Helterbrand repeats as confab’s best
MANILA, Philippines – Ginebra ace guard Jayjay Helterbrand captured the Best Player of the Conference (BPC) honors in the PBA reinforced tourney for the second straight year.
Helterbrand repeated as Fiesta Conference best player, winning the coveted award this season over Burger King’s Arwind Santos, San Miguel’s Dondon Hontiveros, Coca-Cola’s Asi Taulava and Talk n Text’s Jimmy Alapag.
The 32-year-old Kentucky State U product was awarded his plaque by PBA commissioner Sonny Barrios in a simple ceremony before Game Two of the Ginebra-San Miguel showdown for the Fiesta Conference championship.
The Best Import award went to San Miguel’s Gabe Freeman who won it over Ginebra’s David Noel, Burger King’s Shawn Daniels and Rain or Shine’s Jai Lewis.
“I’m happy to win this award but this would mean nothing if we don’t win the championship. I’m sharing the honor with my teammates who also worked hard to help where we are right now,” said Helterbrand, the first player in eight years to successfully defend a BPC award. Read Full Story >>
Fight like Manny, Abe told
MANILA, Philippines – The only way Bernabe Concepcion can win over WBO featherweight champion Steven Luevano is for the Virac, Catanduanes challenger to fight like Manny Pacquiao.
That’s how Concepcion’s manager Aljoe Jaro sized up his winnability in the 12-round title fight set at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Aug. 15.
“I think it’s 50-50,” said Jaro yesterday. “Luevano is a smart fighter, a former junior Olympic champion. He throws a lot of punches. He’s a little brittle but when he goes down, he gets up. He’s not a hard hitter but he’s hard to hit because of his footwork. If he thinks he’s up against a strong puncher, he’ll fight from a distance. If he thinks he can take his opponent’s power, he’ll engage.” Read Full Story >>
Win a Ring for the King
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio – Laughing and loose, Shaq looked right at home.
Shaquille O’Neal and his oversized persona debuted in Cleveland on Thursday with a stated goal for next season. His friend LeBron James craves a championship, and O’Neal is here to serve.
“My motto is very simple,” O’Neal said. “‘Win a Ring for the King.’”
The 15-time All-Star center with four NBA titles was bedecked in a black suit, pink shirt and pink tie for an introductory news conference that might as well have been billed The Shaq Show.
Acquired last week in a blockbuster trade with the Phoenix Suns, O’Neal was welcomed by a team that believes he can bring this title-thirsty region its first major pro sports crown in 45 years. Read Full Story >>
Pacquiao earns 2 ESPY award nominations
MANILA, Philippines – Boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao again established his global popularity after being nominated in two major categories for the 2009 Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards or ESPY.
Nominees for the annual event organized by famed American cable television network ESPN had already been announced, and Pacquiao is among the prominent athletes in the list of the top personalities in the world of sports.
Pacquiao had been nominated twice – in the “Best Fighter” and “Best Play” categories. Read Full Story >>
ESPY Awards 2009
Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards or ESPY Awards is an annual sports awards event created and broadcast by American cable television network ESPN.
This year, the 2009 ESPY Award nominees were announced on Thursday morning.
BEST MALE ATHLETE
Kobe Bryant, NBA
LeBron James, NBA
Jimmie Johnson, Auto Racing
Michael Phelps, Swimming Read Full Story >>
Pacquiao, Kobe to shoot new Nike ad July 09
A huge advertisement featuring boxing’s No. 1 fighter Manny Pacquiao and basketball’s premier player Kobe Bryant is in the cusp of completion as the two sporting heroes pose alongside each other on July 8 for sports apparel leader Nike.
The shoot will be held in Los Angeles, according to Pacquiao’s lawyer Franklin Gacal, who disclosed that streamers and posters of Pacquiao and Bryant will be displayed in all Nike stores across the US.
Pacquiao had done a similar commercial with Nike in the past featuring other endorsers like Maria Sharapova and Roger Federer of tennis, Xiang Liu of athletics, Cristiano Ronaldo of football and Bryant but they were all filmed separately since their respective schedules won’t jive for them to be available in a particular time and date. Read Full Story >>
Gin Kings in Finals
Defending champion Barangay Ginebra drew another stellar performance from Ronald Tubid in the final half to down Rain or Shine, 108-100, and clinch the first finals slot in the Motolite-PBA Fiesta Cup last night at the Araneta Coliseum.
Tubid matched the 23-point performance of import David Noel but it was his intangibles – especially his energy – that proved lethal in knocking out Rain or Shine in their best-of-seven Final Four series.
The Elasto Painters had several chances to wrest the lead in the third quarter but Tubid, a former University of the East star, was there to personally repel it to the cheers of the Ginebra supporters.
With the win, the Kings, proud winners of eight titles, advanced to the finals for the 18th time. They wrapped up the series, 4-2, after winning their last three games. Read Full Story >>
Filipino athletes in high spirits as Asian Youth Games open
The Philippine competitors in the first Asian Youth Games are ready for action in the multi-event sports tournament which opens Monday in Singapore.
“Our athletes are in high spirits and they are raring to compete,” said Philippine Chief of Mission Col. Cesar Binag, who is also the president of the Table Tennis Association of the Philippines. Read Full Story >>
Cotto no pushover – Roach
Freddie Roach has started doing his homework in anticipation of a big match between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas.
The three-time Trainer of the Year told the Philippine radio program Sports Chat that Cotto, the WBO welterweight champion, is no pushover as others would think.
“He is a very strong fighter and puncher. We have to pay attention to that. That is my biggest worry,” he said of Cotto, who’s younger, taller and heavier.
Roach, the hottest trainer in the sport today, is not wasting time.
“We have to come up with a game plan to defeat this guy. I studied his fights last night. I’m going to see his previous fights and see if we could pick up some habits that we can take advantage of.”
Negotiations for the fight are on, and Top Rank’s Bob Arum, who handles both boxers, said it’s close to being sealed. He said it should be done next week.
Roach feels it’s just a matter of time before the fight is formalized, whether it’s held at 145 lb or less, and whether Pacquiao gets 65 percent or everything or more. Read Full Story >>
Sports Red Lions open NCAA season
MANILA, Philippines – No Sam Ekwe. No problem.
American Sudan Daniel made an impressive debut as San Beda whitewashed a listless Mapua side, 85-52, yesterday to launch its bid for a fourth straight title in the 85th NCAA basketball tournament at the packed Big Dome.
The high-leaping 6’8” Daniel effortlessly compiled 13 points, nine rebounds, five blocks and no turnovers in just 22 minutes of play enough to take out the Lions’ worries if he can fulfill the void left by Ekwe, who finished his eligibility years along with Pong Escobal and Ogie Menor.
“He’s more than filled up that hole, he served the purpose,” said San Beda coach Frankie Lim of Daniel, formerly from Compton Dominguez or the same high school this year’s 2009 NBA rookie top pick Blake Griffin of the Clippers and the Hornets’ Tyson Chandler attended.
Although Daniel got help from Bam Bam Gamalinda, Jake Pascual, Garvo Lanete and rookie Anjo Caram, who chipped in 14, 11, 11 and 10 points, respectively, the rookies’ towering presence seemed enough. Read Full Story >>
