The opening program promises to be spectacular. According to chief event organizer Mart Miranda, the court will be transformed into an active 3-D type of stage to project a dazzling light-and-sound show guaranteed to mesmerize the fans in the stadium or those watching on Solar TV. There will also be the march of giant mascots representing each of the PBA’s 10 franchises. Miss Philippines Universe Venus Raj will host the proceedings and Gary Valenciano is the featured performer.
The traditional parade of teams will be a knockout. Each team will try to outdo the other in a game of one-upmanship, a sort of foreboding for the confrontations ahead.
Alaska will walk in with actress Nancy Castiliogne. Powerade will likely go with Vice Ganda although there is clamor to bring back Pokwang for the third straight year. Defending champion B-Meg will be with Carla Abellana. San Miguel Beer will march with Isabelle Daza, Georgina Wilson and Sam Pinto. Barangay Ginebra will enter with actress Anne Curtis, possibly escorted by no less than the Living Legend, Robert Jaworski.
Talk ‘N’ Text’s muse is actress Jenilyn Mercado, star of the movie “Rosario.” According to Smart Sports head Patrick Gregorio, the film will be shown at the 2010 Metro Manila festival. The director is Albert Martinez with the story by PLDT chairman Manny V. Pangilinan. Gregorio said the story is based on the life of MVP’s grandmother.
Rain Or Shine will bring in coach Caloy Garcia’s niece Coleen Garcia, a model from the ABS-CBN Star Magic Circle. Barako Bull will be energized by 5-8 international commercial Fil-German ramp model Bianca Bauer. Air21 will come in with Brazilian model and “Eat Bulaga” mainstay Diana Menezes.
Finally, Meralco will attempt to steal the thunder from the other teams by showing up with 14 muses from the company ranks and 14 Caritas kids. “Our 14 muses are all employees, symbolizing the strong bond between the team and the corporate organization,” said Meralco senior vice president Ramon Segismundo. “They’ll be marching alongside 14 Caritas kids to portray our social advocacy.”
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Only one game is scheduled – Meralco against Barangay Ginebra. The Bolts, emerging from the ashes of the defunct Sta. Lucia Realty franchise, are coached by Ryan Gregorio who piloted Purefoods, now B-Meg, to the Philippine Cup title last season. The Kings will return with a near intact roster, dropping only Sunday Salvacion to bring in rookie Jimbo Aquino. Former San Miguel head coach Siot Tanquingcen joins Joseph Uichico’s staff on the bench.Here are some interesting numbers related to the new PBA season.
9 – players in the Ginebra lineup who are at least 30 (only one, rookie Jimbo Aquino, is 25 or less).
7 – players in the Meralco roster who are 25 or less with Beau Belga the youngest at 23 (only four are 30 or over with Marlou Aquino and Asi Taulava the oldest at 37).
14 – rookies in PBA rosters with Barako Bull’s Hans Thiele the only undrafted newcomer. The drafted players who didn’t make the opening day lineups are John Wilson, Pari Llagas, Robert Labagala, Val Acuna, Borgie Hermida (still playing for San Beda in the NCAA) and Marvin Hayes.
24 – veterans who moved teams from the end of the last conference. The list includes Ken Bono who’s still negotiating a contract with Barako. Among the prominent movers are Taulava, Salvacion, Jonas Villanueva, Paul Artadi, Renren Ritualo, Larry Rodriguez, John Ferriols, Josh Urbiztondo, Bonbon Custodio, Mac Cardona, Belga and Larry Fonacier.
3 – new head coaches (Gregorio for Meralco, Ato Agustin for San Miguel Beer, Jorge Gallent for B-Meg).
5 – teams with at least five new players (Barako, Powerade, Rain Or Shine, Meralco, Air21).
3 – teams with no rookies (San Miguel, B-Meg, Talk ‘N’ Text).
5 – players wearing No. 1 (Barako’s Thiele, B-Meg’s Rico Maierhofer, Ginebra’s Celino Cruz, Meralco’s Shawn Weinstein, Alaska’s Sam Eman).
99 – highest jersey number worn by Ginebra’s Rudy Hatfield.
0 – lowest jersey number worn by B-Meg’s Villanueva.
5 – out-of-town cities hosting PBA games up to Dec. 15 (Batangas City, Naga City, Panabo City, Bacolod City, Digos City).
3 – Ateneo players in Air 21 (Nonoy Baclao, Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Wesley Gonzales).
3 – La Salle players in B-Meg (Maierhofer, Don Allado, Jerwin Gaco).
3 – UE players in Alaska (Elmer Espiritu, Custodio, Mark Borboran).
4 – San Beda players in Meralco (Yousif Aljamal, Pong Escobal, Bam Gamalinda, Ogie Menor).
2 – Ex-PBA players who are head coaches (Gallent, Agustin).
1 – Rookie referee Dexter See.
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Newly appointed PBA commissioner Chito Salud expressed optimism that with the introduction of a new officiating philosophy where referees play an unobtrusive role on the court, fans will enjoy a more free-flowing game in the pro league’s 36th season opening at the Araneta Coliseum with a bang today.
“We want to put our referees in the background and let the players play,” said Salud. “We’re not reinventing the wheel. Our philosophy is to preserve the beauty of the game we all love with a passion. The referees will only call clear and hard contact. No more touch fouls. Marginal contact with no effect on a play will be ignored. On defense, we want the players to play the ball, to play honest. We will be consistent in making calls.”
With the referees curtailed from blowing whistles at the slightest inconsequential contact, players will now be able to showcase their individual skills unhampered by interruptions.
“The philosophy will encourage players to go hard offensively and defensively,” said Salud. “This is how the pros should play. The PBA is where the game is played at the highest level. The team with the players who are most fit, the most fundamentally sound and able to execute the plays will prevail.”
Salud said even as he expects the game to be more physical, referees will not tolerate rough stuff.
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“There is no place for hooliganism in the league,” he said. “Any action to deliberately hurt a player will be dealt with severely. Referees know the difference between playing physical and playing dirty.”
Salud said during the offseason, he sat down with league officials to tweak the rules in an effort to lessen the subjectivity of officiating. “We want to make it easy for the referees, coaches and players to understand the rules,” explained Salud. “For instance, we did away with the flopping violation which led to a lot of highly subjective calls last season. We’ve told the referees when in doubt, let the play go. The referees now find it easy to decide whether or not to blow their whistles.”
Another example of simplifying the rules for referees is the elimination of the distinction of a primary or secondary defender in making a call on a contact situation in the no-charge zone.
PBA operations and technical director Rickie Santos said unless the offensive player kicks or wards off, there won’t be a charge call on a contact situation in the no-charge zone regardless of whether the defender is primary or secondary. “It’s unlike before where the referee had to determine whether the guy in the half circle (or no-charge zone) is the primary or secondary defender before making a call,” said Santos. “The change makes it easier for everyone, even the fans, to understand.”
Another rule that went out the window was the “leaving the playing court to gain advantage” violation.
Other rule changes to be applied this season are the verification of a three-point shot or last touch in the last two minutes of regulation and overtime, no reset of the shot clock after a jumpball if the tap goes to the offensive team, no return to the game by a player unable to shoot free throws because of injury, no need to cross the midcourt line to call a 30-second timeout, inbounding from the extended free throw line off any kind of timeout in the last two minutes of regulation and overtime, no carryover of team fouls from the fourth period into overtime and a team is allowed to play a 14-man lineup in a game.
Salud recently met with team managers and coaches to lay down the ground rules of officiating and the reaction was positive. He also advised referees to “mouth” or communicate with players and coaches, warning them, when necessary, of being called for a violation to avoid surprises or interruptions – in keeping with the philosophy of a free-flowing game.
Salud also said he will discourage the deliberate lowering of the sound of music in the public address system during a timeout if there are fans dancing wildly in the stands.
“I didn’t even know they did that,” said Salud, referring to the lowering of the volume. “We want good, clean fun. We want the fans to enjoy, cheer for their teams and dance if they feel like it. It adds to the excitement of a game. But of course, if there are fans who do lascivious actions, we won’t tolerate it. Anything that is not harmful, morally, we will allow.”
Salud said his ultimate objective is to achieve parity in the league, a competitive balance that will ensure every outcome of a game to be unpredictable.
This season, the PBA will employ 18 referees, including 29-year-old rookie Dexter See who worked five years in the PBL and is a physical education graduate of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. The roster is headed by Class A-1 referee Luisito (Boy) Cruz, 49, and the PBA Press Corps’ Referee of the Year awardee Manolito Quilinguen, 44.
Other referees in the lineup are Class B-1 Art Herrera, Class C-1 Peter Balao, Class C-2 Sherwin Pineda, Ferdinand Pascual, Joel Ngo and Reymond Murillo, New Referee A Armando Guevarra, Jimmy Mariano, Nestor Sambrano, Romeo Mangibin, Ronaldo Ibay and New Referee B Edward Aquino, Dennis Barbacena, Rodito Marabe and Ronald Mauricio.
PBA media bureau chief and assistant to the commissioner Willie Marcial said the referees are evaluated on a game-to-game basis and their classification may change in the course of the season to reflect performance. by Joaquin Henson | philstar.com
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