The Number of the Beast

Roger Federer of Switzerland slays the ghost of his previous Grand Slam defeat to Robin Soderling of Sweden with an easy 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 winto move into the semifinals at the US Open against Novak Djokovic.

The Swede ended Federer's 23- major semifinals at the French Open earlier in the year.

FIBA: Serbia versus Greece

This is what happens when grown men act like children; A playground- like skirmish that ends up with nothing really serious except a lot of bruised egos and making a fool of themselves for all the world to see.

2010 Singapore YOG: US Virgin Islands vs Philippines

SBP' s 3-on-3 Basketball roster:
1. Ray Parks Jr.
2. Mike Tolomia
3. Jeron Teng
4. Michael Pate

Guinness records Mazon as its 10-ball World Series of Pool Champion

Jundel Mazon, the unheralded cue artist from the Philippines, ruled the Guinness World Series of Pool 10- ball Championship with a 10-5 win over Indonesian and crowd favorite Irsal Nasution in Jakarta, Indonesia to record his first ever tournament win.

Given up for dead in the finals when his opponent raced to a 5-1 lead in an alternate- break format, Mazon shocked his opponent and the partisan Indonesian crowd with deft safeties and precise pocketing and slowly but surely clawed back from the huge deficit to win 9 straight racks for the win.

Jundel Mazon, unlike his more illustrious compatriots like Ronnie Alcano, Lee Van Corteza and Dennis Orcullo, the 34- year old player from the Negros Billiard Stable was not expected win the tough tournament.

Mazon won the World Series 10- ball crown and the $40,000 pot money that goes with it, no mean feat for a player who has never won a major tournament even in his own country and has now found himself to be the king of pool overseas.

Aside from the Filipino big guns, the tournament also attracted the presence of several big names in the international billiard circuit like Darren Appleton of Great Britain, Ralph Souquet of Germany, and Shane Van Boening of the United States, just to name a few.

Hot & Cold: Ray Allen

After earning the record for the most three- pointers made in an NBA Finals game by hitting 8 from beyond the arc in hostile territory in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, Ray Allen, the Boston Celtics sharpshooter, found himself on the other side of the spectrum at home as he fired blanks in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

Allen, who owns one of the finest shooting strokes in basketball, did not find himself at home at the TD Garden, their home court in Boston, as he clanked his shots over and over again as he finished 0 out of 13 from the field, one miss shy of the NBA Finals worst shooting record and scored just two points in pivotal Game 3 against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Thus, the Lakers regained their home court advantage they had lost in Game 2 and put the pressure on the Celtics to win the next two games at home and avoid themselves from digging a huge hole that they may not be able to recover from.

What a turn-around from the league’s best pure shooter after a night of accolades and fanfare, his world turned upside down in what many characterized as a shooter’s worst nightmare- he just could not buy a bucket.

And we can only commiserate with the soft- spoken Ray Allen on his Game 3 debacle on the hardwood but knowing him and his mentality that if given a slight opening in a Game 4, he will not hesitate to shoot.

Kobe's Best Shot of the Game

When the game is on the line, Kobe Bryant shines.

That's what happened earlier tonight when once again the Black Mamba showed Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat how dangerous and venomous he is in the dying seconds of the game.

Kobe Bryant is simply the best end- game operator in the NBA today.

Oh What a Circus!

Kobe Bryant once again showed us why he is currently considered as the best basketball player in the planet in his game against Oklahoma wherein he stole the thunder from Kevin Durant & Co. when he mesmerized the LA crowd with his brand of Showtime basketball.

The Black Mamba has proven time and time again that he is well above the current crop of players in the NBA. His complete arsenal of high- flying wonders, dazzling moves and unbelievable shot making is worthy of Tinseltown's adulation.

As teammate Lamar Odom would attest-

“You see him do things just fooling around with all kinds of shots in practice that you won’t normally see."

But you expect the impossible, because he’s not scared to take any shot from anywhere on the court.

So that’s why that’s the result. It’s never a bad shot to him. That’s his mentality. He’s not afraid to shoot it. He understands touch, getting the ball up and staying focused. His concentration is incredible.”

Here are the highlights of the said game wherein they shellacked Oklahoma en route to a 101- 85 rout highlighted by an unbelievable behind the backboard shot reminiscent of the shot that the great Larry Bird made about two decades earlier.