There can be only one! (Updated game schedule)

Knockout pairings set! Here's the latest schedule, barring any changes it's going to be at the San Juan Arena (where else, in San Juan) with the exception of an Elite Eight day (Nov 30) at the new Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.

That said, the next couple of weeks will be obviously very busy for myself and the team. Adding insult to that injury is the fact that i will be the game prod for this weekend's URCC, which means that the long two-week busy schedule actually begins with a long weekend.Am i whining? Probably. But heck, we've seen worse days during the Desk times and well the Olympics was something else... But then these are high times for a total basketball addict. Imagine this (ideal day) option (Meaning if you were jobless, at the comforts of your home and you have BTV):

8 am - Breakfast + NBA game (if it's East games)
11:30 am - Lunch + NBA game (if it's West games, and you can sleep past 10.)
2:00 pm - Snack + PCC or PBL game
5:00 pm - Snack 2 + PBA game
7:00 pm - Dinner + PBA game
10:00 pm - BEER + Replays or delayed telecast of any games for that day!

(i haven't mentioned the fact that somewhere in between you can plug that old PlayStation 2 and play NBA Live or 2K, or be online just to check the boxscores for fantasy purposes)

So there, sometimes you wish they fire you or something. Or maybe not.(Because how do you pay for the cable, breakfast, lunch, snack 1, snack 2, dinner and beer?)

What's on One U (Nov. 18, 2008)

Exactly a week to go before the 2008 Philippine Collegiate Championships Sweet Sixteen and the hype machine is working. Not really a fearless forecast but this year's edition of the country's champions league promises to be the most exciting since its initial inception in 2002.

For One U's episode tomorrow, Mico, Krissy and the rest of the guys will be discussing what happened in the Visayas and Mindanao Zonals--- the latter offering the highlight of the week! An unfortunate, ill-advised incident between the Ateneo de Zamboanga 'Blue Eagles' and Xavier University Crusaders (Ateneo de Cagayan) for some Jesuit-flavored, "men for others" (In tagalog, bigayan on the hardwood) brawl! Will be posting the some pictures (or video, if i have time) as soon as they are available from editing... If i can't, don't fret because you can watch the entirety in tomorrow's One U!

PCC Sweet Sixteen is indeed around the corner and One U will be slicing and dicing the match-ups... Early schedule released earlier today by the way: Ateneo de Manila faces Lyceum and San Beda takes on one of Cebu's finest, University of San Jose-Recoletos on opening day. The first one will probably be a blowout (take offense, Pirates because i see you stand NO chance because Ateneo apparently is sending the champion team. We will see.) but the other game might just be a close affair since those Cebuanos take serious pride in their basketball programs.

In other segments, Honor Roll gives credit to the Zonal heroes including Fajardo of University of Cebu, Daroya of Arellano University, Justiniani of USJR among others... Plus a scouting report on a certain rookie Knight.

ONE U, 6:30PM on CS/9 and 7:00PM on BTV!

PCC Schedule

Been a while since i have written anything. Don't ask why. A few (more or less) people have been asking me for the schedule for the PCC Sweet Sixteen. As anything else on TV, everything is subject to change without prior notice (and come to think of it that not only applies to TV schedule...) i finally got a copy and will be posted below. i will have edit it though again as there are no teams assigned yet to which of which dates they will be playing as the Zone 4 (Mindanao) championships get underway this weekend in Cagayan de Oro.

Fantasy fever begins! (Really now)

Last year, i lucked out on a couple of fantasy basketball tournament winning two leagues (both head-to-head leagues) by virtue of persistence ang general knowledge of the game (It takes skill, but i have yet to use that in number one, league trades, as most are iffy to deal with me and number two, i always have an issue or two with my draft picks) So anyway, here we go again with another year of the the most addictive game in the world--- fantasy sports, or specifically fantasy NBA!

There's a play by play for the games, and here's a play by play for one of my leagues (Center for Sportscasting or CSC league):

+++

Sir Noel Z just announced the draft order (via YM)... and i pick last. Good that we use the snake format meaning, i get to pick first in the second round and that is on an alternating basis all througout..

+++

First round. Somebody picked Dwight Howard as the 3rd over all pick... i think that was too high (or was i hoping that drop to the 17th?)

10th pick and already 9 out 10 in my priority list is gone. This is going to be interesting. The somebody picks TMac as the 10th pick! Go figure! This is going to be interesting!

My turn: i pick Al Jefferson (MIN) and Kevin Martin (SAC) for my first two picks... Hoping that this Kevin Martin pick works this year--- all because i am 3 of 3 in my leagues for KMART so far...

+++

Second and Third round. Thinking if i should get a big, which is my strategy the last couple of years or so but has not worked in roto leagues... Danny Granger just got autopicked. i say, the autopick of the year (so far) and if that manager wins this league, i will remember this day...

Middle third and Steveee Nash still available? Hmmmmm.

Oh fuck just as i typed that the Canadian is picked...

Second round is over: Around 10 players still on the top of my priority list... Not bad, maybe i can still get the player i really want..

Third round.. Except for Greg Oden going early, no surprises yet...

For the second back to back of the day, i selected Andres Biedrins and Mike Dunleavy... Ouch. i knew i wasn't getting Biedrins late in the 5th... Risky picks but may payoff...

+++

Fifth round. Somebody got Shaq. There goes my Plan D.

... i still need a point guard. i'd be making back to back points, just to make a point! We will see in 10 minutes... Shoot, Andre Miller, Rajon Rondo and TJ Ford, gone.... Change of plans: as all the points i wanted were taken i took another pair of wings..

Luol Deng and Richard Jefferson...

+++
7thto final rounds... 7th pick is Beno Udrih and 8th is (another) risk Derrick Rose.. 9th pick i went with Orlando's new starting shooting guard Mikael Pietrus and then at 10th, Zaza Pachulia...

3 bench spots to fill: looking for a couple of (shotblocking) bigmen and another point would do...

2 bigs for the 11th and penultimate pick... Rasho Nesterovic and Brandon Bass...


All in all i am weak at the point guard spot but i think i will compete we will see.


FINAL ROSTER UPDATE:


PG – Beno Udrih
SG – Kevin Martin
G – Derrick Rose
SF – Mike Dunleavy
PF - Zaza Pachulia
F – Luol Deng
C – Al Jefferson
C - Andres Biedrins
Util – Richard Jefferson
Util - Mikael Pietrus
BN – Brandon Bass
BN – Rasho Nesterovic
BN - Marco Bellinelli

Life.

55 is ALIVE

Office league is about to start. i'd be searching for Jason Williams videos over You Tube as part of the pregame rituals. Got me thinking, why not just post everything (most) i find here in my blog so. Greatest point guard ever. Biased and bias, so what? Enjoy the videos because i did and influenced me in every way (inside and outside the playing court.)

What's on ONE U (October 14, 2008)

CESAFI Finals highlights, scouting report on a Cebuano, Honor Roll cebu-flavored, highlights from the PCC Region 2 Finals and many more!

(This is called a lazy-ass post as well)

Confesssions and Realizations

1.) Insecurity is a bitch that fucks you around at the lowest point in your life. No. She doesn't even wait to fuck you around at that time, because she controls time itself. Lowest, or highest, she doesn't fucking care.

At the end of the day, she leaves you hanging (You assume it was her who was hanging) in your single-sized bed. Tired, wasted and wasted and tired.

2.) People do what they do. No matter what. No matter what happens. It's just people. They are what they are and you can do nothing about it.

3.) Honesty is very honest. Confessions and realizations can lead you to places. Hopefully, happy places. But at the end of the day, even honesty, and confessions and realizations will lead you back to yourself: which leads you to item number one.

Damn it. All i want is fucking sleep.

Pangasinan hotel and youtube: Sungha Jung

Covering the regional finals of the Phlippine Collegiate Championship has its perks. You get a free hotel room, free food and lots of free time (Negates it around shoot time though).

In my bed in the Lenox Hotel in Dagupan City, Pangasinan i am doing really something different this week: surfing the effing internet (Thanks to the hotel's wifi service, not free, 280 pesos but heck i can work from here so its worth it...)

Earlier, we (Producer Pierre and Cameraman Ruel) went to the Divine Word Academy of Dagupan (DWAD) Gymnasium and caught the second half of the action between the Lyceum of Subic Bay and Lyceum Northwestern University. We did have some clips for the One U episode this Tuesday but the more important game is tomorrow's championship between LSB and the University of Luzon--- the winner of which will advance to the zonal competitions later next month. More on college ball in later posts. For the meantime, i just want to post this rather very interesting youtube video--- referred to me by Holix (That's the name of Rico Blanco fans/mailing list members) Mae:

A picture paints a thousand words. This video is a thousand pictures (so i won't have to comment about it and all you have to do is watch (in awe, nakanganga, as in):

Jung's rendition of Mission Impossible Theme:



Jung's rendition of More Than Words (Extreme):



Laway na.

Fantasy fever begins!

10 minutes ago, one of the leagues i joined this year, the Solar Forums League started its draft paving the way for what i expect to be a personal banner season.

Well, maybe not because last year was such a lucky surprise. But oh well, if you can't get anything in real life you make do with what's left in fantasy. A fact in life.

What's on One U? (Oct 07, 2008)

Tonight's special guest is San Beda Red Lions champion coach (twice now) Frankie Lim as Mico, Krissy and the rest of the IP Team pick his brains after San Beda's third crown in three years. One U also visited the Makati Coliseum over the weekend for the NAASCU Finals between the San Sebastian Cavite Baycats and the STI Olympians, then a pair of (sponsored) segments give the show additional flavor--- TOKYO TOKYO Scouting Report features a profile on Olympian forward Ramon Mabayo, and KFC Honor Roll showcases the year's top rookies.

Of course, the show will continue to update the latest on the Philippine Collegiate Championship Regional Finals as teams target spots in the Zonal Qualifiers and eventually the PCC Sweet Sixteen.

Change of timeslot by the way:
ONE U now @ 6:30pm on CS9 and 7:00pm on BTV!

One U goes South

Last weekend, the ONE U Team (Actually, it's just one cameraman, Carlo and myself acting as the pseudoproducer + writer) went to Naga City (Bicol) to cover the Region 3 Championships, one of the several qualifiers for the Philippine Collegiate Championship Zonals set later this month and next.

It was an interesting trip to say the least as i met a lot of interesting people and got updated with the latest status of the college hoops action in my hometown (Pleasantly surprised, may i add with the development... Although my school, Ateneo de Naga University got humiliated in the pair of games they played.) Of course, any outside shoot involving Naga City, Bicol and anywhere in between is deemed reserved for myself (i have the rights of first refusal so to speak. Our EP understands that.)

Big thank you to Naga City's Sirs Ed Brojan (PCC R3 Tournament Director) Francis (R3 Tournament Deputy), Glenn (R3 Tournament Official), Jojo Villa (PCC Tournament Deputy, from Manila) and countless others who made our job easier. Glenn and Francis are actually from the same Barangay i was from, so go figure the(ir) surprise when they learned that this employee from Solar was "one of 'em" Francis did joke that he will recommend me to Vice Mayor Bordado (? Not sure, if i got that one right) and that i deserve to be among Naga's "Top Achievers" to be given at the end of year. Ha! i don't know how serious he was but am pretty sure i won't have the guts to take such because i am SURE that there are 10,000 other Nagueños who are infinitely better and deserve it even more.

How interesting was the trip?
+ For the first time, we tapped a local regional correspondent for the show. A certain Ingrid Toribio (i don't have any pics but i'd have to grab one from the actual segment eventually) got the job and she did quite well and impressive. Ms. Toribio did it for free and for exposure; just as we planned, we were hoping we'd put a fire under the students/prospects as they get media mileage (And quite honestly, a once in a lifetime experience for some) by serving as our One U correspondent. We will see if we have the same success during the next couple of Regional Champions (i believe, in Pampanga and Davao) and the Zonal Qualifiers.
+ Radio guesting at RMN Naga (DWNX) was probably the most memorable of the trip. i couldn't believe it that i was actually there (along with Mr. Villa) as "guest". i blame (credit) Mr. Ed for introducing me to Mr. Joe Ozabal, who was nice enough to interview me via the Naga dialect. (If he asked me in English i would have answered that way to, thank goodness i was comfortably blabbing in Bicol.) i did contribute a thing or two about the PCC tournament and shared some thoughts regarding my current line of work (Again, the people inside the booth were pleasantly surprised that this Hobbit from Mayon Avenue was working for this cable channel). Nice, nice. i could get comfortable with this.
+Finally, the (ENG) coverage itself was tiring, and very satisfying (Pics below include my interview with Mayor Jesse Robredo.) i learned a lot about how the city government's programs for basketball; about how respective coaches, managers and players from Sorsogon, Quezon and Naga took their basketball seriously; and how the "probinsyanos" (yeah, yeah am part of that too you know) are very passionate about their basketball.

Good to know, i am not alone.