The Fast and the Furious!—Their tales, success and struggles...and the last ride together

When their run is no longer fast and fury is only in the mind, the reminiscent past bore the glare of what used to be the greatest scene at the fast break. The dizzying and blitzing to and from that kicked in the heartbeat relentlessly. The grace and ruthlessness combined of their high-octane  offense left their trail ablaze and kept us drowned off the fire it sparked. For as long as one local hoopster could muster, the memories of what was once the best running mates that lorded it over, it's only a matter of time till we will be making poetries and songs for the explosive and exploitative "Fast and the Furious".

Jayjay Helterbrand and Mark Caguioa are all heart and soul. Diminutive yet fleeting. Reckless yet full of grace. The one displays the coolness of ice, the other exudes the breathe of the dragon. Together, they wrecked havoc like no other pair did. They have the swag straight outta Eagle Rock, Los Angeles that thrusted them into the limelight. They're nasty and maangas, it would seem to feel that their confidence runs as fast and furious as they do on the court. They have enamored the millions of basketball fans because they have,  and it was never fate nor byproduct of marketing machinations that catapulted them to it. They became household names and the glitz and the fad they brought akin to that Allen Iverson's hip-hop invasion in the NBA was notably era-defining that drove crazy fans to the filled rafters of each league venue. PBA was never the same again.

Helterbrand and Caguioa are both champions and heartbreak kids of the league and this authenticity made their lore even worthy of exploration. Together, they transcended the league like no other backcourt pair ever achieved. On a regular basis, we see generational players come but they do as an individual. Never seen was a duo that while individually great, a synergetic bond seemed to make them doubly spectacular. Together, they created a harmony in the mold of Simon and Garfunkel. Never in the history of the PBA that a backcourt tandem of 15 years of partnership would take an MVP award for each other while incessantly bucking the changes that beleaguered their team. 

Fans, some of them have grown impatient and seen shifting allegiance. The hardcores, perhaps those that were rooted since the Jaworski era remained—but not without the pain. Not without the cost of frustrated years and humiliation from the ever jeering league minorities. Kangkong, yes the water plant, made it to the Ginebra lore albeit unceremoniously. All these years, the salt rubbed on the wounds of Caguioa and Helterbrand only grew much harder to suck up. Helpless and dazed while father time inching by the day, such insufferable moments brought more questions than answers to their leadership.

But most of the fans remained, mostly waiting for the Kings, for the Fast and Furious to become relevant again. The changing of personnel surrounding the two happened rather quickly and in succession. "Kami na lang natira!" Caguioa exclaimed, much like lamenting that as holdovers, the two find it hard to get the perfect blend that made them successful before. They brought in pieces that they embraced wholeheartedly—even if it meant the realization that this team slowly slips from their cudgels. But both never cared, they wanted to win as a benchwarmer than top score as a bottom-feeder. 

That game 5 decider between Ginebra Gin Kings and the San Miguel Beermen will be best remembered not for its sheer vindication that indeed the crowd-favorite is back to its elite status, but for its touching scene where Caguioa and Helterbrand hugged at midcourt. It was nothing new, at every basket they made during their heydays, hugs and high fives seemed to punctuate the spectacle of their on-court exploits. As the cameras closed in to extract this moving scene shared by the tandem no less, it is pure emotions brimming for explosion any moment and it was best shared with the predominant Ginebra crowd who with them gutted it all out so many fruitless years. In what could be the few remaining instance we will ever see them on the court, flashes of bandanas in the heads, blonde and mohawk speedsters used to run over the competition in utter obliteration. And just so much affection to the dynamic duo that is due for a curtain call.

Caguioa and Helterbrand will vie for the crown—perhaps for the last time together. It may not be theirs to carry it seemed, as new breeds of the Gin Kings already leading them on the regular. But them to be crowned in front of the horde of Ginebra fanatics would touch nerves and emotions again. The crown that eluded them after some successes at the helm. For some, the fast and the furious has stayed too long and it would seem that it hurts us seeing them unable to run at the break like we were pampered to see. But we would weep in the height of emotions nonetheless, to see them pocket another crown at the tail end of their illustrious career.

This Finals duel between the crowd-darlings Barangay Ginebra Kings and the Meralco Bolts will sideshow perhaps the last duel amongst the finest guards of the early 2000's. Caguioa, Helterbrand and Jimmy Alapag all figured prominently during the past decade and it will be an epic scene to see them go at it for the last time. Alapag will be enshrined in the legendary annals of PBA when he decides to hang it up just like his two fierce rivals. Before Alapag stabbed the hearts of the likes of JJ Barea and those Korean sharpshooters in the international scene, one must remember that he had to go through Mark and Jayjay in the PBA. The competition they presented made Alapag such skilled and ruthless playmaker. 

Perhaps, at any part of this championship series we may see the checkpoint for both Caguioa and Helterbrand ala Toretto (Vin Diesel) and O'Conner (Paul Walker) at the end of FF7. The former stayed course while the latter took the other direction. In the momentous revisit of the car chase and mileage, fast breaks and long bombs, the basketball rendition of this movie franchise could never ran out of allegory to share—not even their endings were spared.

"One last ride!" Says Helterbrand, "Just like the movies!" 

And to here, the musn't missed final lap for "The Fast and the Furious" deserves every waning second to be witnessed by all that rode with them.

Manila Clasico: The Tale of 2 Sisters

Manila Clasico: Ginebra vs. San Mig Coffee

On the afternoon of November 17, 2013, brace yourself already and ensure your smartphones and laptops are fully-charged for #ManilaClasico!

If the main game of the new season is any indication, PBA (Philippine Basketball Association) is hell-bent on duplicating, if not surpass the success of the previous year. The record-breaking 38^th season of PBA indeed set a standard so gin-ormous that it has been a transcending year that put PBA back to relevance. Surely, we owe it to the most recent success of our national team on international competitions as the driving force that interest on basketball is once again at its peak. People started believing that we can compete with the best of them, Philippines has put itself anew on the map of the world basketball with the silver-medal finish at FIBA-Asia and the momentum never stopped from that point since. PBA, being the country’s premier basketball league would do everything—anything that could keep these basketball nuts on their toes. And what better way to do it than to pit two of the most popular team in the local hoops in a cavalcade of personalities and histories toward each other on special grudge match known to us PBA fans as the Manila Clasico.

Before I cruise through the story, I would like for you, readers to read on the words below and their antonyms:

Anejo—Purefoods

Tondeña 65—Coney Islands

Ginebra San Miguel—Purefoods TJ Hotdogs

Gordon’s Gin Boars—Purefoods Corned Beef Coboys

Brgy. Ginebra Kings— San Mig Coffee Mixers.

The Living Legend— El Presidente

Jaworski—Patrimonio

Ampalayo—Codiñera

Rugged Crew—Glamour Boys

The Fast and the Furious— Kid Lightning and Boy Thunder

Mark Caguioa—James Yap

Slaughter—Sangalang

Masa— Sosyal

Downer (Gin)—Upper (Coffee)

The infinite list of comparisons between two of the most fabled franchise in the PBA is what makes the game between Ginebra San Miguel and San Mig Coffee the ultimate main event of the league. The hype and the fireworks. The side stories that overplay on the loop to feed the hunger of the ravenous fans who is ready to explode in anticipation. The sheer size and magnitude of the battle between these two can only be compared to those of the most notable rivalries such as Ali-Frazier, Hagler-Hearns, Tyson and the ear of whoever opponent, and until recently, despite no real fight has been made yet—Pacquiao-Mayweather. This is the kind of game that may require to combine both Smart-Araneta Coliseum and the MOA Arena and yet that may not be enough. Two of the biggest draws the league has ever seen which dates back to the late 80’s led by the franchises’ godfathers, bitter rival themselves—Robert Jaworski Sr.and Ramon Fernandez. The former headed a collection of blue-collar daredevils; the latter led spunky boys-next-door. The thugs barreled: the debonairs slashed. Manila Clasico is also a battle of stereotypes; Ginebra is thug because they play so physical; Purefoods is lame because they are good-looking. The contemporary Yin and Yang; the local hoops Alpha and Omega. And while the rest of the playing field could claim their own heated enmity against these two, truly no one could come close to the fireworks and buildup these two protagonists create every time they clash.

The Mark Caguioa vs. James Yap conundrum as who is the best PBA player in the current era highlights the fight for pride of this Manila Clasico rivalry.  While the faces of both teams nowadays can be too chummy to one another on the backstage, their games whenever they meet however have been proven to be a different case. From dagger 3’s to twisting lay ups, Mark Caguioa and James Yap may have never developed such acrimonious relationship towards each other unlike Jaworski and Fernandez did but one does not need to be a fan of either of the two to realize the need to contend against each other. From team success to individual feats to fan base and being the face of the league, each fervent debate amongst their fans are taken on both radical and personal levels. Who cares about not taking argumentations to high road? Each haul for awards between Caguioa and Yap is witnessed with vigilant stride. No way that each camp will let themselves to be bested. One podcast ranked the top 50 best players of the most recent memory and it had Mark Caguioa and James Yap tied for the same rank. It was hard to weigh, even for sports pundits to kill the tiebreaker.

The rabid fans of the opposing teams are not to be outdone too! The historical hatred of their supporters is a must see, you can make a case that what makes this rivalry endured and continued to live is the passion the fans carry with them at the game venue. They are as much involved with men battling it out inside the court through the heated tit-for-tat booing and jeering in the crowd. These firebrands exude that kind of passion if only to fuel the team they root for or simply just the idea of never wanting to lose against the enemy.

Rivalry is nothing without the history of animosity; hence, each and every edition of Manila Clasico is not without its own brand of tensed encounters. We’ve heard how the Jaworski-Jojo Lastimosa hate-hate relationship and it all started here. Even when Jolas moved to Alaska, both legends didn’t see eye to eye. From altercations to suspensions meted out through the years, the imbibed hatred to each other hasn’t spurned the consciousness of a fan. Whether it is good or not, the phenomenon of it is apparent that it’s almost as certain that a Ginebra fan is likely a San Mig Coffee hater or vice-versa. The same observation can not be more than evident in the case of Caguioa and Yap. The greater, the bigger both superstars become, the easier they become a convenient target of the opposing fans.

The evolution of each team came to an interesting turn when San Miguel Corporation bought the Purefoods franchise from the the Zobel de Ayalas. On a move nothing less of teleserye twist that is, what stunned the fierce rivals that for all the hostilities and dislikes between them and for all the frictions and clashes that parted their seas, they would soon find out that they are an actual siblings. “From greatest rivals to sister teams!” What a way to fuck up their lives? The fear it allayed was it might lose the sting or the lust of every Manila Clasico series just because both franchises are funded under one conglomerate. Well, several years after, we are still witness to this match-up like the skirmish of the ages is just about to be unleashed—Walang nagbago, sa Klasiko patay pa rin kung patay!

So here goes another round of Manila Clasico brimming right at the opening season of the PBA. As it opens in the aftermath of gargantuan calamities and myriad of corruption controversies, this much-anticipated game could for a moment offer a consoling diversion to people in gathering themselves together. Ginebra and San Mig Coffee fighting for dear life on their very first game of the season is their tribute to those who have lost so much. This is a no-brainer yet for so long now, we haven’t been able to figure out that this is supposedly the right way to start a season. Both teams are set to parade the top two rookies of this year’s draft class in Greg Slaughter of Ginebra and Ian Sangalang of San Mig Coffee—in insurance policy that the legendary Manila Clasico will carry on until the next generation of basketball fans.

Cheering for Eric Menk

(A long time fan here of former Brgy. Ginebra superstar, Eric Menk. This short story chronicling the career of the one and only Major Pain brings us back to the beginning of the journey that was nothing short of twists and turns. As one of my favorite basketball heroes that grew before my eyes, I have mustered as much recollection to put into a blog how a basketball hero led an invasion of sort yet on his own vulnerability and enigma, continued to be tested to prove his rightful place in the history of local hoops. Enjoy!)

The year was 1999, Tanduay Rhum Masters, after years of domination on the semi-pro league in this basketball-crazy country decided to test the mettle of the real pro league—the PBA (Philippine Basketball Association). The Lucio Tan-sponsored squad could no longer find real competition from the now defunct PBL (Philippine Basketball League) back then so it was naturalmente for them to move up and find the men among the boys. What with a team loaded with college superstars and proven winners, then Rhum Masters coach Al Francis Chua knew that it was time for them to slug it out and conquer new heights.

Such confidence though didn’t spring out of the youth talent Chua has at his disposal. One thing that he thought could make them a competitive crew against the formidable and tested skill-level of pro basketball doesn’t come from the potentials of his young rookies. He is assured that they can contend, even try to win it all at their maiden season back to the PBA (Tanduay was one of the pioneering teams in the league when it started in 1975) not because the team he has, consisted of shoo-in first rounders if and when they decided to enter the draft of that same year could make then current PBA teams a better force to reckon with. The affable mentor knew exactly how they could realize those prospects—or projects if you may. He had then that reason these all weren’t just flash in the pan. He had Eric Menk.

Eric Menk was the first rookie/MVP awardee of the PBL, his arrival to Tanduay was nothing less than a validation of their supremacy amongst other commercial teams. Since Menk came to town, the former Lake Superior State University alumnus carried Tanduay to consecutive finals stint while developing assortment of skills from long jumpers to spin moves towards the basket (Menk, during his prime, has the quickest spin move for a forward/center the league has ever seen). For a power forward at 6’5, he towers most of his competition and with frame so thick and so chiseled that pushing him so hard will be a futile undertaking.  Much has been said about his pronounced dominance and legendary work-ethics as Major Pain burst into the scene of Philippine basketball. I for one, then as a high schooler who was starting to love the game in a much methodical sense, started to follow his games on TV. Even his much-publicized rivalry with Asi Taulava in the PBL, with which Menk won with regularity just added to the gem of a career start Menk has enjoyed. Pundits were quick to affirm that it’s just a matter of time that he’ll soon revolutionize the way big man play in the PBA.

When Tanduay Rhum Masters finalized their inclusion as the 9^th team of PBA in 1999, they were told they could bring six of their players to the big league. It was an understatement who will lead the group as they move up to the pros, it was no brainer that Menk will be at the centerpiece of their invasion. Sure, a dude named Sonny Alvarado (whom they picked first overall on the draft of that same year) made headlines as well and threatened to take away his role to the team, but as if he wasn’t bothered at all he co-existed and was even named Best Player of the Conference (All-Filipino Cup, 1999) right on his first conference which eventually led the rookie team to the finals against Benjie Paras-led Formula Shell. Later, Alvarado departed from our consciousness after him unable to prove his Filipino roots.

I was so engrossed how Menk played ball, he wasn’t your typical athletic monster who would wreak havoc and exude the craziness and vulgarity usually infused with such gifts. He was just pure hard work, ever so calculating and even so focused that you might think of his every programmable action has its own précised results. And there where the confusion started happening. I am a die hard Ginebra fan. So I found myself rooting for my favorite team while cheering for an individual so awe-inspiring that I didn’t mind him dropping 30+ points and 20+ rebounds each time Ginebra and Tanduay played against one another. And truth be told, as it didn’t look so possible back then, that I wished Menk could be traded to Ginebra even if it meant losing some of my favorite players from the team.

And then the unthinkable happened.

Flurry of controversies shrouded the so-called Fil-Am invasion in the PBA. Not a few of these blue chip rookies were deported due to either unproven lineage or falsified papers. Eric Menk, being at the center of the storm, faced countless suspension from the games and banned at some point by the PBA with Philippine Senate putting them under scrutiny as they probed the legitimacy of their Filipino descent. It came to a point where the games they’ve won were forfeited and chances at playing at the higher rounds of the tournament were put to zilch. Menk was so close to kiss his PBA career goodbye. A career with so much to conquer was at the mercy of being cut short—one can imagine the thoughts prowling with this baller who’s just about to give everything he had.

The controversy died a natural death. Not because mass media stopped talking about it, but partly for all the Fil-Ams that remained, there were proofs of roots which later on corroborated with documents. And as if Menk, of course to an extent, Asi Taulava, had to prove their patriotism by volunteering to play on international tilts to say that they belong to the league in as much as the homegrown ballers deserved a spot to the basketball myths of the country. Menk moved on, so did the rest of the league. And perhaps the basketball gods may have heard my ritual pleading, Menk was traded to Ginebra just before Tanduay left the league for good.

So the revitalized Menk took the Gin Kings to the upper echelons of PBA like a man on a mission. Complementing his inside dominance is the emergence of the backcourt tandem of Mark Caguioa and JayJay Helterbrand whom sports analysts fittingly dubbed “The Fast and The Furious”. The three of them formed the monarchial triumvirate that put Ginebra to relevance once again. It was that period where these three Kings put pride and winning tradition above all—happy days were indeed the stamp of the Menk-Caguioa-Helterbrand era. It wasn’t far fetched from every Ginebra diehard that one day, we’ll see them facing the crowd while raising their retired jersey numbers on the rafters of Araneta Coliseum.

Their reign, however blissful, and like any other period of dominance, was pestered with hitches on their ascent to greatness. Injuries to the players kept them from their conquests. Ever so often, none of the key players were able to complete a season without battles with health. Age, if anything, only intensified the regressing explosiveness of some of its vital cogs. And just when you thought Menk’s nationality issues had been already dug six feet under, alas, like a fabled phoenix that rose from the ashes, chased him once again which ultimately stumped the growing legend of his. Menk’s coronation as the King of PBA came about during the 2004-05 season during which he led Ginebra to back-to-back championships. Yet even that didn’t escape another revisit at disgrace, the only player in recent memory to win MVP while serving suspension (for the nth time) from the league—still with nagging citizenship issues.

I really thought it was his turn to dominate the league for a long period of time. Much like Alvin Patrimonio of the 90’s, I had really hoped for as much longevity for him if not better giving weight to the talent that he had. Sure, he had much stronger competition to start with; sure other Fil-Am superstars like Taulava and Danny Seigle could make a strong case out of themselves. But Menk was, at least for Ginebra, which historically being the most popular/populous team bar none is the de facto king of the kingmakers. While his peers may have a better overall skill level, he has a barangay right behind him—something that others could only wish to enjoy (ever wonder why Asi was hell-bent to be part of Ginebra before he retires?). After seasons and seasons of continued frustration, battling injuries and seeing his role to the team diminished like a receding hairline, I sensed that we’ve probably seen the best years of Menk. Yet as a fan, I somewhat hoped that he only needed to get healthy, compete and if still good enough, help Ginebra to consistently become successful. We knew how it went from there yet on occasions, especially on times that it most mattered, Menk would display flashes of brilliance—maybe to remind us of what was once the Major Pain of the PBA. He continued to languish on the far end of Ginebra bench, contented on spot on roles to provide veteran savvy. He eventually moved to ABL (ASEAN Basketball League) and even there continued to be a shell of his old self.

For the past months, the rumor mill endlessly weaved stories of Menk’s imminent return to the PBA. It was more so stressed on the last Governor’s Cup where the need of the team for an inside operator was in a way couldn’t have been more visible. Opposing teams had very much abused this chink in the armor of the guard-heavy Ginebra. I was thrilled on the possibility of him returning to the fold. But I only manage expectations when it matters, so my anticipation of him coming back is for mere theatrics, only to fashion out a scene ala-Lord of the Rings (Return of the King). After all, the king in exile could only yearn to spend the dwindling days with the team that crowned him and catapulted his career to what it was. It would only be fitting if Menk is due for a swan song, that for the last games that he can play, that he could be given his moments to cherish every history of his number 30 red and white jersey. Sure, the Gin Kings have some serious order of battle to fulfill and sideshows like this may be least of their agenda. But isn’t this what makes the sports here truly a fascinating part of our lives? That the personal stories are what make us relate more to the sport? And needless to say that Ginebra’s own popularity is loosely based on this same old cult of personality.

Lo and behold, Menk returned to the PBA to play for Global Port Batang Pier. Menk was signed to a one-year contract to provide leadership and mentor the young big men of the team. Real or perceived, the intervening events could not be stopped from thwarting a supposed perfect script. Or maybe, this is exactly the perfect scripting that befits Menk’s career—a send-off consistent to what has been a roller-coaster career. Devoid of Hollywood ending. 

When the new PBA season opens in a few days from now, it ought to be that same old, weird feeling again. I’d be anticipating the Kings parade their red and black armor as they begin to reclaim the throne as expectation for this season shoots to an all-time high. On my peripheral vision though, I’d be looking at that man, that former MVP who forever changed my perception of basketball. I never harbored thoughts of him wearing a different color outside of the red-white-black never-say-die jersey but we get fucked up in life much worse than this. Last time Ginebra won a championship, it was that same guy, the supposedly over-the-hill Eric “Major Pain” Menk performed the best among all of them, sharing Finals MVP honors with Ronald Tubid. In hindsight, the Fast and the Furious’ blaze to prominence could never be that possible if not of Menk’s motor, his insatiable knack in collaring the rebounds thus propelled the Kings to greater heights. His imposing presence carved the way for the best backcourt tandem for the past decade (Come on and disagree, I have endless of reason to support the claim) to terrorize at the fastbreak.

As the coming years may we see the last of Eric Menk on a professional basketball game, I would want to vividly remember him as the King that ruled us all.