Waiting: The Year's Bests

In 2011, waiting is winning. | Credit: NFL

“A million miles away
Your signal in the distance
Tto whom it may concern
I think I lost my way
Getting good at starting over
Every time that I return”

 – Foo Fighters from the song “Walk”

In 2010, what realization did I have in relation to the greater society?

All I can say is, what the hell happened? This year is already over?! I can still remember December last year when I was spending a vacation in Cebu and Bohol with my family. It seemed like one week ago. But as a guy who writes about sports and pop culture, I noticed that lots of events happened in the span of that one week. But it all seemed fast-paced. Do you know why?

I realized that our world got faster this year.

Merry Christmas 2011

Let us all remember the reason why we are celebrating this special day. Merry Christmas, everyone!

Atlantan Fanalyst

It has been quite some time when I last wrote a full blog entry about my personal life. Ever since I went the sports/pop culture route in 2008, I have avoided writing about myself. This is because most people won’t get to relate with it or I might end up overblowing the story to the point that it becomes controversially misunderstood. The latter part is more forgivable if I am discussing current events as compared to talking about my personal life.

Also, I do not want to broadcast my personal life. I know that our writings reflect something about ourselves, but if you have been following my write-ups, you might have noticed that I put some spice to it – something that I won’t be doing normally.

No Music No Life 2011

December is the time of the year when we celebrate the year’s bests. It is like the performance review of the year’s top stories. As for me, I usually kick off the month by discussing my favorite songs in each month of the year. This year, my annual tradition continues.

I have to admit that 2011 is one of the weakest years (at least in my perspective) in music history. Rock music is as weak as ever while you have Super Bass or any Katy Perry song in the airwaves (I know… Katy is one of my guilty pleasure recording artists but it does not mean that she is exceptionally artistic). Throughout the year, I have around 1-3 months where I do not even have a favorite song. Heck, I would rather listen to a podcast than listen to songs. Yes, even if I have listened to that podcast previously.

Nevertheless, I am still going to discuss the notable songs of this year in a different manner as compared to previous years. There are still gems to be found.

More after the jump.

Avoiding Negativity

NBA Lockout is over! | Credit: Getty Images

When you experience a major defect on a product, you normally get pissed about it or you try to avoid committing the same mistake of buying the same thing again. This gets worse if you find out that it was consistently bad from the experiences of your friends. However if you are currently stuck with that product (again – because you have no choice), all you can do is sigh and wish it would last longer than the last time.

In my experience, it would have to be iPod’s earphones. Make no mistake about it – iPod’s earphones sound well and look great. My biggest qualm about it is its durability. When I had my first set of those white earphones, I noticed its rubber wearing off after three months. By the fifth month, the earphones were totally useless. Thus, I became extra careful when I had my second set of earphones last July. I always put them in a relatively safer place after using. I was very glad that there was no trace of the rubber wearing off. I was thinking to myself, “Apple has finally fixed the earphone concern. Yay! But still, I hope this set can outlive my first set.”

Epic Fall (Classic)

2011 World Series will be one of the stories you'd want to tell your grandkids | Credit: ibtimes.com

Baseball. For a lot of people, it is one of the most boring sports. It consumes a lot of time. As baseball is not time-based, a game could last for four to five hours. The game is also low scoring unlike gridiron football or basketball. And with the emergence of both sports, baseball is starting to fade from being America’s national pastime to ‘just one of the major sports.’ Bill Simmons, in one of his recent BS Report podcasts, even mentioned that baseball is a sport that is not that much appreciated by the 25 and below people. It makes total sense with the fast paced life these days. Baseball is so old school.

Add the fact that the popular teams (Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies) were already eliminated before the league championship series, this year’s World Series seemed to be headed for a disaster. But guess what, baseball was not as bad as it appeared to be.

2011 will surely go down as one of the most exciting years in America’s major sporting events. The year began with an amazing conclusion of the NFL Super Bowl. The teams with the most number of American Football championships (pre-Super Bowl and Super Bowl era) faced each other in the largest stadium in the United States – the Cowboy Stadium. The Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in a thrilling finish where Ben Roethlisberger almost put on a game-winning drive. It was an epic battle because it featured Green Bay’s amazing ascension to the top by winning six straight win-or-go-home games.

8 Random Thoughts of a Very Satisfied Fan

Note: A lot of these are week-old news. Yup, it took me a week before I could publish this writeup. Thanks to my wisdom tooth (or lack thereof) for constantly making me ineffective these past few days.

One week ago, I was frustrated at the demise of my two sports teams. If your two teams had the worst collapses of the ‘more than century old’ Major League Baseball history, you are surely going to get pissed. I woke up as if I just had a break-up the previous day (total lie – I was still able to work and function as a normal being that day, but you get the idea… I was devastated). I barely slept and I woke up as if I had a horrible hangover even if I never drank a drop of alcohol the previous night. Last week seemed to be an awful week in sports for me. Atlanta and Boston collapsed and got eliminated; Smart Gilas squandered a great chance of reaching the Finals and lost in the 2nd runner-up battle; New England lost for the very first time in gazillion years to Buffalo with Brady throwing four picks. The only win from a team I rooted for was from this year’s Super Bowl champions, the Green Bay Packers.

It was a tough week until everything concluded with the Game 2 of the UAAP Finals. The surest bet of the year for me – the Ateneo Blue Eagles – completed their domination of the Far Eastern University Tamaraws. And just like that, I felt relieved and ecstatic. Ateneo now belongs in the four-peat club. History happened for my teams – two horrible outcomes and one amazing result. And from a fan who has been through a lot, I will take this overall outcome any time of the day.

I read Grantland’s list of ‘Most Depressed Fan Bases.’ Both Atlanta and Boston were on the recent list, but you know what, I should not belong on this list (heck, Boston should not even be as the Bruins recently won). I was unfortunate on what happened to Atlanta and Boston, but as Bill Simmons usually remark, “I have no right to feel horribly sad because my sports teams were winning championships the past few years.” The same can be said to Boston. The same applies to me.

This writeup is not meant for gloating purposes. I am just saying that I had an up and down year but for what it’s worth, I should be very happy because two of my teams won championships.

Choke

September 28: One of the worst days in sports for me | Credit: Associated Press

 March 2011. I was giddy at my MLB teams getting a great shot at reaching the playoffs this year. Atlanta has shrugged off its late 2000s slump and entered the playoffs last year as the promising young squad. Boston, on the other hand, made huge splurges in the offseason by acquiring ace slugger Adrian Gonzalez and all-around standout Carl Crawford. After decades of lambasting the Yankee Empire for using a huge salary to build a strong team, the Red Sox Nation had to be on a similar position now with these luxurious acquisitions. Both Boston and Atlanta rank quite high in analysts’ power rankings.

Everything is good for me. I was thinking to myself that this might potentially be the best sports year in my life. The Green Bay Packers already won the Super Bowl. The Duke Blue Devils are the favorites to win NCAA. Ateneo will be sporting an elite team. Atlanta and Boston might reach the World Series. This only happens once in a blue moon.

Revisiting the Emmy Awards

"Mad Men" continues its flawless streak in Best Drama | Credit: Mad Men

A month ago, I wrote about my Emmy Awards predictions. Yesterday, the Primetime Emmy Awards was finally shown. Did I fare well in my picks? Shown below are the results and my thoughts on them. (The picks that I will mention in here where my unbiased picks a.k.a. “who will win” picks)

Best Actor (Drama)
What I picked then: Jon Hamm (Don Draper of “Mad Men”)
Who Won: Kyle Chandler (Coach Eric Taylor of “Friday Night Lights”)
Prediction Record: 0-1
Aside from Jon Hamm, Kyle Chandler was the next best guy to win in the next category. It was great to finally see him get recognized after all these years. “Friday Night Lights” Season 5 was a great send-off to this pantheon TV series. However, I have to admit that I have mixed feelings on this result. Jon Hamm’s extraordinary performance in “The Suitcase” was one of the greatest acting performances in TV. Furthermore, he also had superb episodes last season that stood out more than Chandler’s work in FNL Season 5. It was Chandler’s last try to snag the award as Coach Taylor so it makes the win a great experience. As a huge “Friday Night Lights” fan, I should be very glad of the result. True. But this leaves me a question on Jon Hamm’s chances of ever winning an Emmy. If a performance like that of “The Suitcase” was not sufficient to win award, then what will be for him?

8 Random Thoughts on Sports: September 2011 Edition

The Lambeau Leap | Credit: NFL

The NBA lockout is getting worse by the day, but it does not mean that we cannot enjoy sports in mid September. Yes, we do not have the occasional fantasy NBA drafts. I am not expecting for one in the near future, but that is for Future Jeff to get frustrated about. Let us concentrate on the present time when sports is at a very high gear.

Random Thought #1: Any thoughts on the Ateneo Blue Eagles?

First off, I have to say my traditional reaction once Ateneo reaches the Finals…

We’re Baaaaaaaaaaccccckkkkk!!!

UAAP 2011: Four Stories

This is it! Four teams are set to battle it out in this year’s edition of the UAAP Final Four. It is a bummer that my Ateneo Blue Eagles did not sweep the elimination round. Either way, it just deepened the plot. The battles are far more engaging with the Final Four storyline than the step ladder format (not that I was wishing for it). With the emergence and faltering of some of the teams, here is a quick look on what I think would spice up the storylines of the four teams vying for the championship this year.

Fantasy Draft 2011

Let's get ready to... draft! | Credit: The League

 Prerequisite to read this blog entry: None. This writeup is meant for anyone, even those who are fantasy newbies or who do not play fantasy at all (but are somehow interested)

It has been awhile since I last wrote about fantasy sports. It has been two years. Since it is fantasy season again, I think it is time to discuss this geeky topic.

Oh wait, the NBA is on a lockout. There is no fantasy basketball yet? Aww, man!

Because of the lockout (and boredom/laziness to find a more physical hobby), I decided to try fantasy NFL. It has a little audience in the Philippines because Filipinos are not avid NFL viewers – we do not have NFL in cable TV. Heck, fantasy baseball is not even played by my friends even if it the sport is shown daily in ESPN. But because I love numbers, the thrill of drafting players (as pathetic as it sounds, there is some self-fulfillment when I manage to get a great fantasy team because of my competitive nature) and I want to listen to podcasts about fantasy football, I tried the game.

Ateneo-La Salle Rivalry Over the Past Decade

The recent Ateneo-La Salle Game seemed to be a regular duel between the two storied rivals. There is such a thing as “regular” even when we talk about such a highly anticipated matchup between these two prestigious universities. Maybe, “less memorable” is the better term for it – the expected result happened; no huge in-game scuffles occurred; it was very far from a classic game.

However, this game marked some firsts for me. It was the first time I got to witness an empty General Admission section. The Green Gallery could not fill up the upper 1/3 of the middle Upper B section during the time the blue shirted audience have begun conquering the La Salle side. What is even startling is the fact that the once mighty La Salle crowd seemed to lose its spunk. They cheered, but the swagger was missing. They would normally boo us passionately after our initial cheer. They could not muster a wave even if it was a tight game in the first half. All I witnessed was a rival crowd stressed by the fact that they know their team would not win this game.

The Return of the 8 Random Thoughts

I’m baaaaaack! After more than a month of hiatus, I am blogging again. For some coincidence, I do not have time for writing during the month of July (also happened last year). I might be too stressed, preoccupied or just too lazy to write. I know it is strange because I should have more time because the network TV shows are not eating up my free time. Heck, I only have college basketball and baseball as the sports I watch at this time of the year. Whatever. Let’s get to the meaty stuff about sports and pop culture. There are too many topics I missed so I have to use the “Eight Random Thoughts” format. Let’s do this!

The Return of Random Thoughts Pt. 2

Link the the first part: PART 1

Tom Brady and Chad Ochocino. Go Patriots!

Random Thought #5: Which team is the best coming out of the NFL free agency?

Call me a homer, but I am picking the Green Bay Packers and the New England Patriots. I could not pick one over the other though. The defending champions may not have gotten star free agents but their team from last year is intact (which is important). In a lockout-rushed season, it is important to have an intact team because teams got less time to practice together. Getting

overshadowed by New England, Philadelphia and other teams that made strong moves in free agency adds fuel to the Packers’ fire. We should also note that Green Bay had several injured starters before the playoffs last year, thus they are even stronger this year as they return. Lastly, Green Bay drafted quality players in this year’s draft.

Letter Grades 2010-11: Cable TV

"Mad Men" kicked ass recently. Same with Pete for scoring on Trudy | Credit: Mad Men

Here is my annual write-up about my evaluation for TV the 2010-2011 season. I realized that I have watched too much American TV shows this past year so I am going to cut the blog entry to two parts: one for cable TV and the other for network TV. All of the cable shows in this list either ended up last year (Mad Men, Entourage, The Walking Dead) while some ended earlier this year (Friday Night Lights). Just right before we begin the Summer Cable TV stretch, here is the review of the cable TV shows from last season (June 2010-June 2011)

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

Dirk and the Mavs: Can’t You See I’ve Waited Long Enough?

Congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks! | Credit: Sports Illustrated

I'm learning to walk again
I believe I've waited long enough
Where do I begin?
I'm learning to talk again
Can't you see I've waited long enough
Where do I begin?
-    Foo Fighters from the song “Walk”

The Championship Window

A decade ago, I watched Karl Malone and John Stockton’s final years in Utah. Michael Jordan just left the league but my Utah Jazz failed to capitalize on it during NBA’s lockout-shortened season. As a young fan, the idea of the window closing has not yet sunk in. Utah’s dynamic duo was exceptional – they played with a high level of basketball despite of their ages. When San Antonio “stole” the crown in 1999 (yes, I was that bitter then), I thought that the Jazz still have a shot the following year. I was young and delusional. I thought that Utah just had a bad start against Portland and they could recover the following year. I never viewed the Lakers as a threat because they always ended up getting swept in the playoffs. Utah swept them a year before after all.

Enter the 2000 NBA Playoffs. Guess what, Portland defeated my team again. By that time, things started to become bleak. The Lakers have become the new dominating force and the idea of urgency began to creep. A year ago, Utah was in the top of the conversation when it comes to championship contenders. By the end of 2000, they were easily replaced by the LA Lakers, Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs.

Don't You Forget About Me

This is Part 1 of this three-part American Idol Season 10 Recap. This will be about the season summary. If you're tired of reading what you have already watched this year, click the links to skip to Parts 2 and 3:

Part 2 - Finale Retro-Diary
Part 3 - Other Highlights

Credit: American Idol

At this point in time last year, I thought I had watched the last “American Idol” episode ever. I was so pissed at how the voting favored the tweens and the midwives. We could not have the most deserving contestant to win it all and the voting outcomes were more a result of who the female hormones want than actual talent appreciation. At this point in time last year, I thought that I am fully quitting this addicting show because Simon Cowell is leaving. There were just a lot of question marks surrounding “American Idol.”

I am sure a lot of people shared the same sentiment. We were left with Randy Jackson and Ellen DeGeneres (who eventually quitted). The show got its third white guy with a guitar winner (Lee DeWyze). The ratings plummeted.

American Idol Season 10 Recap: Finale Retro-Diary

If you haven't read Part 1 click this link: PART 1 - Season Summary

If you want to skip to Part 3 of my three-part writeup, here is the link: PART 3 - Other Highlights

Jack Black vs. Casey Abrams | Courtesy: American Idol

 After my long season summary, I took some time to do a running diary. I was on leave yesterday so I took the opportunity to jot down what transpired (and my not-so-serious thoughts… because you might find some of it harsh) during the live forecast of the show in Star World. (all times are in morning Manila time)

American Idol Season 10 Recap: Other Highlights

If you haven't read Parts 1 and 2, here are the links: PART 1 - Season Summary | PART 2 - Finale Retro-Diary

To commemorate this year’s outstanding comeback, here are some other highlights

Top 25 Performances of the Season (Note: There are slight adjustments from the one that I blogged about Haley’s best songs of the season)

25. Lauren Alaina - Anyway
24. Lauren Alaina - Turn On The Radio
23. Casey Abrams - With A Little Help From My Friends
22. James Durbin - Maybe I'm Amazed
21. Stefano Langone - If You Don't Know Me By Now

Triple Threat: NBA, The Voice and American Idol

Thank you, Haley for the awesome performances!

 May Sweeps is ending soon but I have not watched the finales of a lot of shows yet (“American Idol” and “Glee” have yet to release their season-enders). Thus, I will reserve the ultimate TV series blog for next week (at the very least…I write and publish blogs slowly these days). As we await all regular TV shows to end, it is time to discuss the weekly buzz on three shows – namely, the ones on the title. Number Three was pretty much special last week for me.

NBA Playoffs and Lottery

Third Round of the NBA Playoffs. It was quite ironic because basketball has been intense, exciting and interesting despite the fact that the usual suspects are not anymore playing (LA Lakers, Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs and Orlando Magic). The coincidental thing is that his year’s playoffs has parallelisms to the 2006 playoffs. Both were intense (even in the early rounds). Both playoffs showcased the blossoming of the young blood (2006: LeBron’s Cavs, Wade’s Heat; 2011: Durant’s Thunder, Rose’s Bulls). Lastly, we might end up with a highly likely Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks grand final matchup. If that happens, we will see Chicago falling to third place just like the Chicago Bears and Chicago native Haley Reinhart.

Nobody Puts Haley In The Corner

We say goodbye to James. Rock on! | Credit: American Idol

Earlier this week, I realized that most of the TV shows will soon end but I find it strange that I am not feeling the build-up just yet. It should not be this way so I am doing a quick recap of the shows that I follow and how good a build-up these would have towards a great finale.

How I Met Your Mother

“HIMYM” was pretty much hit-or-miss this year. I won’t be tackling how the rest of the season went because I will not have anything to blog about when I hand the final letter grades two weeks from now. I hate getting spoiled so I never read any sneak preview on the next episode. With the finale arriving a few days from now, all I can say is that I am clueless on what direction they want to take towards the finale. The themes this year were prevalent but with Ted breaking up with Zoey in the penultimate episode, the season finale’s main story lost its build-up.

The Family Dog, the Dawg, and the Underdogs

The Family Dog got bored because Casey is not anymore in 'Idol' | Credit: Family Guy

First of all, I would like to apologize for overusing Jimmy Iovine’s lame and corny joke on the family dog again. (He mentioned that “the family dog” does not vote in reference to Casey Abrams’ growling.) Nevertheless, I will be talking about the dogs this week. The main title screams “American Idol” but we will get to that later

That's What She Said!

Credit: The Office

“Goodbyes are a bitch.” – Jim Halpert of “The Office”

It is May Sweeps again and I have to say that I am psyched. The NBA Playoffs have been entertaining and unpredictable while TV shows are quite pleasant recently. “American Idol” is not a buzzkill thus far. Although Casey got eliminated, at least the other remaining contestants are all legit (OK, I don’t like Jacob and I would have preferred him leaving before Casey but it is what it is). May Sweeps are usually the best spectacle in TV every year because of the various season finales that we get to watch. However, before these climactic moments are shown, a great lead-up is critical. Not every show can pull off a Seattle Grace Hospital Shootout in its finale. Well… that’s what she said!

2011 NBA Playoffs: American Idol

Did Haley pull off Adele's 'Rolling in the Deep?'

Just as I blogged two weeks ago, this is the time of the year that entertainment begins to shift into a higher gear. The NBA Playoffs enter the first round while “American Idol” is at its peak as the contestants usually deliver the best performances of the year. Ever since the NBA changed to a seven-game format in the first round, it has produced great drama. Yes, the seed disparity is a lot but because this era has a lot of great talent, even a #8 or #7 team upsetting a top team is possible. Just look at the amazing first round series in the past few years: Dallas Mavericks versus Golden State Warriors in 2007, San Antonio Spurs vs. Phoenix Suns in 2007, Boston Celtics vs. Atlanta Hawks in 2008, Atlanta Hawks vs. Miami Heat in 2009, Boston Celtics vs. Chicago Bulls in 2009 and LA Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder last year. A five-game series would have shortened the drama. Yes, there are lopsided and predictable matchups but given the fact that fans are so psyched at the start of the playoffs, these “boring” games are just fine.

This year features a plethora of talented teams that make the struggle for power more interesting and less predictable. We have intriguing teams like the villainous Miami Heat and the old bully Boston Celtics. It is interesting to know how the young and vastly talented Chicago Bulls and Oklahoma Thunder would fare. And of course, we have the teams of 2000’s (Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs) mightily perched in the top of the West. This year is one of the most interesting playoff seasons of all-time. My only concern: my favorite team (Utah Jazz) did not even reached it.

Failed Predictions

Bye Pia! | Credit: American Idol

A month ago, I attempted to predict two things: the “American Idol” elimination order and the NCAA March Madness results. Both started well with me getting three out of four correct picks in “American Idol” and eight out of twelve in NCAA March Madness. Then, everything went south. I will discuss “American Idol” in bigger detail later since it is the main topic of this write-up. In my NCAA picks, I had all #1 seeds reaching the Final Four. It was a safe choice because it seemed a sure thing that at least one of them would advance since they are quite consistent. Whenever Duke defeats UNC in the ACC Championship, they reach at least the Final Four. Pittsburgh seemed to have an easy road to the Final Four as they have a sucky bracket. The only teams that I liked in there were Michigan State and Butler because they had experience. However, they are so lowly seeded. Kansas and Ohio State appeared to be powerhouses. It was a sure thing, right? No. All first seeds got eliminated before the Final Four. In the usual words of Internet people, it was “EPIC FAIL” for me. I was not even close to beating Obama’s bracket. Even my friends who filled their brackets for the first time edged my bracket. OK, let’s stop discussing about NCAA…

Now is the time to put “American Idol” into the spotlight.

March Madness 2011 Final Week: TV Series Bracket

Bye Thia! | Credit: American Idol

It is already April but the March Madness fever is still on as we head to the National Championship game this Monday/Tuesday. All my Final Four teams have long been eliminated but I am interested in watching the Butler Bulldogs finally completing their unfinished business last year. I was not rooting for them during last year’s Cinderella run (simply because I am a Duke fan) but I am 100% rooting for them to upset UConn.

However, I was not able to follow NCAA basketball on TV this year (the most that I could was via ESPN.com). Thus, I will be discussing what I was able to follow (thanks to torrents… I can watch them any time even if I have them playing in the background while working from home during a weekend) – TV series.

This journal entry is my last meaningless and trivial attempt to post an imaginary bracket this year. I have a better bracket blog idea for next year but that will have to wait for now. Nevertheless, this year’s final blog covers an interesting topic: TV characters. If you pit two TV characters, who would you choose? Thus, I am writing about a TV Character bracket. This time, I am just going to discuss TV characters from the shows I watched unlike my first TV bracket this year where I put TV shows that I never watched at all. In this way, I can be fair. I am judging the characters based on how great they were; how well-acted these are; and if they are female characters, how hot they are. Aside from these factors, I am judging the characters on how nicely I perceive them. In short, it is still subjective. In this way, I am still not fair.

Legendary Blog for a Legendaddy Episode

HIMYM for threeeee! YESSS!!! | Credit: IMDB

I rarely write about a specific TV episode unless it is part of a topic about TV shows. I would either comment or include the TV episode as part of the blog entry rather than have the whole write-up’s theme revolve around that singular episode. However, I will make an exception on HIMYM’s latest episode (Legendaddy).

“How I Met Your Mother has been one of my favorite shows through the recent years but I have criticized the show a lot recently. It was shaky at the start of the year when the writer’s made a horrible tease at the season opener. They have been teasing us about the mother excessively that there would be a 99% chance that the audience will get disappointed once they introduce Ted’s future wife. Then, the next few episodes featured sloppy writing and uninspired comedic scenes. I had to re-watch HIMYM Season 1 just to reminisce how amazingly funny the show was then. Upon watching the first season, I get to laugh a lot even if I already knew/remember the outcomes. The punchlines were damn witty. The recent seasons were more about forced or crude humor. For instance, how realistic is a monkey mugging someone? HIMYM has liberties because of its storytelling form (making exaggerations acceptable) but because the show once was about making witty lines or scenarios, it was disappointing to watch such nonsensical humor in place. This season almost hit rock bottom when it featured the episode about Marshall and Robin not being able to hang out with each other. HIMYM has had a consistent writing crew through the years but I could not believe how they missed the fact that Marshall and Robin bonded in the Minnesota restaurant a few years back.

March Madness 2011 Week 1: Idol, Parenthood, Glee and of course...NCAA!

He's baaaaaaccckkk!!! Kyrie Irving is set to shoot the lights out | Credit: Bleacher Report

In a week where most of the shows that I follow are in hiatus, it is quite remarkable that TV-related entertainment is still at a high gear. Here are the reasons: NCAA March Madness, American Idol, Parenthood, Glee and… wait for it… NCAA March Madness. Have I mentioned March Madness?

NCAA March Madness has been awesome that I have to mention it thrice. OK, I am exaggerating (since there is a relative dearth of talent this year). Nevertheless, I am psyched for US College Basketball because of brackets, brackets, and brackets. Even if I have a very low chance of defeating President Obama’s college bracket. For an extremely busy guy leading a country in times of crisis, he has a remarkable skill in following sports.

It is quite ironic that I am getting entertained in a week where NBA takes a back seat. I have not even followed NBA for quite a long time now. I did not even notice that my fantasy keeper league’s trade deadline has ended.

NCAA 2011 March Madness Bracket

The HIMYM gang even picked Duke to reach the National Championship Game. Click the image to see clearly. | Credit: How I Met Your Mother

Here is a short blog entry about my March Madness picks this year. Last year, I was successful in predicting who will win the NCAA tournament (thus beating Bill Simmons and President Obama’s brackets in the process). It was a lucky pick (based from my gut). This year, I will attempt to beat their brackets again. I have not seen Obama’s bracket though. It also took me little time to make my picks for the NCAA tourney outcome this year but I have to say that I am more informed on the stories behind the teams… ahem! Jimmer’s 52 points. Ahem! I think I can explain some of my picks as well. Without much further ado, shown below is my March Madness Bracket for 2011:

March Madness: Of Brackets, American Idol and TV Series

Credit: Sports Illustrated

It is March Madness time again! Actually, it has not started yet but I am very excited to make my NCAA picks (although I doubt that I can predict the champion again). The best thing about March Madness is the bracket. If you love team sports, you know that brackets are the best way to decide the champion. You get to pit the best of the best with one another and who wins, advances to the next round. However, the ultimate team sport for brackets (I don’t consider doubles in tennis as team sport) is March Madness. Currently, 64 American colleges battle it out to gain basketball supremacy. The big number of teams involved just suggests how extensive the scope of the competition is. Predicting who which teams will advance in each round and who wins the crown is a very improbable task to perfect. Good teams fall unexpectedly because there is just one game per round.

Predicting makes March Madness fun. Anything can happen. You can make your most in-depth analysis and you can still fail in predicting the winner. Or if you were a lucky fantard like me, you may end up predicting (at least) the big winner.

8 Random Thoughts: The Jerry Sloan Write-Up

Credit: Sports Illustrated

It has been quite some time since my favorite coach has retired from Utah but it will never be too late to write about him. I have spent almost two decades rooting for Jerry Sloan’s team so this write-up is necessary. I am doing 8 Random Thoughts to have a wider breadth (and I have a shortage of creative juice).

Wearing the D-Will jersey. Yup, I look stupid now.

Coach Jerry Sloan has always been known as great leader. He runs a structured offense that requires hard work, discipline and selflessness. He would not be able to coach this long without being stern and consistent. But before we get to that, let us talk about other interesting current events.

Random Thought #1: How important is it to have swagger in sports?

Very important. If there is one competitive activity where swagger gives a significant advantage that would be sports. Heck, it is even strongly recommended. Being nice and congenial will not bring you success in sports. At a tender age, I already knew this when I was watching those “Rookie of the Year” and “Mighty Ducks” movies. This was largely apparent even in NBA’s golden age as the best trashtalkers like Michael Jordan, Gary Payton, Reggie Miller and Dikembe Mutombo (Dikembe was more of a swagger guy with his finger wagging after a successful block attempt) shone the brightest by putting their opponents out of the game.

Devil Town

“I was living in a devil town
Didn’t know it was a devil town
Oh Lord, it really brings me down
About the devil town.”

-    “Devil Town” performed by Tony Lucca

For the past seven months, I experienced the best TV drama run in my life. OK, make that the last ten months so that we can include the series finale of “Lost.” During that stretch, I watched the best two seasons of “Mad Men.” “Boardwalk Empire” had a solid debut season. I finally had the fortitude to watch 2 ½ seasons of “Breaking Bad.”

Peaking at the Right Time

Nobody is stopping Aaron Rodgers | Credit: Bleacher Report

For the past four years, I have enjoyed at least a championship victory from one of my favorite teams. In 2007, the Boston Red Sox notched its second World Series win of the decade. In 2008, the Ateneo Blue Eagles took the league by storm by blowing past their opponents by going 13-1 in the elimination round and 3-0 in the postseason. 2009 seemed to be the 2008 mirror image for the Blue Eagles except for the Game 2 loss. Either way, they repeated. Last year was probably my favorite year in sports as the Duke Blue Devils and the Ateneo Blue Eagles won their respective collegiate basketball crowns. Technically, I enjoyed three championships last year as my WNBA team – the Seattle Storm won. But since I did not follow them (as I was busy studying for certification then), I will not be counting them in my personal list. Yup, I am a lucky S.O.B. when it comes to sports. However, there has always been that chip on my shoulder – my favorite teams do not seem to peak at the right time.

Chip On The Shoulder

Aaron Rodgers had to deal with a chip on his shoulder but this only made him stronger

It is Super Bowl season again. More than a week from now, the Green Bay Packers will be facing the Pittsburgh Steelers. These two teams prevailed after this year’s wild playoffs. The top-notched New England Patriots, after demolishing their opponents at the end of the regular season, lost unexpectedly to the team they obliterated with a 45-3 win – the New York Jets (I know, it still hurts). Their other first placed counterpart, the Atlanta Falcons, were dominated by the sixth placed Green Bay Packers. And of course, the Seattle Seahawks pulled off a huge upset against the defending champs. Crazy, right? But even if there were several weird scenarios, we have two of the best teams battling it out.

Green Bay may have been the gamblers’ favorite road team the past few weeks but we have to note that they took the backseat when other NFC teams were making waves prior to the playoffs. Michael Vick was headed towards full redemption as he led the Philadelphia Eagles’ explosive offense. Remember the huge comeback win against the New York Giants? What about Michael Vick’s amazing statistical display that had fantasy football experts raving? The Atlanta Falcons were dominating. Matt Ryan’s corps rarely lost at home. The Atlanta Falcons belonged in the Top 2 of the NFL Power Rankings for majority of the season. Lastly, the New Orleans Saints were peaking at the right time as they defeated the NFC-leading Falcons in the road.

What about the Green Bay Packers? It was highly improbable for them to reach the playoffs after they lost to the New England Patriots. Thanks to Vick’s Eagles, they prevented the Giants to take the easy road to the playoffs. Philadelphia’s major comeback against New York in the regular season gave some glimmer of hope for the slumping Packers. They may have been the preseason favorites but they barely reached the playoffs. They started the postseason with that chip on their shoulder.

My Objective (and Biased) Year-Ender Top 5 Lists

Rolling Stones is right. Best show on TV. | Credit: Rolling Stones

I know that this is quite late already to write on a year ender list because 2010 is already over but this is just the time that I got the opportunity to finish a full write-up in the past two weeks. I was in Cebu for a family trip since last Sunday so I did not have the time to gather up my thoughts and write this one (that and I do not blog well outside the comforts of my bedroom).

Just as most bloggers do, I write about the best stuff of the year when it is about to end (and in this case, it has already ended). 2010 has been a remarkable year for me. I think it was the best year in Sports for me. I rarely experience multiple championships of my favorite teams in a calendar year. All my teams except for the Boston Red Sox reached the playoffs. Early on the year, I discovered how hot female curlers are. The Ateneo Lady Eagles – which boasts of the most hotties in UAAP Women’s Volleyball – reached the Final Four. By June, I was treated to a Boston-LA NBA Finals which went the full route. When NBA ended, the Atlanta Braves were slugging it out in Major League Baseball. I may have been used to seeing the Braves enter the playoffs before but because of the recent “drought,” their run to reach the playoffs was extra special. Furthermore, it was the last year of Bobby Cox – the only Atlanta Brave manager that I knew. Then, Ateneo achieved its three-peat. It might be the first time that I was unable to watch the championship game live in Araneta but it was still extra special as the Blue Eagles proved that they are for real despite notable subtractions of key players. Then, it was NFL craze in the final two months of 2010. It was fulfilling because I stuck with New England despite their early season woes. The Patriots traded Randy Moss and I was ready for a rocky season. However, the opposite happened as the Pats dominated. They are now possessing the league’s best record. Brady is enjoying an MVP year as he has achieved the longest no-interception streak. As for the Packers, they ended the year with a bang by beating the New York Giants to have the inside track of the playoffs. Things are just awesome last year.

What about LeBron’s “The Decision” and his stinker in the Boston series? Uhhmmm… did that happen in 2010?! I already forgot about it. I choose to still forget about it. 2010 is my best sports year ever.