THE STANDS: An INQUIRER Sports Newsletter

 

February 23, 2024

Tim Cone begins his tour of duty as full-time head coach of Gilas Pilipinas.  (DENISON REY A. DALUPANG)

Hey there sports fan, Did you know there's an age imit imposed on boxers who want to compete in the Olympics? Do you know what it is? Clue: It's the reason Manny Pacquiao was denied a special exemption to suit up for the country in the Paris Games   Make a guess. We'll give the answer later (If you're curious, yes, Pacquiao has accepted that his Olympic dream is over). Meanwhile, Gilas Pilipinas began its Tim Cone era on the right foot, pounding out a 94-64 victory over host Hong Kong in a Fiba Asia Cup qualifying window. The win was pretty much guaranteed.  Even Cone said so: “[Hong Kong is] a team that we should handle. If we don’t, then we probably shouldn’t be here. It’s going to be a terrible shock for all of us if we don’t. The bottom line is that this isn’t the level of teams that we’ll be playing all the time.” We have a guy on the ground in Hong Kong, Mr. Denison Rey A. Dalupang, and if you want to catch up on his relentless reporting of the national squad there, all you need is this link. The Filipinos play Chinese Taipei next to cap this window and all you ever need to know about how to watch that game, from tickets to streaming, you can find here.

The Tigresses opened their UAAP campaign with a scintillating upset.  (CONTRIBUTED)

Meanwhile... It's probably starting to get on the nerves of National University's women's sports program: The last time the Lady Bulldogs watched a University of Santo Tomas squad celebrate on the court was when the Tigresses pulled of a title shocker to end NU's dynastic reign of UAAP women's hoops. Well, the Tigresses were celebrating another NU-upset again, this time dealing the Lady Bulldogs a shock opening defeat in volleyball a weekend ago. And as if to prove they are no fluke, the relatively small Tigresses strung up a second straight victory, this time against Casiey Dongallo and the University of the East Lady Warriors   The Tigers, meanwhile, shocked men's volleyball powerhouse and defending champion NU, in their opening match.   The Premier Volleyball League lifted the curtains on its new season with the All-Filipino Conference. Teams trotted out their fresh acquisitions in one of the busiest offseasons the league has ever seen. While it's still too early to determine a trend, here's something that might pique your interest and also help you understand what's happening on the court when teams call out plays. What we're up to next: We will release the nominees for the Inquirer Sports Awards next week! Keep tabs on that. We will also continue running features from Gilas Pilipinas' Hong Kong victory and provide you a little roadmap of Tim Cone's vision. There is also the national team's game against Chinese Taipei coming up. We will also continue our in-depth coverages of the PVL and the UAAP so follow us across all our platforms. Number of the Week: 3 Margin of victory during the "Battle of the Sexes" three-point shootout during the NBA ALl-Star weekend. Steph Curry beat Sabrina Ionescu, 29-26, but needed to make his last four shots to do so.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK “A night like tonight shows a lot of young girls and young boys that if you can shoot, you can shoot. It doesn’t matter if you’re a girl or a boy.” —Sabrina Ionescu, after challenging, and nearly beating, Steph Curry in a three-point shootout contest during the NBA All-Stars.

The answer to our trivia question? 40. If you think you can ace our weekly Friday sports quiz, and if you want more sports updates, join our Viber community.  Buy the Inquirer at newsstands, subscribe to our digital edition, Inquirer Plus, visit our online site and follow us on socials (Twitter: @inquirersports; FB: facebook.com/inquirersports) for more stories and updates—or to send us questions or suggestions of stories you'd want to read. See you next Friday! Francis Francis T. J. Ochoa is the Sports Editor of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. For comments, suggestions and questions, hit him up on Twitter (@ftjochoaINQ).

The STANDS - Philippine Daily Inquirer Sports Newsletter

 

February 16, 2024

The San Miguel Beermen are your PBA Commissioner's Cup champions.  (AUGUST DELA CRUZ)

Hey there sports fan, Here's a basketball-related trivia question: Shaquille O’Neal is the third NBA player whose number was retired by three franchises, the other two being Wilt Chamberlain and who else? Make a guess. We'll give the answer later. San Miguel Beer is a champion for the 29th time in PBA history. The Beermen annexed the PBA Commissioner's Cup last Wednesday, turning back Magnolia, 104-102 in Game 6 of their best-of-seven series. CJ Perez was named Finals MVP during the awards ceremonies, but not before getting an earful from coach Jorge Gallent earlier in the game. If you need a complete recap of the Finals, you can find everything you'll ever need—from stories, to photos to videos—in one place. Seriously, everything.  If you need a breather from all that nervy Finals action, though, you can check out a few Valentine's-themed stories we have for you.  It's about love. And more love.

La Salle will rest its defense on a new-look squad.  (CONTRIBUTED)

Meanwhile... The UAAP women's volleyball team is about to get started and La Salle kicks off the season's schedule as it opens its title defense against dark horse Adamson. The Lady Spikers have been hit with several departures of key players but they're still pumped up for their trophy-retention bid.  There will be a lot of challengers, inbcluding young squads like University of the East and University of Santo Tomas, who will either try to crawl out of last season's rut or rebuild on a strong finish last time around.  What we're up to next: We are now wrapping up nominations for the Inquirer Sports Awards slated in March and we will announce the list of names and teams by the end of this week. Also, we will be on ground in the UAAP, bringing you features and sidelights from opening weekend. We're also going to get into the groove of our coverage of Gilas Pilipinas as it prepares for a couple of very important windows. Number of the Week: 10 Number of titles won by San Miguel Beer superstar June Mar Fajardo so far.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK “At the end of the day, they are not the ones feeding my family” —Jericho Cruz, on his growing infamy among fans of San Miguel Beer opponents.

The answer to our trivia question? "Pistol" Pete Maravich. If you think you can ace our weekly Friday sports quiz, and if you want more sports updates, join our Viber community.  Buy the Inquirer at newsstands, subscribe to our digital edition, Inquirer Plus, visit our online site and follow us on socials (Twitter: @inquirersports; FB: facebook.com/inquirersports) for more stories and updates—or to send us questions or suggestions of stories you'd want to read. See you next Friday! Francis Francis T. J. Ochoa is the Sports Editor of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. For comments, suggestions and questions, hit him up on Twitter (@ftjochoaINQ).

The Stands - An INQUIRER SPORTS NEWSLETTER

 

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February 9, 2024

Calvin Abueva (13) has been warned. (AUGUST DELA CRUZ)

Hey there sports fan, Before anything else, do you know how many players the Games and Amusements Board has suspended since 2021 because of game-fixing? The answer is at the end of this newsletter. Or you could go ahead and read the story here.   The number is quite astounding, never mind if the names, according to one senator, were not really big ones. Elsewhere, consipracy theories also abound. But some, like in the NFL, are quite absurd.  But you don't need a wild imagination to stir up controversies. In the PBA, Calvin Abueva pretty much jumped into one after losing track of his manners in Game 2 of the PBA Commissioner's Cup. The tireless Magnolia forward, nicknamed "The Beast" because of his tenacity on the court, was recently fined for his antics, some of which bordered on an utter lack of class.  He got away with a warning from Commissioner Willie Marcial, who reminded him about not too long ago when he was slapped with an indefinite suspension that lasted 16 months, a league record. The Abueva Incident was a distraction from the Finals, which started out as a showcase of San Miguel Beer's depth. Somehow, though, coach Chito Victolero and the Hotshots managed to squeeze out a Game 3 win and get themselves back into the series. It's up to Abueva to keep himself in check and help Magnolia on the court and minimize the distractions off it.

The Adamson Lady Falcons have reason to keep their hopes up.  (CONTRIBUTED)

Meanwhile... There are two resons for volleyball fans to get excited. The UAAP women's volleyball tournament is just around to corner with teams like Adamson thriving​ in pocket tournaments to show their readiness for the competition. Also, there is the Premier Volleyball League, which will kick off later this month even as a busy offseason already has the league's ardent followers gasping breathlessly. Much of that excitement has been dampened by injuries old​ and new​, but you can sense that fans are ready to troop to arenas to cheer on their favorites—and soon-to-be idols​. Teams have been competing in pocket tournaments​ to likewise prepare for the new season. These matches provide PVL squads with an inkling of what they need to do​ to be in the best position to succeed in the looming season.  What we're up to next: Keep it here for more updates on the coming Inquirer Sports Awards, which will be held in March. Also, we will bring you stories and features from the UAAP and PVL to further whet up your apptite for their coming tournaments (like you need more prodding t Number of the Week: 60 Points scored by Steph Curry in a loss by the Warriors to the Atlanta Hawks. Currey is just the second player after the late Kobe Bryant to get 60 points after the age of 35.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK “For coach Pat and the program, I will always be there—and that will never change” —Jack Animam, on always being ready to play for the national team and for Gilas Women program director Pat Aquino.

For more sports updates, join our Viber community, which features a weekly sports quiz every Friday.  Buy the Inquirer at newsstands, subscribe to our digital edition, Inquirer Plus, visit our online site and follow us on socials (Twitter: @inquirersports; FB: facebook.com/inquirersports) for more stories and updates—or to send us questions or suggestions of stories you'd want to read. Have a great and safe Holidays! See you next Friday. Francis Francis T. J. Ochoa is the Sports Editor of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. For comments, suggestions and questions, hit him up on Twitter (@ftjochoaINQ).