Lost in China 3: Toyota-Crispa sidelights

Fiba World Cup Notes

GUANGZHOU, China – Breaks in between games gives fans, supporters and officials a chance to get together to see the city, do some shopping, eat local food, and naturally talk basketball. In a rare opportunity, we had the chance to spend practically an entire evening chatting with illustrious pioneers of the Toyota team in four-time MVP and now PSC Commissioner Ramon Fernandez and Gil Cortez, the PBA’s first ever Rookie of the Year. It was only natural for the people in the group to ask for juicy tales and news that we never heard or read about. Both shared interesting stories about the heydeys of the PBA, most notably the rivalry between the Toyota Comets and the Crispa Redmanizers, one that we followed as a kid.

At one of the biggest rumbles between both teams, did you know that all players of both sides were sent to jail after a free-for-all broke out at one of their now famous games-turned-rumbles? Mon recalled how he received a punch from Atoy Co after he himself punched someone from the other side. Meanwhile, Gil recalled how he held on to Crispa Coach Baby Dalupan’s arms in a form of both protection and defense, reminding the legendary coach how he would never hurt his former coach at Ateneo. The rivalry spilled over to prison where both sides stayed on opposite sides of the military stockade in Fort Bonifacio. Although the fights didn’t cross over to prison, the rivalry was felt in different ways, including the visits of the girlfriends or wives of both sides. Even food was a venue for competition. If Crispa was provided with their favorite Filipino meals, Toyota would reply by sending the team steak from a posh restaurant/caterer. The rivalry would spill over to “Where Else? Disco,” a popular nightspot for the young and famous, also in Makati. This is where the players met their supporters, fans and women. Cars in the 70s? Rivalry too! Mon recalled how he drove a Toyota Macho Machine and later a Toyota Corolla Liftback with a modified 2TG twin-cam engine, thanks to the assistance of the mechanics of Toyota Coach and Manager Dante Silverio who was into car racing. Cortez said that Fernandez and Sonny Jaworski had the fastest and coolest cars among the PBA players then.

Both pioneers also recalled how the days of team quarters started with their generation of players. Silverio rented a house for the team at the posh San Lorenzo Village in Makati and then later transferred to a customized house fit for the team in Bel-Air (Makati). Being the only legitimate single men of the team, Fernandez, Cortez and Ompong Segura lived like kings in the quarters. They would be joined by the rest of the team for lunch daily before heading off to practice. Did you also know that the Toyota players were regulars at parties held at the Malacañang Palace? Who would’ve expected that 40 years later, Toyota now has a PSC Commissioner with direct access to Malacañang, but for sports and not parties.