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.
Random Thought #1: “Masarap talaga maging Atenista, ‘di ba?”
Definitely! Actually, that term became mainstream during the losing years of 2004 and 2005. I am not Ateneo’s encyclopedia, so feel free to correct me on that one. “Ang sarap maging Atenista” gives a vibe that you should be proud to be an Atenean. I remember back in 2008 when the pilot of our plane asked me if I would still wear my Ateneo jacket even if we lost that year. The answer was, of course. I love my school, win or lose. The same goes with my other sports teams. You just don’t support teams when they are winning. I wore my Braves cap during Game 2 of the UAAP Finals (just two days away from the collapse). I will always be a proud Braves fan. Whenever I think of Atlanta, I think about their amazing feat of 14 consecutive National League East pennants. No team has come close to that. Not even the New York Yankees. When Atlanta was losing their last elimination game, I had this Twitter conversation with Rotoworld.com’s Steve Alexander and I am glad that Atlanta fans still treasure that feat.
Now that Ateneo won its fourth straight championship, the feeling gets better. We have matched UE, UST and DLSU (whew, finally I won’t be hearing the four-peat excuse by bitter Lasallites) in the consecutive championships department. The Blue Eagles definitely made history this year.
2008: Destiny. 2009: Repeat. 2010: Dynasty. 2011: History.
I think the sweetest feeling in these championships was that the Blue Eagles achieved it with the common themes of discipline, teamwork and the “no yabang” mentality (during the games). I know that Ateneo always had swagger in these championship runs, but it was not over the top. It was more done to fuel the team and the crowd. As Fr. Villarin jokingly said in the Thanksgiving Mass, “ang pinakagusto ko sa Blue Eagles ay hindi sila mayabang - parang hindi sila Atenista.”
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.
Random Thought #1: “Masarap talaga maging Atenista, ‘di ba?”
Definitely! Actually, that term became mainstream during the losing years of 2004 and 2005. I am not Ateneo’s encyclopedia, so feel free to correct me on that one. “Ang sarap maging Atenista” gives a vibe that you should be proud to be an Atenean. I remember back in 2008 when the pilot of our plane asked me if I would still wear my Ateneo jacket even if we lost that year. The answer was, of course. I love my school, win or lose. The same goes with my other sports teams. You just don’t support teams when they are winning. I wore my Braves cap during Game 2 of the UAAP Finals (just two days away from the collapse). I will always be a proud Braves fan. Whenever I think of Atlanta, I think about their amazing feat of 14 consecutive National League East pennants. No team has come close to that. Not even the New York Yankees. When Atlanta was losing their last elimination game, I had this Twitter conversation with Rotoworld.com’s Steve Alexander and I am glad that Atlanta fans still treasure that feat.
Now that Ateneo won its fourth straight championship, the feeling gets better. We have matched UE, UST and DLSU (whew, finally I won’t be hearing the four-peat excuse by bitter Lasallites) in the consecutive championships department. The Blue Eagles definitely made history this year.
2008: Destiny. 2009: Repeat. 2010: Dynasty. 2011: History.
I think the sweetest feeling in these championships was that the Blue Eagles achieved it with the common themes of discipline, teamwork and the “no yabang” mentality (during the games). I know that Ateneo always had swagger in these championship runs, but it was not over the top. It was more done to fuel the team and the crowd. As Fr. Villarin jokingly said in the Thanksgiving Mass, “ang pinakagusto ko sa Blue Eagles ay hindi sila mayabang - parang hindi sila Atenista.”
Prior to the Finals, I asked the question, “have the Blue Eagles peaked?” I think Ateneo clearly answered it in the two games. They were going to peak at the right time. I guess my initial observation at the start of the year was right. The Blue Eagles were not yet peaking in the elimination round and as long as you have not seen an offensive masterpiece like Game 1 of the Finals in 2010, beware of the angry birds.
Not only did Ateneo duplicate last year’s Game 1 in this year’s Game 1 in the Finals, they also did it in Game 2 this year. No wonder this year’s batch is in the best Ateneo team in paper discussion. It never gets tiring to win a championship. Let get #5 next year, Blue Eagles.
Thanks to my non-Atenean friends for rooting for Ateneo. Of course, congratulations to my fellow Ateneans. Let’s savor the moment. Good times.
Andohbytheway, great job by my Twitter friends, Jake Fernandez (for predicting that Ateneo should lose one game to win the championship) and Camie Alviar (for predicting that FEU will place second – yeah, we were a confident bunch to assume that Ateneo will win the championship early on the year).
Random Thought #2: Any final thoughts on the graduating players?
Of course, a HUGE THANK YOU to Kirk Long, Bacon Austria and Eman Monfort!
To Kirk: I always thought of this kid as the X-Factor to the team. He is the perfect role player. He does not care about scoring too much and he sets plays when needed. He defends well. Captain Kirk will be missed a lot because he was Ateneo’s Shane Battier. Only few players can play lockdown defense in the league right now. Aside from which, congratulations to Kirk Long for taking Magis into heart. This dude plays for various Ateneo sports teams. I hope this won’t be the last we see of Captain Kirk and his hardworking attitude.
To Bakon: People always doubted Bakon on his UAAP stint, but not this guy
To Eman: I have to admit that I was once a non-believer of Monfort. The primary reason behind it was because a) he had the tendency to hog the ball, and b) he was an awful playmaker. He is a point guard so I did not feel comfortable with Eman. I guess I just do not like the Jamal Crawfords and Nate Robinsons of the world. Eman was once the Irrational Confidence Guy.
Then, he proved me wrong. Eman Monfort delivered in 2009, 2010 and 2011. I once wished that Juami Tiongson should have Monfort’s playing time. But in those years, Eman earned his spot as the starter. From a guy who was trigger-happy and was a liability in defense, Monfort became everything I wished he could. He became a decent playmaker. He knew how to control the offense. He learned not to force shots. Eman became a very good defender with his hustle on stealing the ball or on grabbing the boards (size doesn’t matter, I guess). He controlled his temper. Most importantly, he became a very good team player. Monfort may be small but he grew through the years.
As Robert California of “The Office” once said, “winners prove me right, losers prove me wrong.” Eman proved me wrong, and I was glad he did. I am still munching my words up to this very day, but I am doing so with a smile in my face.
To my surprise, Eman was a good speaker in the Thanksgiving Mass as well. He had humor by joking of his plans to join Talk N’ Text. He quipped that Greg Slaughter (who is a 7-footer) was his little brother. He greets his girlfriend but says that he will just send a text message later. Great job, Eman. I do hope the professional teams give you a shot. You deserved it.
Random Thought #3: Any parting thoughts on Terry Francona?
The past 365 days was surely a strange time for me to see my teams’ coaches/managers depart their teams. Since I began watching the Atlanta Braves in 1992, Bobby Cox was already the manager. Last year, he retired. Jerry Sloan was already the head coach of Utah before I started rooting for them in 1995. He ended his stint early this year. Terry Francona is one of Boston’s longest tenured managers (8 years) and we bid farewell to him last week.
It is sad to see Tito go. He broke the Bambino Curse by giving the Red Sox two World Series titles (2004 and 2007). He is one of the best current managers yet he still had to leave the team.
What went wrong?
Boston’s monumental collapse in September 2011 was the primary reason. I agree that there should be no scapegoats because the whole team should be blamed for this. However, I also understand that the biggest responsibility falls on the manager. He should be controlling his team during the demoralizing times. There were players that I could easily get more frustrated on like John Lackey and Carl Crawford but it is still true that it is Francona’s job to keep them on the same page.
With this, part of the fault is in Francona’s hands, but to say that he is the sole reason or that he should be fired for it was a bit insane. How can the Red Sox improve from Francona? Part of the problem were the players who did not cooperate, does the firing of the manager solve their prima donna issues?
If the reason for the firing was being the scapegoat of the collapse, I think it was overreaction. If the reason was Tito quitting, I would understand it better (who would want to manage a team that complains or quits while they are on pace of reaching the playoffs?)
It is already done, so I am moving on from it. As for my final thoughts on it, I am just glad that Terry Francona managed the Red Sox the past eight years. He gave us two championships after all. I do not care if we had the monumental collapse, the World Series championships overshadowed it anyway.
Thanks, Tito!
Random Thought #4: Any thoughts on the League Division Series?
I love the results. If there is a consolation prize to this horrible MLB season, it would be the fact that I will not be watching either the Yankees or the Phillies hoist the World Series Trophy. I promised not to bash them, so I won’t. But I did not say that I won’t feel any satisfaction once I see them eliminated (Duh! I am not a robot). It was sweet to see the Phillies lose to the same team they helped reach the MLB playoffs (St. Louis Cardinals). As for the Yankees, they were just outplayed by Detroit. It seems that Girardi made panic moves by replacing his pitchers a lot in Game 5. But in hindsight, it was their last game of the season so it just made sense. Detroit just defended well by stranding several Yankee runners on base.
All in all, the teams that I wanted to win prevailed. Obviously, I am still bitter at Tampa Bay (that and I do not root for a Florida team). I actually like the Rangers since last year that is why I also wanted them to beat the Devil Rays. I do not know who I will be rooting for in the ALCS because both the Rangers and Tigers are likable teams. I traditionally do not root for the Cardinals but because they faced the Phillies, I was 100% rooting for the Cards to upset the Phillies. As for the Brewers, I like Milwaukee (where Green Bay resides) and I historically did not like the D-Bags… oops, I mean D-Backs (sorry, I could not resist not making that joke this year). After one week, order is restored for me in MLB. It does not remove the fact that my teams choked, but come on… I paid my dues by blogging about it. It is time for the Yankees and Phillies to be in the hot seat.
Adele’s “Rolling In The Deep” plays in the background. We could’ve had it ALL!!!
Random Thought #5: Which teams are the Top Ten Teams in the NFL in the first quarter of the season?
Note: My power ranking is based on Weeks 1-4. This is not an indication of the future playoff teams .
10) Tennessee Titans. I was one of the few believers on the Titans last week (and for the year) before everyone began hopping to the bandwagon and inflating the team’s value. Titans barely lost their first game (on the road) then defeated the next three teams: Baltimore, Denver and Cleveland. The Titans’ 3-1 record is enough to put them in the Top 10 but it stops there. Denver and Cleveland are not very good teams.
9) New York Giants. Eli Manning is on a hot streak right now. However, he is still Eli. Also, injuries are legit concerns on the Giants.
8) Buffalo Bills. Beating the Patriots was a huge feat (enough to be better than the G-Men in the Power Rankings). Also, I think Buffalo has legit offense and defense. Please remind me that I have Fred Jackson in my fantasy league because I still have not started him (Oops! I have AP and McCoy in that league). Buffalo’s loss to the Bengals is a backbreaker though. For people to think of you highly, you need to win those easy games.
7) Houston Texans. It seems that they are for real after beating the Steelers last week. Also, they have a good defense – something that they did not have before.
6) San Diego Chargers. A playoff lock. They are not performing to their best but let us remember that it is September, the month the Chargers are supposed to be bad. Yet, they have a 3-1 record.
5) Detroit Lions. 4-0 and the comebacks were impressive. However, the fact that they trailed heavily in the past two games lowered their ranking. Teams that demolish the opposition weigh better than those who win small margins.
4) Baltimore Ravens. Best defense in the league? Probably. Baltimore is for real with a good balance of offense and defense (something that the next three teams cannot say). Although the passing game is suspect, the running game of Baltimore is great with Vonta Leach blocking while Ray Rice runs away during his contract year.
3) New Orleans Saints. Drew Brees and company are in a solid start with their lone loss coming from the best team in the league. The emergence of Darren Sproles also reinforces their already strong offense.
2) New England Patriots. I am aware that New England’s secondary sucks. Their defense took a huge hit with the injury of Mayo. However, it is tough to beat New England’s offense. Welker is currently the best fantasy wide receiver. The tight end tag team of New England is one of the biggest matchup nightmares for the opposing team. And of course, the running backs are still dependable with the Law Firm, Woodhead and the emerging rookie, Stevan Ridley eluding defenders.
1) Green Bay Packers. Stronger than ever. With Rodgers destroying defenses with his almost-historic night last week, look for the Packers to get better. Their defense may have struggled lately, but offense is the name of the game in the NFL these days. Go Pack go!
Random Thought #6: What are the Week 5 Picks?
Philadelphia Eagles over BUFFALO BILLS. My current season record on picking the Philadelphia Heat: 0-4. Might as well go 0-5 here, but I do not care. I just cannot see the Eagles starting 1-4 this season.
Cincinnati Bengals over JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS. And here I go again with my visiting team picks. Hey, I had a good record last week at 11-5. Only problem is, the four wrong picks came from the 1 PM games when I was picking the visitors relentlessly. But whatevs, the Bengals seem to be doing well.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS over Tennessee Titans. I can’t believe that a lot of people are picking the Titans in a visiting game. That is a week after a lot of people turned their backs from them. I was one of the believers, but I think they have become a bit overrated now. Steelers have a horrible O-Line right now and Big Ben and Mendy are injured. However, I think Isaac Redman is for real. I picked him in some leagues. If my pick becomes wrong, at least I have the Titans D/ST this week.
Kansas City Chiefs over INDIANAPOLIS COLTS. Honestly, I think the Colts have a high chance of winning this game. They performed impressively in the past two night games against the Steelers and Bucs were the Colts held the lead at an early part of the game. However, I stated that the Colts are tanking last week. The Chiefs also won so it would be doubly stupid for me to do a sudden 180 on the Colts. Cassell and company are going to beat them this week.
HOUSTON TEXANS over Oakland Raiders. This should be the first pick where I should feel good, but that is not the case now. Al Davis recently died (rest in peace), and I think the Raiders are going to offer this game to their deceased owner.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS over Arizona Cardinals. The Vikes are bound to win one game. It does not make sense for them to suck for Luck because they just drafted a new QB. If they do not win this game, I will do what Ross Tucker just said: “I am not going to pick the Vikes again (unless they win one).”
New Orleans Saints over CAROLINA PANTHERS. I ranked the Saints as the third best team in my power rankings. There is no turning back now.
NEW YORK GIANTS over Seattle Seahawks. If Tarvaris is a fiction character, what best fits him? A Targaryen! Tarvaris Targaryen’s fate will end up more like Aerys and Viserys than Daenerys’. OK, I am going to stop geeking out.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS over Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After beating the Eagles, the 49ers are for real. Their lone loss came from a winnable game against Dallas Cowboys. Also, this is an East Coast Team goes to West Coast game. The fact that Tampa Bay found it hard to dispose the Colts early on in MNF (another red flag because they will have fewer rest) makes me confident that Joe McCoy look-alike will win.
San Diego Chargers over DENVER BRONCOS. Saaaan Diyeeeego Soooooperr Chargers!!! Prepare to watch Tim Tebow two weeks from now after the Chargers demolish the Broncos.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS over New York Jets. Look for the Jets to come out strong against their rivals. However, New England is still furious from last year’s playoffs. Destroy the Jets please. Go Pats!
Green Bay Packers over ATLANTA FALCONS. Another possible revenge game but because I am a homer, I am picking Green Bay to win.
DETROIT LIONS over Chicago Bears. I actually want to pick the Bears here. Detroit is bound to lose one of these days after escaping tight games. Chicago is still a decent team as well. However, this is a home game in Detroit.
Last Week Record: 11-5
Current Season Record: 41-13 (72 percent)
Random Thought #7: Are the new TV shows worth watching?
Yes. I am actually surprised that I liked a lot of the new shows this year. I actually expected the new series to disappoint because I often listen to Alan Sepinwall and Daniel Fienberg of Hitfix.com. It turns out that I liked some of the pilots better than them. Here is how I evaluate them:
Pan Am. I am a huge fan of 1960s flicks. The world then seems way different than it is now. As my brother quips, watching “Pan Am” is like watching a painting. The fashion and the way people behave is in a class of its own. It is fantasy to the current reality that we are living in. However, 1960s flicks are not as distant as the medieval movies to make it seem relatable enough for us not to depend on extreme adventures for good storylines. “Pan Am” may be slow paced but I like how they focused on character development. Grade: B+
Charlie’s Angels. I like Minka Kelly as an attractive personality, but I do not like her as an actress. She is stale, just like the latest rendition of “Charlie’s Angels.” I do not even know if this show is worth it for guilty pleasure purposes (it is too serious for that). Grade: C-
Up All Night. Applegate and Arnett form a hilarious tandem. Maya Rudolph’s character seems to be a distraction though. With the influx of family-oriented shows, I think “Up All Night” is worth the watch because a) it tackles something that family series do not focus (taking care of a baby) and b) its cast is great. Grade: B
Playboy Club. Not all 1960s style of show is good. “Playboy Club” is the primary example. The main reason is that it focused too much on the guy to be the main character instead of the females. It should be a female empowerment show, right? I have not even watched its second episode and it is already cancelled. Good riddance. Grade: C
New Girl. Two words: Zooey Deschanel. Grade: B
Homeland. This cable show is quite intriguing. The plot is straightforward and has promise. I see it on the same line as “Prison Break” where the first season wows you, but the next seasons are quite forgettable. Where will the storyline go after Claire Danes captures the villain? Either way, it is still one of the best new shows right now. Grade: B+
Random Thought #8: Which shows will I be following?
I know that you won’t care. However, if you are interested in reading my takes on the current TV shows, expect me to be commenting on these fall TV series:
How I Met Your Mother
The Office
Modern Family
Parenthood
The League
New Girl
Homeland
Pan Am
I have taken out “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Boardwalk Empire” and “Glee” in my regular rotation. I might watch these shows during the holiday season or whenever I have time for a marathon. Do not get me wrong, “Boardwalk Empire” is a very good show. However, few people watch it so I could bear waiting for the holiday season without risking spoilers. “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Glee” are more mainstream than the shows in my rotation (except for HIMYM), but it somehow gets tiring to follow these shows. 4.5 to 5.5 hours of TV shows a week is enough for me.
All in all, I am a very satisfied fan right now.
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