BLEACHERS BREW EST. MAY 2006

Someone asked me how my blog and newspaper column came to be titled "Bleachers Brew". It's like this, it's an amalgam of sorts of two things: The bleachers area in the stadium/arena where I used to sit when I would watch baseball, football, and basketball games and Miles Davis' great jazz album Bitches Brew. That's how it got culled together. I originally planned on calling it "The View from the Big Chair" that is a nod to Tears For Fear's second album, Songs from the Big Chair. So there.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Another boardroom victory for FEU

FEU's Anton Montinola telling us there's at least one more game. Note his finger making the point. We spoke for the briefest of moments and I wondered why he said that when there was nothing yet. Within minutes, we were told they were placing the game under protest.

This morning, the Ateneo High School Football Team beat FEU-FERN 4-3 in a penalty shootout. As everyone was celebrating, FEU's Anton Montinola came over and was shaking everyone's hand and was saying there's a Game 2 and we'll all see them on Sunday. I was wondering why he said that. Turns out after the match, the UAAP Board met at the University Athletics Office and the Board -- fickle and who knows what the f*** goes on in their minds -- was saying that Ateneo should not have the twice to beat advantage since they were equal in goal difference.

UAAP Football Commissioner Jojo Rodriguez explained that in case of a tie, they look at the goal difference. Since both were still equal, the next in the step ladder format in deciding the top seed is the number of goals scored for. Ateneo had one more goal for. Hence, the twice to beat advantage.

The whole process degenerated into a shouting match between Ateneo and FEU officials. They were told to go out as the remainder of the board deliberated. When it was over, it was decided that it will now be the best of three finals. One board member said that only the UAAP Board can make decisions whether it's a one-off finals match or best of three series. What the F! Why doesn't the Board just decide who will win the Men's Championship?

It's this simple. If they decide on a Best of Three series then it should be before hand. Why only decide on it now? The games ended last Sunday. It should have been announced way before hand. Is there a way to see the minutes of their meeting? How they voted so we can take to task the Enlightened Ones? Who suggested what and so on and so forth? We can grade them like political observers grade sinators and tongressmen.

I'm wondering why FEU seems to get away with this -- first the Korean Coach Kim Chul-So who was supposed to be banned but was mysteriously able to sit on the bench again (who in the blue hell knows why) and now this. How was Kim able to return to the FEU sidelines when there was no ruling yet? How did Mr. Montinola know there was going to be a Game 2 when the Board had not met yet? Unless... alam na. How does the Board arrive at these decisions? Are they, in the words of Chris Jericho, gelatinous tapeworms? Is a frog's ass water tight?

Talagang win at all costs. Lutong Macau talaga. Seems they knew of the decision before the board even met or why else would he say that to us on the pitch? If I had any sympathy for their players or teams before now I have none. I hope we kick your f****** asses black and blue in everything from here to kingdom come.

You want the trophy that bad, do you? You didn't even win the 1991 Men's Basketball title. La Salle won that. They were robbed of a rightful three-peat. What technicality -- that a fouled out player was on the floor for an additional four seconds? Jerry Codinera was playing on five fouls in the 1987 Finals against Ateneo and he even finished the damn game! One can say that was an oversight by table officials. You know what? BS! As for La Salle forfeiting the 1991 title that was a boardroom decision. That's twice you've been the beneficiary of a title that you didn't win. Someone should put you in the UAAP record books at the team with the most boardroom titles. And with a nod towards Barry Bonds, an asterisk.

You should have seen our kids whoop it up then feel so bad that they had the title taken away from them. That was a cruel cruel thing to do. Is this how the US Men's Basketball Team felt when they were told by Olympic officials that they had to replay the final seconds of their gold medal match thrice in Munich in 1972? What I mean is you think it's over but it's not.

Oh wait there's more. Who is the idiot or are the idiots in the board who change their minds every year about who will win the MVP Award in Volleyball? One year the winner should come from a Final Four team and this year... coaches will decide and the winner doesn't have to come from a Final Four team. Who is the host of the tournament this year? And who won the award? This year, hands down, it should be Stephanie Mercado. And two years ago, it should have been Charo Soriano!

You know our consensus here -- may araw din kayo. Promise.

Mizuno officials also informed me that something similar happened in the NCAA Football Tournament when minutes before the start of Game 1, CSB was given a twice-to-beat advantage. I will ask my sources from SBC to verify this. If true, then that is so not fair. You do not change the rules right before the match because that is going to weigh heavily on the minds of the players and officials.

No comments:

Post a Comment