Running Out of Options

Who are you voting for next year as president?

Honestly, a couple of days ago I was thinking of voting for Miriam.

When Miriam Defensor Santiago decided to run for president, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte had announced he was not going to run for the highest position in the land. Since then, almost everybody who was supporting the iron handed leader from Mindanao, shifted towards the good senator, whose credentials and merits are beyond any shadow of doubt.

I was really waiting on Duterte to declare, but when the final second of the deadline for filing lapsed, it was the end of the waiting for me. And like most others, I looked on MDS as an option.

But then Senator Santiago made some ill-sounding comments about the family of the late president Ferdinand Marcos, whose son Bongbong is her running mate. Her statements left a bad taste in a lot of her supporters’ mouths, which prompted them to withdraw support from her, and worse, totally boycott voting for president.

I would have actually let her comments about the Marcoses pass, and still give her my support. After all, supporting her isn’t an automatic count for Bongbong.

But this interview really killed all my admiration for her:

Before I make any comments that may spark a battle of words here, let me state a couple of things: I understand the context where she drew those statements. The death of a son is beyond compare to any pain a living soul will endure on this earth. Not even the most agonizing of physical infirmities can match the hurt that a mother or father would feel if it was given to her or him the task of burying their own child. And we are not taking away from the senator to hurt or continue hurting even after years since her son died. She can continue on refusing to come to terms for all we care.

But to call God an underachiever?

To claim that if she was God she could do a better job?

To conclude that God does not exist?

That’s too much, lady.

I’m still hoping there was something fishy with how Korina Sanchez’s team of editors did the splicing of the full interview, which came out the way we are watching it. Otherwise, then it is nothing else but the good senator accusing God of unrighteousness and injustice.

But like in the movie “God is not Dead,” how can you be indignant against someone you believe does not exist?

Madam Senator, I may not have the brilliance and intelligence that your mind has. I may not be as decorated with credentials as you are. I may not have reached the pinnacles of successes you have reached.

But I don’t think even a million versions of you combined can do a better job than my God.

So, like the rest of you out there, I’ve ran out of options on who to vote for president next year.

ISANG HULING LABAN

Matapos payukuin ang ilang dosenang kalaban sa nagdaang mga linggo, nakarating na ang Gilas Pilipinas sa kanilang huling laban–ang laban na magbibigay sa kanila ng pagkakataong itanghal ang ating bansa sa nalalapit na Olympic Games sa Rio De Janeiro sa susunod na taon.

At ang kanilang kalaban ay walang iba kundi ang mga Tsinong basketbolista.

Hindi kaila ang mga hamon na nagbabadya sa ating mga kababayang manlalaro na sasabak mamayang gabi. Bukod sa katotohonang pinaghandaang mabuti ng Tsina ang torneyong ito upang matiyak ang kanilang representasyon sa Olympics sa 2016, ang bakbakan ay magaganap mismo sa kanilang sariling bakuran. Aasahang dadagundong ang bulwagan ng paglalabanan ng Pilipinas at Tsina sa mga hiyawan at sigawan ng mga Tsino para sa kanilang mga kababayan. Kumpara sa kanila, tila langgam na pwedeng paglaruan ng tipaklong ang ating mga kinatawan.

Matikas at mabilis ang mga Tsinong lalaro mamayang gabi kontra sa ating mga manlalaro. Kaya nilang makipagsabayan sa gilas ng Gilas, kung tulin at liksi ang pag uusapan. May NBA player din sila sa katauhan ni Yi Jianlian ng Milwaukee Bucks. At sa halos lahat ng mga nagdaang edisyon ng torneyo ng Olympics, ang Tsina ang namamayagpag na kinatawan ng Asya.

Sa pagsabak ng Gilas mamayang gabi, dala nila ang mga hinanakit ng mga nagdaang liga ng manlalaro na bigong makapasok sa Olympics simula 1976. Kapanahunan pa nila dating senador Robert Jaworski at Freddie Webb ng ang Pilipinas ay huling nakalahok sa Olympics. Ngayong taon lang muling nakalapit ng ganito ang ating bansa na makatikim ng tagumpay na maghahatid sa kanila sa prestihiyosong paligsahan ng mundo.

Subalit hindi kasing dali ng pagpitas ng bunga ang pagsungkit sa gintong medalya sa FIBA Asia Championships. Lalo pa’t ikaw ay lalaro mismo sa lugar ng iyong katunggali.

Isang laban na lang ang nalalabi. Isang laban na lang mula sa ating matagal ng asam na tagumpay.

Isang laban kung saan PUSO ang kailangan.

Tiyak na ibibigay ng Pilipinas ang lahat ng kanilang hawak at tangan sa laban mamayang gabi. Ibubuwis na ang buhay sa laban na ito, makamit lang ang pinakamimithi. Higit sa taktika sa sahig, talas ng isip, at liksi at lakas, PUSO ang siyang magiging pangunahing sandata ng ating hukbo na sasabak sa labang ito.

Walang dudang mamaliitin at tutuyain sa labanan mamayang gabi ang ating mga manlalaro. Subalit gaya ng sinumang inaapi at nililibak, hindi nga ba’t ang bida ay bumabangon at bumabawi? At mamayang gabi, may pagkakataon ang Gilas Pilipinas na ibawi ang mga ginaping koponan ng bansa ng mahigit apat na dekada, itaas ang bandila sa tagumpay, at muling pag-isahin ang mga puso ng mga mamamayan sa pagbubunyi na, sa wakas, nanalong muli tayo.

Isang huling laban. Laban Gilas Pilipinas.

#PUSO

A Chance At Legitimacy

The UP Fighting Maroons will be going up against the FEU Tamaraws tomorrow afternoon, their second straight game where they will be fighting for separation in the standings, and against the team touted as the “heavily favored team” during the beginning of the standings.

This FEU squad is the same squad who won double-digit victories over ADMU and DLSU. And before we forget, this team has the next least rookies in the league, as well as the next most holdovers from last season, where they were runners up to the NU Bulldogs.

Guess which team they are second to in terms of least rookies and most holdovers?

Yes, to UP.

But what does that mean?

None so much really.

Because when these two teams take on each other tomorrow afternoon, the only thing that will matter is that by the end of the game, one team will be 3-1 (tied at first with Ateneo and UST), and the other will be 2-2.

As of this writing, the only team sporting a winless record is Adamson University. The NU Bulldogs finally earned a victory, and in convincing fashion as they defeated the previously unblemished Growling Tigers. Just a couple of days ago, the standings were quite unfamiliar to many who are not used to seeing teams like Ateneo, NU at the bottom, and UP at the top.

Now, things seem to be back to normal.

Unless… the Maroons have a different agenda.

A win by UP tomorrow will bring them a more secure spot on the top half of the rankings, together with UST and Ateneo. After the Tamaraws, the Maroons will be tackling Adamson, NU and Ateneo. UP will only need one win out of those three for the Maroons to end the first half with a winning record of 4-3. The last time the Maroons had such a record ending the first half was… Anybody old enough to remember when?

But before we get ahead of ourselves with the possibilities, first things first.

Tamaraws. Tomorrow.

It’s not really a question of whether the Maroons can or cannot defeat the Tams. They showed in their last three games that they can. Beating a UE team that is now 2-1 also in the standings and riding on the heroics of rookie Edson Batiller, a Jeron-Teng led DLSU squad that boasts of landing prospective ROY Andrei Caracut, and giving the league-leading Tigers a scare during their previous tiff, the Maroons are capable of upsetting the heavily favored Tams.

The question is… How?

Head coach Rensy Bajar gave his boys 24 hours after their loss to lament their defeat to UST.

That was a week ago.

For sure, the Maroons’ lead tactician have already laid out his game plan to his ballers. They must have burned hours of practice time to simulate all the possible scenarios when they take the Morayta squad on the floor tomorrow. Each of the guys who will suit up for battle tomorrow have all their work cut out already by tomorrow. They must have done a checklist of sorts on what to do with who, on such and such a moment of the game.

But the sketches on the drawing board and the stench of your opponent on the open court are two different things. When the Diliman squad steps on the battle field tomorrow afternoon, they will have to set aside thoughts about the other three games ahead of them. They will have to ignore the possibility of getting into that press conference after sealing a victory. They will have to stop imagining how the headlines will be on Monday in all the sports columns of the broadsheets and tabloids. And they will have to tear into pieces anything “on paper” about the FEU’s team.

When the play ball tomorrow, what they have in front of them is an opponent that must be defeated.

But if there’s one thing the UP Fighting Maroons can put their minds into when they take on the FEU Tamaraws, it is this…

…this game is a chance at legitimacy for them.

That’s simply all there is to it.

#UPFight

NOT THE SAME, BUT STILL THE SAME: UP Bows to UST

Not the same, but still the same.

There are many things that can be said about the 67-59 loss of the UP Fighting Maroons to the UST Growling Tigers yesterday afternoon at the MOA Arena.

For sure, it can be said that the Maroons showed the “fighting” spirit that they carried in their name. They were able to capture the lead in the game once, 27-25, after trailing by as many as 11 in the third quarter.

Still, they lost.

Not only did they show they can take the lead at any point of the game coming from a deficit, but they showed that many times. They tied the game at 37 all in the third, and closed to within three points going into the fourth quarter. Two minutes left in the ballgame, UP had threatened within three, 57-54.

Still, they lost.

This was a breakout game for the up and coming stars of the UP. Diego “Legend” Dario, the sophomore Batang Gilas guard, frontlined the Maroons squad with 15 points, while fellow RP Youth teammate Paul Desiderio had 12 markers. The game showcased the arsenal of these 2nd year playmakers that will surely be integral pieces for UP’s road to redemption in the years to come.

Still, they lost.

Coach Rensy Bajar and his coaching staff showed that they can adjust to any type of play that the opponent can run. They were quick to know which players to field in whenever the other team made necessary changes. Looking at how UP answered UST’s rallies proved that the Maroons are now playing smarter basketball than before.

Still, they lost.

Down by just two points ending the third quarter 42-40, the Maroons soon felt the full display of Ed Daquioag’s weapons, who led all scorers with 26 points. But instead of cowering and whimpering away from the battle, the Maroons went toe to toe with the King Tiger. The Tigers, despite the offensive frenzy of Daquioag and Kevin Ferrer, could not shrug off the Maroons’ pesky defense, which forced turnovers, on which UP capitalized and got good points to slowly shave off UST’s lead to bring the game to a close duel.

Still, they lost.

Comparing the way the UP Fighting Maroons lost to the UST Growling Tigers last Saturday to they way they would usually bow out of a game, one cannot help but notice a big and significant improvement in the way the Maroons fought. The defense has been key to them preventing their opponents from goring them up to bits by big leads, as well as dousing any hot fire of runs that their foes wage. Despite the sterling performances of their opponents’ key offensive stars, they were able to limit others from adding more points, such as Karim Abdul and Louie Vigil. If in the past the Maroons could not even recover from a 10-point lead by their opponent all throughout the game, this time they showed that they can give their enemies a run for their money. UP has shown that now they can answer back every volley of shot by their enemies, stand their ground on defense, and keep the game close until the dying seconds, unlike in the past seasons when everyone can predict the ending of their games as a foregone conclusion.

Yes, the way the Maroons lost this time around is not the same as before.

Still, they lost.

And no matter what explanations we offer, a loss is still a loss.

The challenge is to move on, regroup, recover, and continue fighting. And the UP Fighting Maroons will have plenty of room to adjust whatever they need to get that third win. They have a couple of days in their hands to prepare themselves for the fray, scout their next target, get their minds into the game and focus on the task at hand. And the last thing they should do is to feel “ok” about the loss.

Because a loss is a loss no matter how good the game was played, just as a win is a win no matter how sloppy it was earned.

Not the same. But still the same.

NO BONFIRE YET: The Maroons and Their Fight Against Mediocrity

Last year, the UP Fighting Maroons lit up a bonfire at the Sunken Garden in celebration of their first win of the season, courtesy of the Adamson Falcons.

That was also their last win of the season.

Yesterday, the Maroons won their second game of the season, their first 2-0 record since ’05, their first back-to-back win since ’06, and their first win against La Salle since ’09.

So far, no one’s even lighting a match stick.

Which is GOOD, actually!

If the UP Fighting Maroons, and the community of their supporters, want to write their own history this season 78 of the UAAP, they will have to contend with something greater than the seven other schools of the league.

The culture of mediocrity.

Having lost all but four games in as many previous seasons, the Maroons have come to a point where a lone win for the season was so big a deal, it deserved a bonfire celebration. Not that the intentions behind the celebrations were wrong, but consider the fact that it was sending the wrong message–that it was okay to manage to get a single win against 13 losses, because for such an unfortunate bunch that has had to endure numerous winless seasons, avoiding a zero-fourteen record was quite an achievement already. Thus the impression that the goal wasn’t to win the entire season, but to simply win one for the entire season.

And why would not the Maroons’ followers settle for a lone victory? There was a season when the UP MBT flaunted the most intact, most veteran, and most polished line up in years. During that season, they have reached the three-year maturity period of the system their coach had set up and promised to finally deliver a Final Four appearance, the first since 1997. They even had the chance to train in the States that time. But even with all of that, not to mention the enormous support the team got from many sponsors as well, the Maroons kept on losing, fired their coach in the middle of the eliminations, brought in a champion coach from the pros, but still ended up unable to salvage the season, and eventually earning another winless season.

Questions popped up like mushrooms on a wet driftwood: What happened? Whose fault is it? Was it right to kick the coach out of the team? Does UP need a benefactor who will finance the rebuilding of the team? Did UP get jinxed?

Obviously these questions have no clear answers.

Out of nowhere a mindset sprang forth. It was then cultivated by the myriad of posts, comments, opinions (mine included) and articles written about that painful season. It didn’t take long before that mindset found its form in this statement…

“Manalo lang ang UP kahit isa, ok na!”

Well, there was really nothing wrong with wanting to win one game. But there’s something seriously wrong with wanting them to win JUST one game.

Whether some (not all, and surely not many) of UP’s followers are willing to admit the existence of this mindset or not, it is true. And the players themselves have voiced out their take about it.

“No, I am not ok with losing,” said new recruit Noah Webb. “When I came to UP, I heard people tell me ‘So you’re ok with losing?’ And I said ‘No, I am not ok with losing.'”

Team captain JR Gallarza also talked about their battle against mediocrity. “This season, we can’t just settle for one win and say ‘okay na yan, nakaisa na tayo.'” He also said that any plans of a bonfire will have to wait for when UP ultimately achieves their goal this season.

The goal? A final four appearance.

Now, hold your guns before you start shooting at new head coach Rensy Bajar for concocting the idea. It’s his own way of battling mediocrity.

“We have to believe that we can win. For years, guys have been entertaining the idea that one win is enough. That’s the culture we are trying to cure.

“I keep telling the guys that they must believe they can win. We keep on telling them that they can.”

So far, they have believed. And so far, they have won.

After defeating the UE Red Warriors on opening day 62-55, the Maroons pulled off a convincing 71-66 win over the DLSU Green Archers. For the first time in a decade, the Maroons have a spot on top of the standings with a 2-0 record, and for the first time in nine years, they won a back-to-back game.

And as of this writing, not a single firewood is being lit to start any small semblance of a bonfire to celebrate where UP is right now.

“We are hungry for more wins,” says the prodigal Maroon Jett Manuel, who led the charge in their recent vanquishing of the Taft-based ballers. “We are on a high right now, but we want more.”

For a team who’s been starving for a winning season, they will surely want more.

The closest they ever got to Final Four was in 2004 when they had a 7-7 record. That by far is UP’s best record of the elimination rounds in the last 18 years.

Right now, they have taken two games closer to their goal of taking a top four spot.

“That’s the ultimate goal right now… To have a spot in the final four this season,” according to Paul Desiderio, who is bringing with him his experience in the RP Youth Squad, along with Diego Dario.

Ten months ago, the Maroons were treated as bonus games for the other teams.

This time around, they are treated as threats.

The road to redemption is not easy, but it is not impossible either. The NU Bulldogs proved this last season when they won their first championship since half a century ago. And the guy at the helm of the Bulldogs is a Maroon himself, Eric Altamirano, who was part of the last UP Champion team of ’86, and the mentor of the UP squad that barged into the Final Four the last time in 1997. I’m sure looking from his vantage point as an opponent, he knows the boys from his alma mater are the hungriest in the league right now.

On Saturday, the Maroons will take on the UST Growling Tigers, who like them is on the top spot with a 2-0 record. The Espana ballers handed the heavily favored FEU Tamaraws their first defeat, 72-71. Once again the odds are seen to be against the Maroons on this game. The triumverate of Ed Daquioag, Kevin Ferrer and Karim Abdul are as dangerous a threat as one will ever encounter. By the end of their match, one team will emerge on top, while the other will be on the second spot.

By now you must be hearing statements like “O naka-dalawa na ang UP! For sure matatalo na yan sa USTe!” Or “Pag natalo UP sa Sabado, back to reality na tayo, guys.”

The coaching staff and players of the UP Fighting Maroons will not have any of those kind of banters. Their mind is set on one thing–nothing less than a win. And for the Maroons to keep on winning against their opponents, they will have to first defeat their own sense of mediocrity about themselves. Because a true giant slayer would never say “They’re too big to hit.” but rather “They’re too big to miss!”

If all things go well, UP will find its way back to the top half of the standings after 18 years, and a second championship after 29 years.

Until then, the bonfire will have to wait.

TWO-ZERO: Maroons Up 2-0 For First Time in a Decade

Photo courtesy of Josh Albelda/rappler.com

Jett Manuel went on hiatus for two seasons for two reasons: to keep his academics straight, and to retrain his basketball skills in the US.

Suiting up again for the UP Fighting Maroons this season, the veteran guard did not disappoint and proved that he was worth the wait as he led his team to a 71-66 victory over the De La Salle Green Archers.

This is the first time since 2005 that the Maroons are enjoying a 2-0 record in the start of the season, and the first since nine seasons ago that they have won a back-to-back game. Incidentally, again, it was also DLSU that was on the losing end of the ’05 second victory by the Diliman squad.

Manuel had 14 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists to lead the Maroons, while Paul Desiderio and Pio Longa added 13 and 10 respectively to the collective effort of the squad which shot 41% from the floor and 32% from beyond the arc. The stats prove that the Maroons have shifted from a perimeter shooting team into a more defensive unit, as they also forced La Salle to commit 20 turnovers, and limit their snipers to a dismal 3-of-24 shooting clip.

For the Archers, Prince Rivero, Andrei Caracut and Jeron Teng combined for almost half of the entire output of the Taft ballers. Thomas Torres did not deliver with his shooting, and was corralled to only 8 points with a disappointing 2-for-12 shooting.

Coming into the second quarter with a 16-14 lead, the Maroons started clicking on all cylinders and ended the quarter with a comfortable lead, 41-28. The Archers started becoming the Archers again entering the fourth quarter, and came as close to within five points, but the Maroons proved they were a different beast this time as they managed to pull away courtesy of charity shots by Henry Asilum and Andrew Harris. An erroneous inbound pass to Jeron Teng proved to be a costly miscue that gave UP the chance to drive the nail into the coffin.

Coach Rensy Bajar and the coaching staff were once again praised for the composure and competitive spirit the Maroons displayed all throughout the game. The rookie head coach for the Maroons was quick to credit the total team effort of UP in this second straight victory, that has literally put them on the top of the standings, along with UST Growling Tigers, who just won over the FEU Tamaraws, 72-71.

The back-to-back win proves that the opening game win over UE was no fluke, and that UP is looking to write a history of their own this season.

While it is too early to tell how the season will unravel for the remainder of the first round, the Maroons are sure about one thing.

There’s nowhere to go but UP!

Napag-uusapan Lang Naman 31

Sta Ana is officially declared a cultural heritage town of Manila. A cockfighting pit set to be built in the area might mar that image.

Manila Mayor Erap Estrada is set to construct a cockfighting arena in the town of Sta. Ana in the 6th District of Manila.

Not good, if you were to ask me.

Consider the following: the arena is set to be built along the main thoroughfare of New Panaderos, which connects Pedro Gil Ave. and Kalentong. Heavy traffic usually converges along this road during rush hour. Putting a gaming stadium for cockfight enthusiasts will make the place more of a nightmare for motorists.

Another thing to consider: the arena will be located within one kilometer of 11 churches, 9 public and private schools, two hospitals, and several mini oil-depots. In an already congested area that has a very small geographical leverage, adding an “amusement center” such as that will not do good at all. Even if the revenues being considered here would be double than the one currently being generated in the district, think of the demographical horrors the cockfighting arena would make–issues on solid waste and traffic management, which are major issues already being tackled–and remains largely unsolved–in the metropolis.

Then there’s the moral consideration: a place where you pit roosters against each other and gamble on them doesn’t speak well of a town that is cradle to most of the revered faiths in the country. Sta. Ana is home to the oldest Catholic church in the Manila outside of Intramuros, the first locale of the Iglesia ni Cristo in Punta, the 113-year old Wesley United Methodist Church, and the Metropolitan Bible Baptist Ekklesia, one of the biggest Baptist churches in the country.

To think that these houses of worship will have a competition that has a “cristo” in it? I don’t think so.

Let’s be clear on one thing–the local government of Manila can find more ways of generating income for the city, and building a pit where game fowls claw each other to death isn’t one of them. The intention might be good, but that does not justify the idea of luring people to gambling. And we are not just talking about the patrons who only care for their kickbacks after cockfights: we are talking about the young minds of the students and residents of the area in danger of being corrupted to engage in gambling. I hope none among the proponents of the idea are so naive not to think that kids can be kept off the betting stations. At some point in the life of these students, curiosity will win over them and they will find themselves baited by these “forms of entertainment.”

In conclusion, the point is simply this: can’t we think of a better thing to do in the 6th district of Manila, other than building a sabungan in Sta. Ana? Instead of throwing away taxpayer’s money to building the cockfighting stadium, why not give the money to improving the Sta. Ana hospital? Or perhaps improving the Sta. Ana public market instead of privatizing it? Or a refurbishing of the Sta. Ana Rotonda? Maybe it would be more beneficial if the funds intended for building the cockpit were to be used for the preserving of the cultural heritage of Sta. Ana.

If indeed Mayor Erap is concerned about leaving a good legacy of leadership in the closing years of his life, then he should focus his attention on more important things that will enrich Manila as the premiere city of the country.

And building a fighting pit for chickens isn’t one of them.

Nowhere To Go but UP… And it started Yesterday!

If you got a notification that a new post just went up here at rcandcess.wordpress.com, that means only one thing…

…UP won in the UAAP.

So, welcome back me.

Now that we got that out of the way, let’s get down to business.

——

A new logo. A new coach. And a new system of play.

Do these spell a new chapter of fortunes for the UP Fighting Maroons?

Hopefully the UP Fighting Maroons’ 62-55 victory over the UE Red Warriors on opening day of UAAP S78 will mean the start of better days ahead for them.

Incidentally, it was also UE who was on the losing end of the game the last time UP won a season opener back in 2011. Prior to that, the Maroons were coming off a dismal 0-14 season, while this time around they are set to erase a previously set 1-13 record. For the past four seasons, the Diliman-based squad managed to win only 11 games in total. They’ve had a couple of changes in coaching staff, whose average lifespan in UP’s stables has been no more than a season and a half. The term “cellar dweller” has seemingly become default name tag for the Maroons. For most followers of basketball, UP could be easily considered a hopeless case.

But if there’s a group who never subscribed to the idea of being losers, it was the Maroons themselves, along with the throng of UP faithfuls who never left the sides of the ballers who proudly wore maroon and green on the floor. Through all those seasons of heartbreaking losses and winless records, the UP Community just kept on believing, because they have all the reasons to believe that one of these days UP will finally get the winning ways back.

After all, there’s nowhere to go but UP.

During the game we saw flashes of brilliance displayed by the likes of Dave Moralde, Paul Desiderio, Diego Dario, and of course Gelo Vito, who helped secure the win by sinking three treys that gave the Maroons the comfy lead. Then there’s the returning Jett Manuel, who actually returned after basketball training in the states. He and Mark Juruena are now the most senior among the players of UP right now, and they are the ones who I think really are most hungry for the wins that would break the dry losing spell for their beloved school in the game of basketball. Then the rookies Cheick Kone, Jerson Prado , Jan Jaboneta and Pio Longa give UP a fresh look and more cohesion, as some of them will provide the chemistry and connection along with veteran guard Henry Asilum.

Should we take new head coach Rensy Bajar’s prediction that this squad will land the final four this year? Well, they would say that is just wishful thinking. I’d rather say I’ll be hoping for the best and planning for the worst. Not that I believe in bad luck, but I just don’t want to be called the jinx.

For now, let us savor this opening win. Come Wednesday, UP will face DLSU, and the concept of a fluke should they lose. Not that we are suckers for losing and that we will just settle for a short-lived celebration over one win. But should the next win come now or in any of the next 12 games, or never at all… We will stand by the UP Fighting Maroons