DLSU vs ADMU - round one!

We're all set for tomorrow's game!

Thank you, thank you for good seats AGAIN!

Archers, please win this one!!!

What a huge disappointment

We had really good seats.

We arrived early in order to feel the excitement along with other College basketball fanatics.

We wore our usual green and felt so high, confident that we were gonna give it a good fight.

We came prepared. But sadly ... our team didn't.

They were so unprepared. I can't find a bigger term to describe how they played yesterday.

No heart? Maybe that's it. By the time the 3rd quarter took off, I had a sick feeling in my stomach. The lead was too big and our boys weren't stepping up to the plate. How on earth???

They say it's more heartbreaking to lose a game by just a few points, when victory seems to be within reach then is snatched away at the very last minute. True. But a loss is a loss, especially when the game is played against an arch rival. It was a TOTAL letdown. Losing by more than 20 points is such a gigantic insult. Especially knowing how badly the boys played when they could've done so much more.

4 more games in the 2nd round. We're still in the running for the final 4 but STILL. It doesn't take away the fact that yesterday's game was the worst in the entire season. Next up ... FEU on Saturday. Another big game, because their guys are big and they've only lost once this year so far. I hope we've learned painfully from yesterday's stupid errors and redeem ourselves this weekend. Nevertheless ... ANIMO LASALLE pa rin!!!

And since I'm on the topic of disappointments, here's another one albeit less painful than the one above :

I had the girls wear this last night during our family dinner in Eastwood Mall. Guess what? They each had a mosquito bite halfway through dinner. I'll just finish off the 2 packs I bought and, well ... on to the next brand!

Time to Wear Green Again!

This is a rather late post (as all of my recent posts are, because I've AGAIN neglected to update this site for a while). The UAAP games are on and we are on our 2nd round. Yesterday's close call was versus NU (National University), where the Green Archers won by a hair at the very last minute! I'm so happy I have lots of time to watch the games even on weekdays.

The next one is on Thursday versus the University of the Philippines.

The even bigger one comes on Sunday versus longtime rival, ADMU.

ANIMO LASALLE!!! I hope we make it to the finals this year. Kayang kaya!!!

Good Question, Mr. Trinidad

Here's an excerpt from Recah Trinidad's column on the Phil. Daily Inquirer last Saturday:

MANILA, Philippines—Plain fans can’t be blamed for suspecting that it’s no longer a plain basketball match the UAAP will be hosting at the Araneta Coliseum Saturday.

Listen to this first, please:

“You’ve plans of watching the Ateneo-La Salle basketball game live?” asks one exasperated basketball fan.

Yes.

Quit it.

Why?

There are no more tickets.

Read Recah Trinidad's full article HERE.

It's true! DH and I were told last week that there were absolutely, totally, undoubtedly no more tickets available for the DLSU-ADMU game Saturday. It was the first time ever since I started watching the UAAP games that I had to sit and make "mukmok" and watch at home. Sure we've experienced difficulty getting tickets in the past. But we were never told NO MORE TICKETS. Makes you really really wonder where all those tickets are going. I was so close to buying from a scalper (that would've been around 3K for a lower box ticket which regularly costs 250) but I'm glad I didn't because I would've made some dirtbag rich(er)!

Oh and just to show you how elusive those tickets are? A friend of mine, another UAAP fan (who unfortunately is on the opposite side of the fence hahaha) who was lucky enough to grab some Upper A tickets saw Dato and Kakai Arroyo also in the same section. Uhhh...that's the President's son and daughter-in-law and they were in upper a??? Tsk tsk tsk...

P.S.
I hope more of these dirtbags are caught. Heard one of them is from the UP Admin office. UP!!! The host university for this season! HOW COULD YOU??? Nakakahiya!

UAAP Season 71 --- IT'S TIME!

Start your college basketball engines!

I'm not sure if this schedule is accurate but I'm posting it anyways.

July 12 - Araneta Coliseum
12:30 PM - Opening by University of the Philippines
02:00 PM - UP vs NU
04:00 PM - UE vs UST

July 13 - Araneta Coliseum
02:00 PM - AdU vs FEU
04:00 PM - DLSU vs ADMU

July 17 - Araneta Coliseum
02:00 PM - UST vs UP04:00 PM - FEU vs DLSU

July 19 - Philsports Arena
02:00 PM - ADMU vs AdU
04:00 PM - NU vs UE

July 20 - Araneta Coliseum
02:00 PM - UP vs FEU
04:00 PM - DLSU vs UST

July 24 - Philsports Arena
02:00 PM - AdU vs NU04:00 PM - UE vs ADMU

July 26 - Philsports Arena
02:00 PM - AdU vs UE
04:00 PM - NU vs DLSU

July 27 - Philsports Arena
02:00 PM - ADMU vs UP
04:00 PM - FEU vs UST

July 31 - Araneta Coliseum
02:00 PM - UST vs NU
04:00 PM - FEU vs ADMU

August 2 - Philsports Arena
02:00 PM - UP vs DLSU04:00 PM - UE vs FEU

August 3 - Philsports Arena
02:00 PM - UST vs AdU
04:00 PM - NU vs ADMU

August 7 - Philsports Arena
02:00 PM - UE vs UP
04:00 PM - AdU vs DLSU

August 9 - Araneta Coliseum02:00 PM - FEU vs NU
04:00 PM - ADMU vs UST

August 10 - Araneta Coliseum
02:00 PM - UP vs AdU
04:00 PM - DLSU vs UE

September 14 - Cheerdance Competition

Can you tell I'm looking forward to Season 71 of the UAAP??? Thank God the smaller games are going to be in Philsports. I prefer it over Ninoy Aquino all the way in Manila (the former Rizal Memorial) because it's nearer.

MARK THOSE CALENDARS!!! JULY 13 will be a big big big day!!!

ANIMO LA SALLE!!!

CONGRATULATIONS De La Salle Green Archers!!!

After a year's suspension due to player ineligibility the
DE LA SALLE GREEN ARCHERS are so back and have shown
that they STILL have what it takes to bring the crown home to Taft!

I've lost count of the number of championship games I've watched but the one today will certainly be the most unforgettable of them all. Heart-stopping all the way...it was written in the stars! This crown truly belongs to the GREEN ARCHERS!!! We're proud of you guys!!!

JVee --- you are still number one for me!
Rico --- great job, see you next year!
To TY AND CHOLO --- you'll surely be missed...what a fantastic way to end your UAAP experience! This may have been your last game in the UAAP but you'll always be remembered! This championship belongs to the both of you

THANK YOU FOR A GREAT GREAT SEASON!!!

DERECHO, LA SALLE!!!

Game 2 tomorrow!

I'm nervous beyond words...I watched the first game which DH recorded and it's obvious to me that the DLSU Green Archers will have to work doubly hard tomorrow. I'm worried because they're tired. I'm even more worried because the UE Red Warriors are dying to get even for sure.

I'm praying for a win tomorrow. Losing will mean giving the other team a huge advantage.

KEEP THE FAITH!
ANIMO LA SALLE!

Game 1 tomorrow!

The DLSU Green Archers are going up agains the UE Warriors in Game 1 of the finals. I can't believe it's the finals na. I always feel a bit sad everytime the season's about to end because that would mean waiting another 9 months for the next one to commence.

DH and I are all set to watch tomorrow's game. I'm looking forward to having lunch in the Araneta area again hahaha! We don't normally go to this area so we try, as much as we can, to explore all the good dining places while we have the chance. The last 2 DLSU games, we ate in this Italian place called VOLARE. It's highly-recommended! Sorry, I don't have pics to share because I never bring my camera to the games, lest it be confiscated at the gate. And I don't really like taking food shots with my cellphone cam because the quality isn't the same.

Anyhoo...it's Game 1 tomorrow!!! Can the Archers beat the Warriors? Can we break their 14-game winning streak??? Honestly? I don't have an answer. It's not because I don't have enough faith in the boys. I guess it's more because I'm just going with the flow. I don't really care that much anymore.

Last Sunday's win is still fresh in my mind and I'm still too happy to
dwell on how the succeeding games might turn out.

A N I M O L A S A L L E ! ! !

Off to the finals! ANIMO LA SALLE!

My throat was sore and I felt exhausted from all the jumping and screaming, but it was all worth it because my beloved DLSU GREEN ARCHERS brought the house down last Sunday with a 5 point win against biggest archrival
Ateneo de Manila University.

This was the final score

A do or die game is always exciting! But it's also nerve-wracking when longtime "enemies" come face to face the way these two schools did last weekend. Let me just say that I don't remember the last time I saw Araneta Coliseum that packed. Since the season started, this was the first time I failed to feel any air-conditioning at all. According to reliable sources, there were 23,000 people in the venue, more than the crowd drawn by Thrilla in Manila, the Ali-Frazier boxing match in 1975. I can believe that! I didn't even get to use the restroom because the lines were ridiculously long!

Both teams were hungry to win, for the chance to go up against UE in the finals. I don't know how my friends on the other side of the fence feel but I think the La Sallites wanted this win just a little bit more than they did. After a whole year of absence from the entire UAAP league, the Green Archers along with the entire La Sallian community are out to prove something, most especially to those Ateneans who very kindly reminded us again about last year's suspension. The suspension is a thing of the past, something the entire community is not proud of and would like to forget. All we want is to move forward and prove ourselves worthy again!

Fortunately for us loyal La Salle fans, the boys really outdid themselves! Awesome defenses, amazing plays!!! Sure there were errors and misses here and there but they were forgivable. I have to admit, I've been slightly disappointed with their performance lately. I've been wanting to see the likes of Ren Ren Ritualo, Mac Mac Cardona, Mike Cortez and Joseph Yeo and the recent games have only made me miss these guys on the court even more. But I'm still recovering from the high of last Sunday's win. The boys played with so much heart and that's the kind of thing I've been waiting for!

TY, Jvee, Cholo, Rico, PJ, Bader, Simon and the rest of the gang...thank you for making us proud!!! If we beat UE and become this season's champions, that will be just the icing on my cake.

NOTHING COULD BE SWEETER THAN BEATING ATENEO

We could've won...argh!

We've been excited about the UAAP for months before it opened this year. DLSU was ending a one-year absence so you can just imagine how fellow-Archers and Archer fans have been feeling. When the UAAP opened a few weeks ago, we immediately began to source tickets for the first DLSU-ADMU game. Every year it just gets more and more difficult to find tickets to the games, moreso when these two schools are playing against each other. So as early as 3 weeks ago when we knew what the first round schedule was, Neal immediately made reservations for our tickets.

Fast forward to today...well, do I really need to say it? Yes I'm disappointed. Slightly angry. We went to Araneta in extremely high spirits. After all, we were playing against our biggest rival and any game played against ADMU is always intense. We were so sure our boys were psyched, especially after that disastrous loss to UE last Sunday!

The game tonight was much more than intense. To say that it was highly-charged seems to be an understatement. My throat is scratchy from all the screaming (mostly at those dumbass referees who either made the wrong calls or didn't call the very obvious fouls at all). From where we were seated (Patron section, behind the goal near the DLSU bench), we saw a lot of unfair calls from the refs. It was really frustrating! Uh take note...I understand basketball and so does Neal. We're not like other people we know who think all fouls called on their team are unjust.

Anyhoo...we lost to Ateneo. How sad. But there is nothing unfair about losing tonight's game. I just have to say, the Blue Eagles played really hard. Jai Reyes made 21 points --- 21 points! But I'm not here to write about the Blue Eagles (of course not!). The thing I'm so disappointed about is the fact that we could have won that game. The score was tied at 67, there were 13 seconds left and THE BALL WAS IN OUR POSSESSION. Spells victory, don't you think? NOT!!! The boys didn't take advantage enough of the time and the opportunity. Neal and I wanted to jump into the court and tell JV Casio to either throw the ball NOW or pass it to someone else. Before we knew it, there went the buzzer and we were going into overtime. Major opportunity thrown out the window! Just like that!

As soon as the overtime period started, I immediately knew we had very little chance to redeem ourselves. True enough, Ateneo beat La Salle. I'm too disappointed to even remember what the final score was. I'm not sure whom to blame, all I know is that game could have been ours.

Jai Reyes and Chris Tiu of ADMU have their futures in the PBA all carved out. These boys really know how to play basketball. The Archers better be ready for the second round and they better be watching out for Jai and Chris. I hope they learned their lesson tonight. If it's painful for us mere spectators, imagine what the players are going through at this exact moment.

Nevermind, guys! LEARN from it and move forward. The season has just begun! My heart still screams

ANIMO LA SALLE!!!

P.S.
To my friends from Ateneo...congratulations from my broken heart. It was truly a well-deserved win. Your boys worked really hard to win this for you. But enough of this crap --- I hope we beat the hell out of you in round 2 HAHAHAHAHA!

UAAP Season 70

We went to Araneta as planned, with much anticipation and excitement. De La Salle is finally ending its 12-month suspension from the UAAP and everyone who loves this school and its players has been waiting (im)patiently for this day to come.

We encountered a minor bump when halfway to the venue, I realized to my utter dismay that I had accidently worn DH's Havaianas! So with a really heavy heart (and soon, a temper tantrum due to the heavy traffic), DH made a detour so we could go back home and I could change flip flops --- argh! Got to Araneta at exactly 1pm and by then we were starving so we decided to grab a quickie lunch @ Cafe Bola. I've been missing my favorite Sirloin Tapa with Egg =)

We got in just a couple of minutes before the match between DLSU and UP started. I managed to take good photos because we got Patron tickets.

Looking forward to the next exciting game!

A sea of green

The Gang Green

THE coach

Timeout!

In action

And La Salle wins!

Hail to De La Salle...

Winner smiles

Today's the day...

DLSU is officially back in the UAAP today. The league opens at 1pm, which means we need to be in Araneta much earlier to make sure we can find decent parking in Gateway Mall.

DH got our tickets yesterday. I was kinda hoping Araneta management wouldn't mandate ticket-buyers to purchase a gift certificate, just like they did in the past years. The GC costs P300! That's another 300 bucks on top of the cost of your ticket. That's what you call hard sell. They know that people will buy UAAP tickets regardless of the circumstances so they're taking full advantage of it. I'm a marketing person and one of the strategies I don't believe in is hard selling. Do that if you want to turn your consumers off.

Anyway back to the topic...I'm really excited about going to the opening. Our green shirts are ready, we're claiming them in Araneta, from the Gang Green stall manned by DH's Archer friends who started selling them 2 seasons ago. DH was part of this business but decided to forego participation this year.

More photos later!

UAAP Season 70 --- we're back with a vengeance!

Basketball is the only sport I appreciate. I can watch it as intently as I watch the latest episode of Oprah and Grey's Anatomy.

So when DLSU was suspended in last year's UAAP, I was really disappointed. No games to look forward to, not even on TV. That was the only time I was clueless about what was going on.

I haven't missed a season since I was in college. Wearing our green shirts, armed with matching green Coleman jugs and white towels, my group would cut classes just to go to Araneta to watch live. We didn't have any problem getting tickets because my groupmate's brother was a varsity player for a few years.

It's funny that I ended up with Neal many many years later. He graduated from DLSU and is a basketball freak who also doesn't miss a game. Together with other diehard Archers, we cheer our hearts out every single season. I was pregnant with Sabine during Season 68 and I still watched each and every DLSU game and screamed as always, unmindful of my condition. Too bad Neal didn't want me to go to Araneta for the final match with FEU because he was afraid that things might go out of hand.

THREE MORE DAYS til the new season begins. I can feel Neal's excitement and he can clearly see mine. I've been nagging him to make sure our seats have been secured for Saturday. I've made arrangements to leave the kids and yaya at my SIL's house since we can bring them with us. The only thing that I haven't done is to take out all my green shirts, those that have been sleeping inside my closet for the past 12 months and buy my regular UAAP supply of Strepsils ha ha ha!

I'm so glad DLSU's back in the league. I don't want to think about all the stupid things that caused the team's suspension. What matters is WE ARE BACK and ready to play some damn serious basketball!

TY, Rico, Cholo, Simon, PJ B., James, Brian, my favorite JV and the rest of the guys --- do us all proud! DERECHO LASALLE!

ARE YOU READY FOR US?