SAMURAI BLUE MUST NOW WIN BIG

courtesy of fifa.com

Japan drew with Greece, 0-0, after a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Cote D' Ivoire in the 2014 World Cup. Samurai Blue will play its last match against Colombia, which has won all of its games so far.

With the way things stand, Japan must now win big against Colombia for a chance to advance to the last 16. It must score at least 2 goals over Colombia to have a chance of advancing to the next round. Japan must also hope that Greece and Cote D' Ivoire play to a scoreless draw to smoothly claim a higher goal difference. A win by Greece by just 2 goals over Cote D'Ivoire will allow Japan to make it to the next round by having a higher goal difference. All these scenarios are possible only if Japan wins more than 2 goals over Colombia. A victory by Cote D 'Ivoire over Greece will eliminate Japan.

In any case, Japan will surely play its heart out in its last match in the 2014 World Cup. After all, Samurai Blue is more than just a football team. It is the heart and soul of Japan and its people.

COBRA-PDBF ELITE TEAM SA UNANG DRAGON BOAT WORLD CUP : KUWENTO NG TAGUMPAY SA GITNA NG KAHIRAPAN

Matapos mamayagpag sa nakaraang Asian Championships, muling nagpakitang-gilas ang Cobra-PDBF Elite Team sa pinaka-prestihiyosong torneo para sa dragon boat. Nanalo ng 2 ginto at 1 pilak ang koponan sa kauna-unahang Dragon Boat World Cup upang magtapos sa ikalawang puwesto sa pangkahalatan. Nanguna ang Tsina at pumangatlo ang Canada sa torneo na nilahukan ng 16 sa pinaka-mabibilis na koponan sa buong mundo.

Sa kabila ng tagumpay ng Cobra-PDBF Elite Team, nananatili akong malungkot para sa koponan. Hanggang ngayon, di ito kinikilala ng Philippine Olympic Committee at Philippine Sports Commission. Dahil dito, patuloy na di nakakatanggap ng suporta sa pamahalaan ang koponan. Hanggang ngayon, nananatiling bulag, pipi at bingi ang pamahalaan sa tagumpay na patuloy na inihahatid ng koponan para sa bansa.

Ipinagbigay-alam ko na rin kay Sen. Sonny Angara ang kalagayan ng koponan.  Subalit wala pa ring ginagawang aksyon ang senador para kilananin ang koponan. Marahil, ngayong nanalo na naman ang koponan, mapipilitan nang kumilos ang senador na siyang punong-abala sa  Senate Committee on Sports. Mapipilitang kumilos ang senador para makisawsaw sa tagumpay ng koponan.

Ang pinaka-mahalagang aral na lang na mapupulot sa karanasang ng Cobra-PDBF Elite Team ay ang di pag-asa sa tulong ng pamahalan para magtagumpay sa larangan ng palakasan. Ang determinasyong magtagumpay pa rin ang pinaka-mahalaga. Di pa rin kayang pataubin ng pamumulitika ang likas na galing at husay ng atletang Pinoy.

Mabuhay ang Cobra-PDBF Elite Team !

.

THE AIR ATTACK WITH BC THE MAN 5-11-14

ANDRAY BLATCHE AND GILAS PILIPINAS : ALL ABOUT THE MONEY

Whether people admit it or not, Andray Blatche will play for the Philippines for the money. It is as simple as that.

Gilas - Pilipinas takes pride in having the heart of a Filipino in the midst of great adversity. '' Puso " has been the selling point of the team. With that said, how can Blatche exhibit the heart of a Filipino if money is his main concern and prime motivating factor ?

Besides, will it really make much of a difference whether Blatche or Douthit plays for the country ? Gilas - Pilipinas will be extremely lucky to get past the elimination stage. More importantly, basketball is a team sport. Naturalizing even the best player in the world cannot make a team win without the help of eleven other players.

I see the naturalization of Blatche as a desperate, useless move and a grim reminder of just how Filipinos see foreigners as their saviors. By the way, just how much did SBP spend to make Blatche a Filipino citizen ? I think Filipinos want and deserve to know just how much their citizenship costs.

OPEN LETTER TO SEN. SONNY ANGARA

courtesy of inquirer.net

On June 10, 2014, you and your committee will conduct yet another senate inquiry on the state of Philippine sports. Invited guests and resource persons include POC President Peping Cojuangco, PSC Chairman Garcia and their minions. And as usual, these sports officials will paint a rosy picture of sports in the country.

But the truth is, Philippine sports is in a deep rut. Corruption remains endemic. The Commission on Audit itself reports that majority of national sports associations have unliquidated cash advances that amount to millions. In the face of the COA report, has PSC filed cases against these corrupt NSA's ?

Expectedly, Philippine Football Federation President Nonong Araneta will speak glowingly of the Azkals' runner-up finish in the recent AFC Challenge Cup. But will he likewise inform you and your committee just how much it cost to have the Azkals compete in the said tournament of lowly-ranked teams ? Will the PFF president tell you that the Azkals lost to a team ranked 165th in the world ?

Two days from now, a Philippine team will compete at the 1st Dragon Boat World Cup in China. Will Cojuangco and Garcia admit to you that the POC and PSC do not recognize the team ? That the team is favored to win a gold medal but will not receive moral nor financial support from POC and PSC ?

I sincerely hope that you and your committee will conduct an accurate and thorough investigation on the state of Philippine sports. Hopefully, you will likewise do what is right. You can do all the senate inquiries that you want. But without concrete action, these inquiries remain a waste of time and people's money.

JAPAN'S SAMURAI BLUE AT 2014 WORLD CUP

courtesy of houseofjapan.com

The biggest sporting event in the world happens a week from now. Thirty-two of the best football teams will compete in Brazil for 2014 World Cup.

I will definitely watch the matches that will feature Japan. Japan's Samurai Blue is the first Asian team to qualify for World Cup Brazil. At the Asian qualifiers, Japan stood head and shoulders above its Asian opponents to qualify smoothly to Brazil.

Keisuke Honda, Shinji Kagawa and Shinji Okazaki will lead Samurai Blue's campaign. Bracketed with Ivory Coast, Greece and Colombia, Japan stands a good chance of entering the round of 16. In a World Cup tune-up, Japan beat 34th ranked Costa Rica to set hopes up high for a good showing in Brazil.

With Coach Alberto Zaccheroni still the head coach of Samurai Blue, Japan is very much a team to watch. With the tremendous support of its fans, Japan might just pull one of the biggest surprises in Brazil.

                                         Samurai, the time has come to fight !

COBRA - PDBF TEAM WINS 1 GOLD AND 2 SILVERS AT THE 11TH ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Cobra - PDBF team won 1 gold and 2 silvers at the recently-concluded 11th Asian Championships in China. Despite not getting any support from the Philippine Sports Commission and Philippine Olympic Committee, the team managed to make the country proud with its world-class performance. The race results were as follows :

200m Mixed Standard:  (SILVER)

 1. China                           46 248

 2. Philippines (PDBF)    46 682

 3. Chinese Taipei             46 864 sec

 4. Thailand                      47 182

 5. Indonesia                     47 472

 6. Macau                         49 666

200m Mens Category:

 1. Thailand                     49 010 sec

 2. China                         49 124

 3. Chinese Taipei            49 144

 4. Philippines(PDBF)    49 210

 5. Indonesia                    50 128

 6. Australia                     51 644

200m Womens Category:

  1. China                        54 174 sec

  2. Thailand                    55 528

  3. Australia                    55 546

  4. Philippines (PDBF)  56 108

  5. Indonesia                   56 180

  6. Chinese Taipei           57 706

500m mens category  (GOLD)

 1. Philippines (PDBF)               2 04 486sec

 2. China                                    2 05 094

 3. Thailand                               2 05 706

 4. Indonesia                              2 07 940

 5. Chinese Taipei                     2 08 186

 6. Singapore                             2 13 332

500m womens category:

 1. China                                2 16 602

 2. Thailand                            2 17 514

 3. Australia                            2 20 984

 4. Philippines(PDBF)            2 21 066

 5. Indonesia                          2 23 772

 6. Singapore                         2 26 756

500m MIXED Standard: (SILVER)

 1. Chinese Taipei             1 58 736 sec

 2. Philippines(PDBF)       1 59 072

 3. China                            1 59 318

 4. Thailand                        1 59 806

 5. Indonesia                       2 00 516

 6. Australia                        2 05 838   

The team is set to compete next at the 1st Dragon Boat World Cup to be held in China from June 9-13, 2014. Major sponsors of the team include Cobra Energy Drink, Krooberg and Gold's Gym.

THE PHILIPPINE AZKALS : THE HIGH PRICE OF LOSING

Finally, someone from the Philippine Football Federation dares to tell just how much is being spent on the losing ways of the Philippine Azkals. In the AFC Challenge Cup, where the Azkals lost to Palestine, a source reveals that the Azkals team spent around 20M pesos. That, by any account, is just too much money spent on a runner-up finish in a tournament that one can hardly call competitive.

It really is mind-boggling why the Philippine Football Federation and Philippine Sports Commission spend so much money on a team that has not won any legitimate tournament. While other winning Philippine teams continue to lack funding, the Philippine Azkals continue to enjoy unwarranted financial support.

More than anything else, the recent AFC Challenge Cup reinforces the Azkals' lack of talent and skills. Losing to a team ranked 165th in the world is an eye-opener as to how bad the team truly is. The loss of the Philippine Azkals in the AFC Challenge Cup is a reminder of just how wasteful it is to spend money on the team. And no amount of excuses, by media, spin doctors and insane fans, can offset that.

THE PHILIPPINE AZKALS AND THE ART OF LOSING

What was suppose to be a dream come true turned out to be a big nightmare. The 140th ranked Philippine Azkals lost to 165th ranked Palestine, 0-1, in the finals of the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup. With the loss, the Azkals missed the last bus to the 2015 AFC Asian Cup to be held in Australia.

Right at the start of the game, Palestine was obviously determined to win. Aggressive in its offense, solid with its defense and accurate with its ball passing, Palestine clearly outplayed the Azkals. Palestine truly deserved to win as it proved to be the better team.

But what makes the defeat of the Azkals such a terrible sight was the off-the-pitch behavior of the team. I was terribly offended that the team captain of the Azkals could not sing Lupang Hinirang. Being a national player of the Philippine team, the least one can do is to know how to sing the national anthem. Dan Palami, the team manager of the Azkals was ejected from the playing field as he was probably complaining too much. And at the awarding ceremony, The Azkals intentionally showed their disgust with their frowns and immediate removal of the medals hanging around their necks.

There can be honor even in defeat. Sadly, the Philippine Azkals have not learned this despite their years of playing together. And this makes the Philippine Azkals such losers.