By Al S. Mendoza   IT happened again. Almost each time we battle South Korea in a basketball game, it results in a cliffhanger. In the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea, we were up by two points with mere ticks left in the game. “Finally, madadale na natin…

By Al S. Mendoza   YUKA Saso winning the U.S. Women’s Open championship on Monday reeked of history. It did not only make her the first Filipino, male or female, to win one of golf’s nine majors in the world. It also gave her multiple exemptions in the money-rich U.S….

By Al S. Mendoza   MANNY Pacquiao is angry when he shouldn’t be. Aiming to become president of the republic? You must be cool as a cat at all times. You must be thick-faced. You must kiss instead of kick-ass. As a boxer, your anger must solely be devoted atop…

By Al s. Mendoza   JORDAN Clarkson is the Sixth Man of The Year for the NBA’s 2020-2021 season. Big deal. Almost the equivalent of the MVP (Most Valuable Player) award. So that every player worth his salt, whether from the NBA or PBA, covets that—next to the MVP trophy….

By Al S. Mendoza   A glaring global truth resurfaced amid the pandemic: the yawning gap between the rich and poor countries. Power versus powerlessness. Haves versus have-nots. Wealth versus weak. In the fight against the COVID-19, the First World countries are on the front lines.  Naturally. They have the wherewithal.  He…

By Al S. Mendoza     THE Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) will be back soon. That’s a reason to rejoice. What’s a country with its national pastime thrown deliberately in the backburner? A mortal sin too difficult to redeem. It’s like having a birthday party without a cake. Or holding…

By Al S. Mendoza    MANNY Pacquiao has two gambles coming up. Are they both winnable? Tough question. The first gamble puts Pacquiao on the defensive. Why? He’ll be fighting someone too hungry for a win he’d do anything to succeed, including probably selling his soul to the devil in…

By Al S. Mendoza   I take pride in Kemark Carino being a member of the pool of players trying out for the Gilas Pilipinas basketball team. Kemark is from Mangatarem, becoming the first cager from my hometown to be drafted as a national player. Anytime, that is something to…

By Al S. Mendoza   YUKA Saso, Jerwin Ancajas and Ana Patricia Non are Filipino heroes sprouting amid the pandemic. Saso and Ancajas did their thing in sports.  Non in socio-economic sphere. Saso and Ancajas had put the country in the world map again.  Non in the nation’s consciousness. By finishing tied…

By Al S. Mendoza    A jab usually happens in boxing. It is delivered by the left hand if you are an orthodox.  Orthodox, meaning you are a right-hander. In boxing, the jab is the lightest of all punches. That’s why it usually cannot hurt the one absorbing it. It is…