The Italian Job

The Italian Job.
Kaka Stays with AC Milan.
by rick olivares

Kaka has own seven days in the desert where he eventually resisted the temptations of Abu Dhabi and Manchester City. He resisted £25 million.

He eventually decided to choose his club over cash. Is he wiping the sweat from his brow?

"I listened to my heart," said the Brazilian midfielder.

What many people do not know is how the Kaka Affair also should serve as a lesson on how to win and lose a PR battle. It was at the end of the day another sleek and maybe devious Italian Job.

Clearly, AC Milan knows that they cannot win with the present line-up. The Champions League title in 2007 may have been a last gasp of silverware glory but that it's Internazionale that has been the class of the Serie A in the last three years. And although the nerazzurri seem to be running out of steam they remain the champions until someone can take it away from them.

And charging hard behind is a resurgent Juventus.

Milan has been trying to lure players like David Beckham and Franck Ribery to San Siro but as in the case of the Frenchman, Bayern Munich isn't biting. "Not for sale," they say.

For sale.

Milan could really use the cash from the transfer fee of £108 million but what Silvio Berlusconi and company did was not have Kaka personally meet with Manchester City officials. As such, no personal offer was made but only through intermediaries. The package was merely relayed to the Brazilian. As much as they entertained the idea of having all that extra money, they left it in Manchester's and Kaka's hands to get their hands dirty.

If Kaka left, he was painted to be greedy while the English club, a picture of all that is wrong with football and sports today.

Said Garry Cook, Man City Executive Director: "We never met the player, we only met the representatives, we never actually made him an offer on personal terms. We've been to Milan four times and the delegation yesterday involved three lawyers, a board member who had flown from Abu Dhabi, myself and one other senior executive. What they wanted to talk about was; `'how much are you going to pay him?' We chose not to get into that and we didn't make an offer to the player."

For Man City, they have to deal with the ramifications of the failure to sign Kaka for it has reportedly made Robinho, a player they signed out of Real Madrid in the pre-season, unhappy about the collapse. The Brazilian was said to have walked out of training camp.

While they aren't done yet with signings, it looks like there Man City will have to go through another dismal season.

The winner here is Milan which has its reputation still intact.

While money may obviously not be anything, at the end of the day, the silverware that declares a club champions still carries more weight.


Post note: In a few months' time, we'll all be treated to another transfer spectacle when Real Madrid finally lands Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United. So how much will the Portuguese winger go for?

Tres cool, Black Mamba!

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The SPARC for better sports performance

The SPARC for better sports performance
by rick olivares

Far Eastern University volleybelle Rachel Daquis swears that the new Sports Performance Center (SPARC) has benefited the team’s performance in the current UAAP tournament. “It’s an advantage for us because it adds to our training and conditioning. Then after a game we can use for it for recovery and rehabilitation.”

“This will not only benefit FEU athletes and our community but also our performance in national sports,” added a beaming Anton Montinola, the school’s representative to the UAAP Board.

On 20 January 2009, Dr. Alran Bengzon, Chief Executive of The Medical City and Dr. Lydia Echauz, President of Far Eastern University (FEU), led the ribbon-cutting ceremony that marked the official launch of the SPARC Sports Performance Center. Located on the Ground Floor of the Technology Building of FEU along Nicanor Reyes Street, Sampaloc, Manila, SPARC was established to assist athletes, non-athletes and weekend warriors to enhance and strengthen their performance and to provide remedies for their recovery from injuries.

SPARC is a collaboration between medical and sports science specialists. The facility houses orthopedists who treat a variety of conditions and rehabilitation medicine consultants who complement them.

Dr. Mikey Bengzon, President of SPARC and son of Dr. Alfredo Bengzon, explained that "While skill has an impact on athletic talent, it does not equate to overall fitness. Skill alone does not guarantee an athlete a great career in sports”. At SPARC, an athlete’s performance can be quantified, measured, and monitored with the help of state-of-the-art technology and equipment. Sports science consultants at SPARC train the athletes to regain their previous athletic performance levels (when they are injured) or improve such levels through strength and conditioning, fitness and physiological screening, and body fat screening among others.

Dr. Bengzon added that since the risk of getting injured in sports is extremely high, a good rehabilitation center is imperative to help athletes recover quickly. SPARC’s clinical services include orthopedic rehabilitation and occupational and functional rehabilitation.

"We wanted a venue where we can treat sports-related injuries using superior equipment and professionally-trained rehabilitation therapists," elaborated Montinola who explained that this was the vision for the facility from its inception.

“Malaking tulong ‘to sa amin,” smiled Tamaraws Coach Glenn Capacio. “Kung meron lang kaming ganito nung araw eh baka mas matagal pa tayo naglaro.”



This appears in the Wednesday January 21 2009 edition of Business Mirror.
http://businessmirror.com.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4874:curtain-rises-on-feus-sparc&catid=31:sports&Itemid=65

UAAP Football Report

Last Sunday's Men's competition was a day of mistakes.

You all know by now how the Ateneo team shot themselves on the foot but how about the others?

The second game featured the highly-touted UP Maroons versus UST. The Fighting Maroons clearly took it to UST but they were unable to score until a lack of focus of a few seconds did them in.

In the dying minutes of the match, UP had a corner kick from the left side of the field. as UST defense tried to align themselves, the Maroons' Andoni Santos drifted towards outside the box unmarked. His teammate taking the corner passed towards him and by the time UST realized that Santos was advancing the ball where he had a clear shot, it was too late. bang goal.

FEU versus DSLU was another interesting match. Hans Smit started six rookies and FEU clearly was dominating the game. Yet they could not convert their chances. Jovannie Simpron was incredible even while playing with a partial tear in his knee! What the! DLSU instead played tough defense as they tried to ground it out for at least a scorless draw. Towards the end of the match, La Salle had eight rooks on the field! And in what will serve them well in the future, they gained confidence when they pounced on a mistake by FEU's back four.

It was three versus two La Sallians yet the FEU defense failed to clear the ball and (I'm not sure who from La Salle scored) the Greenie had an opportunity to bring the ball at the edge of the box, whirl, and shoot. That's a few seconds where FEU was suckered. Goal.

And chatting with Hans after the game, he says his team will be good in two years' time. Coach, the timetable might have to be moved up.

And Anton Montinola... who rarely watches regular matches lashed out on his team that took La Salle lightly. Are they missing Jason Cordova who did not have any grades last sem? Sure they are, but that's the team's fault now is it?

Last year's number 4, 5 & 6 teams are occupying the top three positions while the top three tops are in the bottom.

This is going to be a great competition.

Use your illusion

During a recent NBA broadcast of an Orlando Magic game, one analyst wondered if Dwight Howard has inherited the title of "Superman" from Shaquille O'Neal even before the Big Mouth has packed it in.

Surely it takes more than wearing a cape during the Slam Dunk contest or even a tattoo to inherit the mantle. He even chucks free throws like the Big Whiner so there's a little to the analogy.

If anything, I think he's in the mold of an Amare Stoudemire who both get more dunks than anybody.

I think Howard is a superb hoopster who has done well with Orlando and the Redeem Team but I'm tempering any Hallelujahs for him. Last season, I pointed out at the early kick off for adidas' Brotherhood campaign that he fought and had an ugly spat with Kevin Garnett during one game. So much for brothers, huh? Then the other day when the Magic beat the Lakers at the Staples Center, he got entangled rather innocently with Pau Gasol and he elbowed the Spaniard after a deadball. Incredibly, Gasol was whistled for the T and Howard was seen explaining himself to Kobe Bryant in the sidelines. WTF! Bum call and the bum got away with it.

I'd withhold the Superman tag just yet because people might have to take it back and replace it with "Superjerk."

Taking out Howard's rough patch, the Magic are a fun team to watch. You gotta like Jameer Nelson. Two years ago, people wondered if he was the right player to quarterback this team. Then as in now, he was. He just needed more seasoning. And Orlando was right to have been patient.

Unlike those in New Jersey right now who are contemplating moving Vince Carter or Josh Boone after a three-game slide.

I don't think this team can survive trading Vinsanity. They already do not have Jason Kidd or Richard Jefferson. Yes, they have Devin Harris but you think he can carry the team by himself? VC gives this team a clutch shooter and a go-to guy. They need help up front where Boone and Eduardo Najera are not the answer. If they still had Nenad Kristic they'd battle in there but they are soft up front. They don't have the frontline to battle even the Celtics. They should have known that last season and the front office didn't offer much help in the off season.

Every season a team is supposed to know if they can challenge for a championship. But I feel that many teams go in knowing they are not going to compete yet they ask so much of the fans to pork out their cash.

So now what? Go through another rebuilding year?

It is rather unfortunate that players and coaches can be replaced because of poor performance but the same cannot be said of dumb managers and owners.

Say goodbye to the Philly Eagles and their Cheerleaders. September is a long ways. Boo!

Dammit. What a year it would have been for Donovan McNabb and the Philadelphia Eagles had they made the Super Bowl! But The Eagles QB misfired in the clutch. Now another comeback kid, Kurt Warner will take his Arizona Cardinals to the big game after winning the NFC 32-25.

Now I won't be seeing Stacy and the Eagles Cheerleaders too!

Ateneo Men's Football Match #1 Getting off on the Wrong Foot

http://www.ateneo.edu/index.php?p=120&type=2&sec=27&aid=6270

Getting off on the Wrong Foot
Ateneo 1 vs. UE 2
words by rick olivares
gab siojo goal pic by erwin cabbab

January 18
Erenchun Field
Ateneo De Manila University
RS Mantos woke up around 5am. But in truth he slept lightly. After almost a year of waiting the UAAP Football season was here and he was excited.

Five minutes after a horrific own goal of damning and comedic proportions, the third year Ateneo goalkeeper was still screaming. And he may yet not sleep a wink that night.

For the first time in seven years, the Ateneo Men’s Football Team lost their opening day assignment. One can make a case that they lost it because of terrible terrible mistakes rather than the University of the East Red Booters beating them. Without trying to take too much out of UE’s win, there’s truth in it.

UE has played Ateneo tough in the last two years. The final scores have been 1-nil with the goal coming close to full time. The Red Warriors’ coach Lloyd Lim knows he has a good young team. But first they have to get past their nervousness.

The Recto squad arrived at Loyola Heights around 7:45am a good two hours ahead of match one and as they got dressed, a few of them promptly threw up.

The Blue Booters were quartered at Blue Eagle Gym high in the old loft where the basketball teams of yore used to dorm. If the significance of the championship legacy was lost on the footballers, their aspirations were in the right place.

Except that for the first 45 minutes, their play had to match their desire.

In the first minute of the match, UE took corners on opposite sides of the pitch underscoring how much they are an offensive threat behind striker Mark Madrona and winger Gringo Bravo.

The Red Booters had an amazing seven shots on goal in the first 20 minutes that kept Mantos busy. On three occasions, all he could do was punch out the ball as he was swarmed by UE players.

The Ateneo defense, playing for its first UAAP match in six years without the graduated Pat Ozaeta in central midfield, was having a nightmarish first half.

UE had an excellent chance to open the scoring after a Felix Rivera corner from the far right that afro haired UE defender Fitch Alboleda failed to convert. Instead of heading the ball in, his volley from five feet out sailed harmlessly high above the cross bar.

But Ateneo is no slouch on the attack. When Kurt Alvarez checked in for Jolo Peralta midway through the first half, his insertion added a carbon copy of Gerard Cancio on the right flank.

But it was midfielder Gab Siojo who sublimely set up his teammates for numerous scoring chances. Unfortunately, none of them found the back of the net as Ateneo failed to exploit UE’S relative weak back four.

Operating a staggered 4-3-3, Lim dropped Shem Bensurto into a sweeper position that made up for his lack of speed.

But the offensive adjustments by Ateneo shook off their being stuck in neutral as the home team bore down on the UE goal.

Gino Tongson’s had three chances to get the first goal of the season. One was off a free kick which curled away from the goal as it eluded Bensurto.

The second came when Cancio broke down his defender then rifled a cross that Tongson controlled with his chest. As the midfielder whirled, needing only to tap the ball in, he volleyed wide. He covered his face in anguish as Cancio patted him on the back.

And the third harmlessly hit the side of the net.

At the half, the Blue Booters’ coach Ompong Merida noted that parts of the team’s vaunted system were not functioning as they were once again plagued by a slow start. He exhorted them to play their system and forming those triangles to get their scoring going. And the Blue Booters came out with a sense of urgency once hostilities were renewed.

Unfortunately for them, even with Madrona superbly marked all game long, Ateneo did get to open the scoring when Migs Tuason, Pat Ozaeta’s heir in the back four, passed the ball back towards his goal. There's nothing wrong except it is customary to pass the ball to the side and away from the goal when there is a lack of pressure from the attacking team. Instead the ball rolled towards the Ateneo goalkeeper rather than touch the ball, kicked at it to send it back into play.

Incredibly Mantos missed the ball completely and as it passed him, the veteran Ateneo keeper looked helplessly as it crossed the line for an own goal three minutes into the second half.

1-nil UE and a feat of infamy.

The own goal was shocking – an understatement at the very least. As UE celebrated, the Ateneans looked about in a daze. Merida who had remained seated rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

Most people may have not seen anything like this. But in footballing history it has happened a couple of times, the last one in 2006 when England keeper Paul Robinson, mistimed a kick on a back pass by Gary Neville for an own goal (that put Croatia up 2-0).

Five minutes after the gaffe, Mantos was still screaming.

Not soon after, Merida sent in rookie Mikhail Andrei Manglapus, the grandson of the late Senator Raul Manglapus. His entry and energy gave life to the attack.

After a stop by defensive midfielder Fred Ozaeta, Manglapus expertly laid a long pass to Kurt Alvarez who beat Raynold Lim then passed the ball to Derrick Candelaria who raced in to support. Candelaria lifted a nifty cross to Gab Siojo whose stab from close range put Ateneo on level terms.

UE began to falter at this point as Ateneo once more had numerous chances to pile in the goals.

In one sortie, Cancio beat Alboleda with a crossover of his own that drew out Martos. Rather than advance the ball a bit and chip it over – Martos had yet to recover to his goal line – Cancio sent it inside to Anton Amistoso who sent the ball wide.

Ateneo would soon pay for its inability to finish as Amistoso, one of several Blue Booters who were plagued by cramps on a day when the sun wasn't even scorching, crumpled to the grass.

Largely ineffective in his UAAP debut, Amistoso obviously had nothing more to show. But rather than substituted by the Ateneo coaching staff, he was kept in the game.

Astute fans of sports history will probably recall a similar incident when a player was kept in longer than he should. In the 2003 American League Championship Series of Major League Baseball, Boston Red Sox Manager Grady Little kept ace pitcher Pedro Martinez in the game long after he had hit his maximum pitch count. The result was a key hit and the New York Yankees winning the game and the series.

And this football game somewhat falls into that same class.

Picking himself up, Amistoso, the rookie from Southridge ran back on defense to do what he could. After snaring a loose ball, he sent passed it back – another slow roller that went to no one. One that Manglapus and other defenders failed to corral.

UE midfielder Frank Mabasa couldn’t believe his good fortune that the ball passed through two Blue Booters and who never checked his progress. A few second later, he found himself one-on-one with Mantos.

2-1 UE.

Ateneo Team Captain Alvin Perez railed at Manglapus. Once more, a mistake that they paid dearly for. There were no more rabbits in the hat. Three minutes later, the referee whistled full time.

After the match, a dazed Ateneo team wandered back to their bench. The inauspicious start left the team with more questions than answers. As for Mantos, he was left wondering if he was going to get any sleep.

Scoreboard

Ateneo scoreboard

Baseball
Ateneo 6 beat UP 4 (Carlo Banzon pitched 9 innings to get the victory and put Ateneo at 1-1)

Women's Volleyball
Ateneo def. NU 3 sets (Lady Spikers at 4-4)

Football
Ateneo lost to UE 1-2 (goal by Gab Siojo)
Ateneo lost to UST 1-3 (goal by Yvette Gaston)


World Scoreboard
La Liga
Barcelona clobbered Deportivo 5-0. One goal by Messi and two each by Henry and Eto'o.
Real Madrid beat Osasuna 2-1

Serie A
AC Milan beat Fiorentina 1-0
Inter Milan lost to Atalanta 1-3

Ligue 1
Lyon beat Grenoble 2-0
Bordeaux beat Nantes 2-1

Bleachers' Brew #141 Can't Buy Me Love

Can’t Buy Me Love
(Or 108 million reasons to leave Milan)
by rick olivares

Someone should write an obituary in the Chicago Sun Times every single frigging year for everyone to remember the death anniversary of a great dynasty that got blown to the four winds before the end of its time.

The running of the Chicago Bulls was officially over when on January 13, 1999, the world’s greatest basketball player of all time hung up his kicks for all time as he bade goodbye a second time. I have officially retconned NBA history when I cast those two years with the Washington Wizards to a black hole so the marvelous ending in Utah remains intact.

Just as I was holding my own private memorial service, some people with Euros in their eyes detonated a nuke in Italy.

Last January 13, word filtered out that Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, better known to the world at large as Kaka, was going to leave AC Milan for Manchester City in the English Premier League.

The brilliant midfielder who after scoring a goal points to the heavens and pulls up his AC Milan jersey to reveal an under shirt with a now familiar message of “I belong to Jesus” is going to the team that once had Frank Sinatra as team owner. Oh, you mean that was Thaksin Shinawatra and not old Blue Eyes?

While recovering from a near career threatening injury in 2000, Kaka listed down ten things he hoped to accomplish in his football career. Within three years, he incredibly achieved every one of them and more.

The last personal goal he listed was to move from his Sao Paolo team to a club in either Spain or Italy. “Every good footballer dreams of playing in Europe,” said the midfielder during the press conference in 2007 when he was announced as the FIFA Footballer of the Year.

For a transfer fee of £five million -- an amount that club owner (and former Italian Prime Minister and Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi described as “peanuts” because he knew his team pilfered a great great player -- he got his wish and joined AC Milan. Since then, he was a part of a World Cup winning side (2002), the Italian Scudetto (2004), and the UEFA Champions League (2007).

When Andriy Shevchenko moved to Chelsea, Kaka was moved up front to occasional striker where he blossomed as a scorer. People then asked, “Is there anything he could not do?”

The media asked Michael Jordan upon retirement if he was going to help solve the world’s problems. It’s preposterous when you think about it but yet, yes, you wonder if people like His Airness and Kaka can do so while being less preachy and sanctimonious than Bono. But of a more earthly and fan boy dream, Kaka added another goal – to captain the Rossoneri when Paolo Maldini hangs up his spikes.

Now it looks like the Brazilian will never get the opportunity to wear the captain’s armband as he will be trading the red and black of Milan for the sky blue of Manchester City.

The new and filthy rich owners of the Citizens, as Manchester City’s team is nicknamed, the Abu Dhabi United Group Investment and Development Limited, broke the bank when they announced that they were offering AC Milan an eye-popping record transfer fee of about £108 million to acquire the services of Kaka. The amount is more than double the previous rate that Real Madrid paid to obtain Zinedine Zidane from Juventus.

Under the deal, Kaka will be paid over £25 million per season for 7 years! That’s a freaking £500 thousand (or $735,550) per week! The footballer who proclaimed to the world that he belongs to Jesus now has more money than God. Oh, sorry. I just heard on CNN that Man City’s financiers have an estimated worth of $20 billion.

When I heard about the offer and Milan’s interest in it (after all, £108 million sure is a lot of money), I couldn’t help but think of the obscene amounts especially in this time of crisis. For the first time, I joined those countless others who tally Manny Pacquiao’s prize earnings then who try to judge him on how he spends his fortune.

In two weeks’ time, Kaka could purchase a Bugatti Veyron the world’s most expensive car (price tag $1,192,057). If he can’t wait, then after one match, he can purchase a Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren for £310,400. He can buy a car every week and still afford to thoroughly travel one European country in style every month! Somewhere, Robin Leach must be choking on his caviar.

But should Kaka move to Manchester City, that is the question? Is it career suicide? What history do they have as opposed to taking to the San Siro pitch every other week? He’s going from the most decorated European club to one that is struggling just to stay above relegation. He’s the fourth Milan player to win FIFA’s player of the Year Award (after Marco Van Basten, George Weah, and Shevchenko). If that doesn’t spell footballing royalty then I don’t know what is?

Sure the Citizens are dead set on competing as they now have Robinho and are said to be luring away Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon away from Juventus. Before anyone says that’s like David Beckham moving to the Los Angeles Galaxy know that Arsenal’s Kolo Toure and Chelsea’s Ashley Cole and Wayne Bridge are also prime targets.

Rossoneri coach Carlo Ancelotti once said that Kaka was like a son. Well, dad. I didn’t know it was possible to “divorce” a child. In Milan’s case, who said that the best things in life are free? All that moolah can buy them a slew of young and up-and-coming Brazilians. Besides they already have Alexandre Pato, the next star of Brazil in red and black.

Why in the blue hell am I lamenting over a guy who does not even play for my favorite Italian team Juventus? If Kaka were headed for Liverpool, I’d be doing cartwheels. If anything, I should be upset that that buffoon Buffon is deigning to even go to Man City!

And it’s not like Kaka will starve in Italy! So is it now about the money? Look at it this way -- the next ten generations of Kaka's family should live a life of ease, comfort, and caviar dreams unless they spend money like it's going out of style. Can you blame him? And what if he moves and begins a tradition of excellence in Manchester City so that they'll no longer be known as "The Other Team (I refuse to mention the more popular one)."

We’ll be waiting for the obituaries to come out in Milan (remember January 13 the day it all started) but in the meantime, we leave the Brazilian to stew on the words of those poets from the Merseyside:

Can't buy me love, love
Can't buy me love

I'll buy you a diamond ring my friend if it makes you feel alright
I'll get you anything my friend if it makes you feel alright
'Cause I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love

I'll give you all I got to give if you say you love me too
I may not have a lot to give but what I got I'll give to you
I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love

Can't buy me love, everybody tells me so
Can't buy me love, no no no, no

Say you don't need no diamond ring and I'll be satisfied
Tell me that you want the kind of thing that money just can't buy
I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love.

Kaka bids farewell to San Siro?

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=610719&sec=transfers&cc=4716

Let's not complicate things

Apparently there's still life in Chicago

At 18-22, the Chicago Bulls are two places out of the play-off picture in the East. Underachieving, they hope that this 103-92 win over the league-leading Cleveland Cavaliers will bring some life to their listless game.

As JA Adande reminded us, January 13, 1999 was when Michael Jordan bade the world goodbye for a second time as he called it quits with the Bulls.

Guess this Chicago team isn't calling it quits yet.

Ateneo Women's Volleyball: The Trying Times

The Trying Times
Ateneo Women’s Volleyball at the End of the First Round of Season 71
words and pictures by rick olivares

The Ateneo Women’s Volleyball Team is young yet some mistake them to be some parts old. It is a misnomer because of the holdovers from last year’s squad, only a couple saw quite some playing time. So in reality it is really a young team. One laden with potential in spite of a glaring lack of ceiling to battle the statuesque frontlines of opposing teams.

The Lady Spikers have shown that they can hang with the best of them when they extended Adamson and FEU to five sets where they fell because of a lack of experience. At the same time they’ve surrendered sets to UE and NU when they should have plastered them with brutal finality and utmost urgency. And when they lost badly to DLSU and UST maybe they were expected to put up more of a fight than getting swept in one, two, and three.

They’re like a diesel engine that starts slowly but once they get going well, they get going. Only at times, other squads have racked up a sizeable lead that’s a little difficult to overhaul.

Former football great Marcel Desailly once said that an athlete’s performance is 50% skills and talent and 50% confidence. It’s all true as the latter – confidence – is borne out of playing time and that begets consistency and toughness. After all, how do you know how to react to situations when you’re hardly on the court to effect what is taught in practice?

Wins make people overlook certain details but loses magnify even the most minute and nothing is left sacred or deemed trivial.

There’s an upside to this because the losses sting which means people care. The new-found attention that volleyball has received can only mean good for the sport in general and for the Ateneo team because that means better training and support will be made available.

And you have to like the fact that they so want to win. They have a captain who cares and values the team and who strives to set an example. They have a squad that has come together after a semi-tumultuous pre-season where they planned their own team building session and have instituted amongst themselves ways to improve chemistry and bonding.

It’s not a perfect picture yet even so they’re still good enough to compete for a Final Four spot. They know they have to beat one of the upper tier teams if they want to make it to the post-season.

The losses have been tough and serve as a jarring reminder of the work and sacrifice that needs to be done. Here is where they see what they are made of and how good they can be. It’s gut check time where they cannot afford a few more mistakes or slippage.

They will put in their time and only need support. Do you jump on the bandwagon because volleyball is in vogue and there’s a sexist reason to watch a pretty face?

The Lady Spikers have endured their forever version of the Dark Ages and even went through a revolving door of coaches in the last couple of years.

They’re out there competing to an audience of mom and pop, three cheerleaders, members of the men’s volleyball team, and the odd fan or two like me who has made it his personal mission to help these teams in the past couple of years.

Yes, these are trying times fraught with an uphill climb and tough foes but remember how a wise man once said that isn’t the journey everything. And that sometimes is what we can ever ask from another.

Talking Liverpool

Someone asked me if I thought that Liverpool will win the English Premier League this season and my answer was to see where they stand by the first week of February. And true enough, Manchester United has closed the gap to two points with plenty of football to be played. How Liverpool makes a stand in their home and away series with Everton (although one match is in FA Cup competition) and Wigan to round of January matches will determine if these guys are out of their funk.

When Fernando Torres returned from Euro 2008, he promised that he'd help Liverpool win the Premiership but there was this nagging feeling of a letdown in his second year of duty with the Reds. And true enough, he's become Anfield's version of Didier Drogba minus the antics.

The early days of the season when Dirk Kuyt made us Reds fan forget the departure of Peter Crouch are over. The goals have stopped and so have the wins. How many games have they drawn?

I've been critical of Rafa Benitez for the last couple of years and the memory of 2005 when they won the European Cup is fast fading. He essentially won with Gerrard Houillier's squad -- a last gasp for them because what have they won since?

In fact, they've been on the decline. If they win this season then I'll take it back and proclaim Benitez a genius because in his five years in the Merseyside, how many very good players has he brought to the club?

There's Pepe Reina who replaced goal keeper Jerzy Dudek who aside from his spaghetti legs reenactment will never be confused with Anfield great Bruce Grobbelaar. And there's Javier Mascherano who is a great addition to the midfield and of course, Torres. The jury's still out on Ryan Babel and Kuyt (who they tried to move in the pre-season).

Of the 2005 champion team, it's only Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Xabi Alonso, and Sami Hyppia who are left.

Instead, Benitez has assembled a bunch of stiffs. Okay laugh because Harry Kewell performed well in spots and usually it was in European competition. And Anfield favorite John Arne Riise is now with Roma after that disastrous own goal that sent Chelsea to the finals versus Manchester United.

Jermaine Pennant will forever be an underachiever. Remember how as a member of Arsenal's team that won the Premiership, he scored a hat trick in one game that began the 49 game win streak but was loaned out to Leeds United the following season? He's bounced around a bit and has been disappointed mostly.

And Benitez cannot keep blaming management for the lack of funds because he's not really returned the investment of almost 200 million pounds on player signings.

So are these good problems for Benitez because Felipe Scolari is in the fight of his life over at Chelsea.

Should a manager be allowed to bring in players he wants to fit his system? Maybe, maybe not. But he definitely has to be given more than a season to prove his worth unlike Avram Grant who up until the last days of the previous season had a chance to steer his side to to cups.

The turth is Chelsea has been on the decline for awhile now. Even when they had Jose Mourinho they were going down. And now Frank Lampard is saying that Didier Drogba should stay at Stamford Bridge. Drogba may be one of my fave footballers but he's proven to be a distraction in the last couple of years the way Ronaldinho was to Barcelona two years ago. Heck Lampard doesn't even pair well with Michael Ballack!

But what do I care about Roman Abramovich's club except that I like their kit?

Back to Liverpool! This club needs to make a move by adding a player who can help them because Robbie Keane is just this year's Nick Bromby.

Ateneo Women's Football: One More Time

http://www.ateneo.edu/index.php?p=120&type=2&sec=27&aid=6262
One More Time
by rick olivares

Belay Fernando insists it isn’t about unfinished business regarding playing out her final year of eligibility for the Ateneo Women’s Football Team. The loss to La Salle that eliminated them from championship contention elicited raw emotions after the match and as a result, many like Fernando said that they weren’t coming back.

Time heals all wounds.

Apparently even broken hearts.

A part of the early fall out from the loss was the coaching staff of Buda Bautista and Karen Cacho. With a team in somewhat of a rebuilding phase and in need of leadership, the pair came back. Whether for one last go-around is anyone’s guess because what is important is their return guarantees continuity of the program and the system in place. The two have conspired to end those dreary days of Ateneo women’s football and last year, their efforts paid off. Previously, the Lady Eagles found it hard to clear the ball on their side of the field much less attempt a shot on goal. With the players maturing and getting better, they went on the offensive and they soon found the back of the opposing net with increasing regularity.

With the coaching staff back, Fernando thought that newly appointed team captain Samantha Santiago was going to need some help and so she decided to come back.

In one’s final playing year, a lot has to be measured. “I was going to give up a lot by coming back,” explained the defender. “It was a difficult decision. But I am at peace with it and am happy to be wearing blue one more time.”

Time not only heals wounds but it gives people an opportunity to set the record straight.

When the team takes the pitch this year, for all the inroads in Ateneo Women’s Football, they aren’t even given a snowball’s chance in hell to replicate their success in Season 71. La Salle is the heavy favorite notwithstanding the presence of FEU, the defending champs. And then there is UST, the team’s first assignment.

During the past year, Ateneo drew both their matches with the Lady Tigresses. “I can’t wait to play them,” admits Cristina Garcia who is tagged to provide some scoring punch in her final year. ‘It’s a big test for us.”

When you play for Buda Bautista know that she’s not long on tests. “It’s all about playing with a winning form and attitude,” she explained. “Skills can be learned but what you must decide for yourself is giving your best and playing hard at all times.”

Even with the return of its seniors minus a few, it didn’t exactly make for a seamless transition. The team had been playing a flat 4-4-2 formation for some time now to best make use of its available talent. But to all the more protect their goal (now tended to by Krissie Drilon who will pull double varsity duty with the softball team) added a new wrinkle in their defense as the back four was adjusted to a sweeper-stopper formation.

“At first we wondered why since we felt that the change was too late in our preparations. But after a while, it clicked and I went like, ‘Oh, yeah.’” smiled Fernandez. “That’s why she’s (Bautista) is the coach.”

The team boasts none of the athletes or skilled players of the other squads so the Lady Booters are tasked to play good defense, to conserve their energy and to use an economy of movement.

“Coach wants us veterans to play with a lot of smarts and heart to contaminate everyone with our enthusiasm,” adds Garcia who admits to being more relaxed and on target when she doesn’t think about scoring. “Last year was last year but this time around… we have a chance to make things better. It’s not easy because a lot more is expected now of us, but at least we have a chance.”

Time heals all wounds.

Even for the injured like Alice De La Peña.

Garcia’s words are loaded for they lost leading scorer Alice de La Peña to a knee injury in the off-season. “It really is frustrating,” lamented the striker. “After last season ended, I couldn’t wait enough for the new one to begin then this happens. I know I can contribute. So what I can do now is just assist the coaches in practice and play cheerleader. I waited for a whole year – what’s another?”

As much as Fernando and Garcia wish their injured teammate were in harness, they admit they have to move on and think about the season. They will all have to raise their individual and collective games in the face of such difficult odds.

“We’ll certainly try to get to a position where we can challenge for the championship,” summed up Fernando who like Garcia has been counting down the weeks and days to the opening on Sunday January 18. “As we like to say, ‘first to the ball, last one to quit.’

And now… it’s time.

To put the ball on the pitch. And in the back of the net.




The 2008-09 Ateneo Lady Booters:
Achacoso, Inez Camille P.
Alcantara, Nikki Loren L.
Bravo, Pamela Rosario V.
Cabrera, Shim Ann T.
Casas, Kirsten Erika A.
Chan, Marie Angelica A.
Drilon, Kristine Marie D.
Fermin, Doreen Grace A.
Fernando, Isabella M.
Garcia, Ma. Cristina J.
Gaston, Yvette Marie C.
Gutierrez, Francesca R.
Jacinto, Marygold N.
Jose, Ma. Venica I.
Misa, Angelica Bella B.
Puno, Railla Veronica D.
Santiago, Samantha Ann B.
Tanjangco, Ma. Regina V.
Tantuico, Kathleen D.
Yu, Jovannah C.

Interview with Star Sports' Vijay Armitaj

I love tennis. It is the one sport I try to play even if only going walling these days (need to lose weight fast). Of all the tennis events, I have to admit it's the Grand Slams that I only follow. For the Australian Open, I got to do an interview with Star Sports' Georgina Chang. But that's not all, I also got one with Vijay Armitaj, the former Indian player who is also in the broadcaster's booth.

Rick: Was it an easy transition from the court to the analysts' booth? Some of your contemporaries later found themselves in the analysts booth same as you. How much fun was that from competing against them? Who was the best one to partner with?
Vijay: For me, it was easy leaving the game. At that time, I felt I was done with the sport and had no regrets on leaving the tour. After that I never missed it, because I gave all I had to it. When I started doing commentary in 1991 with STAR Sports, I tried to bring more than what tennis analysts provide to viewers than what they see on television to get new fans more involved with the sport.

Rick: What I love about doing commentary and meeting former players is that even though I don't see them for 5 years, it feels like we've never missed each other. As friends, we guest on each others shows and talk about the past, present and future of the sport and what's going on in the world today.
Vijay: Commentary looks simple, but it's not quite – especially when you're on live television, and it's easy to see who are good at it. I can think of Brian Langley, and by far the best anchor I've ever worked with in Alan Wilkins, as two of the best on-air commentators I've partnered with.

Rick: Growing up in India, isn't cricket and polo huge there? Why tennis? What was the reception you got from your countrymen when you ranked 16th in the world?
Vijay: When I started being good at the game, I had always hoped cricket was doing well to take pressure off me, and the cricket team would always hope I was doing well to take media pressure off them! We were constantly under the microscope, and expectations were very high. But I was proud to carry that responsibility.

Rick: How much preparation on your part goes into working on a Grand Slam event like the Australian Open? Don't you have that urge to lace up those shoes and pick up a racket to play today's stars?
Vijay: In terms of preparation - yes and no. It's always good to do research on newcomers to the sport. But you should not be too caught up with statistics, which are available during commentary. Personally, I'm not big on stats, and when I do commentary, I take into consideration of viewers new to the sport. I believe you need to add some originality to it and you need to add a human angle.

On playing against today's stars, I'm very grateful I don't have to do that anymore! I've played against the best of my generation, and fortunate to play as I did, and I got more than I expected in my walk in life, and I'm grateful for it.

Rick: Aside from your competitive days, how big a factor is tennis in your life today?
Vijay: Its always been a part of my life, and to this day it's very important for my health. My son is playing professionally and I'm very involved in his tennis. Now that I'm doing TV commentary with STAR Sports, I need to be in the know on what's going on in the world of tennis.

Rick: Who do you like among the up and coming stars?
Vijay: Currently there's a lot of outstanding female players, but a 20-year old Croatian player by the name of Marin Cilic has impressed me.

Re-Juve nated

He's back! And so is Juventus.

The Brew Euro Football Rankings

1. FC Barcelona -- It took them a season to learn how to integrate the new parts and jettison the non-working ones. And they are atop of the Primera Liga with style. Averaging three goals per game -- can you say -- "fun to watch?" Geez -- Lionel Messi, Sam Eto'o, Thierry Henry, and Bojan Krkic. Goooaaaaaaaaaaal!

2. Internazionale - Going for a fourth straight Serie A title, can the Nerazzurri hold off the challenge by Juventus which has once more found its winning touch behind a rejuvenated Alessandro Del Piero? Inter is still up in the standings but one has to wonder how much more can they take before their glory-seeking manager Jose Mourinho sabotages the season? How many players has he feuded with thus far? There's Adriano and Mario Balotelli. For a while Zlatan Ibrahimovic had his concerns. Questions. Questions. Questions.

3. Liverpool FC - You'd like to say, "let's just play football." But with Rafa taking shots at Alex Ferguson now that Manchester United have started to click and Steve Gerrard in an assault case and in danger of losing a spot on the English National Team, the issues aren't simply on the pitch but in the tabloids. And how many games has Liverpool drawn? They're in the hunt for a Treble and that keeps them clicking, hungry, and focused.

4. Manchester United - The best club in the world just keeps on trucking. Rapdily climbing the charts, after their shellacking of Chelsea, they served notice that they aren't giving up their Premier League and Champions League title easily.

5. Bayern Munich - Can this club get any better? Lukas Podolski may be on the way out but they have Landon Donovan off the bench. And with Jurgen Klinsmann back in the saddle this time as manager, their offense has opened up; a far cry from the traditional mechanical and boring brand of German football.

6. Olympique Lyonaiss - If this club is going for its eighth straight French Ligue 1 crown why are they only at seven? Don't snicker when you say, "Aww. It's just French football. They can't beat anyone." For one, this isn't the Champions League. It's all about club rankings and Lyon has shown that they can win even if they change managers like musical chairs.

7. Juventus - It only took them a year to get out of relegation to Serie B. It took them a year to get into the groove and find replacements for those who left in the wake of the calciopoli -- Cannavaro, Ibrahimovic, Vieira, Thuram, Emerson, Zambrotta, and a few others left. This year the bianconeri have rode on the golden boot of Amauri who they obtained in the off season from Palermo and Alessandro Del Piero who seems to have found the fountain of youth. They may not have the All-Star line-ups of the two Milan squads but they are no less solid.

8. Sporting Lisbon - What? No Porto? This Portuguese side is walking on thin ice as a number of their side are out on injuries and suspensions. However, they remain tied with Benefica in the Portuguese Liga.

9. AZ Alkmaar - On top of the Dutch Eredivisie, Louis Van Gaal's star-less squad is playing without pressure. And they're doing it with many of their players in sick bay.

10. TSG Hoffenheim - The surprise co-leaders of the German Bundesliga. Sure they lost 2-1 to Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena, but they're hanging in there even if there are six squads on their coattails.

Get well, Coach!

Robyn Norwood of the Los Angeles Times reported that Loyola Marymount head coach Bill Bayno resigned because of depression related issues.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-loyola-bayno13-2009jan13,0,2158106.story

Good well soon, coach!

Torpedoes away!

Here are some posters we did for the Ateneo Swimming Team.

Concept by TJ Parpan & Rick.
Pics by TJ and copy by Rick.

Look at it this way, life sucks.

I've been following this unhappy saga over the past year and it in many ways reminds me of Andriy Shevchenko's similar predicament in Chelsea before he was sent back to AC Milan where he should have never left. There's also Peter Crouch who also left Liverpool under similar circumstances. It isn't confined to football as we saw the Toronto Raptors' TJ Ford and Jose Calderon not get along since they were both playing the same position and one had to sit. We all know how that went down.

Read this first and check out my commentary after because I'm going to allude to someone in the Ateneo varsity. Gut it out!

From Associated Press January 12, 2009
Out-of-favour Bayern Munich striker Lukas Podolski, set to leave the Bundesliga champions at the end of the season, has not shown enough determination to earn regular selection, coach Juergen Klinsmann said.

Podolski, who joined Bayern in 2006, has this year largely been left on the bench behind regular starters Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose.

Podolski, who had a superb 2006 World Cup under Klinsmann and has continued to score goals for the national side, has said he wants to leave, with former club Cologne the most likely destination.

The addition of striker Landon Donovan, on loan from the Los Angeles Galaxy and the signing of Croatian international Ivica Olic to join Bayern from next season has further hampered Podolski's hopes of a successful future at the Munich club.

''It hurts to see a special talent who just stops and does not progress because he cannot deal with the situation of having two players in front of him,'' Klinsmann told Bayern's website.

''I would have hoped he had some anger, which he would express in his game and he would say to himself: 'I will show them what I have got''', Klinsmann said.

''Bayern is a club where it is either or. Either a player faces the challenge and says 'I will fight my way into the team'... or it is better to change your environment.''

Bayern are in talks with Cologne and hope to agree a deal by the end of the month, Bayern manager Uli Hoeness said last week.

______

Yes, it's tough when you've gone from "the man" to "the bench." You go to practice everyday and yet you've been displaced. Then your playing time sucks. Any you start to wonder that if you make a mistake will I go back to the bench. With everything you do, you look at your coach rather nervously. Even when you win your body language is different. And you start to ask, "Why am I doing this?" It eventually affects your enthusiasm and greatly erodes your confidence. You even ask if, maybe "I'll just study na lang."

More often than not, we are put in a situation that we do not like and are not in control and it begs the question, "how do we deal with it?"

What can we do if it is the coach's system/style and those are his rules?

Ah, coaches. Some are good tacticians but not necessarily good teachers. Some are good in motivating while their strategies are well... wanting. It's rare that you find one who can put on the hats of teacher, father, psychologist, and leader. The same goes for a player too. Like one on a current Ateneo team who loves to talk smack at his teammates for the slightest mistake yet oft misses practices himself.

I once wrote about former Ateneo basketball player Jeff De Guzman who all his basketball playing life in Mendiola and Loyola Heights was constantly overlooked. He'd play well and get some good minutes too but he was never in favor. Whether it was a sound decision to get cut, whether because he never was the favorite of the coach (shame on the idiot who misreads this), or whether he was never good enough, Jeff tried his best but eventually moved on.

Maybe it was good while it lasted but there it is.

Sometimes, people forget that these are kids and aren't up yet on the EQ (emotional quotient FYI). Here's something former French player Marcel Desailly once said, When he (Thierry Henry) came to Arsenal (after a disappointing stint with Juventus), Arsene Wenger spoke to him and put him in his correct position (playing offense and not as a defender) and gave him a lot of confidence. Players definitely need confidence; it is fifty percent of the player."

But for now, it's about dealing with it and winning back your slot. It's shows your character and your determination. Like I always say, one of life's basic tenets is that, "life sucks." The sooner we all come to terms with that and deal with it, then the better it is for you. Now go out there and give it that One Big Fight. When it's all said and done you can say you tried, laugh about it, or just move on.