2008 Sports review, The Pinoy's Point of View

Many sports review for the year had already been published in Bleacher Report days ago, concerning the best moments, whether NFL, MMA, NBA or the Olympics.

Well the articles are all very good, well written and full of insights and trivia, but the problem is, it's all American very westernized.

I want to make it clear, I don't have a problem with the articles. I just want to give tribute to the Philippine athletes. this article might not be successful( in terms of attracting big audience) and some might not like this or others might be offended(Especially the ones that made a review which I labeled as very "American") but i do not wish to hurt egos or to offend anyone. I just want to write. It's about time for Filipinos to showcase their talent, culture and tradition.

To the Americans who are reading this article, our athletes might not excel just like yours but i just hope you'll appreciate their efforts as much as we appreciate Phelps, Bolt, Kobe, Mj and LBJ.

To fellow Pinoys, guys these article is for all of us.. well were gonna count the best moments in Philippine sport for the last 12 months. I hope you'll enjoy the slides and happy new year to all..

Manigong Bagong taon!!

15 - Manny Does what Elorde Can't

Flash Elorde held the super featherweight crown for seven years, but failed on his bid for winning the lightweight championship.

Last June Manny Pacquiao tested the lightweight waters.

The fact is, he not only tested the division, he conquered it by knocking out David Diaz and claiming his Alphabet belt.

14 - Cardona Makes a Statement

Mac Cardona was amongst the superstars not given an invitation to join the National team.

Well he was vocal about it,

Pretty much explaining his 42-point performance over national team coach Yeng Guaio's mother team.

“I work hard, I play hard, kaya ang game na ito parang message ko na rin kay Coach Yeng na I deserve to be in the national team,” said Cardona, after pouring in a conference-high 42 points to lead Talk 'N Text to a 103-93 win over Guiao and his Red Bull squad Sunday in the KFC PBA Philippine Cup at the Cuneta Astrodome.

13 - UP Regains Crown in Time for Centennial Year

University of the Philippines claimed what is rightfully theirs.

UP defeats old rival UST for the year's cheer dance competition witnessed by the more than 23,000 people that filled Araneta Coliseum, Southeast Asia's biggest indoor coliseum.

The win was a morale booster for the State university and that coincidentally arrived just in time for the school's centennial anniversary.

12 - Daquis-Led Lady Tamaraws Wins UAAP Crown

In the last UAAP women's volleyball tournament , Rachel Ann Daquis proved critics wrong, advancing to the finals and ultimately winning the winner-take-all match against the tough AdU Lady Falcons.

Daquis' partner, Wendyanne Semana, bags the MVP crown.

11 - Youngest GM of the World Wins in Dubai

As the year 2007 comes to a close, Wesley So is considered the youngest grandmaster in the world.

In 2008, So proved that he really is bound for greatness, winning the "The Sheikh Rashed Bin Hamdan Al Maktoum Cup" in Dubai and setting a record as the youngest winner in the 10-year history of the Cup.

So is so incredible.

10 - Stirred But Not Shaken: San Beda Makes It Three In a Row

ANIMO SAN BEDA!!

San Beda continues to win in the NCAA, as the Red Lions, together with the Indian Boys, captured their third straight title.

They were not as dominant as last year, but it was surely enough to again start a bonfire at Mendiola for the third consecutive year.

You might like this—surely the Bedans do..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY6nqF-5zeI

9 - Our lone Gold from Wonderful Willy

Although Wushu is not an official game at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, we should be proud of our very own Willy Wang, who has just defeated 10 other contestants and wins the gold for the country’s first win at China. Two of Wang's countrymen also left Beijing with a medal, both winning a bronze in Wushu.

We hope Wushu becomes a regular event at the London Olympics in 2012 so our country will have a chance at winning the first official Olympic gold.

8 - The Unfinished Business

Every time Manny Pacquiao fights, the whole nation stops to watch.

Although Pacquiao won against arch nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez, many experts, analysts, and even some Filipinos thought Marquez won.

As a Pacquiao fan, I'm all right with the decision. It was close and could have gone either way. I would love to see a third fight to erase all doubts, and, hopefully, Pacquiao will beat Marquez convincingly.

7 - Molina's Gallant Stand

MIguel Molina did not win any gold.

But he did show up and gave his best.

Last August in the Beijing Olympics, Molina failed on his bid to capture an elusive gold for the country. Well, he did break some Philippine records and held his own against the best.

Mabuhay ka Molina!!

6 - The Robocop Invades Qatar

The Robocop, Dennis Orcullo, bags the Qatar World 9-Ball Open by dominating veteran European player Niels “The Terminator” Feijen, 13-5, in the finals.

I just hope Orcullo's year will be duplicated in 2009.

5 - King James Heroics Forces a Game Seven

After serving a one game suspension, James Yap forces a Game 7 in his team's finals match against Sta Lucia.

Yap was struggling in the first three quarters of the game, but he scored big when it matters most, scoring 20 of his 30 points in the final quarter, on 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc.

There were close to 15,000 at the venue, but it was Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio who was beaming the most after the big win.

“It’s just great to have your MVP on the court at a game of survival and he definitely showed us the way. This (game) is one of the reasons why he’s one of the greatest players in the league right now.”

For me that was the best game of the year, King James showed why he is king.

4 - Redemption Is Sweet for Harry

Harry Tanamor is the lone best hope for the Filipinos in Beijing, as he was the only Filipino predicted to win a medal in Sports Illustrated's Olympic Preview issue.

However, he was defeated by Manyo Plange of Ghana in his first match.

The medal hopes literally died...

But a few weeks ago, Harry redeemed himself of his disappointing performance.

At the 2008 Boxing World Cup, Tañamor defeated Yampier Hernández of Cuba in the light flyweight final to win the gold.

3 - UFC Invades Manila

Rule: UFC is not that big in the Philippines.

But there's always an exception to the rule. Our very own pinoy pride, Brandon Vera, together with UFC great Chuck Lidell, paid a visit and held an exhibition for Philippine MMA fighters.

Just for a short period of time, Filipinos had a look of what's in store in the UFC.

I do hope that UFC will become big here (although it may seem that basketball games here have some glimpses of UFC).

2 - A Long Awaited Rematch

It was a classic with the glitz, the glamor, the tension, the drama, and more than 25,000 gate attendance. Two rival schools slugged it out for the 71st UAAP Championship.

Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles versus De La Salle University Green Archers.

The last year these two bitter rivals faced each other in the finals was in 2002. The Blue Eagles upset the favored Green Archers.

Last year La Salle won the championship with their suffocating defense, defeating my alma mater in the process, and breaking our 14-0 run.

This year Ateneo dominated the league with its height, heft, and talent, having only a single loss.

This year's result was pretty much the same, Ateneo proved that its balanced attack was too much for La Salle.

Here's a glimpse of the impact these two schools make whenever they play against each other:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mEcuuzBwyE

1 - A Dream Fullfilled

Much had been said...from being a cigarette vendor to becoming a nation's pride.

Manny Pacquiao achieved it all through his hard work.

In one year, Pacquiao does what others doubted he could.

He became the first Asian to win world titles in four different weight classes, but more than that, he crowned himself as the new king of the boxing world by annihilating the famed Oscar De La Hoya.