GMA News Online / Sports / Opinion

The Final Score: A Game 7 with Kuya Jimmy Alapag and Kuya Danny Ildefonso

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:29:08 +0800

In basketball, age can confuse. A player goes over 30 years old. He becomes either old or wise. Most players can never be both. Tenure often becomes a liability on the court. Wisdom rarely defines blockbuster games. The PBA Semifinals; where thoroughbreds rule, where only the strong survive, where elders should struggle.

Underdog Boxing: Floyd Mayweather is winning the war of public perception

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:48:34 +0800

I don’t know what’s running in Floyd Mayweather’s head but he is making it appear that he is finally up for the challenge. The ball is on Manny Pacquiao’s court.

The Final Score:�Rain or Shine versus Powerade; all fun and gun

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 15:27:20 +0800

Sometimes, a series brings us back to basketball that's less scientific, more frenetic. I know. It’s unfair to Rain or Shine and Powerade coaches who work tirelessly to prepare meticulous battle plans. But science relents when a series progresses at PlayStation speed. In fun and gun basketball, meticulous plans work wondrously by not looking like meticulous plans at all.

Underdog Boxing: Pacquiao vs Mayweather could happen on May 5

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 07:37:11 +0800

Another twist to the Floyd Mayweather incarceration issue happened just hours ago. The reigning WBC welterweight champion of the world was supposed to be going to jail today for 90 days. However, his lawyers convinced the judge handling the case to delay the sentence until June 1.

Underdog Boxing:�Year-end awards

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 13:52:28 +0800

As we say goodbye to 2011, let's look back at the year that was and give out awards to Filipino fighters.

Underdog Boxing: This would have been the perfect time for Pacquiao-Valero

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:26:59 +0800

Who will Manny Pacquiao fight this May? With the Floyd Mayweather’s 90-day jail sentence, the answer to this question is not easy to answer.

The Final Score: PHL sports in 2011, glimpse of a golden age

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 14:23:02 +0800

In 2011, sports in the Philippines forced us to unlearn some of our personal truths about Philippine sports. It was our right to have been stubborn. It was likewise our right to have felt the difference.

The Final Score: The size and spirit of big Beau Belga

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 13:52:59 +0800

Beau Belga doesn't own washboard abs. His muscles aren't defined. He is, by PBA standards, actually by any standard, on the chubby side. And the crowd inside the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo reminded him of his distinct physical attributes over and over.

When (Gary) David took down (the B-MEG) Goliath

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 01:16:25 +0800

“Powerade has no chance in hell against B-MEG.” Do I regret saying what I did? Not really… there was no way in hell I would’ve predicted this. THERE’S NO WAY IN HELL anybody would’ve predicted this. This truly was an upset for the ages.

The Final Score:�Calvin Abueva is another living legend

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 15:12:34 +0800

I normally ask college basketball players, 'Sino ang�favorite basketball player�mo nung bata ka?' And they normally answer, 'Siyempre�Michael Jordan' or 'Alvin Patrimonio' or 'Kobe Bryant' or 'Johnny Abarrientos'. But San Sebastian's Calvin Abueva is not a normal basketball player. I asked and he answered, 'Idol ko talaga si Jaworski.'

The Final Score:�An all-star challenge for Gary David

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 18:16:11 +0800

Gary David wonders, always. He has the skills. He has the moves. He has the numbers. Yet even if Powerade's super-scorer can torch a team for 42 points, he is still not in the same mythical stratosphere like as Mark Caguioa.�

The Final Score: The mysterious success of Talk 'N Text

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 16:27:20 +0800

How? It's a simple question with often complicated answers. How can a decimated PBA team stay on top? How can we explain the absurdity of Talk 'N Text's 10-3 record? Other teams struggle to win actual games. Talk 'N Text, on the other hand, struggles to assemble enough healthy bodies for scrimmage. Yet, they're number one. And it's beyond strange.

The Final Score: Johnny and Mark: From the Flying A to the Flying B

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 13:44:13 +0800

Before B-MEG Head Coach Tim Cone officially started practice, Assistant Coach Johnny Abarrientos and point guard Mark Barroca were already in deep training. Johnny talked. Mark listened.

While Pacquiao fights, contestants chomp on Champs

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 09:39:11 +0800

Is it sacrilege to compare Manny Pacquiao’s recent bout with Jollibee’s first-ever Champ burger-eating contest? Pacquiao and Jollibee are, after all, two of the Philippines’ most hallowed and celebrated exports. Both began as underdogs.

The Final Score: Derrick Rose is Bulls’ Face of the Future

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:52:42 +0800

Derrick Rose is no Michael Jordan but the 21-year-old 2008-2009 NBA Rookie of the Year, writes The Final Score blogger Mico Halili, is slowly taking on the role that the NBA Hall of Famer once held.