Rugby: Philippine RFU Team beat India, promoted to Asian Div I

by Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, Philippine Star

Something great happened this weekend, an event that would make Filipinos very proud… if they only knew about it. The Philippines, the newest addition and lowest-ranked team in Division 2 of the Asian 5 Nations (A5N) Rugby, destroyed powerhouse Thailand in the semis and home favorite India in the final to win the Division 2 Championship.

Our team, nicknamed the Philippine Volcanoes, is unbeaten in three years in the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU), having seized the Division 4 Championship in 2008, the Division 3 Championship in 2009, and now Division 2. With this win, they charge into Division 1 of the A5N in 2011, making this the longest promotion streak in ARFU history.

Read Full Story >>>

Manny Pacquiao named fighter of the year by US writers

Five-weight world champion Manny Pacquiao has been named fighter of the year by the Boxing Writers Association of America. Philippines star Pacquiao’s year featured a spectacular second-round knockout of Ricky Hatton and a brutal 12th-round stoppage of Miguel Cotto.

“Tonight I overflow with joy and gratitude. I am thankful that I decided to get into boxing,” said Pacquiao. His coach Freddie Roach was named trainer of the year.

It was the fourth time Roach, who also trains British boxer Amir Khan, had won the award. Pacquiao was picking up the boxer of the year title for the third time.

“I confronted poverty by trusting God and dreaming big,” said Pacquiao, a newly elected congressman in the Philippines.

Tennis: Pinoy partner fall in French Open

by Marc Anthony Reyes, Philippine Daily Inquirer

Francis Casey Alcantara and Fil-American Raymond Sarmiento bowed out in the boys’ doubles second round of the French Open.

The 18-year-old Alcantara and Sarmiento were eliminated by Spain’s Carlos Boluda-Purkiss and Italy’s Alessandro Collela, 7-6 (4), 6-3, who advanced against German second seeds Peter Heller and Kevin Krawietz in the quarterfinals.

The Germans earlier hacked out a 6-1, 6-1 over French Lucas Szewczyk and Thomas Szewcyk.

Alcantara and Sarmiento, who teamed up to win in the Grade 1 Mitsubishi Lancer Open last March, groped for form in the red clay courts.

The other Filipino bet, Jeson Patrombon, was eliminated in the second round of the singles Tuesday by Duilio Beretta of Peru, 6-2, 6-7 (7), 6-2. Sarmiento bowed out in the singles in the first round.

Tennis: Fil-Am Barte and partner Burdette roll through doubles title

by Will Seaton, Stanford Daily

Image Copyright by Stanford Daily

Lindsay Burdette can’t be stopped this postseason, putting up another remarkable run to become NCAA doubles champion with longtime partner Hilary Barte, and upset the nation’s No. 1 team from Tennessee 7-5, 4-6, 6-0.

“I have known deep down that Hilary and I were the best team together,” Lindsay Burdette said. “That showed me that it was the right thing and it just made me work that much harder so that we can be together.”

The No. 2 team in the country all season, Burdette and Barte have really proved their dominance. With an overall record of 36-6, the team is Stanford’s first NCAA doubles champions since Alice Barnes and Erin Burdette — Lindsay’s older sister — defeated Amber Liu and Ann Yelsey in 2005 in an all-Stanford final.

Their run to the final was a fairly routine affair. They recorded four wins before the final match, all in straight sets. In fact, their most dominant match came in the semifinals over No. 4 Andrea Remynse and Yasmin Schnack of UCLA, as they won 6-0, 6-1

>>Read Full Story>>

Soccer: Fil-Am soccer star meets Obama after leading team to MLS Cup

by Joseph Pimentel, Asian Journal

On June 4, President Barack Obama will congratulate members of Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Real Salt Lake team for winning the league title last season.

Among those, Obama will shake hands with is Salt Lake goalkeeper and Filipino American soccer star Nick Rimando.

Rimando helped defeat the Los Angeles Galaxy’s, led by David Beckham, by saving two crucial attempts at goal during the penalty phase during the championship game to capture the MLS Cup. For his efforts, Rimando was named the 2009 MLS Cup Most Valuable Player and next week, he’ll be meeting with the leader of the free world.

The 31-year-old, 5’ 11″ Rimando, a 10-year MLS veteran and two-time MLS Cup Champion, is proud to represent the Filipino community as the only known Filipino in the MLS. Rimando’s father is Filipino and his mother is Mexican.

“I just try to go out there everyday and do my job,” said Rimando to Henni Espinosa of ABS-CBN. “If I can represent the Filipino community like that, then I’m happy.”

>>Read Complete Story >>>

Fil-Am Olympian on winning, being Pinoy

by Ging Reyes, ABS-CBN News, Balitang America

His Olympic victory was touted as a medical miracle. However, Celski says he’s now taking a year off from skating and is still undecided if he’s taking part in the next Winter Games.

“I’m still undecided. It would be dumb to say that I’m not gonna go to the next games, but I have other things I want to accomplish in my lifetime, maybe get into some kind of sports management of marketing, or international studies ‘coz I noticed when I traveled around the world that I really liked to get into other countries’ cultures,” Celski explained.

Celski’s mother, Sue, is a second-generation Filipino-American. His father, Bob is of Polish descent. He was born in Monterey, California but grew up in Federal Way, Washington. He still has some relatives in the Philippines and would like to visit his mother’s homeland in the future.

Asked about growing up Filipino, Celski says “I love the food, the culture, the music. Every time I go to my grandma’s house, she tries to teach me Tagalog. But I don’t know that much, if you ask me ‘kumusta ka’ I’d say mabuti.”

At the Winter Games, fans got a glimpse of his tattoo, which showed the sun and stars from the Philippine flag. Celski says he and his 2 brothers chose the symbolic image to represent brotherhood, as well as their roots.

>>Read Full Story>>>

How his lolo inspired baseball’s top pitcher

By Benjamin Pimentel, Inquirer.net Global Nation

Baseball season is here. For Filipino Americans, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area, it’s a particularly proud time to be a fan.

One of the sport’s best pitchers is Pinoy, after all.

Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants won the prestigious Cy Young Award last year, the sport’s top pitching honor. He was also the first player to win the award in his first two full seasons in the major league. (Filipinos will have a chance to see him in action on April 27 when the Giants celebrate Filipino Heritage Night.)

Lincecum is a second-generation Filipino American, his mother, the daughter of Filipino immigrants. I actually didn’t find out about this until recently, when one of my students in a Filipino-American communities class at Cal State East Bay mentioned it. I was already a Lincecum fan, having enjoyed watching his unique flowing style on the mound.

Lincecum has given the San Francisco Giants and their many Filipino-American fans a much-needed boost. He’s widely considered to be an unusual pitching sensation. He’s wiry and has a giant stride, earning him the nickname “The Freak.”

The Triumph of Victoria Manalo Draves

by Rodel Rodis, Asian Week

If Victoria “Vicki” Manalo Draves had represented the Philippines when she won two gold medals in springboard and platform diving in the 1948 London Summer Olympics, there would have been monuments erected all over the Philippines to celebrate her inspiring victory and to mark the end of the nation’s long gold medal drought in the Olympics.

But because the San Francisco-born daughter of Teofilo Manalo proudly represented the United States in the 1948 Olympics, her name is virtually unknown in the Philippines.

While she is not unknown in the US, when Vicki Manalo Draves died from heart and cancer complications in her home in Palm Springs, California on April 11, 2010, news of her death did not appear in the local newspaper until almost two weeks later (”Olympic Diver Victoria Draves Dies” The Desert Sun, April 23, 2010).

News of her death still has not appeared in any of the San Francisco newspapers even though she was born and raised in the City which belatedly honored her in 2005 by naming its newest park after her. In that same year, she was honored as the Most Outstanding Alumnus of City College of San Francisco.

When Vicki received her award and spoke at the Commencement Ceremonies of City College at the Masonic Auditorium on May 27, 2005 before 2000 graduating students, she received a resounding ovation.

It was a recognition that was much-deserved and long overdue for the first woman in Olympic history to win gold medals in both springboard and platform diving events in the same games and the first swimmer or diver to win two individual gold medals in the Olympics. Vicki was also the first Asian and the first Filipino to do so.

>>>READ COMPLETE ARTICLE>>>

Lincecum’s gem spoiled by Phillies

The Giants nearly turned the outrage of the AT&T Park fans into euphoria Wednesday. That would have been a neat trick, since they lost this game more than once.

San Francisco scrambled to recover after yielding a run in the 10th inning and two more in the 11th to fall to the Philadelphia Phillies, 7-6. But the Giants’ extra-inning adventures didn’t seem as stunning as the events of the ninth inning, when they squandered the combination of Tim Lincecum on the mound and a 4-1 lead.

The stage was set for another celebration of Lincecum’s glorious skills. He was three outs away from becoming the first Giants pitcher to win not only his first five starts of the season but also five games in April since John Burkett in 1993. A complete game also appeared within reach for Lincecum, who had surrendered three hits, struck out 11 and thrown 98 pitches entering the ninth.

But after walking Shane Victorino on four pitches with one out, Giants manager Bruce Bochy yanked Lincecum in favor of closer Brian Wilson without hesitation

>>>READ COMPLETE ARTICLE>>>

Olympic diver Victoria Manalo Draves dies

by Terria Smith, The Desert Sun

Photo from time Life archive

Victoria Manalo Draves emerged from the 1948 London Summer Olympics diving competition as a double gold medalist and a hero.

She became the first woman to win a gold medal in springboard and platform diving. With this historic athletic achievement, she was celebrated by many as a symbol of the American dream.

Draves was the Filipino American community’s “first national heroine,” said Fred Cordova, a founder of the Filipino American National History Society.

“Just the fact that she was the first American (woman) to win two gold medals (in diving), the fact that she was Filipino American, that was the beginning of a breakthrough to us,” Cordova said.

Draves, who lived in Palm Springs, died of heart and cancer complications on April 11. She was 85.

Born on Dec. 31, 1924, Draves and her twin were the youngest members of their family in San Francisco. Her father was Filipino, her mother English.

“Her early childhood, they were poor. She came from a poor family,” her husband and diving coach, Lyle Draves, said.

>>>COMPLETE ARTICLE HERE>>>

MMA: Mark Munoz TKOs Kendall Grove

by Dennis Guillermo

Mark “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Munoz, wrecked havoc inside the UFC octagon anew in Abu Dhabi, UAE in front of a good contingency of adoring Filipino fight fans as he put forth the performance of a lifetime against Kendall Grove.

Munoz came from behind and scored a second round TKO victory after grounding and pounding Grove senseless on the mat.

Grove to his credit did almost everything right in the first round catching Munoz’s take down attempts and tagging him with knees, uppercuts and had the Filipino fighter in choke holds and submissions in multiple occasions.

>>>READ COMPLETE ARTICLE HERE>>>

Lincecum impressive in opening

Fil-Am Tim Lincecum led the Giants to their 5-2 victory by working seven shutout innings. Looking every bit like the two-time reigning National League Cy Young Award winner that he is, Lincecum surrendered four hits — all singles — and walked none while striking out seven.

The right-hander’s 98-pitch outing contrasted sharply with his three-inning, three-run dud against Milwaukee last April 7, which matched the shortest start of his career. This time, he asserted himself during a perfect first inning as he retired leadoff batter Michael Bourn on a first-pitch grounder before striking out Kaz Matsui and Hunter Pence.

“I was kind of really excited for this game more than anything, just getting that chance to get out there. This is where it matters,” Lincecum said. “You try to take it up a notch or do something to help the team win. Considering last year — I had that in the back of my mind, just go more than three [innings].”

>>>READ COMPLETE ARTICLE HERE>>>

Productive weekend for JR Celski in ISU Short Track Worlds

MEN’s 1500 m March 19, 2010
Prelim Rounds Heat 3: (1st) 2:24.373
Quarterfinals Heat 1 (1st) 2:21.379
Semifinals Heat 3 (1st) 2:16.489
Final Results
1 KWAK Yoon-Gy KOR 2:21.387
2 SUNG Si-Bak KOR 2:16.495
3 LEE Ho-Suk KOR 2:16.649
4 CELSKI J.R. USA 4 1 – 1 2:16.489
5 FAUCONNET T FRA 2:16.458
6 JAYNER Travis USA 2:18.694

500 m
9 CELSKI J.R. USA 42.271
from- usspeedskating.com: Celski, the lone US skater in the semifinals, was disqualified for impeding against Francois-Lois Tremblay of Canada while making an inside pass.

1000 m
1 LEE Ho-Suk KOR 1:26.675
2 KWAK Yoon-Gy KOR 1:27.958
3 CELSKI J.R. USA 1:27.515

5000 m Relay
1 KOREA KOR 6:44.821
2 UNITED STATES USA 6:46.205
3 GERMANY GER 6:48.288

3000 m Super Final
**unofficial results
1 LEE Ho-Suk KOR
2 KWAK Yoon-Gy KOR
3 CELSKI J.R. USA
4 HAMELIN Charles CAN
5 LIANG Wenhao CHN

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: 2010 ISU World Short Track Championships, Sofia, Bulgaria

Twit of the Day

@NatalieCoughlin

And because I’m 3/4 Irish and 1/4 Filipino, our family tradition is corned beef & cabbage w/ rice. Happy St. Patrick’s Day.

Brandon Vera headlines UFC Live

Filipino-American mixed martial artist (MMA) Brandon Vera is preparing himself to face a “younger version” of himself in Jon “Bones” Jones as they headline UFC Live: Vera vs Jones on March 21 in Broomfield, Colorado (March 22 in Manila).

The 32-year-old Vera said Jones, who is 10 years his junior, is “dangerous”.

“What Mr. Jones has done to the people he’s been given, he’s been blowin’ into those people… he’s for real,” said the seasoned MMA fighter in a UFC promotional video.

Jones (9 wins, 1 loss) has been on a winning streak in the UFC, compiling 3 victories against Jake O’Brien, Stephen Bonnar and Andre Gusmao.

He, however, was disqualified while punishing Matt Hamill at The Ultimate Fighter® Heavyweights FINALE for two distinct downward elbow strikes.

>>>COMPLETE STORY>>>

Titans’ Amano to help raise funds for California youth

Tennessee Titans guard/center Eugene Amano, the NFL’s first Filipino American player, will raise funds for Filipino American charities and increase the interest and education in sports among youth in the Vallejo area at the Filipino Youth & Sports Football Clinic. The day-long event will be held April 17, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Corbus Field in Vallejo.

Amano will be joined by his brother and former San Diego State standout Fred Amano, as well as former Vanderbilt quarterback Edward DeMesa.

Amano enters his seventh NFL season. In 2008, Amano started all 16 games for the Titans.

The charity clinic is hosted by The Filipino Youth & Sports Foundation in association with HI Point Sports. Registration fees include a full day of instruction on skills and technique, lunch, T-shirts, prizes and an autograph session with the coaches and celebrities on hand. There will also be display booths for sponsors, sports equipment, apparel and food.

To sign up for the clinic, contact Junel De la Vega at (925) 818-4649 or Eric Gonzales at (707) 254-4606. De la Vega and Gonzales, clinic directors, are co-founders of Filipino Youth & Sports.

Coughlin returns to the pool

Filipino American Natalie Coughlin returned to the sport; she had not competed since the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Women’s 100 fly
California’s Dana Vollmer posted the fastest final 50 meters to claim the title in 58.42. She dropped a 30.54 on the way home to track down both Christine Magnuson and Natalie Coughlin. Magnuson, representing Tucson Ford, finished second in 58.54, while Coughlin, swimming for California in her first meet back after the 2008 Beijing Olympics and a stint on Dancing With The Stars, took third in 58.94.

universalsports.com

Celski’s first public appearance post Vancouver

King 5 News

It’s a whole new world for JR Celski.

The now Olympic Bronze Medalist made his first public appearance after the games, and was greeted by a line out the door of the Issaquah 24-Hour-Fitness. Celski signed autographs, and posed for pictures with his fans.

Celski won the bronze in two short track speedskating events in Vancouver: the 1500 meter, and 5000 meter team relay. He’s now getting the attention that comes with success.

“I was walking through a store the other day and a kid said there is JR Celski! I’d rather not get that recognition but that’s cool. I get to meet people and talk to people and inspire them, and that’s what I am in this sport for,” he said.

>>>WATCH VIDEO HERE>>>

Ana Julaton Vs. Lisa Brown On March 27 For WBA Title

by David A. Avila, The Sweet Science

Two-time world champion Ana “The Hurricane” Julaton has agreed to venture north of the border to meet four-time world champion Lisa “Bad News” Brown for the vacant WBA junior featherweight title.

“I’m looking forward to it,” said Brown.

Canada’s Brown (16-4-3) has always wanted the WBA belt and so does Northern California’s Julaton (6-1-1). Both will meet on Saturday March 27 at Casino Rama in Ontario, Canada. It’s a home town fight for the Canadian.

“It’s definitely harder,” said Brown of fighting in front of hometown fans. “I like being the underdog with everybody cheering against me.”

That’s what Julaton can expect.

>>>COMPLETE ARTICLE HERE>>>

>>>TEAM ANA JULATON>>>

For all Filipinos, an Olympian named Celski

By Emil Guillermo, Inquirer.net

…Celski is a 19-year-old Seattle-area kid from Federal Way, whose mother, Sue, is Filipino. Celski’s dad Robert is of Polish descent and was stationed in Monterey, California, for the Army. It’s where JR was born.

Talk about hybrid vigor, the Filipino Polish thing produced quite a longganisa.

And quite an Olympian.

When you catch Celski, it’s usually by accident because you are watching him in short-track speed skating. Frankly, for the casual fan, the only reason to watch short-track speed skating at these games is because of Apolo Anton Ohno.

But is Ohno Filipino? Oh, no. Part Asian yes, but not Filipino. We still cheer him because of his greatness. No one in US history has eight Winter Olympic medals.

Between Ohno, and the women’s champ Katherine Reutter, the short-track competition at the 2010 Winter Olympics were immensely watchable.

But the future is this kid Celski, who looks like Ohno’s cousin. Again, it’s that half-Asian thing.

Celski is good, but not “Ohno-good,” not yet.

But let’s not give him short shrift. Celski is well on his way having already distinguished himself with two gold, a silver, and two bronze medals at the World Short-track competition. He’s won silver at the US Nationals. The kid’s a winner.

Celski bags bronze

by Francis Santiago, Manila Bulletin

Filipino-American JR Celski bagged his second bronze medal in the Vancouver Winter Olympics after the United States finished third in the 5000m short-track speed skating relay Saturday at the penultimate day of the quadrennial event at the Pacific Coliseum.

The 19-year-old Celski, whose mother is a full blooded Filipina who hails from Isabela, joined Simon Cho, Travis Jayner and Apolo Anto Ohno in the crack US Team which clocked 6:44.498 to finish third in the racing event topped by Canada (6:44.224) followed by Korea (6:44.446)…..

Fighting out of Federal Way, Washington, Celski, who boasts of three stars and a sun (resembling the Philippine flag) nearly captured his second medal last time when he reached the semifinal of the 1,000m event, but was disqualified when he accidentally bumped off a Canadian rival in the final lap.

The 5-foot-8 Celski, a self-confessed Manny Pacquiao fan said he’s proud to have a Filipino blood in him, saying: “I hope the Filipino community knows that I’m also carrying them in the Winter stage.”

>>>READ COMPLETE ARTICLE>>>

2010 Olympics Short Track Men 1500m Final

http://www.bonttv.com/video/505/2010-Olympics-Short-Track-Men-1500m-Final

Philippine born dance pair represented Germany

Philippine born Christina Beier and brother William completed their free dance with a score of 72.91 placing them in 18th. They are four-time German national champions. Results here.

About Christina and William

Christina and William Beier are brother and sister. Their mother is from the Philippines, their father is German. They moved to Germany when they were 6 and 7 years old respectively. They had relatives who worked at the ice rink in Chemnitz and started to skate just for fun. When they were 12 and 13 years old, they left their family in Chemnitz and moved to Dortmund as they had much better practice conditions for ice dancing there. Beier/Beier switched coaches and moved to Oberstdorf in January 2004. They missed the whole season 2006/2007 as Christina was suffering from an inflammation in her foot.

LINKS: Wikipedia Biography

JR’s Tattoo creates a buzz around the world

VIDEO: NBC Olympics WEBSITE: Official FACEBOOK: Unofficial Fan Page

After learning his disqualification during a tough semifinal race, JR Celski, unintentionally removed his shirt in front of tv camera exposing his giant tattoo seen by millions worldwide.

J.R. Celski’s tattoo is a “three stars and a sun” Philippine flag and “a coat of arm of Poland”  as shown on TV when the athlete removed his t-shirt. This is symbolic of his Filipino-Polish ancestry and created quite a buzz across the globe.

Related Articles: UK Todays News, Breaking Global News, Gather Sports, Buzzy Bloggers, Tech Banyan,

Celski bumped caused him disqualification

by Marv Duron, International Sports Examiner

…In the final lap, Celski was just about tied for second place and poised to reach the medal event finals for the Men’s 1500m in short track speed skating.

Francois Hamelin of Canada, bumped Celski from behind which caused a split-second reaction from the Filipino American and Federal Way, Washington native.

Television replays also appeared to show that the Canadian briefly held Celski which caused him to lose his position in the race.

After the steep turn, Celski fell out of position and the rest of the speed skaters advanced to the medal event finale.  It was the final lap and simply too late to catch up.

Judges ruled that Celski knocked the Canadian Hamelin to the ground, which earned the former a disqualification.  Additionally, it was ruled that Celski was not in qualifying position when the bump took place, albeit he was milli-seconds away from such a qualifying position (second place).