Since the end of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, the Internet has been abuzz with blind items and rumors about trades that were being discussed by teams around the league. The first domino fell last night, as Waylon Galvez of the Manila Bulletin reports that the Alaska Aces have sent do-everything forward Joe Devance to the Air 21 Express in exchange for the talented if underachieving Jay-R Reyes, pending approval from Commissioner Chito Salud.

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The PBA hasn’t had a particularly interesting All-Star Game since 1989, the year when the midseason matchup became an annual event. For most fans going into the game, the big storyline was the reunion of Ramon Fernandez and Robert Jaworski, stalwarts of the old Toyota powerhouse team who had since been estranged.

As a diehard 7-year-old Purefoods fan, however, I couldn’t care less about the Veterans; my heart was for the Rookies-Sophomores team through and through. The youngsters included five players from my favorite team: sophomores Jojo Lastimosa, Alvin Patrimonio, and Jerry Codiñera, and rookies Nelson Asaytono and Dindo Pumaren. Conversely, the Veterans were comprised mainly of stars from my team’s hated rivals San Miguel, then in the middle of its Grand Slam season, featuring Fernandez, Samboy Lim, Elmer Reyes, Yves Dignadice, and Hector Calma.

Continue reading "The 1989 PBA All-Star Game"

In the latest episode of the From the Stands podcast, Chuck Araneta, Polo Bustamante and Carlo Pamintuan look back at the last three games of the ongoing PBA Commissioner's Cup finals between Talk N Text and Ginebra. They also look ahead to the All-Star Game, and discuss ways to fix the annual classic. In this week's old school/new school, they take a look at the maddening careers of two of the most gifted PBA big men ever, Jun Limpot and Jay Washington.

Continue reading "From the Stands: PBA finals talk, All-Star game, Jun Limpot vs Jay Washington"

If you wanted to listen to the discussion in the premiere of the Patay Ang Butiki web show, but weren’t too thrilled about watching our mugs on video, then you’re in luck! The show will also be available as an audio-only podcast. Listen in as Niko and Mikkel Bolante of Patay Ang Butiki discuss the past, present, and future of the San Miguel franchise along with me and Toff Rada.



Click on the player to listen, or download the file, or subscribe to it on iTunes or on RSS.

This is the premiere episode of Patay Ang Butiki, a new web show that will be appearing regularly on Fire Quinito. The show is produced by brothers Niko and Mikkel Bolante of Patay Ang Butiki.

In episode one, Niko and Mikkel are joined by ABS-CBN sportscaster Toff Rada and me to look deep into the woes of the San Miguel franchise.

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In 2007, after Noli Eala was forced to resign by the Philippine Basketball Association as commissioner due to his disbarment, two candidates were up for the position: former telecommunications executive Lambert Ramos and lawyer Chito Salud. Neither man had enough votes to be appointed commissioner; San Miguel, Ginebra, Coke, Welcoat, and Red Bull – the SMC bloc – voted for Salud, while Air 21, Alaska, Sta. Lucia, and Talk N Text – the MVP bloc – voted for Ramos.

However, each man needed six out of the nine votes (voting rights haven’t been restored to Purefoods at the time) to be appointed commissioner. Unable to break the deadlock, the board decided to appoint Renauld “Sonny” Barrios, who at the time was OIC of the PBA, to the commissionership full time.

Continue reading "The curious politics of Sonny Barrios’ appointment as SBP executive director"

Patricia Hizon broke the news on Twitter that the three San Miguel Corporation teams in the PBA – San Miguel Beer, Ginebra, and B-MEG Derby Ace – have voted against allowing the sale of the Barako Bull franchise to Phoenix Petroleum. With Air 21 voting alongside the conglomerate, it effectively prevents the sale from happening, as league rules dictate that a franchise sale needs the approval of 2/3rds of the board, or 7 out of 10 votes. The board ended up voting in favor of the sale, 6-4, which was not enough to approve it.

Continue reading "SMC, Air 21 block Barako sale to Phoenix"

In the latest episode of From the Stands, Chuck Araneta, Polo Bustamante, and Carlo Pamintuan talk about the two biggest surprises of the ongoing Commissioner's Cup: the league-leading Smart Gilas and the cellar-dwelling San Miguel. In this week's old school vs. new school, they compare two of the best sharpshooters in PBA history: Allan Caidic and James Yap.



Click on the player to listen, or download the file, or subscribe to it on iTunes or on RSS. And leave a comment, the From the Stands boys just might discuss them in the next episode, or even invite you to come along.

Fidel Mangonon III broke news on Twitter that PBA commissioner Chito Salud has approved the motion of San Miguel to change the team’s name to Petron Blaze. The move comes after the reported proposal by another petroleum company, Phoenix, to join the PBA.

Petron’s entry doesn’t mean that the Phoenix bid to join the PBA is dead; any transaction for a franchise sale would require two-thirds approval of the league’s board of governors (7 out of 10). Currently, San Miguel Corporation owns three seats in the board.

Continue reading "San Miguel to change its name to Petron"