Playing Hooky!

For the second time this season, I went out and watched the first game of the PBA All-Filipino Cup Finals at the Araneta Coliseum between the Red Bull Barakos and Purefoods Chunkee Giants. (The first time was also the first game of the Finals – Reinforced Conference, also between Red Bull and Purefoods) What made both experiences exciting and memorable aside from the actual games is that I watched the games behind my bosses’ backs! Okay, it’s probably an irresponsible thing to do, making up excuses to take a (totally deserved) leave just to watch a basketball game, so just forget about these issues first and let me talk about my experience!

You’re probably wondering: why did I watch the Finals games when Ginebra didn’t even figure in both Finals? I am actually supporting Red Bull, which is a curious thing, considering that the person I watched the game with was supporting Purefoods! Ah, and now you’re wondering why I am supporting Red Bull. No, I haven’t forgotten that it was Celino Cruz who made that game-winning shot against Ginebra that sent Red Bull to the Finals last conference. No, I haven’t forgotten that it was Red Bull, again, who dashed Ginebra’s hopes of making it to the semis this season. No, I haven’t forgotten how Lordy Tugade seemed more “mayabang” (and more “magaling”) every time Red Bull played Ginebra. No, I haven’t forgotten any of these, but I also haven’t forgotten that Cyrus Baguio plays for Red Bull and that for me is reason enough.

(It didn’t help that the only time I’ll ever support Purefoods is if they’re playing against Alaska. My mantra had always been anybody-but-Alaska – and anybody-but-Purefoods-except-when-they’re-playing-against-Alaska. Hahaha. My apologies to my friends who support any of these two teams. Feel free to flame me in the comments section!)

Now back to our scheduled blabbing.

We had floor seats – and by floor seats I mean that the only thing separating us from the players’ bench is the hardcourt itself! We were that close that you can grab the players inbounding (I know this isn’t a proper word!) the ball. (Not that I had grabbed anyone, though I had to exercise severe self-control not to! *cough*Baguio*cough*). I had contemplated going incognito by wearing a cap but I think it would just draw more attention to me. Luckily, the cameras are behind us so the most you could see of us in TV were our heads.

First game was the battle for third between Alaska Aces and San Miguel Beermen. Ha! Piece of cake. I am rooting for San Miguel, no questions asked. Unfortunately, the Aces won, backed by superb performances from Mike Cortez and Jeffrey Cariaso. Ah, Cariaso and his number. So much memories. Hahaha. Kidding!

It was the first time I noticed that every time a team calls for time-out, four security personnel would stand guard on the four corners of the court. Funny thing, though, is that one of the security personnel chose to stand not on the corners (like the other three) but right smack to where a team was huddled, as if he was trying to join the huddle! (Can’t blame him, though, for I would have done the same thing hahaha!)

So after the explosive opening ceremonies, players’ intro, ceremonial jumpball, the main event begins! Wait, you don’t expect me to give you a blow by blow account of the game itself, do you? Let me just recount bits and pieces of the action (and some of my thoughts) last night:

• The fun thing about supporting Red Bull is that you get to root for the underdog, popularity-wise. My gimmick-mate is a rabid Purefoods fan, and so are the couple seating next to me, the people behind us, and about two-thirds of those at the Big Dome. My previous experiences in watching live PBA games are that I’m with the crowd (since Ginebra is arguably the most popular PBA team). It was a different feeling when you’re cheering for a, well, unpopular team, and your cheers get booed, only for the crowd to be silenced by your team via a well-timed dunk or a dramatic three-point shot. More so when you’re the solitary Red Bull supporter pumping her fist at the courtside area! (the other Red Bull fans were seated near Red Bull’s bench while we were seated opposite Purefoods’ bench).

• I watched the game because I love the sport and not merely for the eye candy. I am a sports enthusiast first and foremost. Being a fangirl is a distant second. That’s why I was excited to be seating so near the hardcourt because I get to hear the point guards and coaches issuing instructions, players cheering for their teammates and thrash-talking the opposing players (ang sama ko di ba?!) and basically to see the game at almost the same vantage point as those who are playing it. Well, my love for the game didn’t prevent me from bringing a pentel pen (just in case I can sneak an autograph) and from taking pictures of the players while they’re practicing (the pictures though, were a bit disappointing. how am I supposed to snap a good pic when they’re moving so much?!). I was so, so tempted to scream out Baguio’s name (“Baguio! pa-picture naman!!!) so that I can take a decent shot of him looking in my direction (swoon!). I even called the Purefoods’ mascot to our side to ask if he could take a picture of Baguio for me (you read it right, I am asking the Purefoods mascot to take a picture of a Red Bull player. what does that make me?) but when the mascot approached us, I chickened out and decided to just take a picture of the mascot! What a waste of memory space! Anyway, the Purefoods mascot was cool because he interacted with the fans, unlike Red Bull’s who did nothing but just sit at a corner.
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• Tugade was looking all kinds of cute last night, primarily because he was so good. I can’t work out my feelings for him. He is such a smug a** but I can’t help but cheer for him when he shoots the lights out at the Big Dome. Love him or hate him? I'm starting to feel both. Help! (But honestly? The “Lord of the Rings”? What kind of a moniker is that?!)

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• Baguio looked so intense. He got my attention way back in college when he donned UST Growling Tigers’ colors and made a reputation for himself as a high-leaper. Too bad that Nino Gelig and him failed to lift the Tigers to a UAAP championship. Gelig continues to underachieve, but Baguio, so far, had been consistent (although his game last night was nowhere near satisfying to me). You would think I had enough of Baguio since I got to see him back in college on an almost daily basis (although I never got to act all fangirly over him because I had a BF then!). But “UST Varsity Player” is not in the same league as “PBA player” (and a starting five at that) and Baguio, in my eyes, is the most attractive guy at the Big Dome (I am shallow that way.) Whenever he gets anywhere near where I’m sitting, I would make this almighty sigh and say “hay, so close yet so far…”

• My cheers for Red Bull were always punctuated with my own nasty comments like: “Ang yabang mo, Lordy!”; “Syet ka, Celino Cruz!!!”, “Shut up, Topex!”, “Enrico bano!”, “Go Diego!” (referring to Junthy Valenzuela. Hey, it wasn’t my idea! It was another Purefoods fan who screamed that and I thought it was funny! And cruel. I’m bad.). And you wonder why I support this team when I thrash talk its players as much (or more than) the opposing team. I can really be weird sometimes. Well, it’s like what I said: Baguio.is.reason.enough.

• But the real reason why I’m supporting Red Bull is that the team is like Ginebra in some ways. I like my basketball games fast, action-packed and most likely to result to a bench-clearing brawl, and both Red Bull and Ginebra rise magnificently to the occasion. But by some stroke of bad luck, I have yet to witness a live PBA game when players play like boxers or wrestlers hahaha! (The only game I had watched that had some semblance of a ruckus was a UAAP game between UST and La Salle when the UST crowd threw things on the court. It was UST’s finest hour.) So, not only am I weird but I’m also nasty. Bwahahahah. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that I appreciate intense games and intense players and both Red Bull and Ginebra had given me that (most especially when it’s Red Bull vs. Ginebra!).

• Another thing I noticed last night was that the players take care of each other at the court, not just their own teammates but also those from the opposing team. They try to cushion a player’s fall, they contort their bodies so that they can do the least damage when they collide to another player, those sort of thing you normally don’t notice on TV - and when you’re actually wishing for deliberate fouls!

• Even if I grew up in a male-dominated environment, there are still some things I’ll never really understand about men and basketball is one of them. When cynicism sets in, I wonder why grown up men in shorts and sleeveless shirts fighting over some ball could capture a man’s full attention and devotion. I wonder why the said grown up men get so intense over making a Hail Mary shot, a power dunk, and why they can’t seem to figure out that knee high socks look so ridiculous. Sometimes I wanted to enter a basketball player’s mind and heart to see what they are thinking and feeling at such highly intense situations (and how they decide that they want to use headbands as accessories rather than armbands). I sort of find it supremely cheesy when coaches talk about how they motivate their team or how their game plans were inspired by watching films like Braveheart and reading The Art of War. (It didn’t help that I had watched an episode of Slamball and they’ve once shown a dug-out huddle and the coach drew a heart on the whiteboard and started banging his heart while repeatedly saying “Heart! Heart!” as a way to motivate his players) Men – such lovely and enigmatic creatures.

Purefoods drew first blood and won Game 1, but Red Bull gave them a good run for their money. This is going to be an exciting series! Yeng Guiao had hinted that he might retire, but that he wanted to add an All-Filipino championship to his belt. Let’s see if his “bataan” would respond to his wishes. Go Red Bull!

(You might also be wondering why I haven’t talked much about (or even mention the name of) the person I was with. Let’s just say I am not the only one playing hooky hahaha! What made the whole experience infinitely more memorable is that even if we’re supporting different ballclubs, it was still a fun experience for both of us. So will my partner in crime please stand up? =D)