Becks have a lot to think about.

Football star David Beckham donning an AC Milan uniform.
(Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)

David Beckham must surely be having the time of his life playing for a top Italian football club like AC Milan. Everything going as planned for him perhaps. He may be the most popular footballer at the moment but he sure has a lot in his hands. His decision making skills could possibly cost him a lot of setbacks at the height of his career. Choosing between a World Cup Championship in the future or protecting his own personal goals is something worth pondering on.

"It's not easy to decide. It's a matter that requires time. I'm under contract with, and have lots of respect for, Galaxy," Beckham told Corriere della Sera newspaper. "But the possibility to play at Milan is something special."

He's indeed no stranger to, shall we say, surprising news of playing in different places. Remember his move to Real Madrid from Manchester United then left for America to play in LA? Lucky for him he still has his charm in the football world but he shouldn't forget about his contract with the LA Galaxy. He chose to sign with the Galaxy, he better stick to his guns. Perhaps, the only reason he's playing in Milan is to simply get away from the frustration of his experience playing in the United States.

Nobody knows what's really on Beckham's mind, whatever they are. The thing is, Becks better realize that with every decision he makes could either make or break his career. So many doors to choose from, so to speak but only one door should be opened and he's only got 2 months. The clock is ticking.

Manny Pacquiao's got game, too.

Yup, that's right! Pacman can play basketball, as well. While he's waiting for his upcoming fight against Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton to be finalized, Manny Pacquiao plays basketball on the side. Pacquiao made his debut as a basketball player in the 2nd conference of the Smart-Liga Pilipinas. Unfortunately, his team lost in his first game with the MP GenSan (General Santos City) Warriors. The hometown team was named after the Filipino Fighter, by the way. Wearing jersey number 17, he played just 10 minutes, chalked up only 2 points, 4 rebounds and a single dime drop for the Warriors.


For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV

For sure, he balled on his dope PE'd Nikes in his debut game (I didn't get a good look at his kicks, by the way). I'm just hoping he doesn't make career out of playing basketball. He's the best Pound-for-Pound fighter and all, but he might as well stick with boxing. Hope he's only balling just for the fun of it, nothing more.

Word to his Warriors teammates: If he wants the rock, pass it to him if you don't want to get KO'd by him and end up in a hospital bed.

Ronaldo just wants to be "Real."

Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo showing off his
2008 FIFA World Player of the Year Award.
(FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images)

Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has been smiling a whole lot these days. After winning championships in the EPL (English Premiere League) and UEFA Champion's League last summer, FIFA has given him some love this year. He was recently awarded the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year.

“It is an overwhelming moment, a very special moment in my life,” Ronaldo said. “I would like to say to my mother and sister that the fireworks can be fired off now.”

No doubt, he is the best player in football today. Word to Ronaldo's mom and sister: Fire them up in the sky already. He's on a roll, folks. What more can this dude ask for? Well, there is one thing he has on his mind though.

Since winning the prestigious award, Mr. Ronaldo's been giving out clues of possibly dropping his current club and play somewhere close to home, so to speak. Whatever it is, a Spanish TV network has taken notice. Playing mind games perhaps? Maybe. From the looks of it, it's almost a done deal. Oh, did he say he wanted to learn Spanish? Go figure.

Sir Alex Ferguson knows this wasn't the first time Ronaldo flirted with the idea of one day playing for Real Madrid. Sounds familiar? About 5 years ago, there was a top midfielder who played for Manchester United by the name of David Beckman, who coincidentally wore #7, left the club then went to Real Madrid. It could be deja vu all over again for the English club.

Whether he's turning into David Beckham 2.0 or not, the possible move could have him play alongside Real captain Raul and reunite with former teammate Ruud Van Nitselrooy. So Real fans, a new face will be joining your club soon. There's going to be a lot of games on Spanish TV featuring some dude in a Real Madrid jersey rocking #9. Count on it.

Celtics snap losing skid in T-Dot.

Boston Celtics guard Ray Allen scored his way to victory
in a game against the Toronto Raptors.
(Ron Turenne/NBAE/Getty Images)

After their embarrassing loss in Cleveland, the struggling Celtics have finally found a way to end their 4-game losing stride and earned a win against the Raptors 94-88. The sweet-shooting Ray Allen caught fire and dropped 36 points while Kevin Garnett had another double-double night with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Guard Rajon Rondo was the other Celtic with a double-double, added 14 points and 11 dimes for the Celtics. Paul Pierce was only held to 11 points but the star of the night was Sugar Ray as he was 8-for-10 from 3-point land. Celtics coach Doc Rivers even had interesting thoughts on Allen's hot-shooting performance:

"When Ray gets it going, that's our focus,'' Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "Feed the pig, that's what we always say. He was the hot guy, so we want to keep feeding him.''

Looks like coach Rivers watched a few movie clips of "Babe" and "Charlotte's Web" on YouTube before the game. Ray Allen didn't seem to mind at all of his coach's unique remarks. He even played along and had a similar response:

"We don't want the pig to get as fat as it possibly can,'' Allen said with a laugh. "One day you have to slaughter the pig.''

So much for the farmyard humor and all, they go back home in Boston to play the Raptors again, this time in a rubber match. Chris Bosh and the Raps are all set in avenging their loss at the Air Canada Center in Toronto. With just 24 hours after snapping their losing skid, the last few games have taken a toll on a few Celtics players. Center Kendrick Perkins missed the game against the Raptors, who suffered an aggravated left shoulder in Cleveland a couple of days ago.

Now Paul Pierce is the current Celtic with an injury and might not play for their home game against the Raptors. Pierce re-injured his right knee when Forward Brian Scalabrine inadvertently fell in his knee late in the 4th Quarter at Toronto. With the C's Captain possibly sitting out their next game, coach Doc Rivers is hoping the injury is not that serious.

“We’re still going to get it checked, because he clearly was moving right . . . until he had to take a shot,” Rivers said of a fourth-quarter jumper that kept the Celts’ heads above water. “It’s amazing how offensive players when they get the ball they get healthy. But we’re a little concerned about that because we didn’t think he moved well at all the rest of the game."

“I was scared to take him out of the game because I thought if I took him out in the second half we probably wouldn’t have been able to put him back in.”

The Celtics are now up for the challenge facing the Raptors, hoping to get another win back in Beantown. The Raptors are looking to take advantage of the Celtics' injury woes and steal one on the road. The defending champs better have a Plan B though. If not, they'll have to rely on playing consistently without their key players and perhaps, a whole lot of luck.

Another one bites the dust.

LeBron James was unstoppable at home against the struggling Boston Celtics.
(David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Celtics got PWN3D on the road yet again. This time in Cleveland. The defending champions have struggled to chalk up a win, all thanks to LeBron James and Co. The MVP front runner scored 38 points as the Cavaliers won 98-83 over the visiting Boston Celtics. King James never held back and showed no mercy until the final buzzer sounded.

"We want to continue to protect our home court and we want to continue to get better. Tonight I think we got better,'' James said. "We don't want to take a step back because we got a big picture and a big goal. You don't want to waste a game. We got really better tonight.''

The Celtics' lacked intensity in their defense. They even resorted to the "Hack-a-Ben" strategy, reminiscent of the San Antonio Spurs old playbook on center Shaquille O'Neil. That play made Ben Wallace pissed as hell. Who can blame him? The Boston Celtics now have 7 losses in their record. Celtics forward Paul Pierce was only held to 11 points and was surprisingly optimistic despite the loss to the Cavaliers. At least, he was quite honest about it.

"We're good,'' Pierce said. "That's the God's honest truth. Nobody likes losing, but we're going to stay positive. That's our strength as a team.''

Kevin Garnett had another 18-point performance and grabbed 15 boards for the C's. Despite KG's double-double, it wasn't enough to pull off a win against the Cavs. Rajon Rondo dropped 13 dimes but only scored 5 points, shooting horribly at 41 percent. Like Paul Pierce, he has also struggled offensively throughout the game. Clearly, the Celtics have been at their worst since losing to the LA Lakers on Christmas day in '08.

Celtics fans are wondering what's really making Celtics lose. Have they lost their will to win? Is their swagger really gone? Whatever it is, the Green Gang have a whole lot of reflecting to do. They have to pick up the pieces and move on.

For Celtics coach Doc Rivers, staying on top of the mountain is a lot harder than they thought and it's already sinking in:

“This team hasn’t gone through anything,” Rivers said. “It’s been very easy for us. Sometimes you have to go through something to get to something. This team hasn’t. Last year we didn’t have this at all. And I was extremely concerned going into the playoffs. That was my one concern. We hadn’t been tested. We breezed through the season."

“Well, we can’t say that this year. We have gone through something. You find out a lot about your guys when you go through stretches like this … who wants to fight … who folds. So, it’s good for everybody.”

The question is: are they still up to the challenge? The Celtics should be concerned on how to snap their losing skid. Once they've done that, they should work on getting as many W's as they can to make the playoffs and vie for homecourt advantage. If all those have been accomplished, repeating as champs should be their next major concern.

The Celtics better start waking up from this mess. Indeed, losing can be a harsh reality to accept. A tough pill to swallow.

Jazz fan had to "blow" it.

Supporting your favorite team is understandable but what happened in the Warriors-Jazz game a couple of days ago was definitely uncalled for. Yeah, it's funny but pulling off a prank like that in an actual game is just plain stupid. To that "lucky" Jazz fan who got banned from the Arena for that early April Fool's trick, I hope your brief "assist" on the Jazz' win against the Warriors was all worth it. Maybe that fan was a little desperate for a Kyle Korver dunk.

Oh and yeah, everybody heard a whistle...

New year. New Blog.

Kids playing basketball in one of the streets in Manila.

Greetings everyone. This 2009, I'm proud to announce the new name of my blogsite that also features sneakers. Being a sneakerhead myself, I've always wanted to write stuff about kicks for a long time. Thus, I named my blog Air Tsinelas. Since I'm Filipino, I wanted my blogsite to have a bit of Filipino flavor in it, so to speak. The word 'tsinelas' (pronounced as chi-neh-las) is a Spanish/Filipino word for rubber slippers or sandals.

Filipinos love playing basketball in their tsinelas.

Since we Filipinos enjoy playing basketball in the streets, wearing rubber slippers are our best bet for street ball. Besides being cheap, it's comfortable and lightweight, obviously. The name "Air Tsinelas", a slang term of sorts, was coined way back in the early 90's and there was even a song/rap written about it. Named after the popular Air Jordan shoes, combining the word "air" and "tsinelas", hence the name. It's common practice for us Filipinos to ball on our favorite pair of slippers instead of basketball shoes. We'd ball on them until they get worn out. The tsinelas will always be a part of Filipino street ball.

This will be a rebirth of sorts for my Sports Blog.

Expect the unexpected.

Kevin Garnett's performance in Boston not enough
in a losing effort against the Houston Rockets.
(Brian Babineau/NBAE/Getty Images)

Who'da thunk it? Who would've thought a team like the Celtics would be in a slump like this. After that whole 19-game winning streak, they lost to their West Coast nemesis, the LA Lakers on Christmas day. Losing to the Lakers was bad enough but lose to the Warriors after that? Come on! The only win they got before 2008 ended was at Sacramento. Then in 2009, the slump continues.

Just what is up with the defending champs these days? They've been losing on the road constantly. I mean seriously, one of the toughest, most defensive teams in the L and yet they lose to teams that they could easily beat any day. Back in the East, they got whooped by the Knicks and the Bobcats. Fortunately for them, they got a win over the Wizards. Back home in Boston, it's the same story yet again.

Their losing stride went on in huge proportions. The Rockets blasted the Celtics out of the TD Banknorth Garden to the moon, so to speak. It seemed like a close game by looking at the score 89-85 but the Rockets found a loophole in the Celtics defense. It's either that or Yao Ming simply played good basketball on that game minus T-Mac in action. Speaking of T-Mac, he's obviously pleased of the Rockets' win against the C's but lately, he's been upset of himself perhaps due to his injury prone career.

Yao Ming was indeed the reason why the Rockets pulled an upset in Beantown. Played 36 minutes and chalked up 26 points and 8 rebounds, merely 2 boards shy of a double-double. Despite Kevin Garnett's 18 point performance, it wasn't enough to salvage a win at home. Paul Pierce lead the Celtics with 26 points while Ray Allen chipped in with 13 points. Another Rockets player had a big night. Rockets guard Aaron Brooks scoring 19 off the bench.

And I thought they (the Celtics) could somehow end their losing streak at home. I was wrong. Damn wrong! I don't know what the real score is on the Celtics' sub-par performance as of late but whatever happened to "Ubuntu" anyway? Seems to me the Celtics haven't been taking their opponents seriously. Sure, they are the defending champs and I'm one of their fans here in the Philippines but they have lost their consistency. They haven't been playing as a solid "team" and they are on the verge self-destructing if they don't plan on playing like champions.

The Celtics need a lot of adjustments both on their offense and defense. Stephon Marbury is not their answer to their problems. Coach Doc Rivers should probably go back to that playbook he used when they had that 19-game win streak. I know that their win streak would snap eventually but this losing streak is something that I never saw coming. They've already lost their spunk and swagger. Their pride has been tarnished already. Now, every team in the L have gained confidence and are also looking to pull an upset on the C's.

Whatever is making the Celtics lose, they should do something about it. Their next game is on the road against the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron James and Co. are dead set on protecting their homecourt against the visiting Celtics. The C's better start playing like defending champions and not let a team 1-up them again. Time for the brotherhood to step up and play as a cohesive unit if they want to go back to their winning ways. They shouldn't settle anything for less. To be one, it takes 5.

OKC Thunder fans have something to cheer about after all.

OKC Thunder rookie Russell Westbrook was awarded
NBA rookie of the month for January.
(Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)

One of the worst teams in the NBA, the Oklahoma City Thunder haven't made such impact in the L. Despite having last season's ROY Kevin Durant playing for them, there's still no improvement. Nevertheless the Thunder is indeed a young team to begin with. So much for the team that's been working their asses off to rack up some W's. OKC fans booing them in home games is bad enough but there's one thing they should be happy about, for now that is.

This January, rookie guard Russell Westbrook was named NBA rookie of the month. Even though the team is getting all the hate at home, at least the rook is getting all the love from the NBA and coach Scott Brooks. The Thunder coach shared his thoughts on the rook's game and work ethic:

"With Russell, I think he has to continue to improve, continue to study the game, and he has," Brooks said. "He's improving every week. That's a good sign. Most rookies who work hard and are diligent in their efforts, by the end of the season you're going to see an improvement across the board, throughout the season, month to month."

So OKC fans, have a heart and support your team. Sure, it's the team's first season in your city which is understandable. The least you could do is root for your team and not hate on them. With a cat like Westbrook on your team, there's still some hope for the Thunder's future. Start believing in your team. It just takes time though. Patience is a virtue indeed.

Looks like somebody is not a Brett Favre fan.

Jets RB Thomas Jones not a happy camper with Brett Favre.
(AFP/Getty Images/File/Jed Jacobsohn)

First post for 2009 and first about the NFL. Since Brett Favre made his last dance with the Green Bay Packers and bolted to the New York Jets, things have been working quite well for him. The NFL veteran is still doing what he does best in a Jets uniform. Yup, still wearing number 4 folks. He must be loving everything going on in New York. Well, almost.

After all, he did improve the Jets' offense somehow yet fell short of making it in the NFL's post season. The Miami Dolphins beat them for the spot in the playoffs thus ending Favre's season in New York. His poor performance was a factor in the Jets' loss to the Dolphins. Seems his age was the one that made the difference in his game. Understandably, Jets fans are disappointed they didn't make the playoffs but they still have the NY Giants in playoff contention. There is one dude however, in the Jets roster who's not happy having Favre around.

Brett Favre ain't playing like he used to.
(AFP/Getty Images)

Jets RB Thomas Jones wasn't all too cool about employee #4's game. Apparently, he had something to say about Favre's performance:

“The other day, the three interceptions really hurt us. I mean, that’s just reality,” Jones told the radio station. “If I were to sit here and say, ‘Oh, man, it’s OK,’ that’s not reality. … I don’t like it, I know everybody else on the team doesn’t like it.

“If somebody is not playing well, they need to come out of the game,” Jones told Hot 97 FM. “You’re jeopardizing the whole team because you’re having a bad day. To me, that’s not fair to everybody else. You’re not the only one on the team. So when you get to the wire and somebody is just giving the game up, I mean, it’s just not (fair).”

Talk about being honest. Well, somebody had to be vocal about it. Perhaps Favre just doesn't have it anymore. What Mr. Jones is trying to say is, Favre dropped the ball on them, so to speak. There was so much hype on his acquisition but didn't quite go well as expected. Brett Favre is one of the best Quarterbacks in the NFL but his game has already faltered.

Everybody respects him not just his game but it seems it's time for him to reconsider hanging up his cleats for good. Looks like the only thing he's going to be remembered for as a NY Jet, is the fact that he's no longer the Brett Favre everybody knew.