Tunnel vision: the Ateneo Blue Eagles and FEU Tamaraws before Game 1

This is something I jotted down right before Game One. Thought I could use it as part of my game piece but it didn't fit. So maybe it was best that I separate it.

Tunnel Vision

by rick olivares

September 24, 2011

When teams arrived early for a shoot-around they were relaxed and loose. The lights were still dimmed and the throngs of fans and supporters not yet in. In an hour’s time the quiet will give way to a frenzied atmosphere. The season that seemed so far away before tip off was almost at it’s end. It’s game day of the Finals.

The players stretched, shot baskets, played one-on-one games, or chatted with some well wishers and members from the opposite team. There were smiles and the sounds of laughter.

However, once they headed back to the dugout to change into their game uniforms and for a last minute briefing, the change in mood was palpable. They had put their game faces on.

With tip off 20 minutes away, the FEU Tamaraws were the first to emerge from their dugout. Before they went out the tunnel where teams do their traditional warm-ups before they run out to the floor, team captain JR Cawaling gathered his teammates for a players-only huddle. He spoke earnestly and reminded them of the difficult task at hand. They were here last year and they know what it is all about. Now was the time for redemption. Some teammates nodded in agreement. The others… their difficulty of their undertaking was written all over their faces. The Tamaraws emptied into the tunnel, formed two lines and began to limber up.

The Ateneo Blue Eagles filed out some eight minutes later. And one by one, they gathered just outside the corridor fronting the media room and Bb. Pilipinas office deep inside the bowels of the Araneta Coliseum as is their custom. Kirk Long gave his short pre-game talk that last under a minute. Then team began to bounce around, arms around each other bonded in glory or a grim sports death. They chanted in unison “A-ya-yay! A-ya-yay! A-ya-yay!” several times before there it gave way to a shout – “Ateneo… one big fight!”

Ateneo then went to the tunnel just as FEU finished their warm-ups. This time, the two teams did not look at one another. They wore the look of you-are-now-my-enemy-and-I-can’t-wait-to-kick-you-butt. No pleasantries or low fives were exchanged. There’s a time for that and that is not now.

The UAAP Finals means much to both teams.

The FEU Tamaraws have spared no effort to reach the Promised Land. This past season, they trotted out icons of past success in Bert Flores, the last man to lead the team to a title. And there’s Johnny Abarrientos and Vic Pablo who know what it’s like to end another team’s dynasty when they stopped La Salle in the early 1990’s. The dynamic duo is now with the Tamaraws coaching staff and part of their job is to impart hard won nuggets of wisdom to the new generation of FEU stars.

The three Ateneo captains – Long, Raymond Austria, and Emman Monfort – are the sole remnants of the years where the team was frustrated by other squads in holding aloft that coveted trophy. They know well enough not to take things for granted. Some others have only known winning and they constantly have to remind them to remain steadfast in their goals and their tried and tested system. They know that all streaks come to an end but they hope they can do it one more time and go out a winner.

The teams looked straight at the entrance leading to the court. Eyes riveted. Minds transfixed on the task at hand. The drums and cheers are calling. It’s time.

The Blue Eagles raced out to the court. The Tamaraws followed a minute later.

With my prized student Emman Monfort (above) and old bud Greg Slaughter (dating back to the early days of Smart Gilas).

Bleachers' Brew #278 What's my age again?

This appears in the Monday September 26, 2011 edition of the Business Mirror.

What’s my age again?

by rick olivares

Anyone watch that movie “Space Cowboys” that starred Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, and James Garner? In that 2000 film that was directed and produced by Eastwood, the four play the role of former astronauts (read senior citizens) who are sent into outer space on one final mission to repair an old Soviet satellite.

That might be only a Hollywood film but it does make a case that being older doesn’t necessarily mean “broken down.”

Larry Merchant

After the controversial ending to the Floyd Mayweather-Victor Ortiz fight, boxing analyst Larry Merchant cornered the new WBC champ to ask about that sucker one-two punch that Mayweather delivered. Mayweather was evasive and when Merchant pressed for answers, he tore into him. "I'm going to do you a favor and let you talk to Victor Ortiz," snarled Mayweather. "You never gave me a fair shake. HBO needs to fire you. You don't know s--- about boxing. You ain't s---."

Snapped back Merchant: “I wish I was 50 years younger and I’d kick your ass!”

Some quarters have taken shots at Merchant for trying to steal the show and being unprofessional with his riposte. I disagree. I think there was nothing wrong with the line of questioning that Mayweather clearly tried to dodge. When pressed once more, that’s when he snapped. Had Merchant not shot back then everyone’d get on Mayweather. Just like how he was crucified for his shocking lack of respect for his father in an episode of HBO 24/7.

The hit, while legal, was shockingly done without any class or semblance of sportsmanship regardless whether Ortiz headbutted him or not. Two wrongs do not make a right. Maybe, Merchant was out of line, but he did stand up for the older generation.

Maybe if Merchant were 50 years younger he could kick Mayweather’s ass. Maybe not even. But then again, who knows? Unless another sucker punch is thrown.

Mariano Rivera

For years, the New York Yankees’ closer Mariano Rivera has been proclaimed the best closer of all time despite Trevor Hoffman, the great San Diego Padres relief pitcher having the most number of wins with 601. The praise heaped on Rivera was because of his five World Series rings and numerous playoff wins and saves to go with his regular season totals.

Last week, he finally passed Hoffman and claimed the record for his own (where it currently stands at #603). Rivera, who will turn 42 on November 29 and match the number on his jersey, is in fine form and has helped New York to its 16^th post-season berth in the last 17 years and its 17^th American League East Division title. What also makes his achievements more spectacular aside from having one devastating pitch in the cutter is how he has accomplished all of them wearing only one uniform. That of the New York Yankees.

The Yankees currently have a 96-61 record and with five matches left on their schedule, can match or even surpass the Philadelphia Phillies (98-60) for the best record in baseball. But the Bronx Bombers are not out for records (despite this being a record breaking season for Derek Jeter and Rivera). The common consensus when you play in pinstripes is that the World Series trophy is all that matters. And the opportunity for title #28.

Should New York win it all, there’s a possibility that this could be Rivera’s last. He did say that every spring, it is harder and harder to leave his young children behind. Should he pitch for one more year then that might not be such a bad thing at all, because Rivera, ages like win. He just gets better and better all the time.

Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney? Seriously? The bloke is but a few weeks shy of his 26^th birthday.

Before Manchester United drew 1-1 with Stoke City this past weekend, the Red Devils won their fist five matches of the new English Premier League season with Rooney having scored nine goals.

United’s top striker, who turns 26 this coming October 24, has been bothered by his baldness at a relatively young age. He sought the help of a London clinic whose procedure was to plant hair follicles in the bald areas. "I was going bald at 25 why not. I'm delighted with the result.”

That delight has manifested itself in the striker tearing up the competition. And Rooney attributed his success to his £30,526 hair transplant and his barber’s sharpishness. According to the (UK) Daily Mirror, Rooney believes that "Daniel J. (his barber) always keeps me looking sharp. And when I look sharp, I feel sharp. I don't know what it is but it's like his haircuts have magical powers because every time he gives me a trim I seem to go and score."

Matt Hughes

I’ve been a fan of Matt Hughes (45-8) for as long as I have been a fan of Mixed Martial Arts. Up against Josh Koscheck in UFC 135, Hughes, at 37 years of age and fighting in his last match of his UFC contract, was knocked out by Josh Koscheck with time running down in the first round.

Hughes is one of the all-time greats at the welterweight division along with Georges St. Pierre. It was a painful loss but it is clear that he is in the twilight of his career.

Not sure if he should have called it a career earlier after that loss to BJ Penn in UFC 123.

After watching Hughes get kayoed by the unpopular Koscheck, I thought of “the old Perfessor” – the late New York Yankees manager Casey Stengel who after losing the 1960 World Series to Pittsburgh on Bill Mazeroski’s series clinching home run quipped: "I'll never make the mistake of being 70 again.”

I guess, Hughes will not make the mistake of getting back in that ring at 37 again.

Ateneo-FEU Finals Game One: One Day

This appears in ateneo.edu

One Day*

One year. Two teams.

by rick olivares with photos from brosi gonzales & aly yap

September 25, 2010

The Far Eastern University Tamaraws were the favorite to annex the UAAP Season 73 Men’s Basketball Championship over the grand slam seeking Ateneo Blue Eagles. They took the two elimination round games and it was said that they had the defending champions’ number.

After one quarter where the Blue Eagles dropping a crippling 15-0 strike, the score stood at 26-8. The law of averages did not catch up to the hot-shooting blue and whites. The Tams were blown off the court 72-49 in the first game of the finals.

September 24, 2011

After the Tamaraws put the finishing touches on a two-game upset of the Adamson Falcons in their Final Four series of Season 74, the team, as a part of its preparation for their finals rematch with Ateneo, went to watch – among others – Game One of last year’s finals.

FEU head coach Bert Flores said that he wanted his team to recall the hurt and shame and find some motivation in that game.

Saturday, game day, one day before the anniversary of that infamous beating, FEU Team Manager Anton Montinola echoed the same sentiment right before the two teams raced onto the Maplewood court of the Smart Araneta Coliseum. “We want to learn from that and that is we cannot allow another game like that.” said Montinola who professed to have no qualms about trying to derail his alma mater’s quest for a fourth straight title. “Or else it could all be over. But we will give Ateneo a fight.”

September 25, 2010

With the forward-center Jason Escueta suspended for Game One, JP Erram moved one notch up the rotation.

With four minutes left in the first quarter, Erram entered the fray and immediately blocked in succession a jumper by Paul Sanga and an undergoal stab by Mark Bringas. The defensive stops galvanized Ateneo and the rout was on.

September 24, 2011

The Tams were having a field day with their pick and rolls and pick and pops. With the guards unable to fight through their picks and Ateneo’s bigs not gamely challenging the incursions, FEU twice posted ten-point leads at 26-16 and 28-18.

In a scene eerily reminiscent of last year’s finals, Erram entered the game in the second quarter. Finding himself wide open for a jumper, he took a shot with no confidence and bricked it. Running sheepishly back down on defense, he saw Tams rookie Mike Tolomia scooting in for an uncontested layup. Erram gave chase and swatted away Tolomia’s shot.

Soon after that, Ateneo equalized following a 15-5 run, for a 33-all heading into the half.

In Ateneo’s four-year dominance of the college basketball scene, there’s that one day, one game, during the UAAP’s playoffs, where they bamboozle a foe.

During the Final Four of Season 71 against the University of the East Red Warriors, Ateneo ended Dindo Pumaren’s tenure with a thorough 70-50 thumping.

In Season 72, there was that 81-64 win over UST in the Final Four.

And there was last year’s Game One of the finals (not to mention the Final Four rout of Adamson).

Conversely, there’s that one day, one game, where Ateneo loses a match that maybe they shouldn’t have – FEU in Season 71, UP in Season 72, UE in Season 73, and there’s Adamson in Season 74.

So much has been made of that loss. Of how the Blue Eagles have peaked too early. Of how Ateneo’s game is going down.

They conveniently (or maybe even stupidly forget) that just days before those massive blowouts of La Salle and National University, they were singing Hosannas. And just because of one thrashing?

In case they have not done their homework, Ateneo has repaid every one of those loses in spades (you can even go all the way back to the loss to NU in the second round of Season 70 that cost them the twice-to-beat advantage heading into the Final Four).

There are still players on this team who present during the debacle of Season 70. They know the empty feeling following a loss. The consensus after the late loss to Adamson that spoiled an undefeated season was, “Let’s just go get another streak on them.”

Talk about ruthlessness. And of course, those mid-game adjustments.

Shutting down the high pick and roll, Ateneo showed FEU that they can give as well as they can take.

In the first five minutes of the third quarter when Ateneo turned the game around, Kirk Long drove hard on Terrence Romeo on several occasions. When the Captain was done, he had six points from those incursions while Romeo had two buckets and two fouls.

And there was Nico Salva in the post instead of Greg Slaughter. From the get-go, Ateneo went to him down low. He posted up Chris Exciminiano, Carl Cruz, and Roger Pogoy. He sliced in for layups. And he was once more the recipient of a forward pass for a throw down.

With 4:20 to play in the third quarter, Salva backed down Exciminiano. With the Ateneo forward inching closer to the basket, Pogoy went to double team. He blocked Salva from behind but also got him on the head. The fourth-year Ateneo forward deposited both free throws that broke a 45-all tie. That was the last deadlock of the match.

By the time Salva was done, he had scored 24 points on perfect 8-8 shooting from the field and 8-8 from the line. And he led Ateneo to a convincing win.

As it was almost one year to the day, Ateneo punished FEU inside. The Blue Eagles faithful witnessed a dunkfest not seen since the sophomore year of JC Intal and Doug Kramer (during Rich Alvarez’ final season in blue and white in 2003). Ateneo had three slams from Slaughter and one from Salva (FEU’s Russell Escoto also had an awesome slam off a missed trey by Terrence Romeo). Such was the dominating inside play of the Blue Eagles that they scored 50 points inside the paint to the 22 of FEU.

Ironically, one year ago, Ateneo held a 42-22 edge inside the pit. The Blue Eagles also reprised their board dominance by outrebounding FEU by six – 46-40 In Game One of Season 73 and 37-31 this year’s first match.

The Tamaraws had come into the finals with a three-game winning streak and a 7-2 record coming off the second round. Once more, they were the recipient of a clinic on defense and team play as Ateneo sent them crashing back to earth with a resounding 82-64 triumph.

September 25, 2010

In the aftermath of that 72-49 massacre in Season 73’s Finals, FEU Athletic Director and former Blue Eagle Mark Molina said, “We were completely outplayed. Para silang (the Tamaraws) deer stuck in the headlights.”

In the same breath, he vowed a comeback.

September 24, 2011

In the aftermath of the Game One loss, Bert Flores offered no excuses. “Talo talaga. Ang ganda ng laro ng Ateneo. Maganda yung execution nila nung second half at hinigpitan nila depensa nila. Para siya last year ulit nung second half.”

In the same breath, he vowed a comeback.

-----------------------------

In my preview, I listed down some things Ateneo needs to do to win the game and the series. Here's my scorecard on that:

1)    Greg Slaughter needs to stay in the game. The Big Fella played 26 minutes and tallied 12 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block.

2)   In Ateneo’s two elims wins over FEU, they had three players scoring in double digits. They needed to maintain that and get more involved in the scoring. In this game, four Blue Eagles scored in double digits – Salva (24), Kiefer Ravena (17), Slaughter (12), and Emman Monfort (11).

3)  The Phenom will have his way inside. Against Exciminiano (the man Ateneo calls “X”), Romeo, Garcia, and Tolomia, the Phenom finished with 17 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists (including a bullet inside the lane to a flashing Slaughter who dunked it home), and 2 steals. After Terrence Romeo, who single-handedly kept FEU in the game, hit a trey, Ravena answered with a trey of his own while cramping up.

4)    If Nico Salva takes his shots in the flow of the game and passes off when need be. The power forward finished with zero assists but that was okay as he was perfect everywhere else for the day.

5)    If Emman Monfort can continue to give RR Garcia fits. In last year’s Game One, Garcia, newly crowned league MVP, had 11 points. This year, he was held down to six.

 * Thanks to David Nicholls for the title inspiration.

Seeing double? Does Brad Pitt look like Billy Beane?

With the Moneyball film out, here are photos (from Sports Illustrated) comparing the real life Billy Beane and Brad Pitt who plays Beane in the movie. Some similarity. They should have at least gotten Dennis Quaid. In the film "61" about the 1961 MLB season where Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris went after Babe Ruth's single season home run record, actor Barry Pepper played Maris. Now they got that right with the casting.

World class own goal by Radwan al-Moosa

This stuff happens when you least expect it. But what a howler, huh?

What’s up with Fernando Torres?

What’s up with Fernando Torres?

After a stellar four years in the Premier League, the Spanish star is in the doldrums with his name mentioned as a huge bust following a transfer from Liverpool to Chelsea. It’s just a change in the weather writes Rick Olivares. Photo by Dave Shopland.

How can someone go so fast from being a hero to a – not a villain – fallen star?

You’d understand that all too well if you know Fernando Torres.

When he came over from Atletico Madrid to Liverpool, not every one was ecstatic. Years of blown acquisitions from Hadji Diouf to Djibril Cisse to Fernando Morientes to Robbie Keane to name a few have left Reds supporters cynical.

Torres of course, was perhaps the best acquisition of the decade (along with Pepe Reina and Xabi Alonso) as he thrived in Liverpool where he scored 65 goals in less than four years.

Before his transfer to Anfield, Chelsea was a principal suitor of the Spaniard’s. But it was off to the Merseyside club where he was terrific. And that boosted his international stock. He led Spain in the Euro 2008 campaign and retained his superb form in the 2009 Confederations Cup that was a prelude to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

After he was shut down in April 2010 with the Premier League drawing to a close, Torres underwent knee surgery. He was not the same player when he came back. He played only three games in South Africa where he went scoreless. When he did come back to Liverpool, rumors were rife of his impending departure. Despite assurances from then-LFC manager Roy Hodgson that Torres wasn’t going anywhere, he was sold to Chelsea for £50 million.

It was a tough pill to swallow for Reds fans to hear of Torres personally handing in his transfer request. It was as bad as seeing former Anfield star Michael Owen going to Manchester United.

But the Fuenlabrada, Spain native has so far been a big bust at Stamford Bridge. Maybe even worse than Andriy Shevchenko who only suited up for 47 games in three seasons and scored a paltry nine goals.

In 19 matches dating back to last season, Torres has only scored two goals. In his first match against his former club, Liverpool, the Blues lost 1-0. 


The comparisons with his world-class form in Anfield persist and will continue to do so until he begins to put the ball into the back of the net more frequently.

During his time in Liverpool, he was the scourge of defensive backs including Manchester United’s all-world Nemanja Vidic. 


Last weekend, with a massive opportunity to get Chelsea back in the game after falling behind 3-1, the Spaniard faltered. He earlier put his side on the board with a scintillating strike off a precise through ball by Nicholas Anelka.

After being gifted by a missed Wayne Rooney penalty kick, Torres committed a catastrophic gaffe when he beat Manchester United’s offside trap but missed a shot. As he sidestepped keeper David de Gea, all the striker had to do was slot it into an empty net. Instead it went wide.

The howler reminded many of Kenny Dalglish’s botched shot over three decades ago also against the same opponent. After teammate Alan Hansen ridiculously beat the Red Devils’ trap including keeper Gary Bailey, all Dalglish had to do was tap it home. Right in front of the left post, the ball instead went wide.

However that is where the comparison ends because Dalglish, the current Liverpool manager, went back to the game and continued to play well. He ended his career as a Liverpool legend and one of English football's all-time greats.

Torres… well, there are all sorts of questions now. How much has he lost in pace after his knee was surgically repaired? Has he adapted well to the change of scenery in Stamford Bridge? When he arrived in Liverpool, he brushed up on the club’s history and got to know it quite well. Has he done the same with the London club?

Is he getting the ball where he can work his magic? Chelsea’s midfield does not resemble Liverpool’s where he fed on a steady diet of passes from Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso.

Is he still the pre-eminent Spanish striker? After he played the part of the Invisible Man in South Africa, it was David Villa who came out on top.

That botched goal last weekend – how does he respond to that more so now that Didier Drogba intends to reclaim his top target man status at the Bridge?

Torres goes by the nickname “El Niño” which means “the kid” in Spanish. There is another meaning to the name when applying the scientific definition.

“El Niño” is loosely the warming of global surface temperatures where temperature changes, drought, fires, and disease are but some of the consequences. That change happens on the average of every five years.

It has been five years since Fernando Torres first set foot on England and the Premier League. And coincidentally, there’s been a sharp drop in his game and his scoring tally.

He may not be the flavor of the month right now and could be another Shevchenko in the making, but as is always with the weather, it changes. El Niño begets La Niña which is the opposite.

The question is – does Chelsea owner Roman Abramovic and new manager Andres Villas-Boas have the patience to see it through? Manchester United’s win put them on top with the full 15 points from five matches. Chelsea is at third with 10 points.

Maybe the upcoming match with Swansea will get them and Torres right back on track.

-----------------------

Premier League notes:

Steven Gerrard returns to Liverpool duty after the club has floundered in the past several weeks. In five matches, they only have accrued seven points. Gerrard will take back the captain's armband this Saturday against Wolverhampton.

Arsenal is looking to bounce back after it discovered a new way to lose after leading 2-1 to Blackburn. Two own goals saw the Gunners on the receiving end of a 4-3 loss. They'll be up against Bolton which is at the cellar along with West Bromich Albion.

Kicks: Yousef Taha

Check out the kicks of the Mapua Cardinals' Yousef Taha. Photo by Raddy Mabasa.

Ateneo-FEU UAAP Finals Preview: Trilogy (or "We meet again")

This appears in ateneo.edu

Trilogy

A preview of the Ateneo-FEU Men’s Basketball Finals. This will be the third time in the past 10 years that the two schools will be matching up. This one’s for the decider. It’s a 50-50 game where no quarter will be given.

by rick olivares

The Ateneo Blue Eagles and FEU Tamaraws have met 10 times in the last four years. The three-time defending champs have had the edge so far with a 7-3 record entering the UAAP Finals of Season 74. But with the best-of-three championship series format, both teams are back to scratch and have a 50-50 chance of winning it all.

In UAAP cage history, the two have meet twice – 2003 and 2010 – with each side splitting the series with a pair of sweeps. And this one is for the rubber match.

While the Blue Eagles have had a dominating season, by no means will the finals be a cakewalk. The Tamaraws have played well despite the loss of some vital cogs to graduation (Reil Cervantes and Paul Sanga) and injuries (Pippo Noundou, JR Cawaling, Christian Sentcheu). In the elimination round, they played eight close matches (and six lopsided matches) that have served them in good stead. They know fully well that are every bit capable of coming back in the game from huge deficits. On the other hand, they know that they are also capable of coughing up huge leads and losing won games.

But the Tams are entering the final flush with confidence after their ouster of heavy favorite Adamson in two convincing matches where they dominated the Falcons. They’re also motivated by revenge against Ateneo to whom they have lost an assortment of tournaments – UAAP, the University Games, and the Philippine Collegiate Champions League.

The two dust ups with Ateneo in the elimination round saw contrasting finishes. In the first round match, FEU was staring at a double-digit deficit when they were hit by consecutive technical fouls that saw the lead balloon to 20 points. With Ateneo stepping on the accelerator, FEU fell apart both on and off the court.

Immediately the following game (played six game after), the Tamaraws showed Ateneo that the memory of that loss had faded as they posted a double-digit lead before the first half ended. The Blue Eagles slowly chipped away at the deficit until it was overhauled and the game sent into overtime. Once there, Ateneo put the game out of reach.

Ateneo enters the finals for the fourth straight year (and fifth in the last six years) feeling confident but wary. The way the series against FEU has gone, they know that this will not be easy and it could possibly go down the wire.

Some would like to think that another blowout (such as last year’s 72-49 massacre in Game One that FEU’s UAAP Board Representative Anton Montinola said “the series was over after the game’s first five minutes”) is in the cards.

There will be no such thing this year barring a meltdown of epic proportions.

Keys to a FEU victory:

Following their epic collapse to Ateneo to kick off the second round, FEU went 5-1 (their other loss was to UST) to compile a 9-5 record.

1) During that 5-1 run where they outlasted Adamson, UST, and La Salle, the Tamaraws were led by their wondrous phalanx of stud guards in Ryan Roose Garcia, Terrence Romeo, and Mike Tolomia.

The three account for 48% of FEU’s scoring output (32.2 points per game), 28% of the rebounds (12.0 per game), and 7.1 assists. The presence of the three gives FEU a chance to win every match. And to think that the UAAP will see this trio for at least two more years (when Garcia finishes up with school).

All three are lethal on the drive, perimeter, and the drop pass. Aldrech Ramos and Russell Escoto have been the beneficiaries of countless pick and rolls and drop passes from the trio. Now they have added the alley-oop as a quick strike option (one play that Ateneo has not defended that very well).

2) And then there’s the do-it-all man Ateneo calls “X” – Chris Exciminiano. He didn’t really play well in the Final Four against Adamson but you know he gets up for Ateneo (then again who doesn’t). Like Slaughter, if X is doing a little bit of everything while putting points on the board then this will ease the pressure on the rest of his teammates.

3) Without Cawaling and Sentcheu, Tams coach Bert Flores has gotten huge contributions from forwards Roger Pogoy and Carl Cruz. If the two get going, they will spread the floor for FEU.

4) The Tamaraws will be entering the Finals with a full crew. That means Pippo Noundou, Christian Sentcheu, and JR Cawaling will be in uniform and ready to go. How good they’ll be is anyone’s guess. But if they can contribute that adds to their depth and their chances. But they will be in a reserve role as players like Pogoy and Escoto will be the first off the bench.

5) If they can take Greg Slaughter, Kiefer Ravena, and Emman Monfort out of the game, this one is theirs.

Keys to an Ateneo win:

Both teams are pretty much close in rebounds, assists, steals, and turnovers department. Ditto for fastbreak, second chance, and turnover points. What will swing the series into the defending champions’ favor are the following:

1) The longer Greg Slaughter stays in the game the better it is for Ateneo. Unlike against UST where Slaughter had trouble staying in games and contributing (save for the Final Four match but he did go out at a crucial time), the Big Fella has done well against FEU as he has posted double doubles. If he is quick in his decision-making when he gets that ball, he will be harder to stop.

2) In Ateneo’s two wins over FEU this season, they had three players in double figure scoring. If they can maintain that or get more involved (especially the bench that includes Justin Chua, Tonino Gonzaga, Frank Golla, and Juami Tiongson) in the scoring then they’ll be dangerous.

In the past three finals, Ateneo has seen three different Finals MVPs: Nonoy Baclao, Rabeh Al-Hussaini, and Ryan Buenafe. What that shows is the team is deep and has plenty of good players. Who will step up in the Big Show is still a question. Obviously, in fifteen games, it has been mostly Slaughter and Ravena. While both have won championships they were done in CESAFI and the UAAP Juniors Division, the UAAP Seniors Crown is altogether a different matter that comes with all sorts of pressure.

3) It’s rare that a rookie is asked to take those big time buckets. Opponents have discovered that if they can keep Kiefer Ravena from driving inside and force him to take off-balanced fadeaways (while giving him a slight bump) then that throws off his shot. However, if the Phenom is getting his way inside then this one is over.

4) If Nico Salva takes his shots in the flow of the game and passes off when need be, the Blue Eagles will be even more effective.

5) If Emman Monfort can continue to give RR Garcia fits then that gives Ateneo a better chance because you want that ball in his hands when you need a basket.

Does winning the first game guarantee a victory? No it doesn’t (obviously 2006 comes to mind for Ateneo). But in since 2001, the team that took the first game won nine out of 10 times.

If Ateneo takes the first game, look for them to close it out in two. If FEU wins Game One, it will go the full three games where it will be anyone’s ballgame.

Greg Slaughter by Blue Crew

A New York Cosmos State of Mind. My submission to the Cosmos Opus.

Here is something that I submitted to the New York Cosmos. They've got this project called the Cosmos Opus where it also includes the thoughts, memories, and anecdotes of fans. If successfully chosen to be a part of the book, the contributor gets a signed copy of the book. Here's what I submitted.

My name is Rick Olivares and I am from the Philippines. As a child of the 1970s, my only connection to American sports was through those Life and Sports Illustrated magazines that my grandfather purchased at Clark Air Base, the biggest American air base outside continental USA. Those magazines and a well-thumbed almanac that my mother gave me were my only connection to the Cosmos. I started out with baseball and the New York Yankees because when you talk about Major League Baseball's history, the Yankees are front and center. And obviously, not soon after and largely because of Pele and Franz Beckenbauer, I discovered the New York Cosmos.

And there began my lifelong love affair with the club and soccer. 

Those 1970s Cosmos teams were the first true galacticos. Not the ones that later played for Real Madrid. Imagine this... there was Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, Giorgio Chinaglia, Carlos Alberto, Johan Neeskens among many others... I picked up my first pair of soccer boots because of the Cosmos. I learned the bicycle kick because of Pele. Both the Yankees and the Cosmos made me also fall in love with New York City. Along with Marvel Comic books, they were my version of today's popular The Lonely Planet Guides to the Big Apple. Then I began to root for the city's other professional sports teams -- the Islanders and the Giants. I promised myself that one day, I'd live in New York (and I got to do that).

Back in the Philippines, I would go up to the old Army & Navy Club near the US Embassy just to buy the New York Times and the military newspaper Star & Stripes to get info the Cosmos. I saved my daily allowance for the long commute and to buy all of that. If there were pictures, I cut them out and posted them on my wall that became a shrine to my sports heroes.

The first game that I got to watch was unfortunately, Pele's farewell match where he played for both the Cosmos and Santos, his old Brazilian club. When he scored, I yelled like a madman. When the game ended, I cried like a baby. 

When the old NASL folded, I remained a football fan. This time rooting for Liverpool FC. 

But my fascination for the Cosmos never waned. Older and with more purchase power, I bought the DVD of Once In A Lifetime and some Cosmos kits. Anything with the New York Cosmos in it, I bought. When news of the Cosmos' reorganization spread, I was extremely delighted because this was an opportunity for me to really connect with the team what with the benefits of travel and technology. When Pele and Eric Cantona made the trip to Singapore the other year, I was supposed to go but was kept away on other business. It was something that I rue to this day. I vowed that I'd catch them in Asia the next time they come over. As for the new team, I eagerly await their return to the pitch.

And when they do, I'll be back in New York to rekindle this love affair I've had with this team and this city.

It was cool to get acknowledged by the official NY Cosmos twitter account. 

-------------

Some old stuff on the Cosmos on Brew.


On other football stuff, I played seven-a-side football yesterday and crumbs! My body aches all over. Haven't used those muscles in a long while and I was huffing and puffing. Could still turn on a dime and tackle a bit but I am woefully slow now (yes, I am getting old). I did get to hammer home a pair of goals but the last was disallowed. Sayang, it was a good one though as I dribbled around the keeper and slotted it into the empty net. That should serve as inspiration to do it again.