Reliving the rivalry

The other day, players from Crispa and Toyota trooped to the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) office in Pasig for a meeting with Commissioner Noli Eala on the much-awaited retro game to start off the All-Star Weekend on May 30 at the Araneta Coliseum.

Supervisor of officials Ernie de Leon, a former Redmanizer himself, briefed the legends on the rules of the revival game. Someone suggested 10-minute quarters just in case the jalopies run out of gas. But the proud veterans refused to play under senior citizen rules. They’ll go by existing PBA rules–12-minute quarters, no illegal defense, six-foul limit, and so on. They may be jalopies but they’re in excellent running condition or so they claim.

Toyota’s Boy Clarino, 47, asked if they’ll be subjected to a drug test. The guys around the table in the PBA conference room laughed. Eala said, "No drug test but maybe, a mandatory blood pressure test." More laughter.

Crispa’s Willie Tanduyan, 50, wondered if they’ll get complimentary tickets. Relatives from the province are expected to invade the Big Dome in droves. Tanduyan confessed sheepishly his grandchildren want to watch him play. Eala assured the veterans of their share of tickets.

Tanduyan said he’s ready to play hard. He recalled getting whacked by Sen. Robert Jaworski during the wild and wooly Crispa-Toyota duels. Tanduyan, looking fit and trim, said he’s waited years for the chance to get back at the Big J. Still more laughter.

The players were also at the PBA office to get measured for uniforms. Tanduyan said he prefers to wear old-style shorts, meaning way above the knee. If the shorts drop down to the knees, he’ll fold up the hems. Some habits are just too hard to break.

Eala said the PBA has allocated a budget for only 15 players each team. So far, 17 players are in Crispa’s lineup and 14 in Toyota’s. Baby Dalupan and Tommy Manotoc–a pair of Grand Slam coaches–will conspire to call the shots for the Redmanizers. Dante Silverio and the Big J will coach Toyota. The PBA is setting aside an appearance allowance for each player–reportedly, P10,000.

Among the players in the meeting were Atoy Co, Bogs Adornado, Mon Cruz, Romulo Mamaril, Rey Pajes, Orly Bauzon, Gil Cortez, Ulysses Rodriguez, Rolly Marcelo, Ed Camus, Tino Reynoso, and Emer Legaspi. Silverio came, too.

You wouldn’t recognize some of them. Co and Adornado–both 51–still look the same as they did when they wore the Crispa colors. But a few others were overweight, balding and wrinkled. No matter how they looked, you knew the guys were hardcourt heroes once upon a time. They joked about the good, old days–when they shrugged off injuries to play hurt, when they hit the winning shot, when they were the heroes, when they were the goats, and when they were slapped technicals by those crazy referees.

Deep inside each and every one of those legends beats a heart that’s as big as a boulder.

Silverio invited players from both teams to a get-together dinner in his Dasmarinas Village home. Not just the Toyota veterans but also the Crispa players. During the get-together, he said he’ll assemble the Toyota players in a room for a secret pow-wow, a strategy session.

Will he call for practice? "Of course," replied Silverio. "But I won’t call too many practices. I’m afraid by the time the game starts, I won’t have too many players left."

Incidentally, Silverio–a gifted artist–took a pencil and a page from a notepad to sketch a freehand portrait of Legaspi who sat opposite him. It was over in about 15 minutes. Legaspi held up the piece of paper, marveled at the likeness, and said he’ll frame it.

The players checked on the whereabouts of their colleagues. Crispa’s Jimmy Javier has passed away, someone reported. Tanduyan was shocked at the news. Where’s Joy Dionisio, another asked. The guard who hit the first shot in the first-ever PBA game in 1975 is working for the Customs somewhere in the South, noted Clarino.

Bauzon, the oldest in the group at 58, said his wife Josefina of the Philippine Sports Commission is looking forward to watching him play.

Eala said Francis Arnaiz is definitely not flying in to play. He couldn’t get a leave from work in Sacramento. And there is talk of retrenchment–if Arnaiz goes on leave, he may just lose his job.

The PBA has invited Estoy Estrada, who lives in San Francisco, to plane in at the league’s expense. Danny Florencio, another Bay Area resident, begged off from playing.

Jaworski, Ramon Fernandez, Ed Cordero, Chito Loyzaga, Terry Saldana, Ompong Segura, Philip Cesar, Bernie Fabiosa, Freddie Hubalde, Abet Guidaben, Bong de la Cruz, Cris Calilan, Rudy Soriano, Itoy Esguerra, Tito Varela, Rey Franco and Dionisio are included in the player rosters.

The Big J is definitely playing. He hasn’t formally retired and there’s talk of plans for a ceremony befitting the Living Legend sometime this season.

Eala said players from the ’70s will be given priority in making the lineup. But if not too many players from the pioneer era are available, then the teams may recruit from their stars of the ’80s.

The retro cagers are taping an appearance on Sharon Cuneta’s ABS-CBN show next week and they’re lined up to guest on shows like "Eat Bulaga."

Yesteryear’s PBA celebrities are gearing up to relive their glory days in a game of a lifetime. It’s Crispa versus Toyota all over again–the same players, the same referees (if they can still run), the same TV broadcasters (Dick Ildefonso and Emy Arcilla are being invited to cover the revival), the same sportswriters (Eddie Alinea, Gus Villanueva, Iking Gonzales). The fever just won’t die down.

PBA technical director Perry Martinez said ticket orders are keeping the league’s phone lines busy. I’m not surprised. The PBA’s loyal fans from the early years won’t miss this chance to watch their heroes back in action. And the league’s new generation fans are eager to experience the drama and excitement that they’ve only read about in history books.

On May 30, the young and the old will toast a basketball rivalry that marked an unforgettable chapter in PBA lore. If only for the memory, the Crispa versus Toyota revival game is a must-see.