PBA*
game in Bohol
By: LeahTM
Basketball!
If height is associated with basketball, then obviously, when someone sees
me, he would never ever think for a split second about basketball. Well, I
won't blame him. I don't have the "height" and I also can't talk
anything about basketball either. Why? Because I can never understand the
"rules" of a basketball game and I still wonder why 10 tall people
run back and forth the court, jump, reach out, push, and the action never
ends only to "fight" over one ball. When watching a basketball game,
sometimes, I would say to myself "Why do these very tall people still
have to fight over one ball. Why would they be given each one a basketball
so they don't have to fight over one basketball?"
A lot of you there are avid basketball fans, I know, but I can really say
that I am not a basketball fan. I am not trying to spoil something here, I
just want you to take a peep of someone's point of view who is not like you
- an avid basketball fan.
Last May 9, 2003, I was one of the lucky thousands of Boholanos and visitors
to personally watch the first ever PBA basketball game played live here in
Bohol. It was held at the "Entertainment Capital of Bohol : Calape"
in the town's gymnasium, which is also Bohol's biggest. And I am sure that
if the gym is fully finished, it will also be the most beautiful gymnasium
here in Bohol.
You might wonder what a basketball ignorant, like me, was doing there. Well,
I, together with my husband (who himself could be a basketball player because
he has the height) was there to accompany my best friend and her husband,
who is an avid basketball fan. I could just imagine how serious my friend's
husband is when it comes to basketball for he brought his whole family here
to Bohol and stayed at Bohol Beach Club just so he can watch the PBA game
here in Bohol. He is also a good friend of Calape Mayor Ernest Herrera (who
is also a new friend of mine), so we were all guests of Mayor Ernest to the
PBA game in his hometown.
After a quick tour to Loboc to have pictures taken with the tarsiers and
the river cruise ride, my husband was driving fast to be able to reach to
Calape on time. We arrived in Calape from Tagbilaran at around almost 5 in
the afternoon and when we got there, we already had difficulty parking our
van. The whole place was really filled with vehicles from all over Bohol.
And when we got into the gym, the whole place was full that I guess it was
already filled beyond its maximum sitting capacity. I was hot inside but everybody
wasn't complaining because everybody was excited to watch the PBA games. The
game was played between Alaska and Red Bull teams. A lot say that these are
both good teams. An acquaintance asked me as to which team I am for, and I
just said " I don't know, I am not a fan of either team". Sorry,
I should have said "I don't know, I am not a basketball fan at all."
But anyhow, I am a kind of person who easily gets along with anything I am
into and who can make myself busy and enjoy with what is there. So, I can
say that being there to watch the games was enjoyable for me anyway, although
my friend say that he didn't enjoy as much because I guess we were not seated
comfortably. And besides, we can't have a good view of the game because we
were seated just behind the Alaska team's bench. The players' backs were blocking
the view. Although I am sure that Alaska fans were envious of us for we were
seated near the players.
While the game was being played, a lot of people were cheering, shouting,
and I could see all their excitements. But I was keeping on asking my friend
and my husband, "How come that shoot was only for 1 point and the other
one was 2 points?", or " What is a foul?" Gee, I am that ignorant.
Well, even if I was and I am that ignorant, I still found something enjoyable
about the game.
I enjoyed seeing good looking guys (my husband and my close friend's husband
are both good looking though) basketball players. I found the Alaska players
more good looking than the Red Bull Players. Although, I was proud of myself
that at least, I know one of the Red Bull players (who was the only good looking
guy in their team) for he is a popular male model : Vince Hizon. And maybe,
since I can't understand the game much, I got more interested in watching
other things beside the game itself. I was interested in seeing how the Alaska
coach was reacting to every move that his players make. And I guess, I was
the only one in the sea of people who was instead noticing that every time
the player sits on the bench to take a time out, each player is given a new
piece of dry towel, than how much goals have a certain player has made. Well,
I even lost track counting on how many towels were used. And oh, I also noticed
that each player has it's own bottle of drink (either an energy drink or water)
and each bottle has his number on it.
What else have I noticed? Let me enumerate:
- All the players' shoes and uniform were brand new (at least, that is what
I thought);
- Players are very spoiled;
- Ice-bags are placed on the back of the player's neck while they are seated
on the bench to take a break;
- Or cold wet towels are placed over their heads;
- All the players sweat a lot that they look like they came from a shower
in their basketball jerseys;
- The team also has a staff who reprimands a team member who shouts and makes
comment over some co-player's action;
- The team has its own "physical therapist" who immediately "touch"
the player when he is in pain, and I am sure that a doctor and a nurse is
also around;
- The coach and the staff of the coach were also as good looking as the Alaska
players but the runners (the "towel boys" and the "water boys")
were not at all good looking but they were very quick and efficient;
Oh well, I could list more things except the basketball game itself.
But what I really realized that Boholanos are indeed basketball lovers too.
Boholanos are thankful to Vice Governor Herrera and Calape Mayor Ernest Herrera
for bringing the PBA game live here in Bohol. Mayor Herrera also announced
that the PBA Commissioner promised that a PBA game will be held again in Bohol
and this will be made a yearly event as part of the annual fiesta celebration
of Calape.
I would like this opportunity of thanking Mayor Ernest Herrara, Mia Larrazabal-Carcel
(my best friend) and Neil Carcel (her husband) and Arthur (my husband) for
making me experience and enjoy watching a real basketball game and this time,
it was no less than a live PBA game in Bohol.
Oppss.. who won? Red Bull over Alaska. What's the score? I don't know. I
never noticed.
*Philippine Basketball Association.
