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.

Continue reading "Alaska trades Joe Devance for Jay-R Reyes"

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"

Because both teams are bankrolled by Manny Pangilinan, sports fans assumed that it would not be an issue for the Talk N Text Tropang Texters to lend its players to the Smart Gilas Pilipinas National Team, which is scheduled to represent the country in the 2011 Fiba-Asia Championship. Talk N Text team captain Jimmy Alapag and power forward Kelly Williams had been eyed by Smart Gilas coach Rajko Toroman to reinforce the national squad, along with Meralco’s Asi Taulava and Air 21’s Dondon Hontiveros.

The idea was that lending the players to Smart Gilas would allow the professionals to become familiar with their teammates and with Toroman’s system. But it would also mean that these players would not play for their club teams for the PBA’s season-ending Governor’s Cup.

Continue reading "Smart Gilas, Talk N Text, and Alaska ‘98"

Chuck Araneta, Polo Bustamante and Carlo Pamintuan were in the house for game 1 of the Commissioners Cup Finals last night between Talk N Text and Ginebra. After taking in the action, literally, from the stands, they caught up with winning coach Chot Reyes and import Paul Harris after the game. The boys take on a different tack in this week’s old school and new school, comparing the powerhouse Texters squad to two different dynasties: the legendary Crispa Redmanizers and the winning machine that was the ’90s Alaska Milkmen.

Continue reading "From the Stands: PBA Finals talk with Chot Reyes & Paul Harris, TNT vs Alaska/Crispa"

Polo Bustamante and Carlo Pamintuan are back this week alongside Chuck Araneta in time for the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals. But first, they recap Air 21’s upset of Alaska and the heroics of Mark “The Spark” Caguioa in Ginebra’s win over Rain Or Shine. For this week’s old school versus new school, the guys pit two of the greatest point guards in Ateneo Blue Eagles history: Olsen Racela vs. LA Tenorio.

Continue reading "From the Stands: Air 21’s upset, Mark the Spark’s return, Olsen Racela vs. LA Tenorio"

The usual suspects Polo Bustamante, and Carlo Pamintuan were unavailable last night, so I stepped in for a one-on-one podcast with Chuck Araneta in the latest episode of the From the Stands podcast. After briefly eulogizing the B-MEG Derby Ace campaign in the Commissioner's Cup and talking about the controversial Alaska-Air 21 match-up, we broke down the quarterfinals matchups: Air 21 vs Alaska and Ginebra vs Rain or Shine, and how the teams stack up against top seeds Talk N Text and Smart Gilas.

For this week's Old School vs New School, we compare two of the PBA's greatest shooting guards: Jojo Lastimosa and Mark Caguioa, whose fans argue that each guy is the greatest player never to win the MVP award.

Continue reading "From the Stands: Handicapping the PBA quarters, Jojo Lastimosa vs Mark Caguioa"

The latest issue of Baller, the PBA’s lifestyle magazine, is out now, featuring the Meralco Bolts’ coach Ryan Gregorio (known around these parts as “The Genius”) and spitfire guard Mac Cardona on the cover.

Continue reading "Issue 3 of Baller out now!"

I found myself last night having dinner in a table of very tall people. It was Jojo Lastimosa’s birthday, and he invited me to his house where he hosted dinner with a few friends, mostly current and former Alaska players along with fellow assistant Joel Banal.

Coach J was hilarious, holding court and regaling us with all kinds of anecdotes, which he only agreed to tell on the condition that I won’t write about it on the blog. I couldn’t even mention people we were making fun of last night.

Continue reading "An Alaska dinner"