The Crappy Commish

I know. I know.

Sta Lucia fans will think that I am just being sour for my team's (Purefoods) game 7 lost against their team last Sunday.

And I don't care, oh damn I just don't care.

I believe Sta Lucia has the right to win, that they are really capable of winning the championship, that they deserve what they've achieved. I give my salute to them, they're a great team - with a great mix of players, excellent teamwork and a morale-boosting desire to win the cup.

But what happened on February 28, Thursday is a total crap.

On February 27's Game 4, PF's James Yap was called for a Flagrant Foul 1 by the referees after retaliating against SL's Joseph Yeoh's hard foul on him.

Then surprisingly, the following day (Feb 28), PBA Commissioner Sonny Barrios had a lunch meeting with Sta. Lucia's team owner Exequiel Robles, hours before his scheduled meeting with James Yap at 3:00 p.m. (Yap was summoned by the commissioner for his flagrant foul)

Yap was even made to wait until after 5:00 p.m. (talk about punctuality) before seeing the commish and was even quoted as seeing the whole Sta Lucia team management and coaches with Barrios that afternoon.

And of course, the rest is history. Barrios unexpectedly handed down the cunning and championship-turning decision of upgrading Yap's foul into Flagrant Foul 2, rendering Yap with a one-game suspension. Of course, the suspension was postponed until Game 5 (where PF lost, obviously missing the services of their top gunner).

Coincidence, you may say? And how about the propriety of a commissioner's power to change the official's calls?

...I will not be surprised if this is just the precedent of things to come in the PBA, so long as that crappy commish is heading the league.

With the unfolding of this REALLY crucial suspension, Rene Pardo resigned as the Chairman of the PBA Board's Ethics Committee, indicating that he, his team and Purefoods management could not fully accept the decision.

But asked later if he is after the Commissioner's head; Pardo said he's not. He's just stressing the question of the "proprietary" of Barrios' untimely meeting with the Sta Lucia management.

But if somebody would care to ask me if I am? I'll say YES. I'm after the commisioner's head.



[see also: http://sports.inquirer.net/inquirersports/inquirersports/view/20080225-120976/Realtors-move-within-win-of-title, http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php?issue=2008-02-25&sec=7&aid=50636]