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| Thank you, Chipper! | Credit: Sports Illustrated |
We’re baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaacccccccckkkkkkk!!!
That was supposedly my introduction from last week. But because I was not able to publish it in time, it is already outdated. Either way, I will still be commenting on the Ateneo-La Salle Final Four game.
Random Thought # 1: Did your attempt at predicting your teams’ fates gave such a huge scare when the La Salle Green Archers mounted a strong lead in the third quarter of the Final Four game?
Technically, I was not scared during the Ateneo-La Salle game. La Salle got a great lead and was able to match Ateneo’s scoring punches with their own (especially from Yutien Andrada). But if you have been witnessing your team winning four straight championships and having the most talented lineup this season, you will have that irrational confidence. I knew they would come through some way or another. We were in a crucial game against our archrivals. This batch of Blue Eagles rarely let their guard up against the Green Archers. Just so you know, La Salle has the same number (1) of victories against Ateneo as UP had since 2008. La Salle even had more tries. With the immense talent and pride of this champion squad, we felt that if La Salle gives us the opening we need, we will come through. And, yes – we did.
However, I got somehow scared of predicting/jinxing all my sports teams’ championship victories (except for the Utah Jazz). If you are scoring from home, I predicted Ateneo Blue Eagles, Atlanta Braves and the Green Bay Packers to win it all. Atlanta is going to the MLB playoffs but is just a wild card team. If we lose one game against our wild card opponents, we are done. As for the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots, they are both sharing losing records (1-2) right now. I had that feeling that the sports gods got angry when Ateneo was playing sloppy in the third quarter of the Final Four game. We may end up winning the La Salle game but if we do the same effort against UST, we are toast.
Greg Slaughter was playing a lackluster game. He does not have Rabeh or Enrico’s polished moves, but you know he was struggling offensively in that game. And as much as he blocks a lot of shots on the defensive end, he also left a lot of drives unchallenged. It was either due to a lack of rotating to defend in time or by sheer laziness. Look here, I am not bashing the guy. Of course, I believe in him. The reason why we are fans is that we believe in the players of our teams. However, facts are facts. Slaughter was not playing well. I just hope he bounces back in the Finals.
Then, Kiefer happened…
I know that the outcome of this game may end up differently if we were facing a more experienced squad like the Growling Tigers. There are still pressing concerns. But for what it’s worth, I am sticking with my picks (with more caution this time). How many times can you pick all your teams with rational confidence to win it all? Sports gods, please understand my scenario. Thanks.
UPDATE: Yes. I may have angered the sports gods. I will never predict my sports teams’ championship on a simultaneous try. Here’s what happened: Atlanta Braves won 94 games and got eliminated in just one game. Green Bay was screwed by a blown call. Both the Packers and Patriots started 1-2 this year. Ateneo Blue Eagles are not as dominating as they appear to be the past four years.
I plead to the sports gods then. I am changing the NFL Super Bowl pick to the San Francisco 49ers. Please give me, the Ateneo Blue Eagles’ championship though. Please, just this one.
Random Thought # 2: Has Ateneo’s cheering gone lame?
My buddy Rap and I were actually talking about this in the Ateneo-La Salle game. Ateneo’s crowd does not seem to have the same fervor it once had during our college days. I attributed it to the four championships. We do not cheer that much during the start of the games because we are preserving it during the moments that matter a lot. It could also be the Blue Babble. For some reason, they do not have the same charisma or swag that we had in years past.
Then, Kiefer happened…
I think I just heard one of the most monstrous crowd pops I had in my life. It was insane. The Atenean gallery went nuts when we were able to successfully catch up. The score was tied, but I had the feeling that the game was ours. La Salle was dumbstruck. They had the “Oh no! Here we go again” reaction. The cheers of “One Big Fight,” “Go Ateneo,” and “Get That Ball” were back in the intimidating level.
If you have followed a championship dynasty, you will have a sense of feeling that your team will come through. I sensed that the Green Archers were starting to have cold legs then.
The catch-up sequence was like a blitzkrieg of some sorts. With the much-loved Kiefer Ravena leading it, our reaction was twice louder and more passionate. I thought I could not handle it then because I was shouting, screaming, jumping and taunting the La Salle crowd all at the same time. I could have died of heart attack.
Lesson: Never underestimate the cheering of a champion.
Random Thought # 3: Reenact the huge crowd pop that Ateneo had after we successfully tied the game.
Ooooooo…. Hrrrrraaaaaaaaaahhh!!!
One word to sum it up: Pandemonium
Random Thought # 4: We all know UST is the underdog. Such teams always get the sympathy of the majority. Rick Reilly of ESPN always picks and reasons out for Super Bowl underdogs every year. But as an Ateneo homer, spin the reasoning to your favor. Also, remove the obvious “we should revenge 2006” angle to add to your reasons. Can you pull it off?
Easy. Correction: This is super easy. If you are not a Thomasian or a Lasallian, why should you root for the Ateneo Blue Eagles? Here are my reasons:
1. UST and Coach Pido complain too much. I know the general public likes the underdog. However, the “paawa” effect is starting to get annoying, right? We, Filipinos, love to watch the battered guy to pull through in the end. We like to side to the “naaapi.” But, are they really “naaapi” or are they just manufacturing it? Pido Jarencio asked for fair officiating prior to Game 1. I think he was rolling on the basis of their second round loss to the Eagles. However, their complaints really had no shot at all. The technical foul was not called on Norman Black. You cannot suddenly insert a technical foul that was not called in a game. It is a judgment call. They did not call it then, so do not expect it to be suddenly called so you can get a W. As for the goaltend, it was also a judgment call. From the replays, it was really a goaltending violation as the ball was about to go down.
Here is the thing: Once you lose a game, just accept and move on. Games should not be overturned in boardrooms. And in case you are scoring from home, my American sports teams were actually victims of horrible calls so you cannot tell me “It’s easy to say when you are not on the receiving end.” (More on that later)
If you actually watch the Growling Tigers, you will notice that they actually could put up a fight. They are not really underdogs. Some of the calls may not have gone their way, but those are breaks of the game. When I was in college, I used to complain on officiating a lot. But somewhere down the road, you have to accept that officiating will never be perfect. If you want to win the game, you have to perform in a way that even officiating will not be able to swing the games. UST gave away their decent seven-point halftime lead. Ateneo showed its championship poise by catching up and delivering the finishing punches (Tiongson and Ravena’s scoring attempts in the final minutes). Instead of rooting for the not-so “naaapi,” why not root for the team that just plays without the need of whining?
2. It is time we get a five-peat team in the modern era. Since the 1990s, we had three four-peat teams (UST, DLSU and Ateneo). I think we are due to have a five-peat team. Coach Norman Black’s fundamentally sound teams deserve it. The Blue Eagles’ current dynasty exemplifies the ideal fundamental basketball team because of team chemistry, defense and teamwork.
3. UST cannot play the ‘Aww shucks, we are so deprived of championships. It is our time’ card. This is the favorite card that ESPN’s Rick Reilly uses in his columns. In UST’s case, Reilly won’t be able to use it for them. The Growling Tigers have 19 UAAP championships! Their last championship was six years ago but aside from UST, there were just two other UAAP teams which won the championship. If we are actually going to use this card, it has to be used for the likes of UP, UE, Adamson or NU.
4. The Ateneo Blue Eagles actually have the better storyline. For UST, their storyline would have to be: Pido Jarencio finally has the right ingredients for the championship team he craved for. His UST teams have been through a lot the past few years that it should be their time now. Only problem is, isn’t that the usual storyline year in and year out for the championship challengers? Isn’t that the same storyline that UST had in 2006? Andohbytheway, they already have a championship for that.
As for the Blue Eagles, we have a unique storyline this year. This is the twilight of this dynasty. It is Coach Norman Black’s final year as the head coach. It is MVP’s last year as Ateneo’s patron. It would be perfect if we have this dynasty cap its championship streak with the modern day record-breaking five straight championships. Isn’t it poetic that our road has to go through against the past two four-peat teams? We beat La Salle in the Final Four and we defeat UST in the Finals. It is like ‘if you want to be the man, you have to beat the previous man.”
Random Thought # 5: How pissed are you on Pido Jarencio’s complaints?
Extremely pissed. He is complaining on what-if calls that do not have a bearing on a finished game. Complaining they should have won a game because of faulty officiating that would not even be enough to swing points into their favor discredits the efforts the Blue Eagles put. Yes, UST students spent hard-earned cash to watch the games. Ateneans also paid to watch their Blue Eagles perform at a high level enough for the team to win the games.
However, what pisses me the most is that the calls were not as horrendous as he makes them appear to be. I endured losses of New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Braves in a span of two weeks where obvious wrong calls swung the game. I accepted defeat then. After stomaching such defeats, to watch someone overreact on not-so-biased calls irritates me.
Random Thought # 6: How confident are you that the Blue Eagles will win their fifth straight championship this year?
I know we can but I am not that 100% confident. We showcased our championship poise in Game 1 to snatch the victory, but I am also holding my guard up on UST’s potential searing offense. When the Growling Tigers catch fire, they are tough to stop. I am aware that the Growling Tigers will come out with more passion and effort in Game 2 (that’s what Pido’s antics are supposed to do – fuel his team’s emotions).
The Blue Eagles have a plethora of scoring punches that they can manage if one goes cold. The only concern is, they should not be trading scores with the Growling Tigers. At the end, defense wins championships. I think Game 2 is a toss-up.
Random Thought # 7: Any thoughts on the Atlanta Braves?
Alas! Our season has ended briefly. Thanks to MLB’s new wild card rule. We win 94 games and we get eliminated in just one game. I have never been a fan of single game eliminations. So much luck can come into play. I know that the general public likes the idea of having a one-time bring-everything-you-have games but it pretty much kills the value of the regular season. Major League Baseball is known to value its regular season a lot, right?
Either way, we lost. Never mind the stupid infield fly call. I was so infuriated when that happened. The Atlanta fans embarrassed themselves when they threw stuff on Turner Field. Not classy (including me… I tweeted an eff you to the refs), but I could easily imagine several passionate fanbases doing the same things especially if they encountered the same heartbreaking fate the Atlanta Braves had the past two years.
It is tough. I watched this team this year. It is my most loved Braves team aside from the 1995, 1999 and the 2000 teams. We had the great hitting, fielding and pitching. I knew they always strand runners at the bases so I knew it could happen again in the wild card game. What killed us were our errors which were uncharacteristic.
Random Thought # 8: Any parting thoughts on Chipper Jones?
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| Chipper's final base hit | Credit: Sports Illustrated |
Thank you very much, Chipper Jones.
I think he will go down as one of my Top Two Favorite Atlanta Braves. Greg Maddux has always been my favorite Brave, but Chipper proved he should be the deserving guy the past few years. Here are the reasons:
1. You want your sports idols to embody a good quality that you have or you want to have. Part of the reason you look up to them is that they are role models. Having grown up rooting for Chipper, he had a very strong and unique quality that a few professional athletes can have. Chipper Jones is a loyal guy. He stayed in Atlanta from the very start of his career up to the very end. That is some sterling feat in a sport where players change teams faster than middle class people can change cars. Another quality that Chipper had was his tendency to fight off injury. It is heroic (and somehow stupid) but isn’t that what you want from your favorite athlete. That he gives it his all? Even if he goes down losing, you knew he tried his best. Chipper Jones is easily in the pantheon of Athletes Personifying Great Qualities. Andohbytheway when I had a tour in San Francisco’s ballpark, the tour guide mentioned that Chipper Jones was regarded as one of the nicest guys in Major League Baseball.
2. He is an everyday player. Maddux is a pitcher so he takes a day off most of the time
3. Chipper is the last remnant of the 1990s Braves dynasty. What made it more special was, I got to watch him play.
4. He is an awesome leader who inspired his team to grow further. He stayed the last few years for his teammates. When I watched him crying during his announcement that this was his final season, you knew he treated his team as a family. When they had their winning streaks this year, it occurred when he played. The Braves are pumped up whenever Chipper is there.
5. He is the most loved athlete this year. His peers regarded him well in his farewell tour as he received souvenir items from each team he visited. That was how special he is.
6. Even opposing fans have learned to respect him. Gus Ramsey in one of the latest B.S. Reports admitted that he appreciated Chipper even if Gus is a Mets fan. When I was in Washington, Nats fans were applauding Chipper.
7. Chipper is a clutch guy. How many game-winners has he hit? He ranks first among active players with 228 game-winning RBI’s. The fact that he was able to be voted as an All-Star in his final season is also remarkable. And yes, he deserved to be an All-Star as he has the stats and intangibles to back it up.
8. He has a cool opening soundtrack (Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train”)
9. He made my first fantasy baseball team very memorable. I placed second despite being inactive for the first 1/3 of the season. And yes, I filled up my roster with Braves players (I had five Braves in my starting lineup – Chipper Jones, Jason Heyward, Kris Medlen, Ben Sheets and Paul Maholm)
10. He is pretty much the most passionate baseball player I have witnessed play. At his last at-bat in the wild card game, he had the standing ovation in the 9th inning. When he was soaking the cheers, I could feel the guy was tearing up inside. It was his last hurrah. As a diehard Braves fan, I was on the verge of tearing up as well. It was tough to picture it was Chipper’s last game. Back in the day, I always felt secured knowing that Chipper was a young guy – that he could carry the Braves for a lot more seasons. Problem was, that was twelve years ago. Right now, everything is just memory to me. When Chipper stepped into the plate and made his last base hit, it had the movie ending feeling to me – something like the final scene of “The Wrestler.” You know this guy loves the game but his body is giving up on him. With one final strength, he gave his best shot to make it memorable.
Thank you, # 10. You will always be a perfect 10 to us, Braves fans
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