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MY good
friend Al Mendoza, sports and motoring editor of the
Philippine Chronicle, sends me text messages almost
weekly after reading my BusinessMirror sports
thingy—injecting his two (thousand) cents’ worth and
adding perspective to what I had just shared.
For
instance, when I wrote about the “movie titles” I gave
each University Athletic Association of the Philippines
(UAAP) team in Season 70—like “Order of the Phoenix” for
De La Salle and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” for
University of Santo Tomas—he added that Adamson can do
with “Citizen Kane.” Because “With Citizen Ken gone
[Bono, who else!], it’s Quo Vadis, Adamson!” he said.
Touché,
kasamang
Al!
LAST
week, he commented, too, on my “Band of Brothers”
piece—the one that mentioned the Pumaren brothers
(Derrick, Franz and Dindo), the Banal brothers (Conrad,
Joel and Coy) and the Gregorio brothers (Patrick, Allan
and Ryan) as the current crop of siblings who make our
contemporary basketball world go round.
Al had
more brothers up his sleeves: the Alas Brothers—Louie,
currently of Letran, and Mel, formerly of Adamson. And
the Reyeses too—Chot and Jun (formerly assistant coach
at Alaska, now based in LA).
Which
made me remember more brothers who peppered our
basketball memories in more ways than one when they were
active in the basketball scene: Chito and Joey Loyzaga,
for instance, progeny of that great basketball king,
Caloy. Chito, who became Philippine Basketball League
chair in 2005, and now is into baseball, if I’m not
mistaken, was a “monster off the boards” and a member of
that last San Beda team that won an National Collegiate
Athletic Association championship in 1982. He played for
Ginebra and retired as such.
His
brother Joey (also a Bedan and Mademoiselle Gretchen
Barretto’s first great love) played for Ginebra, then
Shell, in the Philippine Basketball Association.
YOU may
remember the Lago brothers also—Dwight and Elmer, who
both played for De La Salle and who both blossomed in
their own ways. Dwight—a mean three-point dead
shot—played for five different PBA teams and contributed
his share of dazzling three-point shots that became game
decision-makers. Elmer was an Alaska stalwart who was
also a three-point meanie and a defensive stalwart. Both
brothers—who were one of the first, if not the first,
Filipino-Americans in the collegiate league—made history
in the UAAP with the “Lago Rule.” It is that rule which
restricts the number of foreign players playing on the
court at the same time. Very relevant today in the very
same league, don’t you think?
OLDER
basketball fans may remember Ricky and Mollet Pineda.
Ricky is best known for his record-making 52 points
scored for a Letran game back in the 70s. Both brothers
gave the Knights some tourneys to remember.
And
there is also Philip and David Cezar—two accomplished
brothers who made the Jose Rizal University Bombers
(then still known as JRC) ride high in the 70’s. Philip
developed a flourishing career in San Juan politics
after basketball, and currently coaches a college team.
David Cezar, we hear, still plays basketball, but no
longer in the big leagues.
Even
farther back go the Fajardo brothers—Fely and Gabby—who
were also notably Letran Knights. Both have been
inducted into the Philippine Basketball Hall of Fame, as
both were Olympians and basketball legends.
There
are also the Bruise Brothers of Alaska—Elpidio Villamin
and Ricky Relosa—the strongest twin towers beneath the
basket. Although they didn’t share any DNA.
WELL, I
got to talk to one brother two days ago. Bumped into
Franz Pumaren in the gym and got to talking. I asked him
what people like to ask La Sallites or Ateneans these
days: “What’s the UAAP decision on the protest?”
Franz
said there wasn’t anything from the UAAP Board yet. But
he seemed sure the protest had legs to stand on.
I
congratulated him on his team’s unified look of shaven
heads and Spartan resolve which they sported in their
game against UST last Saturday. Shaving their heads as a
sign of solidarity probably helped the Archers turn back
the determined and dangerous Tigers last weekend.
Shaved
heads in basketball—or in war—are not uncommon, really.
The Philippine Marines shaved their heads to decry the
barbaric slaying of their comrades in Tipo-Tipo. Even
Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption chairman Dante
Jimenez shaved his head in the presence of the relatives
of the 14 slain Marines to protest that. The shaven head
is a strong visual image that results in an arresting
statement—whatever it is.
IT may
be religious—as the shaolin do it—to symbolize their
detachment from all worldly things and to focus on their
spiritual mission. It may be in protest—as the Marines
and Dante Jimenez did to call angry attention to what
has happened and what they want people to never forget.
Or it may be for unity—as the La Sallites did, so they
can be stronger, fiercer, better. True brothers, who
share a common bond.
Once
upon a time, or so I heard, the Ysmael Steel
Admirals—the archrivals of the YCO Painters during a
bygone, glorious basketball era—rocked the sensibilities
of that demure age when they also appeared on court—from
coaching staff to water boy— with their heads shiny and
shaven. This was after they lost an all-important game
to the Painters, which they had vowed to win.
Just
goes to show that In the theater of sports, how you look
as a team can speak volumes. All men can truly look like
brothers when they’re kalbo. |
