Books: "Into My Own" by the great baseball writer Roger Kahn.

I'm on page 35 of "Into My Own" by Roger Kahn. Kahn is widely considered the best baseball writer ever. Why? Primarily because he wrote "The Boys of Summer" - widely considered the best baseball book ever.

Here's more on "The Boys of Summer" from Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Boys-Summer-Roger-Kahn/dp/0060914165.

Kahn, a sportswriter, starts his memoir with a line from Robert Frost:

They would not find me changed from him they knew - Only more sure of all I thought was true. - "Into my Own," Robert Frost

Because, Kahn is not just an excellent sportswriter. He's an excellent writer. Period. MH

Book cover from http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/aug/14/kahn-recalls-stories-of-summer/

Video: Dylan ready na Umababou sa PBA.

Here's Dylan Ababou warning opponents na ready na ready na siya "Umababou" sa PBA. Remember guys, this is not a threat. It's a promise. MH

Japeth raps "Japeth Like It's Hot".

Japeth Aguilar was kind enough to rap "Japeth-Like-It's-Hot" for us right before TNT's game vs Rain or Shine. Japeth is the shiz! MH

In battle of neckties, Joel Banal wins. Sort of.

I asked Alaska Team Captain Tony Dela Cruz, "Who looks better with a necktie; Tim Cone or Joel Banal?"

Tony answered, "Hmm. Since Coach Joel is my Coach now, I'll have to say Coach Joel." MH

Manang Ellen is an Azkals Fantrepreneur.

Meet Manang Ellen. She is 65 years old. She sells Azkals t-shirts outside the Rizal Memorial Stadium. She is an Azkals fan. She is an Azkals entrepreneur. Manang Ellen, therefore, is a genuine Azkals Fantrepreneur. MH

KOTR next weekend!

Will get my race kit for Saturday's WeRunManila 10K by tomorrow I think. In the meantime, I hope I'm training well enough for next week's King of the Road race. It'll be my first time to run 16.8K. My longest race prior to KOTR was the Yakult 10-miler (16K) earlier this year. After KOTR next Sunday, it's goodbye to 10K's, and hello to 21K's. Twenty One K! Holy Kamote! MH

The Bull Runner Dream Marathon 2012

Step 1 is to officially reserve a slot. Check. Step 2 is to officially confirm the reservation by signing up. Check. So it is on! I now have 5 months to prepare and join other first-time marathoners for the Bull Runner Dream Marathon on March 18, 2012 in Nuvali. Am I ready to take on 42.2 KM. Not yet. But I will be. In the meantime, since 2012 pa 'to, ice cream muna:) MH

Billy Ray Bates PBA Hall of Fame Speech

Full text of PBA Hall of Fame speech by Billy Ray Bates:

"When I first learned I was going to be inducted into the PBA (Hall of Fame), it felt good...until I realized I would have to give a speech.

You know I like talking but being in front of 20,000 people without a basketball in my hands is harder than stopping me from scoring 46 points in a game back when I was playing here in 1983.

But even harder was leaving the PBA and the Philippines because of what the PBA and the Filipino people have meant to me.

I want to first thank the PBA because my time in the league changed my life. It gave me a second chance to live my dream of playing before thousands of fans who loved basketball like me. It also gave me an opportunity to play at the same level as I did in the NBA and show people why they call me the Black Superman.

This honor means so much to me because my time in the PBA was the biggest accomplishment I had in my life. Here I posted some of my greatest stats - 73 points in one game - 29 rebounds in a single game - and 11 assists in one night - at a time in my life when some people thought I could not play at that level anymore.

I take this award as a symbol of the love the Filipino fans have for me. My career would not be what it was without your cheers and well wishes and welcoming attitude toward me. You accepted me for who I was and showed me love. There is no award big enough to represent my gratitude for my fans. I love you.

Although this award honors my past achievements, I see this honor as the start of new opportunities to reconnect with the Philippines. I have always loved this country and believed in its potential to use basketball as a way to bring families together and create a stronger connection among its citizens. It has also reached beyond its borders to build ties with athletes from foreign countries to share in its love of our sport.

That love of our sport in the Philippines had led to new opportunities for me. It has sparked my interest in returning to the PBA. Let me state this clearly - I want to be the next new coach in the PBA. I have also had the chance to talk with members of the business community, including Grosby, the company that produced my red and white sneakers. The reason why I want to come back is because I want to give back to the Philippines and inspire the people of this country the way they inspired me.

Finally, I have to thank one more person - God. It is through Him I found the inspiration to pursue my dream, learned how hope and faith can lead to change and a positive life. I have made some wrong choices but learned how to make the right choices through Him. I thank Him continuously for helping me make one of my best choices - coming to the PBA and the Philippines.

Thank you."


*Note: Coach Ronnie Magsanoc felt bad because he missed seeing Billy Ray Bates read his speech on-air during the PBA on AKTV halftime show last Sunday. Coach Ronnie and new PBA Hall of Famer Alvin Patrimonio are proud Crispa die-hards (which means kalaban ko sila because Toyota die-hard ako along with Olsen Racela and Dondon Hontiveros). Well Coach Ronnie, that's why I posted the full speech here. Hope you enjoyed reading it.

Night run around UP. Burger run along Maginhawa.

Wednesday night. The night after the storm. There's a steady drizzle.

We do laps around the UP Oval. We run over or around leaves and branches. To prepare for the Nike We Run Manila 10k and the Adidas King of the Road 16.8k/21k, some of us do tempo runs. Others do "easy" 7k's.

Upon completion of our running tasks, we start our burger run along Magingawa Street. This was our motivation to run that night. To invade Burger Project. It was the wrong motivation. But motivation nonetheless.


Night run. Angus burger. Solb. MH

Hello Badminton. Nice to see you again.

I've been covering badminton matches on AKTV recently with Kennevic Asuncion, Kennie Asuncion, Ronnie Magsanoc and Anthony Suntay. But I haven't played the sport in ages.

I enjoy covering the really good players: World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia, India's superstar in women's singles Saina Nehwal, Chinese dynamic duo Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng and Korean's Batman and Robin - Lee Yong Dae and Jung Jae Sung.

Kennevic is convincing me to play again. He has volunteered to be my Coach. Tsk tsk. Sigurado ka Kennevic? Baka you want to consult Kennie first? Because if this pushes through, ako na siguro ang sisira sa coaching resume ni Kennevic "Mr. Badminton" Asuncion. MH

Japeth Aguilar can Drop It Like It's Hot.

To prepare for tonight's KO Quarterfinal clash between Gilas and Chinese-Taipei, listen to Snoop Dogg's Drop It Like It's Hot and replace "Drop It Like It's Hot" with "Ja-Peth A-gui-lar". Asked people to try it days ago. I think they're still doing it now. The in-house DJ in the Wuhan Sports Centre should play this after every Japeth Alley-Oop. Go Gilas! MH

Yi Jianlian - You've Been Warned.

Gilas and China will meet again. Dapat. And when that happens, our defense will have to stop Yi Jianlian. If not, talagang hindi ko na siya kukunin for my NBA Fantasy Team next season (whenever that may be). Never ko pa siya kinuha sa NBA Fantasy!

Well, no, that's a lie. I picked him up from waivers years back when he was still with the New Jersey Nets. Two weeks din siya naglaro for my team. It was fun while it lasted. But if you give Gilas a beat-down again, never na talaga mauulit yan. Comprende? MH

Malabes is The Baderminator.

It's interesting that a tweet about (ex-Green Archer) Bader Malabes scoring 15 points in the first period for Bahrain against mighty China last night generated more retweets than any tweet about Gilas. I guess Malabes, who wears #7 for Bahrain, truly is THE BADERMINATOR. MH

*Thanks to Boss Mhel Garrido for allowing me to use the Bader Malabes photo he always keeps in his wallet.

Ray Parks knows how to trash-talk in Filipino. BLOG:

Ray Parks will be named UAAP MVP. Because he can do everything well for the Bulldogs - score, rebound, pass, steal and block shots. Ray can also trash-talk. And he's just as good at it. In any language. Magaling kasi mag-tagalog si Ray. Proof: when Ray taunted UE's Lucas Tagarda into taking outside shots, Ray would take two steps back and tell Lucas, "Sige, tira mo! Tira mo!" MH

Graphic Diary of a San Miguel fan. BLOG:

Jay Camero of Pangasinan has been a San Miguel fan since 1998 - the same year Danny Ildefonso of Urdaneta, Pangasinan joined the Beermen. Jay has an extensive SMB collection: jerseys, keychains, photos, clippings etc. He also has this awesome journal filled with his own original SMB artwork:


When I asked Jay why he maintains his kick-ass SMB journal, the 25-year old said, "Sobrang obsession ko San Miguel eh. Napapaginipan ko sila!" MH

Cardona is finally on Twitter. Is Tubid next?

Arwind Santos - skinny jeans or jeggings?

Nobody rocks skinny jeans better than Arwind Santos. Pero pare, hindi yan jeggings right? MH

The Ronnie Magsanoc Collector's Edition.

Years ago, the PBA issued trading cards featuring the league's top players. During the PBA D-League Finals, a fan approached TV Analyst Ronnie Magsanoc and asked him to sign this relic from the not-so-distant past:


Should the PBA revive trading cards or should the league introduce new modes of fan interaction? MH

#BringBackHomerSe.

How can we recover from Tim Cone's stunning departure from Alaska? By witnessing Homer Se's stunning return to the PBA. Well, baka hindi rin. But you have to admit, every time Homer Se enters a game, when he's out to share fouls and not keep them for himself, it becomes instantly interesting. So if we all pray hard enough, and if Powerade obliges, it might just happen. MH

Dindo Pumaren was CP3.

I know Dindo Pumaren isn't the most popular sports personality in La Salle right now. But he once was. When he was playing for La Salle, when opponents couldn't stop him from scoring 30-plus points in rapid-fire fashion, Dindo was the Green Archer version of CP3.

Dindo could score. He could rebound. He could pass. He only became The Bullet when he entered the PBA. But if you can miraculously find a DVD-copy of the 1988 Ateneo-La Salle championship game, you'll see how Dindo, who scored something like 250 consecutive points during one stretch, was truly The Machine Gun. MH

Bobby Ray Parks: Del Rio hit me in the balls!

I asked NU's Ray Parks (he finds it weird when random people call him Ray-Ray since only close friends call him Ray-Ray) about the first cheap-shot he ever got in college ball.

He remembers it well: "That was at Fil-Oil against San Sebastian. I was scoring 34 points. (Anthony) Del Rio came up to me and hit me in the balls." Then I asked, "Who was the first UAAP player to elbow you on the ribs?" Ray answered, "Camus." MH

PBA Finals Tag-Team: Chot/Norman vs Ato/Bobby.

During the SLAM Magazine photo-shoot for Ray Parks, I talked with Petron Assistant Coach Bobby Parks. I proposed, "Coach Bobby, if Coach Ato challenges Coach Chot to a fight, you should challenge (TNT Consultant) Norman Black too." Para PBA Tag-Team Championship na agad. Coach Bobby smiled back (you know, with that trademark Bobby Parks ear-to-ear grin) and said, "Yeah, yeah, why not!"

So guys, if the Reyes-Black vs Agustin-Parks showdown pushes through, who wins? MH

Books: Love & Blood: At the World Cup with Footballers, Fans and Freaks.

I'm halfway through "Love and Blood: At the World Cup with Footballers, Fans and Freaks" by Jaime Trecker. And it's been a fun read. The book is packed with brutally honest stories about players and quirky anecdotes about fans.

One more reason to read this book: to learn how the United States wrestles with certain ideas (embracing football like the rest of the civilized world, competing at the World Cup level and integrating football into its frenzied professional sports universe) is to be reminded about our own situation.

Consider this excerpt: "One of the great mysteries of soccer is why the world's largest consumer of sports has never had much use for the beautiful game. American professional sports look at soccer with a mixture of awe and fear." Don't you think it resonates? I do. MH

See, UP deserved to be in SLAM PH 150.

Okay, maybe SLAM PH didn't predict UP's shocker-of-a-win over title-contender FEU yesterday. But the magazine peeps knew that whatever positive thing UP did this season would be big news. Like scoring their first win after 4,000 years. Or winning over the Tamaraws by 13 points (by far, the biggest upset of the tournament).

We entitled our UP article in SLAM PH 150 "A perilous journey upwards"; not because it's impossible for UP to move up, but because UP's attempt to go from nowhere to somewhere is surely going to be compelling stuff. Tama naman diba? Although SLAM PH 151 is already out (w/ Dirk on the cover), SLAM PH 150 (with Allen Iverson on the cover) is still available in Fully Booked Bonifacio High Street. MH

Best NU Bulldog of all time?

Can Ray-Ray Parks become best NU Bulldog of all time? Or will it be impossible to match Danny Ildefonso's achievements? How about Lordy Tugade? Or if we're talking about number of PBA championships, should Cris Bolado also be mentioned? One guy thinks so, for very geographical and very fortunate reasons: @dino_mars says, "Ako Cris Bolado kasi taga sa amin (Lucban, Quezon). Probably the only Bulldog w/ the most no. of PBA rings. LOL! Good luck charm." MH

SLAM PH 151 in bookstores now!

SLAM PH 151 is in bookstores now! Dirk Nowitzki is on the cover. Inside: Read a mad recap of the NBA Finals, stories on Jason Kidd, Deron Williams, Dennis Rodman, Monta Ellis and Gordon Hayward. Check out the Best In-Game Photos from the 2010-2011 NBA Season. And so much more...

PLUS enjoy our exclusive SLAM PH content -- The Right to Reign featuring Jimmy Alapag and Jay Washington, Green Light featuring the DLSU Green Archers, A Perilous Journey UPwards featuring the UP Fighting Maroons, HYPE sections featuring Adamson's Lester Alvarez and UST's Jeric Teng and my personal favorite -- The Backboard Section featuring Danny Seigle. Cop your SLAM PH copy now. PHP 200.00 at leading bookstores and magazine stands.

For inquiries and comments, follow SLAM PH on twitter: @slamonlineph

MH

My Unofficial Lineup Notes from the Ultimate All-Star Weekend.

These scribbles have stories to tell; two impossible games, the quarter scores, the big names, the starting units, the players off the bench and the improbable match-ups. Sorry kung magulo yung nakasulat sa index cards. It's hard to write clearly when one's in a state of shock. MH

All-Star Quote of the Weekend: Parang Transformers!

Sino ba talaga kamukha ni Coach Caloy Garcia?

Rain or Shine Assistant Coach Caloy Garcia has many look-alikes. This isn't according to me. I'm just sharing what his closest friends in the PBA always say. They say he looks like former 80's teen star Jestoni Alarcon. They say he looks like former 80's child star and 90's action star Ian Veneracion. But now I'd like to know what you guys think; Sino ba talaga kamukha ni Coach Caloy? MH

Why Dominic Uy is still not on Twitter...

Last night, I was trying to convince PBA sportscaster and notorious technophobic Dominic Uy to finally open a Twitter account. So I asked tweeps if they wanted Dominic to join Twitter. I wanted to show him that such a demand, while hard to believe, exists.

My tweet at 10:50pm: "Guys, gusto niyo ba mag open ng twitter account si Dominic Uy?:)"

The very first reply from @itsmebryllDLeon at 10:51pm: "wag nalang! hapi na kami sa iyo. hahaha..joke."

After consoling a teary-eyed Dominic for the next 5 minutes, I showed him the multitude of tweeps who wanted him on Twitter. I recall around 3 people tweeted, "Yes". Thanks to you guys, I think he's ready to tweet. But it won't be easy for him. How can I convince Dominic to embrace Twitter if he's still using this phone:

MH

Books: Reading about the legendary news-magazine show 60 Minutes.

Reading "Tick Tick - the long life and turbulent times of 60 Minutes". It's about the legendary US news-magazine show 60 Minutes and its equally legendary Executive Producer Don Hewitt. It's about combustible television. It's about media power-play. It's about news. It's about entertainment. It's about infotainment. It's about vision. It's about self-destruction. It's about an institution.

Got hooked by this paragraph in the prologue:

"This was Hewitt's screening room; these were his hallways, his offices, his editing rooms and telephones. These were the men and women who worked tirelessly, day and night, to execute his vision. Here on the ninth floor of a nondescript office building...he ruled over a show that shook up television - a show that took viewers into private worlds...that opened a window into the minds of Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton...for just another few hours, this remains the kingdom of Don Hewitt's creation; he is ruler of all that he surveys."



To know more about the impact of 60 Minutes on journalism and pop-culture, try watching the 1999 Michael Mann (Miami Vice) film "The Insider" (nominated for Oscar Best Picture) starring Academy Award winner Al Pacino and Academy Award winner Russell Crowe. And, read this book. MH

The story behind Kobe Bryant's FEU jersey.

I honestly thought it was a well-prepared skit. And that Kobe's choice to wear an FEU jersey was a carefully-planned politically-correct decision. Because if Kobe opted to wear either blue or green, due to the expected overflow of Atenean or La Sallian braggadocio, twitter would explode. So I asked around and uncovered the funny story. Turns out Kobe never thought of playing. Nike Country Manager Mae Dichupa swears, "Not at all! It was just supposed to be a clinic."

For whatever reason, maybe it was the crowd, maybe it was watching our young players play, maybe he just wanted to play ball, Kobe decided to join the Gilas vs UAAP scrimmage. And Kobe wanted to help the UAAP squad so he needed a jersey.

Quick to react, Bert Flores, FEU Head Coach and Coach of the UAAP Selection vs Gilas, handed him a brand new FEU jersey. "Binigay sa amin ng Nike supply namin, pa-authograph ko sana yun," Flores said. "Tapos gusto niya maglaro kaya binigay ko sa kanya. Gusto daw niya dilaw para Lakers. Sabi ko 'This is the FEU jersey, do you want to wear this?' and sabi niya, 'Yes!' kaya binigay ko na."

I immediately asked FEU Athletic Director Mark Molina if Kobe was the best player to ever wear an FEU jersey. Molina replied, "Wala kaming magawa. Talagang he chose to wear FEU over ADMU and DLSU. Was Kobe best player to wear FEU jersey? Tingin ko lamang ng konti sa kanya si (Bryant) Punzalan at si (Jun) Paguinto." MH

Kobe Bryant hits Bgy Pinagsama!

Here's how Kobe Bryant reached Barangay Pinagsama Phase 1 in Taguig from the Manila Peninsula Hotel last July 13. Actual directions sent to us:

To get to Brgy. Pinagsama Phase 1 Basketball Court, Taguig - Take C5 southbound, on your left, you will see a Petron gas station. Just go straight. You'll see a road on your left going towards Heritage Park, this would be Bayani Road. Proceed to turn left, follow the road until you hit a break in the island where you make a u-turn. Make the u-turn, then go straight until you hit the underpass. Make a left going northbound, take the service road, not C5. Then go straight until you see an arch on your right that says Brgy. Pinagsama Phase 1. Make a right and go straight. You'll see the court there. MH

LA Tenorio's Gatorade TVC - "That's Why"

I'm stoked to see a PBA star like LA Tenorio in a polished, ably-produced television commercial. Even more stoked that it's neither for a PBA team nor PBA product. Rather, it's for a sports brand with a solid reputation for making sic sports commercials in the US. Nothing against former UST Growling Tiger turned commercial model Derick Hubalde (in fact, I'm happy to see him build a nice TVC portfolio), but Gatorade TVC's focusing on basketball should feature elite PBA stars.

As such, I hope Gatorade features more PBA stars in future TVC's. But Alaska's LA Tenorio, the team's only true point guard who plays hyper-extended minutes on the floor, is a great first choice for 2011.

Tenorio's Gatorade TVC also tells us several things: 1) LA now has something in common with Michael Jordan b) I now have something in common with LA -- he drinks Gatorade to lead fastbreaks, I drink Gatorade to run my 10K's (especially needed it to rehydrate when I did my 16K in the peak of summer last March and will surely need it when I do my first 21K hopefully in two months) -- and lastly c) Hans Thiele is one very, very sensitive and concerned teammate (check 9-sec mark of TVC). MH

Michael Jordan Gatorade TVC



Derick Hubalde Gatorade TVC - yup, the guy about to shoot on a 25-foot rim is Paolo Hubalde's older brother.

What I gain from losing NBA Fantasy.

Two...that's the number of hours I spend each day, more or less, on NBA Fantasy; fixing rosters, researching on free agents, checking on injuries, checking on opposing fantasy teams. If the NBA Lockout obliterates the 2011-2012 NBA Fantasy season, I will get two hours back per day.

That's 14 hours a week, 60 hours a month, 420 hours for the entire season, 25,200 total minutes I can use to read books, clean the car, write more blogs or run more miles instead. Or...I can just use the entire NBA lockout period to...prepare for the next NBA Fantasy Season whenever that may be. Tama! Tama! Two hours per day. One step at a time. MH

The heart beneath Carlo Sharma's hairstyle.

You're surely wondering why Carlo Sharma is looking more and more like one of the 12 apostles and less and less like a fearsome PBA enforcer. He's not copying Bad-Beard-Boys like Baron Davis or James Harden. Carlo's reason for growing his hair and beard is much more poignant.

Carlo's long-time barber, who also happens to be his long-time friend, passed away recently. And Carlo vows that no one else will touch his hair and beard for the remainder of the season. As a tribute to his barber and friend. As a sign that deep inside a 6'7" bruiser's frame, a heart mourns. MH

Pacquiao-Mosley Scorecard = Pacquiao-JMM III Scorecard?

I was cleaning stuff at home and found a photocopy of the official Pacquiao-Mosley scorecard. For anyone who's interested to see it, here it is:
Will the scorecard for Pacquiao-Marquez part III be just as lopsided? MH

Powerade's "Barefoot Training" for PBA games. Malu-Feet!!!

Well, the Powerade Tigers are winless no more. And if they do the impossible, they can notch win number 2 if they beat unbeatable Talk 'N Text tonight in Digos, Davao. If you notice a different pep in the step of the Tigers, it might be because of radical training methods they use to prepare for games. Team trainer Julio Veloso oversees the Tigers' "Barefoot Training" and swears by its effectiveness.


Coach Julio believes using Vibrams - yup, the training shoes which look like socks with toes - strengthens the intrinsic and extrinsic foot muscles thereby stabilizing ankles and arches better. the logic being: stronger arches and ankles help lessen knee problems in the long run. Wearing the "five-finger" shoe during training also helps players achieve better form in drills such as laterals, sprints, plyometrics and agility tests. Coach Julio says muscles, instead of joints, are activated by barefoot training.

See, this is proof that we're just a few steps away from seeing the first ever Vibram Basketball Shoe! I even have a prototype ready for my first endorser - Mac Cardona! Watch out for Cardona's Player Exclusive - the Malu-Feet 1 or MF1 http://micohaliliblogs.blogspot.com/2011/01/cardona-malu-feet-1-sneaker.html. MH

From Billy Ray Bates to Manny Pacquiao - a Father's Day Blog.

How do you get from watching the Black Superman....

...to interviewing the World's Pound for Pound King?

How does a journey start? It starts with a PBA double-header featuring Gilbey's vs Great Taste, Crispa vs San Miguel. It starts when your dad brings you to your first ever PBA game and you see Billy Ray Bates in the flesh for the first time. When you see Bates dunk in high-definition for the first time. When you see Atoy Co and Philip Cezar (even if you're a die-hard Toyota fan) for the first time. When you see Norman Black for the first time. When you enter the Big Dome for the first time.

It starts because your dad helps you start it. It starts because your dad knows how much you want to start it. Even at 9-years-old. My journey never starts if my dad never helped me begin. Thanks Dad. Thanks to you, the journey starts, the journey continues... MH

*thanks to Benito for the Billy Ray Bates pic http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/MV4lEUkfg_iYfK_euLqZTg

Chot Reyes and "Camo" Pants? It's just a matter of time.

I'm sure TNT Head Coach Chot Reyes, being an avid golfer, is watching the US Open on ESPN. I'm even more certain, as basketball's committed fashionista, he already spotted American golfer Bubba Watson rocking the camouflage pants.

According to Esquire Magazine , Watson is wearing camo pants to raise money and awareness for US military families. http://www.esquire.com/the-side/style-guides/us-open-clothes-2011-5934444?src=rss#fbIndex3

I can already see Chot wearing slim-fit camo urban pants for a crucial TNT game. I can already hear his answer when the courtside reporter asks, "Coach Chot, why are you wearing camouflage pants?". Chot's likely reply: "I'm wearing camo pants to show my players that we're in a war in this series, that we are like soldiers on a battlefield and we will take no prisoners." Trust me, Coach Chot and Camo's...it's just a matter of time. MH

Dope Undrcrwn Dynasty Tees and what an Alaska Dynasty shirt might look like.

I've always been a fan of inspired, simple, uncluttered designs.

Check out these UNDRCRWN "Dynasty" championship tees http://www.undrcrwn.com/blog/tag/undrcrwn-dynasty-tee !

They're nostalgic and straight to the point. Easy to understand. Evokes so many memories. A tribute to the players and names which built winning teams.

I suppose this is how an Alaska 90's Grand Slam version will look like. Gotta have an All-Filipino Conference version to include Poch Juinio. Gotta have a Reinforced Conference version to include Sean Chambers.


And since we're on the subject of Sean Chambers, might as well watch this FTW episode pitting Sean Chambers against Tony "The Hurricane" Harris.


For more FTW videos, visit GMANews.TV FTW

Old School! MH

Benedict Fernandez - all hail his Hairness.

This is not Benedict Fernandez circa 2005. This is Benedict Fernandez circa, uhm, last Tuesday. 2011. Bilib ako kay Benedict, who now plays for Cebuana Lhuillier in the PBA D-League. Loyal to the hairstyle. Committed to the look. So what if he spends 75% of his basketball salary on hair wax. Basta we all know the Wolverine mane is his. And it's his style alone. MH

Done Fishing. Gone Fishing. Dirk Nowitzki finally catches the big one.

"Fishing, of course, is faith. You have to focus on each cast as if it were the very one that is going to produce the fish of your dreams. In fact, on almost every cast nothing happens. Maintaining faith through blankness repeated hundreds of times is the sport's essential discipline." - Ian Frazier

Honor the winners of the NBA Finals. They worked hard. They battled back from big deficits. They won close games. Go admire what the Mavericks have done. Salute Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd for this long-awaited moment. They kept the faith. And now they're finally champions.

Dallas is done fishing. Miami has gone fishing.

Perhaps in the future, for there are so few sure things in life, LeBron James will get his winner's due. Until then, you just hope he keeps the faith. Maybe someday, adulation, admiration and end-game perfection will not be as elusive. For some, the waiting continues. For others, the waiting is over. And a hard-earned championship seems a just reward. MH

Daddy's Basketball Boot Camp June 19 and 26

One's never too old to join a basketball camp -- kahit erpats ka na! Join the 2011 Daddy's Basketball Boot Camp on June 19 and 26. Camp supervisor is Coach Xavy Nunag of the Meralco Bolts. Registration fee is PHP 1,000.00 for two (2) days inclusive of jersey.

To register, call 470-9925, 0920-9458051 or email bootcamp@mommymundo.com. So hoopin' daddys, sali na. If Jason Kidd can learn how to sink game-winning three-point shots at his age, so can you! MH

Video: Dear LeBron - a fan's love-letter for The King.

Hi guys. Meet my friend Isa. She cheers for the Heat. And adores D-Wade. But she agonizes each time LeBron disappears in the fourth quarter. Plain torture. She's had enough. She's seen enough. Her heartfelt plea: it's winning time 'Bron. It's time to show people why you're The King. Kasi kung hindi....

In Game 5, it was KBJ over LBJ.

Everyone has to respect what a triple double is. Although I'm not sure what has happened to the LeBron James we saw in the Boston and Chicago series. Today was a huge opportunity for LeBron to take over when Wade got hurt. Headline tomorrow could've read, "Wade gets hurt, LeBron saves day."

Yet in the matter of big-time shots to win Game 5 in Dallas, meaning shots na maaalala mo 5 hours from now, even 5 days from now, and if Dallas finds a way to win the title in Miami (holy kamote!), 5 years from now, the dagger truth is this: Kidd, Barea and Jet took the biggest shots in Game 5. MH