Wanted - Families for free PR Islander tickets

Households with large families are some of the hardest hit during these challenging economic times. And as the recession lingers, experts predict that the impact for lower and middle income families will only grow worse. As Jared Bernstein, Economic Policy Institute senior economist put it: "We're worried about the impact of the downturn on the families whose incomes haven't recovered from the last recession." We at DóndeEs.com are too.

So we are bringing back the free ticket offer for the Puerto Rico Islanders. We have a 100 more tickets to each of the two Islander games against the Minnesota Thunder. The games will take place on Friday June 27th at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday June 29th, at 6:00 p.m. Once you've been identified as a winner, you'll have the pick of which game you want to attend, first come first served

Rethinking the Puerto Rico Islander Give-away

During this contest we want to make sure that families can participate. So if you register on DóndeEs.com or become a fan of the DondeEs.com Facebook Page, we will give you up to 6 tickets per family. If your newly wed and it's just the two of you fine, two free tickets for you. But if your married with children (up to 4 to be exact), then 6 free tickets for you.

Not sure it's worth your time?

After the last contest, we received a nice email from one of the winners. Juan Carlos Ribot had this to say:

"Gracias, por las taquillas. Ayer fui al juego y nos lo disfrutamos mucho."

The rest of the rules are pretty much the same. Oh and by the way, you don't even have to pick-up the tickets if you win. We'll make sure the tickets are waiting for you at the will-call window of Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium. What could be simpler?

So head on over to the registration page or the DondeEs.com Facebook page and get signed up to take your family to see the PR Islanders. If you've already registered and become a fan, thanks for your support, it's very important to us. For you, stay tuned, we're going to be giving away tickets through trivia and other activities here at the blog and over at the Facebook page, so pay attention.

Remember to tell your friends and family about the Dondequiera contest! Can you imagine all of your friends and family going together to see the soccer game for FREE? Wouldn't that be a great time?

Flickr Creative Commons Contributor: Lasre

Update: Te Invito - Puerto Rico Islanders

Tickets, get your tickets! Red hot Puerto Rico Islander tickets. Get your tickets!

Last week we announced a promotion to give away free tickets to see this Thursday's Puerto Rico Islanders game. We've already had quite a few winners already, so if you're hoping to get a pair of tickets, you had better head over to DóndeEs.com and register. For a complete description of the promotion, you can check the original post for the rules.

Te Invito - Free Puerto Rico Islanders Tickets

DóndeEs.com invites you to go see the Puerto Rico Islanders play the Carolina RailHawks. Yep, you read that right. DóndeEs.com is giving away a 100 tickets to next Thursday's game. All you have to do is be one of the first fifty people to register as a new user of DóndeEs.com.

The first fifty people to register will each win two free tickets to the June 12th, 2008 Puerto Rico Islanders game. If you're already registered then just send us an e-mail to info at dondees dot com.

• You have until 8:00 a.m. on 6/11/2008 to register
• The winners will be informed before 12:00 p.m. on 6/11/2008
• Winners will be emailed with details of how to claim your tickets.

Why register as a user on DóndeEs.com?

Here are the top five reasons to register as a user with DóndeEs.com:

1. Free tickets to see the Puerto Rico Islanders. If you've never seen a professional soccer game, this is your chance to see the Big Orange play, courtesy of DóndeEs.com.
   
2. This is just the beginning; there will be other contests announced soon. By registering, you'll receive advance notification of future contests.
3. Opportunity to receive the new and improved DóndeEs.com newsletter (boletin).
4. By selecting any of the categories of information available on the "boletin" page, we'll be able to email you with special offers that will soon be available exclusively to DóndeEs.com users.
5. We're not done yet! There are many exciting features on the drawing board, and you'll want to be one of the first to hear about them when we release them. You'll become the envy of all your friends when you start using these cool new features first.
   

The legal crapola:

1. No purchase is necessary in order to participate.
2. Each household is only eligible to win one prize.
   
3. All winners will be responsible for all costs incurred in the transportation and parking for the event.
   
4. The prize is valued at $20.80.
5. The award will be presented with the guarantees offered by the provider and the obligations resulting therefrom.
   
6. DóndeEs.com is not responsible for incorrect names or incomplete addresses, illegible or incorrect numbers, or email addresses. In addition, DóndeEs.com is not responsible for incomplete registration due to any system or network failures.
   
7. In order to qualify for the prizes, you must provide your city, your postal zip code, your sex, and your date of birth, as requested in the profile of your registration.
   
8. Participants with illegible names or email addresses will be automatically disqualified.
9. To be eligible to participate in this contest you must be eighteen (18) years old, persons who are legal residents of Puerto Rico. This contest is limited to the geographic area of Puerto Rico and is subject to all applicable laws and regulations.
10. Anyone who omits information to pretend, that qualifies as a winner, will be canceled and will be submitted to government authorities for criminal proceedings.
11. If you are interested in receiving a copy of the Legal Crapola, send an email to info at dondees dot com.
    
12. If you are interested in receiving a copy of the list of award winners, send an email to info at dondees dot com, after June 11th, 2008.
13. All winners must sign a certificate of eligibility and release. Failure to act according to these rules will result in award to an alternate winner. The prize will be delivered once graced, free of taxes or any other charge imposed on the date of delivery to the person winning. Any taxes or contributions involving the acceptance or receipt of the prize will be the responsibility of winner. This contest is subject to all applicable laws and regulations of the Commonwealth.
    

Sports Wrap-up

I just wanted to wrap up a couple of items I blogged about recently to tell you how it all turned out. I don't like to leave you hanging like that. So let's start with the Puerto Rico Women's National Volleyball team.

Well things didn't go to well for the ladies in Japan. After beating Kazakhstan in round four, the Puerto Rican team lost 9 straight sets losing to Dominican Republic, Poland and Serbia. Finishing with a record of 1 win and 6 losses the ladies finished last even their record was the same as Thailand, due to the least points and the least sets won. Boy I bet that was along place trip home.

However, individual high honors went to Ocasio Karina, who lead all players with the most points, and Cruz Aurea with the highest serving average. It's unusual to have such stand out players on a last place finishing team. One can only imagine the poor quality of play that surrounded them.

The Puerto Rico Capitals inaugurated their season and team last Saturday night against the Thomasville Dragons. The first professional women's soccer team in Puerto Rico, the Capitals managed pulled off a tie, when Patricia Chapa scored on a penalty kick to tie the game 1-1. Check here, to learn when the Capitals play in Puerto Rico again.

And as for the NORCECA Beach Volleyball tournament, well I never saw anything, nor can I find any results anywhere on the web. I can't even find mention that there was, in fact, a tournament held over the Memorial Day Weekend. However, by coincidence, the family and I did happen to go to the Balneario de Carolina on Monday. Check out the reviews, and you'll see what I thought of the beach. We did see the court and some occasionally activity, but by 4:00 p.m., we had yet to see a match, so I'm not sure if there was any played. If anyone knows, please leave a comment.

Puerto Rico Capitals Soccer

It's interesting when entrepreneurs, investors, and marketers look at an opportunity, and see something others don't. Then despite nay sayers, they remain passionate about the opportunity, persevere, remain committed, and ultimately emerge successful. Two such examples in recent Puerto Rican business history are Starbucks and Soccer. We here at DóndeEs.com hope that we fit into that group as well, time and you will only tell.

Many said Starbucks would never take off here. Who is going to pay those astronomical coffee prices when most people are used to paying panaderia prices for coffee. With 25 stores and growing, I think we know who was wrong about that initial perception.

Well another similar story applies to soccer. As I understand it, when the initial team of investors, management, and marketers came together for the Puerto Rico Islanders, many said that Puerto Ricans would never accept soccer (or football as the rest of the world calls it). Once again, we know who was right, and as further proof, this weekend, the Puerto Rico Capitals will inaugurate the first professional women's soccer team in Puerto Rico.

The inaugural match will take place this Saturday, May 24th at 6:00 p.m., against the FC Thomasville Dragons. The match will take place in the Estadio Solá Morales in Cauguas, which as is the case for the Puerto Rico Islanders will be converted into a soccer field for the game. The inaugural match will be free of charge and will be broadcast on PRTN Channel 22.

Introducing the Puerto Rico Capitals

The Puerto Rico Capitals FC will join the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) for the 2008 season, and are the first team outside the mainland US to play in the league. The club will begin operations with a senior WPSL team and later add a junior U-17 developmental squad. Dedicated to the long-term development of girls and women's soccer in Puerto Rico, the Capitals plan to field rosters that highlight Puerto Rican natives and players of Puerto Rican heritage.

The Capitals will return to to play again in Caguas, when they host the Orlando Falcons on Sunday, June 8th, For a complete schedule for the Capitals, check here.

Beach Volleyball Circuit 2008

Last weekend marked the kick-off of the Coor's Light Beach Volleyball Circuit "Circuito Voleibol Playero Professional" for this year. The debut event took place at the Balneario de Carolina, with the pairing of Orlando Irizarry and Roberto "Raufulito' Rodríguez emerging as the men's champion and the pair of Elaine López and Michelle Muñiz taking the women's championship.

This event will serve as a warm-up for this weekend's NORCECA Men's and Women's Beach Volleyball Continental Championship. The members of NORCECA that will be competing in the event are Cuba, United States, Canada, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and others. The event will be held this weekend at the Balneario de Carolina.

The remaining matches on the summer circuit are scheduled for:

• Balneario de Carolina on May 31st to June 1st
• Balneario de Luquillo on June 21st to June 22nd
• Balneario de Luquillo on July 5th to July 5th

Additional Volleyball Action

This week the Puerto Rico Women's Volleyball team is competing in the FIVB Women's World Olympic Qualification Tournament. As was the case back when I was reporting on the NORCECA championship held here in Caguas back in January, the top finishers of this tournament will earn a trip to the Olympics. Unfortunately, through the first two rounds, the Puerto Rico National team has yet to win a match, losing to both Korea and Japan in straight sets. The team is scheduled to play today, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Respectively they will face Thailand, Kazakhstan, Serbia, and the Dominican Republic .

Finally, the Puerto Rico Men's Volleyball team will have their second shot at a trip to Bejing when they travel later this month to Portugal to play in the FIVB Men's World Olympic Qualification Tournament. Three other teams are invited to the tournament Portugal, Indonesia, and Poland. Only the winner of this tournament will earn the Olympic invitation. The tournament will be from May 30th until June 1st.

Flickr Creative Commons Contributor Today: david.bunting

BowlERA opens in Caguas

The municipality of Caguas added another reason to not drive into the San Juan metropolitan morass recently when they opened a bowling alley in the newly constructed Lincoln Center Plaza. BowlERA is the newest addition into the upscale bowling alley market, a la Galaxy Lanes. With 17 lanes available, BowlERA offers the latest in score keeping technology, as well as 4 super-grande large screen monitors of 92 inches, and free wireless Internet. In addition, the Lincoln Center Plaza has plenty of parking with over 400 parking spaces. And for a unique perspective, the bowling alley is located on the penthouse level of the Lincoln Center Plaza, so it offers a nice panoramic view of the center and heart of the new country Caguas.

The new bowling alley also features upscale dining with the new restaurant Moriviví. Featuring Puerto Rican cuisine from chefs educated in the culinary arts in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Europe. Morivivi also features an extensive wine selection from El Viñedo.

The BowlERA complex also offers meeting rooms, for those of you looking to combine a business meeting with either bowling or fine dining. You can learn more about their offerings at their Flash, errggh, web site.

The bowling alley hours of operation are:

• Monday to Thursday: 9:00 am - 10:00 pm
• Friday and Saturday: 8:00 am - 2:00 am
• Sundays: 9:00 am - 10:00 pm

Sick of Hearing about Caguas?

I guess, I'm just a little worried that if you don't live near Caguas, maybe your sick of reading about things happening there. A quick analysis tells me that, that first, since that's where Don Dees lives, it's only natural that I tend to see and hear about things going down there. But I also think that it's part of a larger trend of businesses either expanding out onto the island or, as in the case of Krispy Kreme, preferring to go with cities that are still growing and that are outside of the crushing mass of traffic that can sometimes affect the greater San Juan metroplex. So I apologize if it seems like Dondequiera prefers Caguas (we don't, we love all of Puerto Rico), but did you know that YOU can do something about it? YOU can help balance out the coverage of "Dónde Es Que Es." How? You ask. Well there are two ways YOU can help.

1. The first way YOU can help is to send us announcements, events, news, openings, closings, or anything else you think might interest fellow Dondequiera readers. Send the information to info at dondees dot com. And by the way, if the location where the news pertains isn't already in the DóndeEs.com Visual Directory, you can add it with the "Add your business" page.
   
   
2. Or YOU can join us a collaborator. We'd love to get correspondents from all over Puerto Rico to join us telling real people "Dónde Es". If YOU like to write, in English or Spanish, and you have access to Blogger, then we'd like to hear from YOU. Tell us what kind of topics YOU would like to write about it and we'll see if it fits into our editorial vision of Dondequiera. Send us an email at info at dondees dot com, operators are standing by to answer your message.
   

The Islanders are in the house!

After Friday nights unsuccessful opener, the Puerto Rico Islanders continue their 2008 debut for the 2008 season tonight at Estadio Juan Ramón Loubriel in Bayamón. They will once again be playing the Miami FC Blues and tonight they will take the field at 6:00 p.m. Hopefully, the rain will stay away while they are playing.

In celebration of their inaugural weekend, there will be a pre-game party hosted by Medalla. In concert will be the band Toca de To'. There will also be a DJ. In addition, are you ready for this, there will be many surprises. Tickets for the game tonight are on sale at TicketPop and are $12.00 for adults and $6.00 for children twelve and under. The IVU is already included.

The Puerto Rico Islanders Home Schedule for 2008 (also available in DóndeEs.com):

Date Time Opponent
========== ==== ==================
Sun Apr 27 6PM Miami FC
Fri May 2 8PM Montreal Impact
Fri May 16 8PM Portland Timbers
Fri May 30 8PM Seattle Sounders
Thu Jun 12 8PM Carolina RailHawks
Fri Jun 27 8PM Minnesota Thunder
Sun Jun 29 6PM Minnesota Thunder
Thu Aug 1 8PM Seattle Sounders
Sat Aug 3 6PM Carolina RailHawks
Fri Aug 8 8PM Rochester Raging Rhinos
Sun Aug 22 8PM Charleston Battery
Sun Aug 31 6PM Vancouver Whitecaps
Wed Sep 3 8PM Vancouver Whitecaps
Fri Sep 19 8PM Atlanta Silverbacks

Roberto Clemente documentary coming on PBS

For those of you with cable or satellite television reception, mark your calendars, because on April 21st, the Public Broadcasting System will air a historic documentary about Roberto Clemente. While locally there's a chance that channel 6, WIPR will broadcast the special, I've long since stopped trying to apply logical reasoning to anything local, of course I think they would be insane not to carry the program.

The special is part of a new ongoing series on PBS, entitled the American Experience. According to Mark Samels, American Experience executive producer, "With all the negative attention being paid to baseball these days, it's important to look back at the kind of impact a true sports hero can have on our nation, Roberto Clemente was much more than an athlete-he channeled that fame into a larger mission of helping people, broke racial barriers, and continues to inspire today."

While most people are familiar with his baseball achievements and his fateful end on December 31, 1972, while traveling aboard a DC-7 aircraft loaded with relief supplies for survivors of a catastrophic earthquake in Managua, Nicaragua; many not be familiar with the obstacles and prejudices he faced during his career. Here are just a few:

• His starting bonus of $10,000 was just a fraction of the amount paid to white draftees;
• During his first spring training in Florida in 1955, segregation laws meant that while Clemente's white teammates relaxed at beaches, swam in pools, and stayed in hotels that didn't admit blacks, he was frequently forced to find his own lodging, and eat meals on the bus.

From independent filmmaker Bernardo Ruiz, the Clemente documentary features interviews with Pulitzer Prize-winning authors David Maraniss (Clemente) and George F. Will (Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball), Clemente's wife Vera, Baseball Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda, and former teammates, to present an intimate and revealing portrait of a man whose passion and grace made him a legend.

Believe it or not, back in the 70's when I used to enjoy watching baseball with my Dad, the Pirates were my team and I can still remember marveling at the exceptional play of Clemente. After Clemente's death, which I only slightly remember, my interest in baseball began to wane and I eventually switched to become a Cub's fan, as they were the most widely broadcast team in the area where I grew up.

I look forward to seeing the special and learning more about this legend. I know for me just reading the following quote makes him a lot more nearer and dearer to my heart already. According to the press release for the documentary, Clemente is quoted as saying

"If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth,"

he told a Houston audience in 1971, just one year before his death. My friends, truer words have never been spoken, and should be a clarion warning call for more Puerto Ricans to switch their ego-centric focus off of themselves and onto the lack of positive change they are having for future generations. Long live the spirit of Roberto Clemente and let's retire his number, while we're at it!

Puerto Rico Open Concludes

During a historic week of massive waves and Easter reflection, the inaugural Professional Golf Association's (PGA) sanctioned Puerto Rico Open came to an end. And while Bo Van Pelt had led through three rounds of championship golf, Greg Kraft emerged victorious after playing a final round of two under par golf. Kraft finished the tournament with a score of 274, 14 below par. This was the first PGA victory for Kraft, who has returned to play after struggling with cancer. For his effort Kraft will receive $630,000, more than he has won on tour since 2003 combined.

The tournament was played at the newly christened Trump International Golf Club, formerly the Coco Beach Golf Club. This was the first time that the PGA has sanctioned a major tournament in Puerto Rico, and despite coinciding with Holy Week, the event was able to draw over 70,000 spectators during the four day event.

The awards ceremony took place on the 18th hole of the championship course. Governor Anibal Acevedo Vila handed the crystal trophy to Kraft amongst Ingrid Rivera, Miss Puerto Rico Universe, vejigantes, and pleneros.

Of the four Puerto Ricans competing in the tournament, Miguel Suarez led the field with a 1 over par 289, 15 strokes behind the leader. Suarez was the only Puerto Rican to qualify for the last round. He walks away with $7,350 for 61st place. The rest of the Puerto Ricans finished as follows:

• 76. Wilfredo Morales 218 (3 days, 2 over-par) $6,545
• 78. Rafael Campos (amateur) 219 3-over-par
• Max Alverio 151, 7-over-par, did not make the initial cut.

Corona Extra Pro Surf Circuit - Domes Beach

In the first event of 2008, the Corona Extra ProSurf Circuit will begin action this year in two weeks on February 22nd at Playa Domes in Rincon. Sanctioned by the Professional Surfing Association of Puerto Rico (APSPR), the event features a $10,000 purse in the men's competition and a $5,000 purse for the women.

The Playa Domes event, is actually the second event of the Corona Extra ProSurf Circuit, now in it's twelve year. The first event, held last September 28th through October 2nd, 2007 at Playa Middles, Isabela, Puerto Rico, concluded with the crowning of Corona Champions, Dylan Graves and Anastasia Ashley. Complete video footage of that first event is available at the new "Heat on Demand" section of the APSPR web site (Warning, I never did get to see the videos and the site crashed Firefox).

The next scheduled events for the circuit are planned for August 15th through the 17th at Aviones Beach, Piñones San Juan and the last event, at the time of this post is planned for October 10th through the 12th, oncr again at Middles Beach, Isabela. Both events both have $15,000 in prizes for the pro-means and $5,000 for the pro-womens.

For anyone who thinks they have what it takes to ride some waves into the money, sign-up forms and more information are available at the APSPR web site or at Hang Loose Surf Shop, (787) 872-2490. Registration must be done before 5:00 p.m. on February 20. Registration after February 18th carries a $35 late registration fee.

Final Report: NORCECA Men’s Olympic Qualifier

The Puerto Rico Mens National Volleyball team failed in their attempt to go to the 2008 Olympics by losing to the United States in straight sets. In what can only be described as impressive, the U.S. team swept through the tournament never losing one set. You could say that they certainly defended their 3rd world ranking.

What can you say? It was a long tournament and the Puerto Rico team showed poise and resolve to make it into the final game. We have a lot to be proud of coming in second place, I wonder if there will be any voluntary invitations available for the Olympics. Often times they reserve at-large opening for teams that should be invited. I can't imagine that the P.R. team has damaged their 8th place world ranking. Maybe the Beijing Olympic Committee will throw us an "¡Ay Bendito!" invitation to Beijing. Ahh wishful, comfortable thinking.

In other action on Friday, Cuba defeated Canada to obtain third position in the tournament. Puerto Rico and Cuba earned the right to participate in one last Olympic qualification tournament. At this time, there is no news of when or where that tournament will take place.

NORCECA Showdown in Caguas

Well it's all come down to this. Tonight at 8:00 p.m. Puerto Rico will meet the United States (as predicted here) to determine the winner of the 2008 NORCECA Men’s Continental Olympic Qualification Championship. The winner will go to Bejing China in August to participate in the 2008 Olympics and the loser will watch from home and cry in their beer.

While the Puerto Rican National team had a big scare in defeating Mexico in 5 sets on Wednesday, yesterday they rebounded with a straight sets defeat of Canada. Statistically they enter the championship game an underdog, both in ranking and in points allowed in this tournament. So if our guys are going to emerge victorious they will have to be very stingy in allowing the U.S. to score points. In the end, the team that earns the most points will win. Baha, no seriously. This is the biggest game of our team's young lives, let's hope they dominate and take full advantage of their home court.

Update: NORCECA Men’s Olympic Qualifier

Damn I'm good! If I didn't know any better it's almost like I actually knew something about volleyball. I went three for three picking Canada, Cuba, and (unfortunately) the United States in the final round of qualifications.

Today in the quarterfinal matches Puerto Rico will face Mexico and Cuba will face the Dominican Republic. Puerto Rico and Cuba will both win to setup semifinal matches against Canada and the U.S. respectively. The semifinal games will be played tomorrow. Go Puerto Rico! Go!

NORCECA Men’s Olympic Qualifier

Today is a big day for the Puerto Rico Men's National Team in their quest for an Olympic birth. After two days of the tournament, Canada, Puerto Rico and the United States remain undefeated. However, tonight one of those team will lose their undefeated status. Tonight at 8:00 p.m. our team will face up against the United States to determine the winner of the A bracket.

While not a definitive game, a lot rides on the outcome. The winner will move into the seminfinals and if they remain undefeated move into the championship game. The loser will have to progress through the quarterfinals and then still have to advance through the semifinals in order to join the championship game. Besides that it may be payback time for the United States. Coming off their unexpected defeat by the Puerto Rico team in last year's Volleyball World Cup, the U.S. may be primed to save face and prove they deserve a third world ranking. However, for the Puerto Rican team, they believe that the home court advantage will help them prevail.

Most likely scenario

I believe that the U.S team will win tonight and setup a seminfinal match with Cuba, which I think they will beat easily and advance to the Championship game. With a defeat, the Puerto Rico team will advance into the quarterfinals with a match against Mexico. I believe that the Puerto Rico team will defeat Mexico easily and advance into a semifinal match with Canada. Statistically, the two teams seem about the same. This will an even and hard won match for the Puerto Rico team, but will leave them exhausted.

In the end I think a rested and untested U.S. team will meet Puerto Rico in the final game on Friday. This will be a grand challenge for the Puerto Rico team and will require an extremely high level of effort, unity, and excellence for them to prevail. The edge just be available to them however. With revenge and the home town crowd on their side, it might be just enough to even the sides and leave the game open for either team to grab. Let's hope the Taino spirits will prevail.

Preolympic Volleyball Tournament

2008 is upon us and that means a countdown to the Olympics. The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, will be celebrated from August 8, 2008 to August 24, 2008. In preparation for that special event and in continuation of our coverage of the Puerto Rico National Men's Volleyball team, I wanted to let everyone know about Caguas 2008, the pre-olympic qualifying event being held in Caguas starting this Sunday.

Two groups of teams are invited to this tournament. Including the Puerto Rican team, group A consists of the United States, Dominicana and Barbados. Group B consists of Cuba, Canada, Mexico, and Trinidad & Tobago. From January 6th through the 11th, these teams will battle for the rights to participate in the Olympics.

The tournament, which is also referred to as the 2008 NORCECA Men’s Continental Olympic Qualification Championship, will be a tough battle for all of the teams, with only the winner of the final game played on Friday January 11th earning a trip to Bejing. In pre-tournament predictions, the United States is heavily favored after claiming 4th in the 2007 World Cup and improving their world ranking position from 5th to 3rd, behind Russia and Brazil.

The tournament is being held at the Coliseo Héctor Solá Bezares in Caguas, which is part of the beautiful Complejo de Criollo Multiusos Deportivos. Tickets are $12 for box seats, $8 for general admission for adults and $4 for children. While those prices are probably reasonable, I wish they were a little more affordable. I was kind of hoping to take the kids to see a "real" volleyball game, but including the kids we're talking $24, which seems like a lot. Hey, just call me a cheap bastard. For more information call the Federación de Voleibol at (787) 282-7524.

Crushing 3rd Round for Puerto Rico Men's Volleyball

It was a heartbreaking third round for the mens volleyball team competing in Japan at the 2008 FIVB Mens World Cup. With losses to Argentina and Russia, the Puerto Rican team saw their dreams of an automatic Olympics invitation crushed. While the team did beat host country Japan in round three, they have fallen to 6th with a record of 4 wins and 4 losses.

The Argentina loss was the crucial defeat, as I predicted in my last post. With Bulgaria and the United States going undefeated in round three, there is no way Puerto Rico will be able to obtain the critical 3rd position. If you'll recall, the first three finishers in the World Cup will receive an automatic invitation to the 2008 Olympic Games in Bejing China.

With two opponents in the fourth round playing worse than Bulgaria, the Bulgarian team looks to have the best shot at finishing behind the undefeated Russians and the defending world champion team from Brazil.

This has been an exciting story I got caught up in with Puerto Rico's historic defeat of the United States. It has been a tough and demanding tournament for our team, but they have responded to the challenge. Unfortunately for everyone, so has the Bulgarian team, which entered the tournament as a wild card selection.

One special recognition should be mentioned. Hector Soto, from the Puerto Rico mens team is currently in second place among all scorers in the tournament. Only trailing by 9 points, it would be extremely exciting for Soto and Puerto Rico if he were to end the tournament as the top scorer. With games against teams struggling in tournament, Soto could see a lot of action and finish very strongly. Here's wishing him luck in round four.

Update: FIVB Men's World Cup 2007

With an automatic berth in the 2008 Summer Olympics on the line, the Puerto Rico Men's Volleyball team split their games in round two action. In action on Thursday, Puerto Rico lost in straight sets to the defending Olympic and world champion team from Brazil.

In action on Friday, Puerto Rico improved their record to 3-2 with a defeat of the European Champion team from Spain. The win places Puerto Rico just outside of the money in fourth position.

Round three will include matches with Argentina, Japan, and the tournament leading, undefeated Russians. Then in the final round Puerto Rico will face Tunisia, Australia, and Korea. Of these 6 games, if Puerto Rico plays at the level they have so far, they could add 5 wins and only one loss (to Russia), to end with a record of 8-3.

It's too early to predict if Puerto Rico will finish in the money in third place. At this point it depends on a lot of factors. Probably the most important for everyone trying to gain the elusive third place finish is the performance of the Bulgaria team. Entering the tournament as a wildcard, the Bulgarian team's only challenge is facing the undefeated Russians in rounds three and four. So it might come done to how the teams perform against teams which are struggling in the tournament. Another surprise factor could be that the undefeated Russians, who play Bulgaria, Brazil, and USA, which currently occupy positions 2, 3, and 5 in the standings.

Historic Upset for Puerto Rican Mens Volleyball

Monday, in the FIVB Men's World Cup, Puerto Rico upset the United States to go to 2-0 in the 2007 World Cup.. It was a historic moment for the Puerto Rico squad as this was the first time in thirty years that Puerto Rico has beaten the United States team.

Perhaps the United States went unprepared mentally after themselves upsetting volleyball powerhouse Brazil in action from Sunday. While the Puerto Rican team (2-1) lost to the Bulgarian team in Tuesday's action, they still advanced into the second round of the competition. Their first matches in the second round is, first, the top standing Brazilian team on Wednesday and then Spain on Thursday.

While taking place in Japan, the other countries participating in this year's men's volleyball World Cup include:

• Japan , Host Country
• Spain, Europe Champion
• U.S.A, Norceca Champion
• Brazil, South-America Champion
• Australia, Asia Champion
• Egypt, Africa Champion
• Russia, Europe vice-champion
• Puerto Rico, Norceca vice-champion
• Agentina, South-America vice-champion
• Tunisia, Africa vice-champion
• Bulgaria, Wild Card
• Korea, Wild Card

Puerto Rico Tip-Off

Fans of college basketball will get a treat for thanksgiving this year. The Puerto Rico Coliseum will host the O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The three day tournament will take place from November 15th through the 18th.

During the Tip-Off each team is guaranteed to play three games, the teams competing in the tournament are:

• University of Houston
• Virginia Commonwealth University
• Marist College
• University of Miami (Florida)
• Temple University
• Providence College
• College of Charleston
• University of Arkansas

The schedule for the games is as follows:

Thursday, November 15th

• Game 1: 10:00 a.m. Houston -vs- VCU
• Game 2: 12:30 p.m. Marist -vs- Miami
• Game 3: 3:30 p.m. Temple -vs- Providence
• Game 4: 6:00 p.m. Charlestown -vs- Arkansas

Friday, November 16th

• Game 5: 12:00 p.m.
• Game 6: 2:30 p.m.
• Game 7: 6:30 p.m.
• Game 8: 9:00 p.m.

Sunday, November 18th

• Game 9: 12:00 p.m.
• Game 10: 2:30 p.m.
• Game 11: 6:00 p.m.
• Game 12: 8:30 p.m.

Tickets are available at TicketPop. There are three different packages available. An All-Tournament ticket provides access to all 6 sessions (12 games) of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip Off. Booster Tickets, which enable you to see your favorite team play. Buy a Booster ticket and watch your team play in each of their 3 sessions (6 games total). A Booster ticket grants you access to all sessions in which your designated team is participating. Finally, there are single session tickets. A Single-Session ticket allows access to 1 session (2 games).