Efren Bata Reyes Tours Bangkok

With the help of our good friend Allan Chua from Thailand, pool fans in Bangkok were given a rare treat a couple of weeks ago. The one and only pool legend, Efren "Bata" Reyes was invited to do a tour around Bangkok to showcase his talent and play a couple of friendly racks with fans as well as play a couple of exhibition matches.



On the first day of the tour, Molly Malone's, a lovely Irish Pub hosted us for dinner and Efren played some racks with the patrons of the place.

After that, we were ushered out to another place, this time a proper pool hall instead of a pub and the atmosphere was electric! Loads of pool fans were waiting for Efren and we also bumped into a bunch of Filipinos which is always a good thing. 

This kid caught Efren's attention immediately. It looks like more and more young players are being developed in Thailand!

There were some interesting Murals all over the walls at Hustler's.

What do you think of this Jassy?

Several players challenged Efren to a rack and this girl actually did better than a lot of the others...or maybe Efren was nicer to her?

Lovely crowd at Hustlers.

The second day brought us to a new Pub called The Game. This time, I suggested that we play 8-ball instead of 9-ball and make it three racks for each of the participants so that they get better chances. (I kinda felt bad for those who didn't get a shot in from the previous night since it was only one rack each).

Efren played with several people and even joined two rounds of killers which he both lost! 

I had my usual fish n' chips (I know, I know that's not really Irish). And of course, how could we resist a proper ice cold San Miguel Beer. This one is brewed and bottled in Thailand!

Everything was perfect until I ordered some water and they brought me this. Oh my. what a mistake. I guess, I'm sticking to the beer all night!

The last day of the tour was dedicated to challenge matches. Efren was scheduled to play against top Thai player Kobkit Palajin and Stuart Petman 

Efren 15-5 Kobkit

Stuart went barefoot for most of the match!

In the end, Efren outclassed both players and won easily. We were treated to a great celebration af a place I dare not mention. 

It was a great trip and I hope that everyone in Bangkok enjoyed it as much as we did. Thanks again to Allan Chua for arranging everything. Special thanks to Molly Malone's, Hustlers, The Game, our driver One and Toshi for the lovely pictures.

ABP Statement on the World 10-ball in Manila

Dear ABP Pro Player,

As the only unified body of professional players worldwide, we feel obligated to protect the interests of all professional pocket billiard players.
Thus we must inform you that we have investigated and researched info on this year's men's World 10-Ball in Manila Oct 8-14th which is sanctioned by the WPA, and they have informed us this year's event in October is NOT requiring the promoter Raya Sports to have the money in advance with the WPA. This info was not included in your info sheet for the event. We recommend you confirm this with your national federation.

Previously, the WPA did announce last year it would hold Raya Sports prize money in advance due to several incidents of lack of payments and extreme tardiness which affected many of you members.

Our local association partners in the Philippines has also notified us that there are no confirmed sponsors as of yet for the event, and they are withholding their players participation until money is secured. Also STAR Billiards, a partner of the event every year, announced last week it will not sponsor the event unless the full prize money is secured. Because most of you will be traveling very far and must secure hotel and flight in advance, it is important for us to make you fully aware of any pertinent news on this.

Please note that this email is not demanding you to not play, nor is it discouraging you to participate. This email is to simply share important info and to protect the interest of the professional players. Any of our players are free to play in the event, but we wish everyone to travel there to know , that as for now, there is no guarantee or protection of finances and prize money by the WPA nor any association for players traveling to the Philippines men's World 10-Ball .

If anything changes to our knowledge, we will inform you immediately. Please feel free to share with any players that you feel this info may concern.
Thank you and best wishes.

ABP
Association of Billiard Professionals

Reyes, Bustamante Reunite for World Cup of Pool. Orcollo teams up with Corteza

Team Philippines A: Dennis Orcollo/Lee Vann Corteza
Team Philippines B: Efren Reyes/Django Bustamante

Two-time World Cup of Pool Champions Efren "Bata" Reyes and Francisco "Django" Bustamante will revive their celebrated partnership to launch yet another World Cup of Pool campaign. The pair won the first-ever staging of the even back n 2006 and again in 2009. The event takes place from Sept 4-9 at the Robinson's Place Manila.

Being fast friends off the table undoubtedly helps them maintain a partnership that is tough to defeat. In yesterday's press conference, Reyes points out that many young players nowadays are capable of beating them beacuse of their superior physical condition and accurate shot-making. However, the other teams recognize that a strong partnership and deep knowledge of each other's playing styles are big advantages that the older pair possess.

Efren Reyes is also a back-to-back World Mixed Doubles champion with Rubilen Amit. This just proves that the man is not only a great player but is also an ideal doubles partner. His understanding of the game and his ability to adjust and manipulate the game to suit his partner's strengths and weaknesses make his doubles game a notch above the rest.

Meanwhile, after several hits and misses over the years most notable of which is last year's semi-final, Dennis Orcollo has found a new partner in Lee Vann Corteza for this year's tournament. This is a well-anticipated pair-up and one which the local and foreign fans alike have high hopes for.

Doubles quickly negates individual talents since personalities and varying strategies can change the way the game is played. Orcollo pairs up with Corteza for the first time and surprises are expected from the dynamic pair. Both are known to be introverts in the tour but this might just work to their advantage. Dennis mentioned last year that it is easier to just let your partner do his thing and shoot what you are left with rather than fussing over each shot.

The other teams also fielded their best teams but most notable of which is the unknown pair fielded by Chinese Taipei. Despite the success and fanfare around the adorable Ko brothers last year, They are bringing in  Han En Hsu and Hsing Ting Chen. Who? I don't know them either but hey, If there is anything that I've learned in many years in this industry, The Taiwanese are always a threat. This new pair is definitely one to watch.

Defending champions Germany composed of Ralf Souquet and Thorsten Hohmann looked upbeat and ready for their title defense. Last year Souquet swept the back-to-back Matchroom events in the country and have gained legions of Filipino fans yet again. However, I can't promise that the fans won't be rabid once their team faces the local bets.  Ralf pointed out during the presscon that he's hoping for more sportsmanship from the fans this year. Haha. Sorry Ralf. not gonna happen but hey, It doesn't mean they don't love you too. In the end they will still be huge fans of yours and will support you. Bashing you while you play against the hme team is just part of the way they enjoy the game.

The event will be aired LIVE over Solar Sports from 12 noon until 9:00 pm daily. Find the latest news and match schedules on www.matchroompool.com.

This event is produced by Matchroom Sport in cooperation with Party Poker.com and their local media partner Solar Sports.

The official table for this event is Diamond.

Ga Young Kim Crowned Yalin World 10-Ball Champion

Manila, Philippines-  Korea's Ga Young Kim finally overcame her demons to claim World Championship glory for her country. Kim on her second appearance in the finals of the the Yalin Women's World 10-Ball Championship, faced last year's #1 in the world Siming Chen of China, and completely dominated the championship match. Kim's victory has put South Korea back on top of women's pool.

The Dragon Promotions produced 4th Annual Yalin Women's World 10-Ball Championship is the most followed women's event of the year. In the host country of the Philippines, it is the biggest female sporting event of the country. The event is supported by Yalin Billiards, OB Cues, Championship Tour Edition Cloth, Aramith Balls, Tour Edition Chalk,  and #1 TV network broadcaster ABS-CBN. Pool & Billiard Magazine are also proud supporters. This year's edition took place August 20th-24th once again at Robinson's Galleria, which has now become synonymous for creating the dynamic atmosphere of the coveted championship. Robinson's Galleria is connected to the host hotel Crowne Plaza Galleria. With massive media and global networks covering the Yalin Women's World 10-Ball Championship, it will continue as still the biggest and most watched women's billiard event in the world.




In the semi-finals, China #1 Xiaofang Fu faced off with 19 year old Siming Chen for a spot into the finals. Neither had ever reached this far into this event. It was a tightly contested match, with Chen leading by 1 game margins throughout. But it was Fu's fatal scratch on the 7-Ball in game 14 where she had a chance to tie the match at 7. Instead Chen was given a sigh of relief and was able to close the rest of the match out at 9-6. 

The bottom bracket featured an all Korea semi-final between Korea's #1 and #2 women with Ga Young Kim and Yu Ram Cha. The match was epic. Both women played superb with non-stop exciting jumps, kicks, powerful break shots, and awesome offensive firepower.

"The final score of 9-5 is not even close to showing how great and tight that match really was", commented Yahoo Sports writer Bob Guerrero.

In the final match, China would face South Korea. China has had an army of strong top notch players, and Korea has produced perhaps not quite as many in quantity, but makes up for it in quality with gems such as Ga Young Kim, Yu Ram Cha, Yun Mi Lim, and Eun Ji Park.

The finals began with Kim continuing her lightning fast pace from her last match. She took the first 3 games in a blink of an eye. In about 15 minutes, she already commanded a 4-1 lead. Chen seemed overcome with the blitz of Kim and was never really able to shake her off. Chen pocketed some nice shots, but wasn't able to control her cueball well. Kim on the other hand, looked to be in supreme confidence at the table coming with every challenging shot and executing intricate safeties and positional play.

Leading eventually at 9-3, Chen was given another chance off a Kim safety. Chen made a nice carom shot off the 3-Ball sending the cueball down table off the short cushion and neatly hit the 10-Ball perfectly where she called , and pocketed it. Score was now 9-4 and the crowd cheered wildly hoping for a tighter contest. Chen then broke and ran the next making the audience hopeful for a comeback. But it was not to be, Chen made a positional error in the next rack and was forced to kick the 6-Ball. The effort was half hearted as the disappointment was apparent on her face from the earlier mistake. Kim faced the final 4 balls that stood in her way, and pocketed the first 3. As the cueball landed perfectly for the final 10-Ball shot, Kim showed her first emotion in the whole event by looking up to the sky, as if to say, this is what I've been fighting for the whole week. She pocketed the final shot and clenched her fist in the air in victory!

"I have improved my result from last year, so I am happy about that. I am getting closer", said Chen in the finalists speech.

"I really did not practice any more than usual for the event, but I was doing a "Dancing with the Stars" TV show in Korea leading up to the World Championship, and so I was really in a happy mood. So I think my happiness and positiveness carried over to here this week", explained Kim when asked if she did anything differently this year to prepare.

Ga Young Kim will enjoy a full year of reigning in women's pool most highest challenge and honor, as the World Champion of 10-Ball.

*Photo courtesy Chito Ines, Alison Chang, Bruce Li Xiaolong & Emille BBoy Soriano,

Stage 1 of Yalin Women's World 10-Ball Championship Fields International Talent

Taiwan's former 2x World Champion Shin Mei Liu will be one of the tough players seeking out a qualifier spot in the coveted Yalin Women's World 10-Ball Championship

Manila, Philippines-  Talented female cueists from around the world will be coming to Manila a few days early to take one of the 8 qualifying spots for the Yalin World Championship. It's open to anyone woman willing to take a shot at the world's biggest title in lady's billiards. Players from China, Japan, Taiwan, and Philippines will be the dominant forces in the Stage 1 field fighting their way into Stage 2 to become one of the elite 48 players of the Yalin Women's World 10-Ball Championship. The matches start this Saturday August 18th and continue on the 19th for a total of 4 qualifying heats.

The Dragon Promotions produced WPA 4th Annual Yalin Women's World 10-Ball Championship is the most followed women's event of the year. In the host country of the Philippines, it is the biggest female sporting event of the country. The event is supported by Asian table mammoth Yalin Billiards, advanced cue engineer OB Cues, long lasting Championship Tour Edition Cloth, top playing Aramith Balls, and #1 TV network broadcaster ABS-CBN. This year's edition will take place August 20th-24th once again at Robinson's Galleria Mall, which has now become synonymous for creating the dynamic atmosphere of the coveted championship. Robinson's Galleria is connected to the host hotel Crowne Plaza Galleria. An elite 48 world class pros and international women superstars will attend the event to fight it out. With the one goal in mind: to become the World Champion of 10-Ball.


"There were a lot of heartbreaks last year as well as glorious triumphs in the qualifying stage 1 at Star Billiards Center. One young teenage player missed the winning 10-Ball to qualify, as well as top tier champions such as Akimi Kajitani of Japan getting through and making it all the way to the top 16. Everyone plays so hard and you wish everyone could qualify. But there will definitely be some heartbreaks again. It's just a part of the game", said Charlie Williams, Dragon Promotions promoter and world renown player and coach.

Other notable players in the qualifiers include Taiwan's Ho Yun Tan, a former World Championship semi-finalist and Japan's Li Jia. Japan has a big contingent including WPBA pro Kyoko Sone and up and comer Noriko Onoda.

The Yalin Women's World 10-Ball Championship Stage 1 will feature foreign skilled beauties such as Nollie Onoda & Kyoko Sone 

Players that qualify will be paired in groups with the likes of Jasmin Ouschan, Siming Chen, Ga Young Kim, and reigning World Champion Kelly Fisher of the United Kingdom, who will be defending her title against all comers. The comers will be hailing from countries such as Netherlands, China, Iran, Germany, Japan, Belgium, Korea, Australia, Taiwan, France, Philippines, the United States and many more. The best of the best female talents from over 20 countries will be represented at the World Championship.

John Schmidt wins the 2012 World 14.1 Championship, Efren Reyes Settles for Second

Queens, New York-  Europe's dominance of straight pool has ended. John Schmidt of Hesperia, California put USA back on top again in the 100th anniversary tournament of the game. A fitting end for the oldest pool tournament in the world. To do so, Schmidt had to defeat a field of international superstars whom most put well ahead of Schmidt as favorites. Undeterred by critics, Schmidt proved to the world America still has game.


The 2012 Predator World Tournament took place July 29th - August 3rd in New York City. The event was produced by Dragon Promotions & Dr.Michael Fedak.

Some major roadblocks en route to his victory included facing France's Stephan Cohen the 2009 World 14.1 winner; Ralph Eckert of Germany, a former European Champion; and Germany's Thorsten Hohmann, the reigning World Tournament of 14.1 Champion who was Gold in 2006 and 2011. In the finale, Filipino master Efren Reyes waited in the wings. Reyes is a multiple World Champion in 9-Ball, 8-Ball, and One Pocket.

"John has done more than any other American player the past few years in drawing attention to the game. With his videos and 14.1 records in his high run competitions . Of the Americans, he has the most passion for straight pool. On being the world 14.1 champion, all I can say is, welcome to the club," grinned Hohmann. Thorsten could console himself with the overall high run of the event, 141, coincidentally the digits of straight pool.

The final day, Schmidt faced another German in Ralph Eckert, who the day before defeated USA Champion Johnny Archer. Schmidt came on fire running 98 balls in the first half of the match. Eckert mounted a short comeback, but John was too much to handle as he flew around the table running racks in minutes. 

Meanwhile, in the other bracket, Efren Reyes was terrorizing his opponents with his pinpoint cueball control and defense. The Filipino star went undefeated in 9 consecutive matches and pocketing 1250 balls to reach the finals.

USA vs Philippines. For the first time in nearly a decade, no European in the finals. "We really couldn't ask for much more in terms of a huge match-up. An American versus the greatest player of all time. It's a fabulous combo", said Cindy Lee, CEO of Dragon Promotions.

The finals was spectacular. Schmidt came out guns blazing with a lightning fast 107 ball run in 36 minutes. Then unbelievably, Reyes came back with a 112 ball run. Something extremely rare in 14.1 to have two century runs in the same match, let alone the finals. Schmidt came back with a short 20 ball run, and Reyes returned to finish the job. The match had gone back and forth with both players taking over the lead at different points in the 3 hour match. With Efren at the table needing 31 balls, Schmidt would hope for one more chance. And he got it. Efren missed letting Schmidt back needing 37 balls. Schmidt came with a tough off angle combination shot into a pocket partially covered. He slow rolled it in.

Needing 9 balls only, Schmidt faced the biggest breakshot of his life. 

Schmidt fired the final break shot with authority and upon success of it, he slammed the table rail with his hand in partial relief and celebration. He had exercised his demons and overcome the pressure. 

As he made the final ball, Schmidt let out a yell and fist bump as the emotions could no longer be contained. He came over to event promoter Charlie Williams and gave him a big hug as he picked him up off the ground in joy.

In the closing ceremony speech, Efren commented ,"I really thought I was going to win when I ran the 112 balls. I needed some luck. But John played too good! "

John Schmidt's name will be inscribed on the World 14.1 Trophy as the 72nd winner alongside names such as Hohmann, Mizerak, Mosconi, Martin, Greenleaf, Ortmann and the past legends of the game.

The USA has finally gotten to shine back in the limelight of billiards.

REALM OF MAGIC 9-ball OPEN

PLEASE NOTE DISCIPLINE IS 9-BALL

Due to high demand, We have extended the field to a maximum of 32 players.

The Legend, Efren "Bata" Reyes celebrates his birthday with a bang! On Aug 26-28, all female players are invited to take part in a small open tournament in Efren's hometown of Angeles, Pamapanga.

Open to all Female players only.

Dates:Aug 26-28
Venue: Realm of Magic, Mabalacat, Pampanga

Prizemoney Breakdown
Position              Amount                  Subtotal
Champion           $3,000 x1                 $3,000
Runner-up           $1,500 x1                 $1,500
3rd-4th                $750 x2                    $1,500
5th-8th                $500 x4                     $2,000
9th-16th              $250 x8                     $2,000

Total $10,000

Entry fee $50.

Format:

32 players double elimination until the top 16. (race to 5 racks)
Top 16 will play single knockout (race to 7 racks)
Finals Race to 9 racks

Shuttle will be provided from Crowne Plaza Manila on Aug 25 at 12noon.

Please leave a comment here if interested. Thanks!

Official Hotel: Clarkton Hotel, Angeles, Pampanga.


http://www.clarkton.com/clarkton-hotel-angeles-city-balibago

Please check the room types and email me the room requirements. We will make the booking for you.

ishpuyatsports@yahoo.com

BSCP Elections-THE FACTS

I'd like to shed light on the newspaper releases stating Arturo Ilagan's arguments that the recent BSCP elections were not valid. 

On March 5, 2012, the Board of directors confirmed that Perry Mariano, Jaime Chongco and Christine Caparras are members of the BSCP and were in fact present during the oath-taking in front of POC Chairman Cojuanco.

Further to the confirmation of the three members, nine other members were nominated and accepted by the board based on their qualifications and involvement in the billiard industry. The nominated members are:

1.       Jesse Gonzales Cambosa

2.        Bernardo Pinol Jr.

3.       Francisco Bustamante

4.       Dennis Orcollo

5.       Rubilen Amit

6.       Iris Ranola

7.       Reynaldo Grandea

8.       Francisco dela Cruz

9.       Felimon de Leon.

Each one of the nominated members was notified and among all of them, only Francisco dela Cruz refused his nomination into the BSCP.  This brings the membership of the BSCP to 17.  Including the following:

1.       Aristeo Puyat

2.       Mahar Mangahas

3.       Efren Reyes

4.       Arturo Ilagan

5.       Robert Mananquil

6.       Ruben Roque

A petition was submitted to the Chairman from the general membership to call for a special meeting and hold elections in order to address the many issues currently plaguing the association. The letter was dated June 15, 2012 and was signed by 11 out of 17 members of the association. This is over 1/3 of the membership and based on section 2 of BSCP by-laws, this makes it a valid reason to call for a special meeting and elections.

Section 2: Special meetings- Special meetings of the members shall be called as the need thereof arises, by the Board of Trustees or the President or upon petition of 1/3 of the general membership.

Again, 11/17 members signed the petition which therefore makes the special meeting valid.  

After receiving the petition, all the members of the BSCP were given notices of the time and place of the special meeting more than 15 days prior to the date set. There are acknowledgement receipts from all the members including the LBC receipts for the notices sent to the three members who did not sign the petition namely:

1.       Arturo Ilagan Jr.

2.       Robert Mananquil

3.       Ruben Roque

The POC was also given notice of the said meeting and we hold a receiving copy.

In the special meeting held on July 9, 2012, a majority of the members were present. This makes the meeting valid and all decisions made during the meeting shall be deemed valid and official based on Section 4 of the BSCP by-laws which states that:

Section 4: Quorum- A quorum for any meeting of the members shall consist of a majority of the members and a majority of such quorum may decide any question at the meeting, except those matters where the corporation code requires the affirmative vote of a greater proportion.

In the said meeting, 13 out of 17 members were present making any decision made by a majority of those present during the meeting valid.

During said meeting, the members called for the removal of all officials currently serving and for new elections to take place.

 The following members were elected into the board of directors:

1. Mahar Mangahas
2. Perry Mariano
3. Aristeo Puyat
4. Christine Caparras
5. Jimmy Chongco
6. Bernard Piñol Jr.

The newly elected board members then proceeded to elect a set of officers in order to avoid further delays in dealing with urgent matters. The new set of officers were elected as follows:

Chairman: Bernard Piñol Jr.

President: Aristeo G. Puyat

Treasurer: Mahar MAngahas

Secretary General (National): Perry Mariano

Secretarty General (International):  Christine Caparras

Therefore, all arguments raised by Arturo Ilagan stating that the elections were illegal are false. The elections followed every rule in the BSCP by-laws and are therefore valid. 

Fernando Alonso Extends his Championship Lead

It was once again a fairly exciting weekend of sports action. I started out the week in Hanoi, Vietnam where I went with Django Bustamante and Lee Vann Corteza to compete in the first Hanoi 9-ball Open.

Turns out, the two Filipinos had to meet each other as early as the quarter finals. Django took out Lee Vann and in the semis, unfortunately, Django lost to Stuart Pettman, a snooker player from England. It was, needless to say a terrible finish for our guys. Liu Hai Tao of China eventually took the crown and we flew home in the worst of spirits. Well, we got what we asked for. We said we would be happy with thirst (3st) Tssss... Karma's a bitch  :) That's what we get for making fun of them.

**************************************
The saving grace for the night was learning that Fernando Alonso clinched pole position in Germany. The qualifying session got drenched in rain and no one was able to improve on their times after the second session. Fernando managed to get on top but after the past few races, this didn't really mean anything. He has led in a couple of other races in the past only to give up the lead with less than 10 laps to go due to tire wear.

During the race he was unable to pull away and it looked like Vettel would be able to easily catch him and pass him in the DRS zones. However, in a radio conversation with the team, Fernando repeatedly assured everyone that he had things under control and that he was only taking care of the tires. True enough, he kept Vettel and Button a safe second away, just outside the point where they can use the DRS wing to pass him.

Kimi Raikkonen started from 10th and did an early stop. His Lotus seems to really be performing well and he was able to match the pace of the leaders throughout the   race. It was just unfortunate that having started too far back, he got held up quite a lot and by the time he was able to pass a load of cars in front and move up to 4th, the gap to the top 3 guys was already insurmountable.

In the closing stages of the lap, Button's tires started to give out and Vettel was able to catch him. In a rash move with all four wheels on the run off area, Seb passed him from the outside to take second place. Jenson immediately consulted his team to ask if the move was illegal and done off-track. His team agreed and Jenson didn't attempt to regain the spot and just decided to wait for the stewards decision.

Seb was quick to defend himself when Jenson pointed out that he made an illegal pass and the issue was even brought up by Niki Lauda on the podium when he interviewed the winners. In the end, Fernando sat on top with an ever growing lead. Seb got penalized for his illegal pass AND got demoted to fifth. This means.... yes, KIMI got third!!!! He's now just behind Fernando and the two Redbulls in the standings. He could still be the dark horse this year!

********************************

F1 could not have gone any better especially since Lewis didn't get any points this race. Things were starting to look up until Adam Scott went and blew his 4 shot lead at the Open. With only 4 holes to go, it was all laid out in front of him. Tiger Woods was hot on his heels most of the day but fell short and couldn't pull off one of his miraculous last round charges. Scott totally collapsed and rained Bogeys in the end and handed the silver to Ernie Els. Reminds me of how Vijay took it from Sergio some years back. Who says golf isn't exciting?

Roger Federer Wins 7th Wimbledon Title

The order of the universe has been restored. For a moment there, balance has been shattered when Rafael Nadal got eliminated in the second round. In the end, everything just fell into place for Roger Federer who now reclaims the world number 1 spot from Novak Djokovic.

British fans were sorely disappointed however. Their best bet to win the tournament, Andy Murray probably could not get closer than this and he might not get another chance. He was lucky that the brick wall called Nadal was broken down early and Djokovic was on the other side of the draw.

He only had Federer left to make it to his first Wimbledon title. Federer had not been in his best form in years, relinquishing the number one spot first to Nadal and then to Djokovic. This might truly have been Murray's best chance.

He took the first set after Federer was unable to convert a series of breakpoints. It looked like he was set to topple the FedEx tower until the game dragged on and on due to extended rallies and successive deuces when both players refused to relent a single point.

Roger eventually took the second set after a long struggle which left Murray positively winded. The third seemed a lot easier to win for Roger that the previous one with Murray practically running and tumbling all over the court.

By the time the fourth set came around, the determination in Roger's face was flaming hot while Murray looked like he was in panic mode.

Several celebrities were in attendance to watch the match and even the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton was present, no doubt hoping to be one of the first to congratulate the long-awaited British Wimbledon winner. It turns out, they would have to wait a tad bit longer as Roger ran over Murray in the end.

Roger admits in his post-match interview that the birth of his twins in 209 reduced his playing time and affected his game. He says he is now playing  more again and the results were obvious. He is now 30 years old but we can expect a few more Grand Slam titles from the man who is already a legend. 

Don Allado's Expensive Tweets: PBA Games are Fixed

While some celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Mo Twister get paid to tweet about various mundane things like new products, restaurants and services, Don Allado, a veteran PBA player, paid a huge sum of money because of his tweets.
He was asked to pay a P500,000 fine for his tweets which were deemed detrimental to the sport. He was also given a one conference ban.

He was frustrated after coming off a loss in a game where he thinks bad calls made by the referees caused his team the game.

Here are the tweets concerned:

"I can accept losing to teams. But I can't accept losing bcoz of referees"

"I'm the guy that says what others can't. #PBA games are fixed. They control who is in & who is out. It's a disgrace to be in this league."

"I am bitter about losing. Not to Powerade, but to #PBA . In my opinion, this league has little credibility left"

"Very disappointed in the PBA. You didn't have to suspend the refs. They did what u told them to,"

After he tweeted, a large number of people actually responded and lauded him for his courage. Now, the question is, how true were his statements?

Game fixing has been hovering around sports for a very long time. Who could forget Michael Jordan and his alleged Mafia problems which supposedly caused the death of his father.

Andres Escobar, the captain of the Colombian National team in the 90's was gunned down after a match where his own goal caused their team to lose an important World Cup match.

More recently and closer to home, the appearance of an otherwise unknown pool player in the finals of a big international tournament has caused tongues to wag after he supposedly downed much more accomplished opponents in dubious fashion.

The PBA and even the UAAP have always had these speculations surrounding the games. Did Allado speak the truth or as he just being a bitter loser?

The fact of the matter is, he has retracted his statements and he has apologized to the PBA. However, he has opened a can of worms. The spotlight is on the PBA but not for the right reasons.will the bad publicity bury the league even deeper into the ground? We all know that the PBA has been suffering a steadily decreasing fanbase over the years. will this finally kill them off? On the other hand, will this ignite the fire and make more people interested?

I do not doubt that game fixing exists. There is too much money thrown around in sports betting. I'm not saying this is true in particular for the PBA. Maybe they are doing it, maybe not. The fact is, the problem exists. Not just here but worldwide. The Italian League had a large controversy some years back when some of the top flight teams were found guilty of game fixing. It happens perhaps more rampantly than most of us realize.

As an avid sports fan, this is very disappointing almost nearly as bad as finding out that the WWF (now WWE) is scripted, or that Santa Claus is not real.

What will the PBA do about it? sure they have punished the player, the little guy who spoke out. But how much will they really do towards finding out the truth behind the allegations?

Spain Defends Euro Title, Italy Completely Crushed

Spain 4-0 Italy

Italian Confidence

Coming into the finals, the Italians were on a high. They defeated Germany, a team much fancied to take the title, in convincing fashion in the semis. 

In their opening match of the European Championships, the two finalists faced each other in a match that ended in a draw. The Azzurri had high hopes for themselves and the Spanish team knew that they were in for a fight.

Spanish Setbacks

Before the event started, the Spaniards were dealt blow after blow. It became known that David Villa and Carles Puyol, two of the stars who helped them win their World Cup title, will be unable to play due to injuries. The draw in their opening fixture must not have helped their morale either.

Nearly a month later, these two teams found themselves facing each other in Kiev. While there is no real hostility that can be felt in this clash, the atmosphere was overwhelmingly electric.

Boring Football?

The Spanish team have had a reputation for playing boring football, passing and passing back and forth until they eventually make an attempt or lose the ball. Oftentimes, this has translated into moments of brilliance as evidenced by their numerous titles. However, many fans complain that this is boring football. I say, if it works, then it must be brilliant football. 

The Azzurri meanwhile have a reputation for playing defensive football. The Italian league is a place where defenders are more frequently hailed men of the match as opposed to the strikers. Games often end in goal-less draws or 1-0 scorelines. Looking at it this way, it might seem that we will be in for a boring match.

Early Goal

This was most definitely not the case. The Azzurri have evolved over the years and have left their passive nature on the bench. The aggression in their game was unmatched even by Germany who have a very aggressive style. The Spanish team upped the ante as well. While still making their impeccable passes all over the pitch, the tempo was much faster. They also knew that they needed to score and score fast. It would be a disaster to let it come to penalties. A game this important must be won through brilliant  goals not by lucky penalties.

Silva opens up the scoring

To score goals was the objective and the Spanish did just that. They opened up the scoring in the 14th minute with a perfectly placed cross by Cesc Fabregas straight into David Silva's head and right into the back of the net. It showed just how well these players know each other and how they are able to play as one big breathing monster.

Despondent Italian

Injury trouble

Chellini goes out

Italy was soon plagued by an injury and Chellini had to be taken out before the end of the first half. Later in the game, Italy would make their other two substitutions in an effort to catch up. Unfortunately, within 3 mins of coming in, Thiago Motta was sidelined by a hamstring injury. Italy are reduced to ten men for the remainder of the game and this happened still with 30 mins left in regulation time. The Italians needed a miracle especially since Jordi ALba buried them deeper before the half to make it 2-0.

Thiago Motta leaves Italy with 10 men

Spanish Parade

After Thiago went off, it was the Spanish Parade. Italy could hardly touch the ball. Cesc Fabregas went off and Fernando Torres came in. Torres is the man who scored the winning goal in their last European Chmpionship but has since been plagued by controversy due to his move to Chelsea and his alleged inability to score as much as he was worth. However, this was going to be a tournament of redemption for the Spanish. It started with Sergio Ramos' beautiful penalty in the semis to bury the nightmare of the UCL semi-final against Bayern Munich. 

Torres Scores

Torres also went off to seek his redemption and he did just that by scoring in the 84th minute to drive the nail deep in the Italians' hearts.

Devastated Balotellli

The Azzurri were just waiting out the suffering but Spain would not let up. They took another goal in the 88th minute courtesy of Juan Mata to complete the Italian thrashing. Spain is the first team to successfully defend their European Championship title. They are also the current holders of the World Cup. No doubt they are looking at defending that title in Brazil by 2014.