back in the game

Got back from the doctor’s appointment..

Basically my heart is thick due to all the running.. so it’s normal. There will be other tests to be sure though.

Oh, and I asked him if I could play basketball..

He said OK  =) 

rookie

wow!

this is the first time i got recruited for a league basketball team that’s NOT due to my affiliation in any barkada =)

not sure if they got me just to complete the roster, but that phone call sounded good anyway.

=D

a rush of blood to the head

This is funny. and bloody. 

As I was wating on the steps of the SVI building, the last song I was listening to was Coldplay’s A Rush Of Blood To The Head. Little did I know that it was a warning sign of sorts.

An hour later. A basketball game. My forehead connected with someone’s elbow. It was bloody, but it didn’t hurt much. There’s a big wound there right now. Makati Med folks applied glue, and I can’t get this wet for a couple of days. 

That’s basketball for you. All part of the game. =) 

love for the game

     Love the game first, and it’ll be good to you.

Last Sunday, before the food poisoning incident, we had an ABL game. What was special about this game was that we were up against the current junior’s finals MVP. I didn’t know the guy was that good last time we played pickup at Ayala heights. 

Anyway, this guy (still don’t know his name) just outright dismantled us. Drives, three pointers, rebounds, everything. No one from our side could stop him. (Mind you, our team is made up of former varsity stars. We even have Yong on our side. Yong has won at least 5 MVP awards from in ABL alone..i think). They also had this lightning quick pointguard. I’ve never guarded anyone as fast as that guy. I mean, he just sort of disappears from where he stands, AND he has the ball. 

We still almost won the game. We lost by 2 points. Our last shot circled the rim and fell out. It was that close. Oh well.

Yong said it’s been the best game we’ve played in the entire tournament. I kinda thought the basketball gods gave me a birthday gift too. It’s the first time in 2 seasons that I’ve scored in ABL. 2 SEASONS!!!

Exactly a year ago, we won and overtime game with only 7 players, and with both big men out. (Oman got injured, JR fouled out). 

I guess the saying is true:

    "Love the game first, and it’ll be good to you."

when to stop?

How do you know when it’s time to stop?

This morning, I saw a video clip on espn.com that opened my mind a bit.

Alonzo Mourning on an interview he did with Bill Russel: 

When he played the game, he was responsible for like 10 to 12 different things on the court. He said:

"When i got to the point when I was cutting corners when it came to fulfilling my responsibilities out there on the court, it was time for me to stop." 

niiice. 

quotes of the day

"basketball 101 is Love the game first and it’ll be good to you."

- Baron Davis (in a Jim Rome interview)

Of course, we always have one for the NYK:

"I would only make deals to help our future — anything else is suicide. Anything else and you become the New York Knicks."

- Mike Dunlevy (L.A. Clippers head coach)

comment on Dunlevy quote: 

  "Dunleavy publicly calling out the Knicks is hilarious. You know your franchise sucks when the Clippers are trying to avoid becoming you. "

hehehe… =P

abl season is here

This means 3 basketball meets every weekend. Plus practice meets during weekdays.

Last saturday morning there was one in Kamagong with ACS folks.

Saturday afternoon was bench warming time @ ABL. Yeah, I’d really rather sit on that bench than be thrown out there against very very good competition. Yong, Marco, JR, Chickoy, Ely can take care of those guys anyway. I got to play too. and I bricked two free throw attempts. Still haven’t scored in my entire ABL career (this is my 2nd season). 

Sunday is the usual RFM group..and the level of play there has just gone up a few notches higher over the past weekends. 

Basketball..I love this game!

sunlife ballers

Saw the Sunlife ballgame last friday. 

Man, I miss those days. That's one of the things that's non-existent in the two companies I've been in since Sunlife. Oh well.

Got to play some basketball last Sunday after hanging out with Glenn, Camille, and Camille's friend (sorry..forgot the name..). It was good to be finally on the court after missing out on games due to other appointments or games being cancelled.

Somehow Sunday wasn't that fun though. Kept missing wide open layups among other things. I hope it gets better.

weekend

We lost the semifinal game by default. How hard can it be? 5pm is 5pm. Period.

It was a great weekend though

no-go

I was supposed to go home this weekend. No go. Too bad.

Well, not that bad..We have 2 ballgames (3 if we win against team Puno)  and a 1st bday party. Deadline time at work, so I'll probably be working on Monday. Well, I gotta do this sometimes.

Speaking of work, I lost my payroll ATM pin number. I haven't memorized it. Now how am I going to get my salary?  This sucks.

my keys to jump shooting

2 ball games this sunday. The Navitare group at 10am and the MBL game at 7pm. I'm quite excited about the MBL game since it's the first time since high school / Cebu that Glenn and I will be teammates in a refereed game again. 

Since i'm such in a basketball mood, if felt like writing something about it: 

Keys to jump shooting. 

i've never been a good jump shooter. hell, i don't consider myself a good ball player. actually, i don't really have any interest in playing offense (other than passing the ball)

anyway, here are my steps for making a jump shot:

first of all, you have to move around. look for an open spot, better yet, move to your sweet spot. a solid pick from a teammate would really help get you wide open too.

this may take some time. even the greatest shooters (miller, hamilton, stockton) sometimes take about 20 seconds in the possession cutting, bumping, and running to get to their sweet spots.

find a shot you really like. find a shot you really feel comfortable with. find a shot you can live with.

if you don't have the ball when you're in this sweet spot, you'll need a teammate to get you the ball. timing is critical you can't get the ball too early since chances are you aren't in position yet. you can't get the ball too late since you'll be open for only a half second before the defense closes in.

once you're there and you the ball is in your hands, everything has to be perfect. your feet set. shoulders squared, elbow pointing to the basket, knees bent slightly, entire body in balance, the right elevation, releasing at the apex of your jump, and then all-important follow through. never hesitate, for you'll lose your rythm.

make a mistake on any one of these little things, and chances are, you'll miss the shot.

in the end, when you're there and the moment is right, you'll just have to let it fly. do all you can to make it perfect and leave the rest to chance. it's now out of your hands. all you can do is hope and pray that the shot falls.

don't be afraid. hey, sometimes bad shots go in, and sometimes good shots miss. you just have to try. remember that you can't make a shot if you're too afraid to miss.

Basketball News

Jazz win over the Rockets AGAIN..

about time…

Played basketball last Saturday with JR, Glenn, Erwin, and Sonny. I must say, that was one of the best games I've played in a long while. Must be the Glenn effect. Kent, Lo, others, and I always play better when Glenn's around. This has been the case since grade school. Glenn and JR played real well too. JR was his usual dominant self. Glenn was on-fire. Nice.

The game was really dehydrating though. I drank 2 liters of liquid when I got home, and still it wasn't enough. 

Sunday morning, I got up 6:30am to get to another basketball game. I couldn't move in this one.. the effects of the previous game was still very much there.

After the game, I went to Megamall to shop for more office clothes. Good thing there was a big sale going on. I saved a few bucks in the process. Went to an SFC thing right after.

It's now about 9 in the evening. Got to get some rest. 

Thank God for basketball.

Good Problems

I just realized that two of my friends are no longer together. Long distance, what can I say. (That's not the real reason though.) This seems all too familiar. Too bad for both of them. Kaya mo yan pre!

I got some problems of my own too. Problems most would die to have…or maybe not..who knows.. might just be my conscience (or vanity) making me think twice about stuff. I'm happy that my problems are of this sort though.

Project: Radiance is complete. Now i just need some killer instinct to finish off other projects. I'll soon be working on other stuff once my laptop comes in. Crosses fingers.

Work got a lot more formal. We just got sent a list of rules and penalties. We'll see how this holds up. We'll see if we can do something about it too. 

…itching for some 5 on 5. Hope Ron gets the reservation. Hope I get my jersey in time for the saturday game. I think I'd look better being benched wearing number 14 rather than being benched in street clothes. hahahaha.