Salute to Spain

No doubt, Spain deserved to win the World Cup because La Furia Roja worked hard to get to the top. Before the South Africa campaign, Spain had lost only once in its previous 45 international outings – the only blemish, an improbable 2-0 setback to the US in the FIFA Confederations Cup semifinals last year. Spanish coach Vincent del Bosque called the defeat “an accident.”

The US victory snapped Spain’s streak of 35 straight wins, tying the record set by Brazil in 1993-96. Spain hadn’t lost since bowing to Romania in November 2006.

In qualifying for the World Cup, Spain ran roughshod over the opposition in registering 10 straight wins – 1-0 and 5-2 over Bosnia-Herzegovina, 4-0 and 2-1 over Armenia, 3-0 and 3-0 over Estonia, 2-1 and 5-0 over Belgium and 1-0 and 2-1 over Turkey.

The Ultimate World Cup Guide said Spain arrived in South Africa as the title favorite “with a flawless qualifying record and a squad that is the envy of international football ... on their way to the trophy, Spain will circumnavigate a tricky group with no game looking particularly easy but their unrivalled passing and probing game as they gently and vindictively search for the chinks in the opposition armor should ease them through ... and should they need that extra 10 percent to win the tournament, Del Bosque is the right man to coax it out of them.”

Paul the Octopus, a sooth-saying morsel from an aquarium in Germany, wasn’t the only “expert” to pick Spain to win it all. Sports Illustrated made the same prediction as did nearly every credible soccer authority.

En route to South Africa, Spain compiled a stunning record of 41 wins, one loss (to the US) and four draws with 103 goals booted in.

Del Bosque said despite the odds, Spain resisted the temptation of overconfidence and complacency. “The good thing is that we have a very down-to-earth, humble group of players who are able to resist the pressure and not allow themselves to be carried away,” he said, quoted by World Soccer Magazine. “They have what I call a marathon approach to motivation – consistent, unwavering. A game against Macedonia has to be the same as one against England.”

Del Bosque, however, ate his words when Switzerland upset Spain, 1-0, in their World Cup opener. Spain recovered from the nightmarish start to give up only one more goal the rest of the way and capture its first-ever World Cup.

Aside from basketball and football both of which Spain rules as world champion, it has also been dominant in the Davis Cup, winning the prestigious tennis title in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2009. Last year, Rafael Nadal teamed with Juan Carlos Ferrero and David Ferrer to power Spain to an unbeaten record in the World Group, defeating Serbia, 4-1, Germany, 3-2, Israel, 4-1 and the Czech Republic, 5-0. Without Nadal, Spain lost to France in this year’s quarterfinals and blew away its hopes of a third straight crown.

In boxing, Spain’s former world champions include Pedro Carrasco, Javier Castillejo, Jose Manuel Duran, Perico Fernandez and Cecilio Lastra. Some of Spain’s greatest fighters like Paulino Uzcundun, Jose Manuel Urtain and Luis Folledo never won a world crown but were highly acclaimed in fistic circles. Spanish “imports” who also gained recognition as world contenders list Diobelys Hurtado of Cuba and Alfredo Evangelista of Uruguay. Jose Legra, a Cuban, was a former world featherweight champion who carried a Spanish passport. A 4-11 fighter Rafael Lozano was a three-time Olympian who won the bronze in 1996 and silver in 2000. Lozano lost to Onyok Velasco in the semfinals of the Atlanta Olympics.

Surely, Spain has gained a lofty reputation as a global power in sports.

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The Ring Magazine’s Philippine correspondent Ted Lerner, the American ring announcer who lives in Angeles City, wrote a six-page story entitled “Pacquiao Scores Political Knockout – Will Public Service Prove Tougher Than Boxing?” in the monthly publication’s August 2010 issue.

Lerner said continuing his boxing career will shield Pacquiao from the usual brickbats thrown at politicians but “whether the long-term prospects of Pacquiao’s latest venture result in a happy ending are definitely open to question.”

“For as long as he fights, Pacquiao will remain above the fray in Philippine society, almost untouchable,” said Lerner. “It’s only when he retires from boxing and becomes just another politician attempting to accumulate more power that his political opponents will surely move the gloves as well.”

Lerner said the challenge facing Pacquiao to battle the poverty and other socio-economic problems in Sarangani is daunting. “It will take a lot more than the mere presence of boxing’s top attraction to make them disappear,” he continued. “More than ever, boxing legend and now Congressman Pacquiao has everything riding on the line with absolutely nothing guaranteed. Of course, that’s exactly the odds Pacquiao plays with in every hand dealt to him. It’s that danger and uncertainty, combined with his supreme confidence to succeed that makes his life so riveting.”

Get a copy of The Ring and read Lerner’s insightful article in full. The magazine includes a story on Floyd Mayweather – an interesting read, too.

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Who’s the greatest basketball player of all time? Beckett Publications recently published a special issue “Basketball Greats” and named the 50 greatest cagers in history. The consensus No. 1 choice was Michael Jordan with Bill Russell, Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar next in line, in that order.

The magazine also listed its picks for the five greatest shooters – -Reggie Miller, Ray Allen, Glen Rice, Drazen Petrovic and Steve Nash; five greatest defenders – -Russell, Dikembe Mutombo, Sidney Moncrief, Michael Cooper and Jordan; five greatest passers – Johnson, John Stockton, Jason Kidd, Bob Cousy and Oscar Robertson; five greatest rebounders – Chamberlain, Russell, Moses Malone, Elvin Hayes and Dennis Rodman; five greatest leaders – Johnson, Russell, Robertson, Larry Bird and Tim Duncan; five greatest clutch players – Jerry West, Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Bird and Abdul-Jabbar and five greatest winners – Jordan, Russell, Johnson, George Mikan and Abdul-Jabbar.

The active players in Beckett’s list of 50 greatest players are No. 7 Shaquille O’Neal, No. 8 Bryant, No. 16 Duncan, No. 25 LeBron James, No. 26 Kevin Garnett, No. 33 Kidd, No. 36 Nash, No. 40 Allen Iverson and No. 48 Dirk Nowitzki.

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Former IBF and WBC lightflyweight champion Brian Viloria and his fiancée Erica Navarro left Manila for Los Angeles yesterday. Viloria, who scored a split 10-round decision over Mexico’s Omar Soto at the Ynares Sports Center in Pasig last Saturday, said the win put him back on track in his quest for the world flyweight crown.

“Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t take Soto lightly,” he said. “I didn’t look for a dramatic knockout. I played it safe. I wanted the rounds to convince myself I could go the distance. Now that it’s over, I’m going back to the drawing boards and work even harder in the gym. I learned a few things in the Soto fight and I’ll be a better fighter because of the experience.”