crazy bunch would dare go. No fear of failure. Embarrassment be damned. They will do their darnedest -- for love of country and the glory of the game. And when they tied Singapore (1-1),  embarrassed the host nation Vietnam (2-0), and secured a...

photo from here And so it was, as every expert had predicted, a mismatch. And no, the mismatch was not for the bigger man. All of 20 pounds heavier and 4 1/2 inches longer, the tale of the tape was not enough to sway the expert opinion Margarito's way. And rightly so, for once again Manny Pacquiao proved that he is truly in a class all his own. It was all over but the shouting as early as the fourth round when Manny drew blood -- a cut on Margarito's face that would eventually grow into an ugly mess before the final bell mercifully ended the one-sided slaughter. If you watch closely the latter rounds, you will find Manny tapping Margarito in the face and no longer really punching the taller/heavier Mexican champion, figuring he had already inflicted enough damage on his totally out-classed foe. There was simply no way Margarito could have won this fight. He can not even find the elusive Manny inside the ring. By the time Margarito can load up for a super-welterweight...

image sourced from here When our very own Manny Pacquiao takes on Mexico's Antonio Margarito this 13th of November in Texas, expect an epic battle of biblical proportions. Giving away 4 1/2 inches  in height and a full 6 inches in reach, this will be nothing short of a David versus Goliath battle -- almost literally. This is one fight that needs no hyperboles. Margarito is half a head taller and at least one fist longer. The numbers speak for themselves. Don't kid yourself folks, even against a mediocre taller-longer opponent, giving away that much in height and reach is no small matter. And Margarito is no mediocre opponent. He is the man responsible for Miguel Cotto's first defeat. The man can punch. And the man can take punches. As to his sullied reputation for coloring outside the lines, that should cause for more worries. Pro boxing is not exactly a gentleman sport. Manny should be ready for anything.  But I have faith in our champion. Height and reach i...

In an impromptu match, not even promoted in the media, Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather Jr. kept his unblemished fight record when he scored yet another win. But as the fight was not sanctioned by any of the boxing governing bodies, his record remains at 41-0-0, 25 KOs. Read here for further details . ------------------- Please post this link on your FBs. That is Bronze Athena's complaint about the worm infested chocolate bars she purchased at Savemore. Thanks. 

So the motormouth, originally from Michigan, is apparently at it again. Fighting the big fight against our very own Manny Pacquiao via vlog. And he can not even man-up to it, taking it all back a few hours later. Here's the clip from YouTube: Come on pretty boy, any 14-year-old asthmatic kid with a laptop can video blog they can beat Manny. But can they? Can you?  Enough of this silly internet trolling games. It's getting old. You're getting old. It's either put up or shut up time. It's as simple as that -- put up or shut up. Just so you know, I would rather have Marvelous Marvin Hagler's ONE loss to Sugar Ray Leonard any day than your 0 record. He came, he fought, and gave it his all. And yes, he lost. But he was there on top of that ring where real fighters do their fighting. Not behind some webcam ranting "Oh I can beat him, I can beat him..." yadi, yadi, yada. Yeah right.  So when does an O record mean nothing? ...

Call me a romantic fool, but for me, Manny Pacquiao’s best fight was the first fight against Erik Morales. The one he lost. I was no Manny Pacquiao fan before that, and was severely disappointed when he lost his WBC flyweight title via 3rd round knockout to an unknown Thai fighter. It was a fight he lost even before the actual bout as Manny couldn’t even make weight. It was all too easy to dismiss Pacman as just another Filipino world champion, in a long string of Filipino world champions, who got too fat and lazy after achieving some modicum of success. But that was before Freddie Roach. Freddie took the raw Manny and taught him the finer points of the sweet science. To Manny's credit, not everyone is coachable. Perhaps the toughest to coach, in fact, would be former champions who learned the sport the wrong way, gaining some measure of success, while employing the wrong techniques.  But not Manny. He would diligently learn everything that Freddie had to teach h...