Tiger Woods Nabs 3rd US Open Championship

It’s the Tiger once again. Woods captured the 108^th US Open, his third in the said event. Playing against a steady contender in Rocco Mediate, Woods said that “this was the greatest tournament I’ve ever played.”

Woods was already in the brink of defeat when he managed to even the score with Mediate in the final 18-hole, forcing a sudden death match. Woods won the first hole.

Mediate got nothing but praise for Tiger. Tiger also had the same for Mediate.

“Being down last year and now playing like that, he put on a gutsy performance,” said Woods. “He really put pressure on me.”

Mediate declared that Woods is, in his own words, “unreal” and “just so hard to beat”. “I was as nervous as a cat. But I handled the game well,” said Mediate.

With the win, Tiger won his 14^th major championship.

Boston clinches 17th NBA Title

After 22 years, the Boston Celtics revel in their glory once more. This time, it’s Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen who led the green machines from Massachusetts to their 17^th NBA title. Garnett and Allen were relentless on their offensive as they scorched the court with 26 points each. Pierce added 17.

Kobe Bryant, who went out strong in the opening quarter, fizzled as the game went down the wire, missing 7 shots in a row. He was simply overwhelmed by Boston’s impressive defense. He stated after the game that the defense put up by Boston was “definitely the nest defense I’ve ever seen.”Bryant finished the game with 22 point, hitting 7 out of 22 attempts.

Pierce, named the Finals MVP, performed remarkably despite sustaining an ankle injury in Game 1. Hall-of Famer Bill Russell, former center of the Boston Celtics during the team’s heydays, found Garnett and both embraced each other.

“I got my own. I got my own,” Garnett said to Russell. “I hope we made you proud.”

“You sure did,” was Russell’s reply.

To Rebound Like A Demon

To the rest of the world, he is the craziest basketball player who has ever played the game. With wild antics on and off the court, coupled with a lot of controversies, who could blame them if they think such way? But to the people who loved basketball to the bones, he was one of the greatest. He banged bodies with the likes of Karl Malone, Alonzo Mourning, and Shaquille O’Neal – players who were far stronger and more powerful than him. But he held his own. Ladies and gentlemen: Dennis Rodman.

Despite the bleached hair and outrageous wedding ceremony with Carmen Electra, Dennis Rodman remains as one of NBA’s premiere rebounder. His nine NBA Rebound Titles are more than testaments to his feats. In Game 3 of 1992 Finals against the Seattle Supersonics, he led the team to victory even though the Sonics have limited Michael Jordan’s scoring heat. He was a key factor to the Bulls Run, a feat no other team has ever achieved, NBA’s best season record, 72-10. He was a very effective rebounder sports analysts realized rebounds are a crucial element in a basketball game.

His success in the rebounding department is not his size or his jumping ability. It was because he studied. He analyzed how a basketball bounces off the rim once it misses. He watched videos as to how to position himself for a better leverage. Despite his looks, he was a thinking player. You just got to love him for that.

Lethal Combination is Set

Can reigning WBC Lightweight champion David Diaz take hit after hit from a boxer whose punches feel like the freight train crashing on a wall? Can WBC Super Featherweight Champion Manny Pacquiao prove he is ready to take another echelon in boxing’s standards?

Many doubt that Diaz can handle the slugger from the Philippines, predicting him to get edged with a knockout. Diaz thinks otherwise. He is training hard to bring down a legend that has sent his fellow Mexicans crashing to the canvas and taste the bitterness of defeat. David Diaz defeated a boxing icon in Erik ‘El Terible’ Morales. He says he will do so again with the much stellar Pacquiao.

Like Diaz, Manny Pacquiao bested Morales in two bouts, both by knockout. And he plans to add David Diaz in his list of defeated Mexican boxers. Pacquiao promised he will put a good gifht. There is no doubt about that. But like Diaz, Pacquiao also has his shares of non-believers. He was never tested in the 135-lb division. His first fight in lightweight will be against a reigning champion. The odds are against Pacquiao, so they say. But Pacquiao says he will be out to prove his doubters wrong.

June 28, 2008 is a marked day in the boxing world. It’s Manny ‘The Pac-Man’ Pacquiao against David ‘Dangerous’ Diaz. Two champions. One victor. Lethal Combination is coming.

Lakers Upset Celtics, Extend Series

Even with Paul Pierce’s heroics, the Celtics will just have to play another game. Driving the Celtics from a huge 21-point deficit, Pierce’s 38 points are not enough as they fell to Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, 103-98.

Aside from Pierce, only two other Celtics managed to come with a double-digit contribution, Ray Allen poured in 16 and Kevin Garnett registered a not-so stellar 13 points. Foul trouble plagued the Celtics as Garnett fished three fouls in the second quarter. Despite foul trouble, Garnett pulled a team-high 14 rebounds.

Kobe Bryant managed to salvage the Lakers’ hopes for a championship with a stunning 25-point performance. Big men Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol each tallied 20 and 19 points respectively. Gasol also dominated the boards with 13 rebounds and dished out a team-high 6 assists.

The Los Angeles Lakers will play the Boston Celtics at the Garden come Tuesday. Boston Celtics lead the Finals series, 3-2.

Nadal Wins 4th Straight French Open Title

The King of Clay extended his reign for another year after winning his fourth straight Roland Garros Cup at the expense of #1 Roger Federer of Switzerland. Both men displayed tennis at its finest but Rafael Nadal was the better man as he bested Federer in three straight sets.

But as Nadal rejoiced, many were disappointed with Federer’s performance at the Finals. Many tennis fans expected a tight match, but Nadal commanded the game with 6-1, 6-3, and 6-0 win over the Swiss smasher. Nadal became the second person to win 28 French Open games since Bjorn Borg.

On the other note, stunning Ana Ivanovic crushed Russian Dinara Safina to claim the French Open championship. Ivanovic of Serbia cruised smoothly against the inconsistent Safina, though Safina did put up a good fight.

Next stop: the Wimbledon Open.

Good Racket Buys

Although brands like Yonex, Carlton, and Prince commands attention in badminton, starters and novices need not purchase them yet. As much as I believe that better rackets give a player the advantage, aside from the cool factor it brings, expensive gears are no use if you don’t have the basics seared in your brains.

However, for newbies who wants to own a decent badminton racket, there are many low-priced names in the market. Respectable? Yes. Popular? Not so. But even though you may not sport the latest racket, these sets of metal gear will definitely make your game solid.

Gosen Titanium X50

Description:

shaft is 100% graphite; ultra lightweight

Tension:

18-20 lbs

Price (in Philippine Pes

os): PhP 825.00

Prince Tazer

Description: Y-joint

Tension: 18-25 lbs

Price (in Philippine Pesos): PhP 799.00

Kason BOOM

Description: Lightweight

Tension: 20-25 lbs

Price (in Philippine Pesos): PhP 1,099.00

Thundernex Rackets – they are still relatively new to the market but their rackets are good as far as I am concerned.

Badminton for Starters

In the world of badminton, or any sport for that matter, chances of getting to the top are a whole lot better if one starts at a young age, where all sports attributes - flexibility, stamina, strength, speed, and mental alertness - can be shaped and structured easily. That is a fact.

But for those who are slightly older and want to get into badminton, it is an entirely different scenario. But for a variety of reasons, one perseveres and got himself over the basics. What’s next? There are a lot of badminton skills one need to master if he ever wants to beat Gade orLin in the Finals, but we are not talking about the international level here. It’s just you wanting to smash the shuttle against your neighbor for beating you last week.

Though you might not reach the pinnacle of international badminton, beating your neighbor (assuming he is not a world-class player) is still possible. Here’s how:

1. Use the service as a weapon – whether you shot it to the back or place it up front, the service gives you a good opportunity to score. If the receiver is not a rusher and has slow reflexes, directing the shuttle straight to his body is a fine way to earn a quick point.

If he is not a jumper, place the shuttle in the backcourt and wait for the weak return. You can either go for the smash or a cross-court drop.

Another form of the attacking serve is placing the shuttle close to the sidelines. Most of the time, the receiver makes a soft return and is already out of position to defend his court.

2. Use your opponents’ weak side to your advantage – sometimes, a badminton player has a strong forehand but less power in his backhand and vice versa. When your opponent shows you that flaw, attack his weak side immediately. Direct your smashes and drives to his backhand side if he has no power in that side. Same thing goes for the other side.

3. Do some theatrics – everybody wants to be an actor, right. Acting skills is also one of the most used talents in badminton. One is grunting and flying to meet a floating shuttle as you poise for a smash. This move will prompt your opponent to go and defend the middle court. Just tap the shuttle just across the net. Make sure that you don’t tap it too hard. If you got it right, your opponent will shake his head in disbelief. Curse you even.

4. Direct your smashes straight to your opponent – a surefire way to earn the point. Turn your opponent into a target practice dummy. Now, this will really take some skill.

5. Make your opponent run – gain control of the shuttles and put some angles in your attacks. This will wear down anyone who stands in your way.

Phoenix Suns: Rising from the Ashes

I might sound a little biased here so bear with me. I am a huge Phoenix Suns fan ever since Steve Nash came to the franchise. No, I take that back. I am a huge Steve Nash fan. And like many other Suns fans out there, my heart broke when they got eliminated by the Spurs – again.

And what hurts me even more is that Nash is aging, Hill is aging, and Shaq is aging. The possibility of getting that championship is diminishing slightly as time passes by. Another heartbreaking update is that Suns GM Steve Kerr plans to replace Mike D’Antoni as head coach. It was D’Antoni’s suggestion to get Nash to spearhead the ‘run-and-gun’ offensive the Suns are known for. It is the kind of game Nash blends in so perfectly that he can make his teammates into instant scorers.

Nash, Hill, and Shaq admit that the hill is now going down for them. As the 2008 NBA Season is now over, all they have to do is make some adjustments. The Phoenix Suns has one of the league’s most talented lineups; the key is to exploit every last one of them.

As usual, Nash will lead the group but a backup point guard must be groomed to take his place when he’s off the court. D.J Strawberry must be toughened for this role. Leandro Barbosa is good at the point but he is more effective as a shooting guard rather than calling the shots.

Brian Skinner should be given more minutes and more experience if he is to replace Shaq when the superstar center is on the bench. Skinner has the body, the build, and the power. He just needs some refining.

Sean Marks is also a good candidate to back both Shaq and Amare. The management should consider further improvements in Mark’s game. He should be made lethal!

Here’s my Phoenix Suns fantasy lineup, all improved including backups:

PG Steve Nash / D.J. Strawberry

SG Leandro Barbosa / Raja Bell or Gordon Giricek

C Shaquille O’Neal / Brian Skinner or Sean Marks

SF Boris Diaw / Grant Hill

PF Amare Stoudamire / Sean Marks

Here’ my Phoenix Suns powerhouse lineup

PG Steve Nash

SG Leandro Barbosa

C Shaquille O’Neal

SF Sean Marks

PF Amare Stoudamire

David Diaz: A Glance at the Underdog

A former Olympian and current WBC Lightweight champion, David Diaz is rated the lesser of the two fighters. Sports analysts and writers have deemed Diaz to have lesser punching power than Pacquiao (35 knockouts in 46 fights), as evident in his record (34-1-1) where 17 out of his 34 victories are by way of knockout.

There is also a matter of speed and mobility. Speed, when used to its full effect, can win any boxing match. Pacquiao is a speed demon. Diaz is not.

Both are Southpaws and both fighters love to slug it out. But all those who went toe-to-toe against Pacquiao wound up losing. Diaz can take damage, that is certain. But can he maintain his composure if he chooses to exchange heavy blows with Pacquaio? I think not.

But all that said, Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach does not dismisses the champion. As Roach pointed out, Diaz is a champion because he trained hard and fought his way up. Diaz sent the legendary Erik Morales into retirement last year in a fight many thought Morales would win. He is a master of upsets.

“I’ll just have to prove everybody else wrong,” Diaz said in a press conference.