...Letting Go of Hatred: An Open Letter to Aljon Mariano...

Dear Aljon Mariano,

'Sup.

I have been a supporter of the UST Growling Tigers since day 1 of my Thomasian days back in 2003. Yes, that time post-four peat when every one on that team was a nobody and we were fighting for pride to not be the last place finisher against UP, NU, and Adamson. When P.E. classes gave out Gen Ad tickets, we don't just have our attendance checked. We stayed to watch the games, win or lose, and raised our fists when the UST Hymn is played.

My dad laughed at me back in '06 when, as a fragile-looking boy, I shouted my lungs out to cheer for the team and looked like I was literally stabbed whenever the opposing team scored. I lose my voice watching the games on TV wherever I am. My passion for this team has never wavered, and it was with great pain that I saw how we lost Game 3. 

This is me as a UST fan.

That is why I was one of the thousands who scorned you for that end of regulation jumper. I cursed you countless times that day, and the days after that. I firmly believed that you sold us out and denied Jeric Teng the chance to end his career on his own terms. 

Understand, sir, that I defended you from critics in Games 1 and 2. You were tasked to guard that hefty beast of a man, Jason Perkins and even the guy they call "The Bear" Norbert Torres. Given your position, I or 99% of the people who bashed you may not even be able to run down the floor after being beat up by those guys in the post. 

And then, six seconds happened. You were clutch last year, we believed that. You were more ruthless than Ryan Buenafe down the stretch of games, that's why we were called "Comeback Kids" last year. You were a huge part of this year's success. But this series was not your series. You had a chance to bounce back for 79 minutes and 54 seconds in games 2 and 3 or whatever your playing time total was. Those six seconds weren't the time for you to bounce back. 

Tonight is Animo Night, a night of celebration for DLSU's championship. It is a night I feel we they shouldn't be having because we were supposed to have raised the trophy last Saturday. But we didn't. And tonight, they'll be having their night.

See, I am now at peace with the fact that it wasn't entirely your fault. Tata had a steal that would've stretched our lead, but fumbled going 1 on 3 on the fastbreak. Almond Vosotros had a real nice fly by move and sunk a shot that he could have missed the way his game was going. Karim tried to do a little too much to get those 2 points back on our end. And in the end, he could've tried to bank it in for two instead of going for all the marbles with a three. Heck, he could've passed it over to Kevin Ferrer in transition when he drew 3 defenders on him instead of almost losing the ball to his foot. 

The breaks of the game, they call it.

I am not asking for your forgiveness because I bashed the hell out of you. I meant every word I said and I'm not taking any of it back. From a guy who loves basketball to another, I want you to shut me up and prove me wrong. You have one more year to prove us all wrong, and regain your form from last year to pre-Final Four you. You are, I still think, one of the best Power Forwards in the league right now, and could be a very serviceable SF when you go pro. 

Another year at redemption, play with the heart and pride that made people call you "Clutch Cat" last year

Understand that whenever something negative happens to us, we always try to find the reason behind it, and choose that which we had control over. If you made that shot and DLSU lost, the scorn of the people would be directed at no less than their MVP, who threw that turnover to AVO at the end of regulation. People won't talk about your game winner, but rather, how Jeron threw the game for his brother. Since we lost, all the anger is directed at you. Nobody seems to be talking about Vosotros' amazing shot to take the lead with only 19 seconds left in the game. People will talk about the blunder of our team and not the amazing things the opposing team did. 

UST has always lacked talent, but more than made up for it with heart. No matter how people overuse the "Puso" mantra, we know that it pushed us to win the title in 2006. The pride of carrying your school's name in front of your jersey, and the fighting spirit to win games while being egged on by the faith of everyone whose heart beats with the drums as they chant "Go USTe!". You had those to pair with your God-given talents.

Now all you have to do is play with those again. 

Play your game, and know that those who truly love this team may curse you but we have moved on. Like a younger brother, we'd want to slap your face for the poor decisions, but can't stay mad at you for long because we're family. All the rest who keep anger in their hearts are probably fans of the run or lost a huge bet. If they can't get over it, it shouldn't matter to you, because they shouldn't. 

Make your last year count. Do it for yourself, do it for your family. We're still all in for UST next year. 

Still believing,

Voltaire Lozada
AB Philosophy batch 07
UST

...Just A Fan: How I Became a Passionate Sports Guy...

Sports are a big part of my life. I enjoy watching it, I get excited rooting for teams, and I usually have a coarse voice a day after a good game because I've been shouting my lungs out. But unlike those "die hard" Ginebra Fans, "purple-blooded" Laker Fans or "true green" Celtics fans, I don't root for a particular team. I have favorites from time to time, and I switch allegiances whenever I feel like it. Let me explain why:

Learning the Game of Basketball

I started watching the PBA when I was a kid, because our house help had a huge crush on Alvin Patrimonio and Ronnie Magsanoc. Chot Reyes' Coney Island team won a championship against a team I forget now, but I was introduced to the great Alvin Patrimonio, his "Minister of Defense" Jerry Codinera, "The Bullet" Dindo Pumaren, and I think there was an Olsen Racela somewhere there. They later became the Purefoods team that I'd root for when I watched, but it was the 90's. You were either a Ginebra fan, or an Alaska fan. With my limited knowledge of the game, I enjoyed watching how systematic Alaska played as opposed to what looked like "tsamba" basketball by Ginebra/Gordon's, most exemplified by that Bal David game-winner from halfcourt, with the frenzied crowd cheering like they actually expected it would go in as a three point shot would. I'd trash talk in favor of Alaska, but I cheered for Purefoods. 

During these years, I was beginning to enjoy the game of basketball. In the NBA, there was that one team everyone was talking about; the Chicago Bulls. I saw how they won that third championship before Jordan retired to play baseball, and watched the second of their two three-peats. It was easy to ride on the Bulls bandwagon then because of Micheal Jordan. And hey, I watched Space Jam like it actually happened in real life. 

The Dark Ages, Fil-Shams and Retirements

Then the PBA had Fil-Shams. It was a time I stopped watching the PBA. Purefoods had Noy Castillo and some fat point guard named Rob Johnson leading the team. Rey Evangelista remained a workhorse, but he was close to retiring as well. In the NBA, Jordan has already decided to walk away from the game of basketball. It was a time (at least for me) where there wasn't much basketball to be watched.

Before entering college, I was conditioning myself to be a "Tiger". However, I was watching how well the team of James Yap and Paul Artadi was playing, and I was rooting for them to break the DLSU 4-peat (as I learned that only UST is the only other team to have achieved such honor in the Final Four era) after finishing second in the eliminations for a twice to beat advantage against what looked like a fiesty Ateneo team. Ateneo would later overcome the twice to beat, and later beat DLSU in the Finals, for their first championship in over a decade. 

Rekindling Interests

I was already hooked on James Yap. And as fate would have it, Purefoods were able to draft BOTH James Yap and Paul Artadi! They would later trade for, or pick players I enjoyed watching in other leagues, like Marc Pingris, Peter June Simon, and Chico Lanete. I had my team back.

In the NBA, while browsing through channels, I came across a Japanese channel showing a game of the Sacramento Kings. I couldn't understand the Japanese commentators, but I was mesmerized by the passing ability of all five guys on the team. Thanks to dial-up networking, I was able to read up on the Kings, and learned more about the team. I liked them so much that I patterned my playing style to Doug Christie, and wished to have the passing ability of Jason Williams. 

Switching Allegiances

As years went by though, Purefoods dispatched of the players I liked one by one, except for James. I hated Coach Ryan Gregorio for his rotation, and I eventually felt that James was over hyped. He'd have a good game shooting lights out, and then have three "off nights" after that. I still cheered for that team, but I wanted a fresh start. The Welcoat Dragons then entered the PBA. I liked to watch a team build their name from the ground up, and led by Jojo Tangkay, Junjun Cabatu, and Jay-R Reyes, you can't go any lower in the PBA. They struggled and evolved, and they drafted nicely. As the Rain or Shine Elastopainters, I loved that they drafted Jervy Cruz and TY Tang, but hated the fact that Sol Mercado is shooting like he's Reggie Miller. I finally found myself cheering for Rain or Shine after they hired Coach Yeng Guiao (who I credit for making the rest of the league look at Cyrus Baguio, Wesley Gonzales, Larry Fonacier and Gabby Espinas, among others) and dispatched Sol Mercado. I have been cheering for them ever since.

In the NBA, after years of not getting over the hump, and having our hearts broken by Robert fuckin' Horry, the Sacramento Kings slowly disbanded their team. During these times, Caron Butler made me notice a Miami Heat team struggling for recognition. The next season, I stopped watching the Kings after they traded Doug Christie to the Dallas Mavericks, of all teams, and I watched a young Miami Heat team eke out a 14-game win streak to end their regular season to enter the playoffs. Then some kid named Dwayne Wade dunked over Baron Davis and later Jermaine O'Neal in two rounds of the playoffs. I was sold on the Heat.

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To this day, I claim to be a passionate fan of the game. "True" fans who cheer for their one team could label me as a bandwagon fan or a casual fan. As in food, I eat a lot, but I have favorites. But not being able to eat my favorite food does not stop me to enjoy other food immensely. 

I enjoy sports passionately. In the eyes of a mere spectator, ten men playing with one basketball looks stupid, grown men banging bodies with each other for an irregularly-shaped football is absurd, and twenty men kicking a single football in the grass looks boring. In my eyes, I see competitors trying to win a game. I shout when I cheer; alone or in a crowd, I will curse and shout when there's a bad play and clap rabidly at every great play. I don't care who's playing, I just enjoy the competition. 

Some of my friends don't understand why I defend a team they're dissing or why I diss a team they're cheering for. As a passionate fan, I watch games, I read stories, and I check out stats. I have favorites, but I check out as many teams I can fit into my head to be confident enough to know that I am knowledgeable in what I'm about to say or write. I don't hate on teams, I just want to bring "super" fans' heads back down to earth. I don't blindly say my favorite teams are invincible, but I will back up my words if someone challenges my claims. As someone who enjoys competition, this is where I get my fix; lengthy, (and hopefully logical) back and forth discussions with fellow fans. I have learned to recognize and channel out absurd and idiotic comments that attempt to be taken seriously, and engage instead in more intelligent discussions with fans who actually understand the game. 

To get my fix, I study the games that I don't understand, so that I may be able to keep up a conversation with just about any sports nut. To date, I can claim to have above average knowledge of the NBA from about 2002, PBA from probably the start of the James Yap era, and the UAAP from Mike Cortez's missed dunk in the Finals. I also have a basic understanding of football to be able to enjoy Steven Gerrard and Lionel Messi's games and thus casually follow Liverpool and Barcelona, respectively. I enjoyed and learned a lot of American Football from movies, but I understood the game by playing Madden and watching the games with my Uncle Owe. I tried to have a basic understanding of baseball to at least have a topic of conversation with my boss during our free time. For individual games, I enjoy watching tennis, MMA, F1 Racing, and boxing. I actually am trying to understand cockfighting to have something to talk about with my dad. Yes, it is somewhat of a sport. 

I don't get to watch a lot of games. Math proficiency is not my best asset to be some "Moneyball"-type of analyst. I don't get to talk to players. To compensate, I check out analysts' opinions, I try to analyze as best I can from the box scores and play-by-plays, and develop my own analysis and opinions. Eventually, I come up with stuff to say based on what I think, and what my gut feeling tells me. I'm not always right, but I enjoy the times that I am. 

I am not a "true" fan of a particular team where I'll go through its ups and downs. I don't wear jerseys of players or collect their shoes. I want to claim, though, that I am a fan of sports. I have my favorites, but I will cheer for any team at any time because I like how they play, and I do understand the rivalries and why I can't cheer for some teams. 

I will not "die" for a team, but I will cheer wildly when I watch games. I am, after all, just a fan.