Fil-Am coach takes team to NBA Eastern Conference Finals

Erik Spoelstra with Miami Heat's Big 3

It always makes me feel good to see a Filipino or somebody with Filipino ancestry who excels in a contest overseas that for years and years has been dominated by Westerners.

It was no mean feat, therefore, that a virtual unknown like Miami Heat’s head coach Erik Spoelstra spoiled the fun of more experienced and much more known NBA coaches when he made history by becoming the first ever Filipino-American coach to take his team to the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals.

While it may be true that Spoelstra has some of the best shooting NBA players in his team in the persons of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, them alone will not make a team a winner if there wasn’t a mentor who could inspire and motivate, galvanize and energize such that every individual player has to play above par to effect a good team work offensively and defensively.

It was Spoelstra’s in-depth knowledge of the game, his ability to know the strength and weaknesses of the members of his team and his leadership skill that made all the difference in trouncing the highly regarded Boston Celtics in their playoff series.

The appointment of Spoelstra as Miami’s head coach replacing the legendary Pat Riley in 2008 made him the first and youngest Asian American to assume that post. For what he has achieved, he gave Riley the credit for having taught him the essentials of effective coaching.

Spoelstra was born to a Filipino mother who hails from San Pablo, Laguna and an Irish-Dutch father.

Miami Heat will take on the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals starting May 15.

The Manny Pacquiao magic

Manny Pacquiao with Paris Hilton at post Pacquiao-Mosley fight

Every time Manny Pacquiao fights, the country comes to a standstill to watch and the boxing fans all over the world gets agog over the event and for a reason. He gives all what it takes to make every bout an interesting one and something to talk about.

Whether he wins by unanimous decision or by a knock-out, there is always a tale to be told about it.

Every win always endears him more to the boxing fanatics all over the world.

The Manny Pacquiao magic is nothing, but his mastery of the art of boxing.

He can slug it out if he wanted to, but he chooses the art of boxing for it is not sheer brute force that makes you win the contest, but it is the display of all the sum of a boxer’s workout that tilts the scale to his favor with his developed boxing prowess.

It is Pacquiao’s dedication, diligence, discipline and determination that has made him what he is today, but most of all it his ability to listen and follow the instructions of his coach Freddie Roach and other trainers that has propelled him to greater heights.

From his humble beginnings to being declared one of the greatest boxers and athlete of all times is simply awe-inspiring.

Ever since Manny Pacquiao became a household name in boxing he has become a world attraction and a certified box office hit due to his tremendous drawing power.

Anything that has name in it sells.

His charm has even captivated Paris Hilton that he was able to hold her close to him after his fight with Sugar Shane Mosley.

That is how far Manny Pacquiao’s magic has gone.

Woods and ex now “neighbors”

 

With the oodles of money Elin Nordegren got after divorcing Tiger Woods, the ex-wife is now doing her famous husband a favor.

It has been reported that Nordegren, a former Swedish model, purchased a 17,000-square foot home built in 1932 with eight bedrooms in a gated community near North Palm Beach at a whooping cost of $12.2 million!

The twist, however, is that her larger Florida beachfront mansion is only 10 miles south from where Woods has his newly acquired $60 million beachfront mansion also at Jupiter Island, making them neighbors of sort.

Woods, who seems to be in the groove on his role as single father, has welcomed this arrangement as it gives their children, 3-year old daughter Sam Alexis and 2-year old son Charlie Axel easy access to both houses and be with their respective parent.

Woods, who has been winless since he crashed his car in 2009, after being reportedly chased by an irate wife with a golf club and which later unmasked his sexual escapades with multiple mistresses, is trying to find back his form that made him a 14-time major champion while not losing his sights on the all-time record of 18 majors held by Jack Nicklaus.

Pacquiao meets Obama

 

Perhaps never in his wildest dreams had he ever thought that he would, one day, come face-to-face with the most powerful person on earth, the President of the United States of America.

It was no easy fate, therefore, for Philippine boxing hero and now Rep. Manny Pacquiao, to have earned the distinct honor of being invited to the White House by its present occupant, President Barack Obama.

Pacquiao’s superstar status as the eight-division world champion, a fate no other great boxing champions have done before, no doubt paved the way for this auspicious meeting.

Recognizably, what facilitated and made this meeting possible also was Pacquiao’s achievement outside the ring.

Needless to say that Obama has not only been enthralled by the phenomenal rags to riches story of Pacquiao, but, equally charmed by the exceptional ability of the boxing icon to win battles in the political arena as well.

Both being athletes and politicians and passionate in what they do, they can easily relate to one another. And not only that – they, too, have both stunning wives to talk about.

It was reported that Obama gifted Pacquiao with a watch with the presidential seal on it.

Pacquiao then invited Obama to his next fight, in Las Vegas on May 7, when he will take on American Shane Mosley.

 

Sharapova to wed L.A. Laker player

Slovenian born L.A. Laker Sasha Vujacic is one lucky dude!

Vujacic may not be the Lakers superstar, but in being able to win the heart of the statuesque tennis darling and the world’s highest-paid female athlete, much to the chagrin of men around the world desiring her, it may feel like winning another major championship game and much more.

The 23-year old Maria Sharapova, who has been judged the loudest grunter at 101 decibels every time she belts the ball across the net, has finally taken herself officially off the market.

According to several witness reports, the ring that Vujacic gave Sharapova signaling their engagement was very impressive.

Questions are asked now if Sharapova’s grunts will continue and even become louder this time on the tennis court or will she learn to leave it in the confines of their home?

Let us all watch how her games unfold.

Octopus oracle after the football World Cup is over

What good would Paul, the octopus oracle, be after the football World Cup is over?

Paul’s biggest and ultimate prediction in the World Cup is that Spain will beat the Netherlands in the final.

If the psychic octopus predicts it correctly, he will end up being a wonder octopus and his fame will continue to grow. Many will believe him to be a reliable seer.

It must be recalled that Paul correctly predicted Germany’s wins over Argentina, England, Australia and Ghana and the country’s loss to Spain and Serbia.

He also predicted earlier on Friday that Germany will win over Uruguay in Saturday’s match for third and fourth place.

If Paul’s prophecy of the World cup finals will come true, could the octopus possess the gift divining also things that are outside the realm of sports?

If Paul’s handler has the way of doing it, could the octopus oracle, perhaps, be asked if Osama bin Laden will ever be caught in the near future? Would there still be an environmental catastrophe bigger than the BP oil spill? Would Iran and North Korea give up their nuclear weapons program in exchange for peace, world stability and progress?

The whole world would like to know.

Ridiculous?

Well, it’s no more ridiculous than when Paul started predicting world cup winners against all odds stacked up.

If Paul is going to be that special, really, then somebody has to ensure his safety and security.

Would he be needing a ‘safehouse’, too, before he gets mutilated and cooked?

Don’t underestimate the crazy human beings outside Paul’s aquarium in Oberhausen, Germany who wants to turn the poor mollusk into food.

Octopus predicted football World Cup winner

What is in Paul, the eight-legged octopus based in Germany, that it can predict winners during the football world Cup in South Africa?

To the consternation of the German fans, Paul predicted that Spain would beat Germany in the finals, and it did!

It was seen all over the world through television how the ‘psychic’ octopus choose and stayed on top of the plastic box containing the Spanish flag with its tentacles over the box with German flag, when both boxes were lowered into Paul’s tank at an aquarium in western Germany. It then opens the box with a tasty morsel of food inside.

The box which Paul opens first is adjudged to be his predicted winner.

It was an ominous sight that brought anguish to the whole nation as, before that, the octopus ‘oracle’ divined correctly all of Germany’s World Cup games.

The last prediction had German fans turning against their beloved octopus after it forecasted a Spanish win.

Now they want Paul barbequed or turned into a seafood salad or paella ingredient.

Other’s still want the deep sea soothsayer thrown into the shark tank.

Why Manny Pacquiao will continue boxing

Win or loss in the political arena, people’s champ Manny Pacquiao will, no doubt, continue his boxing career.

This is as sure as the sun rises in the east.

For those who are dismayed that politics might take away Pacquiao for good from the ring and while still in his prime, don’t get too carried away yourselves, for this won’t happen just yet.

Yes, there is money in politics, but Manny is smart enough to know that there is much, much more money in boxing for his taking.

You see, nobody will refute that Manny Pacquiao is the most intelligent fighter the world has ever seen. His being declared the pound-for-pound best boxer in the world is now unquestioned. But, other than being an intelligent boxer, Manny has the fastest hands in boxing today and his nimbleness and speed have always left every losing opponent stupefied and in awe.

Being the caliber of boxer that he is, Manny has never been a battered boxer inside the ring. Yes, the Filipino champion took some hard punches, too, from his famed opponents who, often times, are much bigger that him. But thanks to his boxing and conditioning coaches, Manny has been able to roll with the punches and withstand some tremendous blows that could have downed for good a lesser competent boxer.

Needless to say that Manny Pacquiao has never been in a situation where he was severely clobbered in the head by any of his opponents in different weight divisions, thus, threatening his boxing career, one way or the other. Yes, he got cuts, bruises, and swelling on his face every after a grueling match, but never has he been advised by a medical doctor to quit because an injury or two to the eyesight or the brains has befallen the World champ.

Being still in the best of health and in the prime of his boxing career only means that Manny Pacquiao’s boxing days are far from over.

It will not be Mommy Dionisia who will decide Manny’s fate. It will be Manny himself.

And for as long as there are still credible challengers in line wanting to take Manny’s boxing titles away for oodles of money, smart-ass and confident Pacquiao will be a fool to let a mouthwatering opportunity pass by while he thinks he still has got what it takes to win.

Like politics, boxing is about power and money. It’s hard to give up power while the money is there – awaiting.

Goodbye Mr. Morrison and thank you for the Frisbee

The man credited for inventing that most ubiquitous of backyard toys, the frisbee, has died at his home in Monroe, Utah, aged 90.

Walter Frederick Morrison, a pilot and a carpenter, conceived and developed his aerodynamic plastic disc in the 1950s, and hundreds of millions have been sold worldwide since.

Frisbee historian Phil Kennedy said Mr. Morrison and his future wife, Lu, got the idea from playing with a metal cake pan on the beach in California.

He originally called his toy the Pluto Platter, where the platter’s novel aerodynamic shape allowed it to hover briefly or travel surprisingly long distances, kept aloft by its rotation.

He would hawk the discs at local fairs and eventually attracted Wham-O Manufacturing, the company that bought the rights to Morrison’s plastic discs.

Lawyer Kay McIff, who represented Mr. Morrison in royalty cases, said: “That simple little toy has permeated every continent in every country. As many homes have Frisbees as any other device ever invented.”

Japan sumo “bad boy” retires

I must admit that I get absorbed and animated watching Japan’s sumo wrestling tournament on TV that normally lasts for 15 grueling days of slapping, pushing, lifting, heaving and outwitting each other just to get the opponent out of the “dohyo” ring or making anything touch the ground besides the soles of their feet.

In fact I always have come to favor one that every time he wins, I feel good and every time he loses I shout, “Shit!”

But there is one sumo wrestler, though not my favorite, who I will not be seeing again and surely will be missed a lot. He is exciting to sumo wrestling as Nadal is to tennis because of their intensity and tenacity.

The untimely announcement of his retirement by sumo grand champion Asashoryu has caught the Japanese by surprise and has become, even, bigger news than the fallout from Toyota and Honda’s global recall.

Asashoryu,  whose real name is Dolgorsuren Dagvadorj,  is a 330 pound Mongolian who transcended the Japanese in their own national sports and rose to the top becoming yokozuna (grand champion).

Asashoryu’s forced exit came on the heels of allegations that he attacked a man in Tokyo last month and broke his nose.

“I feel heavy responsibility that I have caused trouble to so many people. Thank you for everything, I will retire,” Kyodo news agency quoted the 29-year-old Asashoryu as saying.

Asashoryu has been dogged by controversy during his colorful career, for everything from pulling an opponent’s hair to starting a soapy bathroom brawl during a post-bout soak, thus, earning him the moniker “bad boy” of sumo.

It did not help that in 2007 he was suspended – the first such move in the history of sumo wrestling – for missing a training tournament. Following the incident, he returned to Mongolia to seek treatment for a stress disorder.

Once a wrestler reaches the rank of yokozuna, he cannot lose this status but he will be expected to retire when his results begin to worsen.

But, in the case of the Mongolian sumo, he committed the serious breach of insulting and degrading the symbol of a role model and a true grand champion, thus, losing face.

He had no other recourse but to retire, sadly, in his prime and save the sports from being tainted.