Philippine Azkals vs Internacional de Madrid C.F.

The Philippine Azkals will go up against Spain's 3rd division football team Internacional de Madrid C.F. this 2012 for a "practice game" at the same time a fund-raiser for the benefit of Bagyong Sendong victims in Northern Mindanao. The proceeds from the charity match will be allocated for all projects aimed at providing health assistance and other forms of aid to the victims of the calamity.

The game will be held at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium in Manila on January 7th at 4:00 p.m.

Tickets for the Philippine Azkals vs Internacional de Madrid C.F match, the cheapest reportedly priced at P100, can be availed from Ticketworld outlets starting January 2nd.

The Philippine Azkals will be joined by a selection of players from the United Football League in the upcoming game.

Note: Sorry for the error committed earlier. Again, (especially to the 30 people who have viewed this page) it's Internacional de Madrid C.F. not Real Madrid C.F.

Amare Stoudemire

There are rumors in NBA saying that Amare Stoudemire of New York Knicks will be sent to New Orleans Hornets in exchange for point guard Chris Paul.

Via Twitter, ESPN's Marc Stein said, "Now to see if Knicks elect to put Amare Stoudemire in trade proposals to New Orleans for CP3. Sources say it's one option Knicks considering."

According to an ESPN report, Knicks is close in sealing a deal with center Tyson Chandler. ESPN said that signing Chandler "could free up the Knicks to offer star forward Amare Stoudemire to the New Orleans Hornets in a trade scenario for Chris Paul, who badly wants to reunite with Chandler after their time together with the Hornets."

"Sources say that's one option New York is considering," ESPN added.

Yahoo! Sports had reported that Chris Paul will not anymore sign a contract extension with his current team and wants to be traded to the New York Knicks. Paul will become a free agent on July 1, 2012.

Heisman finalists for 2011 bared!

The Heisman finalists for this year have been announced by Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George, on behalf of the Heisman Trophy Trust, on Monday on ESPN's "SportsCenter." The five finalists  for the 77th Annual Heisman Memorial Trophy are Montee Ball, Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck, Tyrann Mathieu, and Trent Richardson.

The 2011 Heisman finalists will be invited to New York for the live Heisman Trophy announcement this Saturday, December 10, which will air on ESPN at 8pm EST presented by Nissan North America.

For the fourth straight year, two Heisman finalists will face each other in the BCS National Championship Game as Tyrann Mathieu will go up against Trent Richardson on January 9, 2012.

University of Wisconsin running back Montee Ball is leading the nation with 1,759 rushing yards as well as 32 rushing touchdowns for Wisconsin. He holds second place all-time at UW with 60 career touchdowns and 54 career rushing touchdowns. He has the opportunity to join two other Badgers in this elite fraternity: Ron Dayne (1999) and Alan Ameche (1954).

Baylor University quarterback Robert Griffin III has the opportunity to be the first player from Baylor to receive The Heisman Memorial Trophy. The junior quarterback is ranked second in the nation in total offense with 387 yards per game. This season he threw 36 touchdowns and passed for 3,998 yards. Griffin and former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow are two of four players in major college history with at least 9,000 yards passing and 2,000 yards rushing in a career.

Stanford University quarterback Andrew Luck is looking to be the second Cardinal to take home The Heisman Trophy after Jim Plunkett won in 1970. The red-shirt junior passed for 3,170 yards and 35 touchdowns this season. Luck leads the Pac-12 in passing efficiency with 167.5 and broke Stanford's records for career touchdown passes and single-season touchdown passes. While leading the Cardinals to an 11-1 record, he rushed for 153 yards and scored 2 touchdowns.

Louisiana State University cornerback Tyrann Mathieu is looking to be the second LSU Tiger to win The Heisman Memorial Trophy after Billy Cannon won in 1959. The sophomore had 71 tackles, 5 forced fumbles and 2 interceptions this year. He also gained 420 yards and 2 touchdowns in punt returns during LSU's 13-0 season. If Mathieu wins, he will be the second cornerback to be inducted into this group of outstanding college football players joining Charles Woodson (1997).

University of Alabama Trent Richardson rushed for 1,583 yards and had 20 touchdowns this season for Alabama. In nine of his twelve games, the running back rushed for over 100 yards for the 11-1 Crimson Tide. If awarded the Heisman, Richardson will only be the second player from Alabama to receive the trophy after 2009 winner, Mark Ingram, Jr.

"Prevailing out of one of the deepest and most highly contested fields in recent history, we would like to congratulate this year's Heisman finalists for their outstanding season," said Robert Whalen, Executive Director of the Heisman Trophy Trust. "We look forward to December 10, when the winner is announced."

The Heisman Trophy is given to the most outstanding college football player in the United States. The voters include 870 media representatives from six regions across the country, every living Heisman winner, and one overall fan vote through a partnership with Nissan North America.

A Press Release | Photo courtesy of Heisman Trophy

LA Galaxy vs Azkals airs live on Studio 23 and Balls

The friendly match between one of the best professional American football clubs LA Galaxy led by superstar tandem David Beckham and Landon Donovan; and the Philippine national team the Azkals will be aired live on Studio 23 and Balls HD starting at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 3, 2011.

Penetrating the field as underdogs, the Azkals have steadily risen in the international football scene and has advanced the sport’s popularity in the country.

Led by forward Ian Araneta and left winger Chieffy Caligdong, the Azkals will prove they have what it takes to go toe-to-toe with global football heavyweights Beckham and Donovan, who will showcase their superior football skills in front of Filipino football fans.

Beckham, the English midfield superstar, captained the England national football team from 2000 to 2006 and also played for football giants Manchester United, Real Madrid, A.C. Milan and now the L.A. Galaxy. Beckham was also twice a runner-up for the prestigious FIFA World Player of the Year in 1999 and 2001.

Donovan, the American superstar forward, holds the title of being the highest scoring American footballer in World Cup history and also played for Bayern Munich and Everton. Donovan received the 1999 FIFA U-17 best player award and the 2002 FIFA World Cup best young player award.

Catch “The Dream Cup: The Philippine Azkals vs. the L.A. Galaxy with David Beckham” on Saturday (Dec 3), 6:30 PM on Studio 23 and Balls HD (SkyCable ch. 167), with replays on Sunday (Dec 4), 10:15 AM on ABS-CBN and Monday (Dec 5), 9 AM on Balls.

A Press Release

David Beckham during his arrival in Manila Thursday*

Football superstar David Beckham said during a press conference held at the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati Thursday that he is anticipating a tough fight versus the Philippine national team this Saturday.

“I think yesterday (against Indonesia) was a very difficult game. We had a lot of travel, our legs haven’t come back. We expect our game to be exactly the same, a very difficult game,” said Beckham, who played 84 minutes in their exhibition match against Indonesia during the first leg of their Asia-Australia tour.

Azkals members, meanwhile, promised their fans they won’t play in awe against the American football club.

"I don't think there's pressure for us to play against the Galaxy and it's important for us to play our game," Phil Younghusband said. "Obviously the Galaxy are a team with a high standard of play and we’ll have a more defensive mindset and use our speed to our advantage."

“Papakitaan namin sila ng magandang laban sa Saturday,” said Azkals co-team captain Chieffy Caligdong.

As part of their Asia-Australia tour to promote their club, Beckham's team, the LA Galaxy, will be facing the Philippine Azkals in a friendly match to be held at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium on Saturday, December 3, 2011. The game will be aired live on Studio 23 and BALLS starting at 6:30 p.m., with kick-off at 7 p.m. A replay will be broadcast on ABS-CBN the following day, December 4, at 10:30 a.m.

*Photo courtesy of @ABSCBNchannel2

David Beckham and the rest of the LA Galaxy have arrived in Manila, Thursday afternoon. The team took a chartered flight from Indonesia and landed at around 2:50 p.m. at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2.

The Galaxy went to a press conference at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel after their arrival.

The American football club is in the country for the second stop in their Asia-Australia tour. They will be playing an exhibition match against the Philippine national football team, the Philippine Azkals on Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. The team will also have a football camp for kids at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow at the venue to be followed by an open practice.

The momentous LA Galaxy vs Philippine Azkals friendly match will be aired live on Studio 23 and Balls starting at 6:30 pm, with kick-off at 7 p.m. A replay will be broadcast on ABS-CBN the following day, December 4, at 10:30 a.m.

Azkals vs LA Galaxy

If you don't have the budget for the pricey Azkals vs LA Galaxy tickets, here's a way to get them for free if you're a Smart subscriber.

Philippine Azkals' Phil and James Younghusband will be giving away a pair of P15,500-tickets to 5 lucky Smart users, tomorrow, November 26, 2011.

Just go to Twitter and include the hashtag #SmartDreamCup in your tweets to find out the location where the Younghusband brothers will be giving away the FREE tickets to Azkals vs LA Galaxy's friendly match this December 3rd.

The more people who will tweet with the #SmartDreamCup hashtag, the map posted on http://www.younghusbandpixelhunt.com/ will zoom faster, revealing the location. The map will be shown starting at 9am tomorrow.

SEA Games 2011 - Indonesia is still leading the medal table. The host country bagged 22 more golds since the last update here on Noypistuff, securing the first spot in the rankings, while Thailand harvested 10 more gold medals, stealing the second place from Vietnam. The Philippines, meanwhile, gained only one gold and is still sixth.

Check out below the medal tally as of 4 p.m. on November 19, 2011.

Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
Indonesia	130	101	92	323
Thailand	75	70	84	229
Vietnam	74	71	73	218
Malaysia	45	42	60	147
Singapore	38	39	66	143
Philippines	20	40	56	116
Laos	8	6	24	38
Myanmar	7	16	25	48
Cambodia	3	10	14	27
Brunei	0	2	7	9
Timor-Leste	0	0	3	3

Manny Pacquiao Day

On November 19, 2011, pound-for-pound king Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao will be honored at Aloha Stadium in a special ceremony which will take place before the University of Hawaii football game against Fresno State.

To be held at mid-field, the ceremony will start at approximately 5:40 p.m., prior to the introduction of the Warrior football team.

Mayor Peter Carlisle, Governor Neil Abercrombie, UH Athletics Director Jim Donovan, and Bennette Misalucha, the Past President of the Filipino Chamber of Commerce, will be heading the ceremony. On the same event, the Mayor will be proclaiming November 19, 2011, as "Manny Pacquiao Day" in Honolulu.

Pacquiao will also be gracing the Shane Victorino's VIP Party Friday night in Maui. And on Monday night he will be at Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki for a series of activities which include an auction and autograph-signing.

The eight-division world champion is also tentatively scheduled for meet-and-greet with troops returning from Iraq at Schofield Barracks.

SEA Games 2011 - Since the last update here on Noypistuff, the Philippines bagged 4 more golds - not enough to go up from its rank in the medal tally, though. Will the team still be able to achieve its goal of a 70-gold finish? Check out below the medal rankings as of 12 noon on November 18, 2011.

Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
Indonesia	108	84	76	268
Vietnam	69	63	65	197
Thailand	65	58	71	194
Malaysia	37	37	52	126
Singapore	32	36	57	125
Philippines	19	33	42	94
Laos	6	5	21	32
Myanmar	3	13	21	37
Cambodia	3	10	15	28
Brunei	0	1	6	7
Timor-Leste	0	0	1	1

SEA Games 2011 - After previous day's gold rush, Team Philippines only bagged a lone gold medal courtesy of rower Nestor Cordova and remained at the sixth spot in the medal rankings, six days since the competition started. Host country Indonesia, meanwhile, added 11 more golds to its total medal haul, leading the medal tally. Check out below the SEA Games 2011 medal standings as of 3 a.m. on November 17, 2011.

Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
Indonesia	87	65	70	222
Vietnam	54	55	59	168
Thailand	52	41	59	152
Singapore	29	32	46	107
Malaysia	28	25	44	97
Philippines	15	28	34	77
Laos	5	3	19	27
Cambodia	3	9	11	23
Myanmar	1	12	16	29
Brunei	0	1	6	7
Timor-Leste	0	0	1	1

SEA Games 2011 - It's Day 5 of the competition and host nation Indonesia is still enjoying home-court advantage. It added another 15 gold medals to its overall medal haul, staying strong at number 1. The Philippines, meanwhile, made six more golds which came from taekwondo, billiards, bowling, wrestling, and fencing. Check out below the current medal rankings as of 1 a.m. on November 16, 2011.

Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
Indonesia	76	60	60	196
Thailand	48	35	57	140
Vietnam	44	46	52	142
Singapore	25	26	41	92
Malaysia	22	23	36	81
Philippines	14	21	27	62
Laos	4	3	19	26
Cambodia	2	7	10	19
Myanmar	0	9	15	24
Brunei	0	1	4	5
Timor-Leste	0	0	1	1