Philippine basketball has started to develop a small but vibrant community on Twitter. The Sweetest Tweets is a round-up of the best messages, in 140 characters or less.



Oh, we’re all going to miss Rod’s tweets while he’s away. I hope his date with Destiny finally goes through.



Yeah, tell ‘em Rick! I completely agree! Sino ba ‘yang mga SBP official na yan?! Mamaya pati mga nanay at tatay nila, isama pa nila sa Taipei!



Hacheche-pache!



I still remember Joey Mente throwing water bottles at the Taiwanese crowd. Iloilo Megavoltz for the win!



I’m sure Cesca Litton is flattered to get compliments from the PBA’s resident fashion expert.



I think Bo Perasol traded for Paolo Mendoza just so they can have isaw at UP after practice with Marvin Cruz.



Yeah! Fire Quinito!



Simpleng yabang lang din ‘tong si Cabaggie, eh noh?



Yeah, this is what this feature is here for, to document Robbie Reyes’ Twilight fandom.



Also, to keep track of James Ty III’s undying love for Jessica “Jessilicious” Mendoza. Keep fighting the good fight, James!

Patricia Hizon broke news of the blockbuster trade on Twitter this morning: Alaska sent two-time PBA Most Valuable Player Willie Miller to Ginebra in exchange for the electric Cyrus Baguio.

Alaska coach Tim Cone told the Manila Bulletin that Miller had wanted out of the team for the last two years, but the Aces didn’t bite until this offer came along.

My first thought after hearing the news was that it felt like another Wacky Trade for Alaska. Credentials-wise, Ginebra seems to have made out like bandits in the trade. Miller is the best player on Alaska, and was the main man of a team that made two straight Philippine Cup finals appearances. Baguio, meanwhile, had been relegated to a backup job in Ginebra’s crowded backcourt, playing behind Mark Caguioa, Ronald Tubid, and JC Intal.

But a closer look at the basketball merits of the trade reveals that it isn’t quite as simple. Miller, who played heavy minutes (more than 35 per game in the Fiesta Conference) as Alaska’s top gun, will be joining a Ginebra line-up that, with reigning MVP Jayjay Helterbrand, has enough guards to open a security agency. It remains to be seen how Miller will adjust to a smaller role; even when he played with loaded teams with Red Bull and Talk N Text, he always was a main focus of the offense, something that doesn’t look likely with Ginebra. He will also be forced to play more minutes at the point guard spot, which he can do, but it’s not his ideal position. Miller is also older than Baguio, and his transfer adds years to a nearly geriatric Ginebra squad.

(By the way, I don’t think Ginebra is done trading.)

At first glance, Cyrus Baguio seems like an odd fit for Alaska, which features a plodding offensive attack anchored on floor spacing, outside shooting, and pounding the ball down low. Alaska’s vaunted triangle is predicated on getting the best possible shot in the halfcourt, while lulling their opponents to sleep with crisp passes that swing the ball from the strong side to the weak side.

But Alaska didn’t always play this way. In fact, Tim Cone’s earliest PBA teams were run-and-gun machines. They played such an exciting style that the television panel unofficially dubbed them the Alaska Air Force, which is a much cooler nickname than their current one, by the way. Their best player happened to be Paul Alvarez who, like Baguio, was blessed with a lightning-quick first step, mad hops, and a ridiculous ability to make twisting layups in the air. In one Ginebra broadcast last conference, Quinito Henson said that Baguio is the new Samboy Lim, which is wrong in so many ways, not least of which is the fact that Skyrus’ game is heir not to the Skywalker, but to Mr. Excitement. Let’s just hope Baguio doesn’t end up getting shot outside a seedy sauna with Allen Sasan.

I’m frankly excited about Cyrus Baguio raising hell on the break all game once again, and here’s hoping Cone loosens the reins. They have a recipe to do it too, with big guys in Sonny Thoss and Samigue Eman to control the boards and a dynamic point guard in LA Tenorio who could push the ball like the wind.

So right now, I think this trade will end up favoring Alaska. Then again, while Alaska team manager Joaqui Trillo has made a lot of good trades for his team, his record hasn’t been perfect. In 2000, Alaska traded former MVP Johnny Abarrientos to Pop Cola (later Coca-Cola), figuring that the star point guard’s career was on the way down, but it wasn’t, as Abarrientos ended up leading the Tigers to a couple of championships.

So how will the trade shake out? We’ll get our first look this coming Friday, as Alaska faces Ginebra in the main game of the PBA.

Gabe Freeman and Arwind Santos will be teaming up for San Miguel this year

Listed below are ten statements about the PBA Fiesta Conference, which kicks off this Sunday, March 21. In the comments, leave a post on whether you think each statement is true or false, and a short explanation why this is so.

1. Bonbon Custodio will replace Joseph Yeo’s production at Sta. Lucia


2. Barako Coffee/Harbour Centre will finish out of the cellar for the first time in four conferences


3. You will actually care about the Coca-Cola Tigers this conference


4. Yancy de Ocampo will see meaningful minutes for Ginebra


5. Mike Cortez and Renren Ritualo will be an elite PBA backcourt for Air 21


6. Rain or Shine’s Jai Lewis will be the best import for the conference


7. Alex Cabagnot will make it to the semifinals for the first time in his career with San Miguel


8. Talk N Text’s Mac Cardona will lead locals in scoring this conference


9. Samigue Eman will make an immediate impact in the Alaska front court


10. The Derby Ace Llamados will win back-to-back championships

My answers, after the jump.

Last Friday, Bloomberg reported that Kirin was looking into the possibility of raising its stake in San Miguel Brewery. The Japanese beer giant already owns 48% of the company, with San Miguel Corporation owning 51%.

An increase in stake would almost certainly give Kirin control of San Miguel Brewery’s operations, which include significant inroads into the growing Southeast Asian market that the former covets. However, any deal for the Brewery would certainly come at a premium, but if Kirin is willing to dance, San Miguel Corporation might be willing to listen. After all, the Danding Cojuangco-chaired conglomerate has been actively seeking to diversify into high-growth, capital-intensive businesses over the last couple of years. Just this month, San Miguel has been reported to be included in deals involving a power plant in Mindanao, a major expressway from Manila to Tuguegarao, and an MRT project from Manila to Bulacan.

It would be hard to imagine San Miguel Corporation giving up control of its flagship brand, but stranger things have happened in the world of business. The conglomerate, in fact, has been quite active in major transactions involving large food and beverage businesses in the country. In 1998, San Miguel sold its stake in its ice cream and dairy business to erstwhile joint venture partner Nestle, which led to Magnolia ice cream being off the market for five years. In 2001, San Miguel bought the Purefoods business from the Ayala Corporation, which was looking to raise funds to finance capital expenditure for its Globe Telecom business. In 2007, San Miguel sold its stake in the local Coke business to the Coca-Cola Company, effectively ending a partnership that dates back to 1927.

Curiously, the last two transactions directly involved PBA ballclubs. It remains to be seen how this potential transaction would affect the status of the San Miguel team, who are a big part of the company’s culture owing to Cojuangco’s love of the sport; the Brewery’s corporate website, in fact, reserves a prominent spot for the Beermen. Will the San Miguel Corporation retain control of the Beermen even if it no longer controls the Brewery? Will the PBA franchise be re-assigned to another San Miguel subsidiary, that is, welcome back, Magnolia Beverage Masters? Or will Kirin take control of not just the Brewery, but the team as well?