~C4Chaos

Manny Pacquiao is a Great Athlete

If the measure of being a great athlete is by recognition of peers and fellow athletes, then there's no question that Manny Pacquiao had reached rock star status in the world of sports.  

Case in point: Here's a video of the Boston Celtics jockeying for position (um, making sure that they don't step on Pacquiao) in a photo shoot while chanting like boxing fanatics. "The Boston freaking NBA champions Celtics!" 

Thanks to kamasupra for the heads up.

Pacquiao is Just So F@$#ing Fast

I'm not a big boxing fan but when Manny Pacquiao is fighting I can't help but pay attention. Heck, the entire Philippines and all Filipinos in the world pay attention. And rightly so. Pacquiao is the best pound for pound fighter in the world. And he proves it again by knocking out David Diaz in the 9th. Hataw!

"LAS VEGAS -- Although Manny Pacquiao is the new 135-pound champion, he's no mere lightweight.

"At any weight, in any ring, the Filipino phenomenon looks like the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world.

"Packing five new pounds of power in his usual stunning hand speed, Pacquiao captured a title belt in his fourth weight class Saturday night, stopping David Diaz in the ninth round to claim the WBC lightweight championship at the Mandalay Bay Events Center." [read more]

Pacquiao dominated the match from the first round. I felt sorry for Diaz early on with all the blood gushing out of his face. But Diaz is a real fighter and kept holding on for as long as he could. In the end, Diaz was no match for Pacquiao's speed. In the words of Diaz, Pacquiao is just so f@$#ing fast, Shiyeet.

Congratulations to Pacquiao! Hats off to Diaz for putting up a good fight. And kudos to both boxers for displaying good sportsmanship.

Tiger Woods is the Zen Master of Golf

David Brooks captures the Zen of Tiger Woods in this NYTimes article.

"...Once Woods tried out four drivers that Nike was experimenting with and told the lab guys that he preferred the heavier one. The researchers thought the clubs were the same weight, but they measured and Woods was right. The club he’d selected was heavier by the equivalent of two cotton balls.

"But inevitably, it is his ability to enter the cocoon of concentration that is written about and admired most. Writers describe the way Earl Woods, his lieutenant colonel father, dropped his golf bag while Tiger was swinging to toughen his mind. They describe his mother’s iron discipline at home. “Old man is soft,” Kultida Woods once said of her husband. “He cry. He forgive people. Not me. I don’t forgive anybody.”

"Tiger was the one dragging them out on the course to practice. At age 6 months, he was put in a baby chair and had the ability, his father claimed, to watch golf for two hours without losing focus." [read more]

So now the question is: Is Tiger Woods the best athlete ever?

My answer: A great athlete is someone who could make people care about a sport which they don't even like. I don't like golf. But Tiger Woods makes me care about it.

W00t! It's a Sweep!

As I predictified, the Boston Red Sox is the 2007 World Series champion. Sweeping it is just an icing on the cake. Papelbon's da man!

The wisdom of the crowd turned out to be right. 60% of us predictified that the Sox would win the championship. Nice. The Denver “altitude” had no effect on the Sox. Hah!

Congratulations to the Boston Red Sox and to all their die-hard fans. As for the Colorado Rockies, they put up a good fight in Game 4, but not good enough. Too bad they won't be singing that Colorado Rockies song. Better luck next season.

Predictify the 2007 World Series

World Series 2007 starts tonight.

As much as I would like to cheer on the Colorado Rockies, the "Curse of the Bambino" had already been lifted, and my gut tells me that the Red Sox will do a repeat of their 2004 World Series Championship. After all they did a repeat already of their postseason comeback, this time against the Cleveland Indians. So momentum and adrenalin are on their side.

Serendipitously, I just signed up for a web service called Predictify. So one of my first predictions is on World Series - Red Sox Vs. Rockies. Check it out, make your own prediction and see if the wisdom of the crowd will be correct.

If you don't care about sports, you can try to predict who would win the Iowa Democratic Caucus. My prediction is Hillary Clinton.

Mike Spinner Spins 1080 to Victory

I just watched Mike Spinner winning the BMX_Park event on the 2007 BMX Dew Tour. The video is almost instantaneously available on Youtube!

Here's Mike's jaw-dropping winning performance.

Those guys are amazing. They keep stretching the limits to the extreme. Soon, the 1080 will be just another standard trick in the extreme sport of BMX freestyle riding.

Barry Bonds Hits #756

Congratulations to Barry Bonds. Say what you wanna say about Barry. That's still a lot of home runs!

My deep respect goes to Hank Aaron for displaying humility and upholding baseball's tradition.

HBO PPV: MANNY PACQUIAO VS. ERIK MORALES III

(image via HBO:PPV:Boxing)

I don't like boxing. But my dad is here right now and our country's pride, Manny Pacquiao, is fighting. So I closed my eyes and ordered the HBO Pay Per View Boxing Event. Putragis! $50 pala ang hinayupak! Ah well. Just this once, for my dad, and for my country peeps.

Godspeed Manny. Make our kababayans proud, entertained, and distracted from their problems for a while.

UPDATE: 11/18/2006, 9:06PM PST: Man! It only took 3 rounds! Pacquiao's the man! Congratulations Manny! Good try Erik. There's going to be a big party in the Philippines for sure. Magpakanton naman kayo!

Btw, according to my father, whenever Pacquiao has a big fight, the crime rate on our country drops down to ZERO coz all the muggers sit down and watch the fight (i would think even the police too). so for a brief moment, a sport like boxing gives our country a moment of peace and solidarity, right before the mania, and the inevitable spoofing.

Raising a Tiger

Earl Woods died today. Godspeed Earl. (via Jon's Blog).

"I make it very, very clear that my purpose in raising Tiger was not to raise a golfer. I wanted to raise a good person," Woods told Golf Digest magazine about his book, Training a Tiger: A Father's Guide to Raising a Winner in Both Golf and Life."

This makes me miss my parents even more. I'm not a golfer, I'm not a champion, I'm no one special, but I think they did a good job in raising a good person. I hope.

I love my folks.

Seahawks Defensive Wall @ Wingdome

seahawks defensive wall @ wingdome
Originally uploaded by coolmel.

Congratulations to the Steelers! Tough luck, close calls, crucial errors... That was a nerve-racking game. What a great season. Better luck next year.

Now on to the Super Bowl Ads... My picks: GoDaddy, Careerbuilder, Burger King, Hummer (aka little monster gas hog).... and I'm just glad I saw Macgyver again!

GO SEAHAWKS!!!

GO SEAHAWKS!
Originally uploaded by coolmel.

LET'S KICK IT!!! I'll be waving my greasy 3-alarm chicken wings.

This time, it's real, albeit real quiet. From signs great and small, the Seahawks are honing their pique as sharply as their talents. The national media doesn't get it. Fans don't get it. Oddsmakers don't get it.

They'll get it Sunday, when the Seahawks win Super Bowl XL 27-24.

That's the spirit! We "got it"! W00t!

GODSPEED SEAHAWKS!!!

old Seahawks jersey
Originally uploaded by coolmel.

I'm a fraud. I'm not really a sports fan. I stopped being a sports fan long ago when the Bulls ended their dynasty. I love basketball but when the dynasty ended I realized how impermanent, illusory, and fleeting glory is. So instead of wasting devoting my time watching the same old game after game after game, I just watch the playoffs and finals of the sports team of the place where I presently reside.

Tomorrow is Super Bowl XL. I'll be wearing this old Seahawks jersey. I didn't buy it. I don't even know who the heck Adams is. I borrowed it from a friend who is the real deal: a true-blooded diehard Seahawks fan. He reminds me of Jimmy Fallon in Fever Pitch.

So why am I faking it? Simple. I want to partake in the collective mania in this corner of samsara. To share the excitement with the people around me who breathe the same air, who toil the same hours, who drive on the same express ways, who walk the same streets, who shop at the same stores, who eat at the same restaurants, who drink at the same bars, and who are drenched by the same rainfall.

If I'm in Pittsburgh, I'd be rooting for the Steelers. But my temporal abode is here in Seattle, so I'll be pouring my heart out cheering for the Seahawks. I don't care about the odds. Hey, if Paul Allen is happy, I want to be happy too. So for a brief moment in time, I'll wear my sports fan hat again, hang out with friends in a bar with a big screen TV somewhere in Kirkland, shout like a mad man with spicy chicken wings on one hand, and a beer on the other. Ahhh, whoever wins, this is bliss.

Godspeed Seahawks!!! Make the denizens of The Emerald City proud!

Go Seahawks! Hello Super Bowl!

Go Seattle!!!!!!!!!!
Originally uploaded by shellipsm.

NFC Champions! Next stop, Super Bowl!

Girl's Basketball @ Mount Baker

girl's basketball @ mount baker
Originally uploaded by coolmel.

Spent my last two weekends watching my friend's daughter play basketball. She's awesome! Seattle Storm agents, heads up!

White Sox Rules! Cubbies Droolz!

BOW DOWN!!! CHISOX WON THE WORLD SERIES!
Originally uploaded by ChicagoEye.

Congratulations to the White Sox and my kind of town. Sweep is sweet. Take a peek. Enjoy the mania, Matthew. Be patient Cubbies. You'll get your chance.

Lone Star Seven

Lance's 7
Originally uploaded by nwistheone.

Lying on a king bed in a hotel room in the Lone Star State on a Sunday morning seem surreal to me. Watching Lance Armstrong on TV win his seventh and final Tour de France is like witnessing the impossible happen before my very eyes. I remember reading his biography, It's Not About the Bike, a few years back. It's one of the most dramatic biographies I've read. Very moving. I even got teary-eyed. Damn you Lance. It's one thing to beat a deadly cancer, and lose a testicle. It's a miracle to make a come back and set a record that will take another generation to beat.

Lance is a modern-day hero. Yes, he did most of the work, but let's not forget that he's also "lucky" to have a dedicated team on his side, a woman who had stayed with him through thick and thin, a woman/rockstar who continues to inspire him. Lance is a great role model to emulate. He is far from perfect. But when it comes to determination, discipline, and willpower, he's the closest to perfection you can get.

Lance's decision to retire on top is the best logical choice. Jordan could've learned a thing or two, and I think Lance learned from Jordan too. Congratulations. Godspeed in your future rocky roads.

Mariners v. Rangers @ Safeco Field

mariners v. rangers @ safeco field
Originally uploaded by coolmel.

Finally, I get to see a baseball game where the Mariners won. Yeah!

NBA 2005 Game Seven @ Work

NBA 2005 Game Seven @ Work
Originally uploaded by coolmel.

Watching first NBA Finals game seven in 11 years while at work. With muffins and poppy seeds. Very fluffy.

Seahawks def. Panthers

seahawks v. panthers
Originally uploaded by coolmel.

victory at last.

Who's Your Daddy Now?

bosox slide
Originally uploaded by kukheart.

Just got back from a friend's house. We figured that the sports bars will be packed tonight so we just ordered Chinese and hang at his crib while we witness another baseball history. I'm not a baseball fan but I always root for the underdog. So long Yankees, Red Sox is in the house! I now have a team to root for in the World Series.

Ichiro > 257

Ichiro
Originally uploaded by George.

Just got back from the sports bar. I'm not a baseball fan. But when a Japanese dude breaks the record for most hits in a single season, I had to witness it. And witness it I did. Great work Ichiro dawg, great work.

Indians Blasted Mariners

Just got back from Safeco Field. The Indians were still clobbering the Mariners when we left. The game was exciting until the 7th inning when the Indians pulled away. Ichiro maybe cool, but that Lawton dude sure know how to steal and piss off the pitcher. The score was 8-4 when we hit the parking lot. At least the peanuts tasted good.