Dalupan's B-Day Highlights
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 24 Oct 2015
They saw it, but they still didn't believe it.
Dante Silverio, Baby Dalupan's coaching arch-rival during the long and fierce Crispa-Toyota rivalry in the Philippine Basketball Association, just magnified his fine sportsmanship trait by attending the latter's 92nd birthday bash cum book launching Monday at the Singson Hall of the Ateneo Grade School Campus.
And Robert "Sonny" Jaworski, the heart and soul of Toyota's campaign then, was also there along with Dominador Cepeda, a one time the Ricardo Silverio franchise's team manager, likewise, showing the same character their boss displayed.
And so were other former Redmanizers -- Bogs Adornado, Atoy Co (with wife Monette), Philip Cezar, Freddie Hubalde, Rey Franco, Joy Carpio and Steve Watson and daughters of the late Crispa owner Danny, Floro Tess, Sheeba and Valerie and their families as well as their uncle Tony Uichico.
Many in attendance were surprised, indeed, especially when they saw Silverio, who, likewise, celebrated two days prior, embracing the celebrant as soon as the two met at center stage.
For Dalupan and Silverio, who, for nearly a decade, met heatedly many times for supremacy in the country's first and only professional basketball league, there was nothing to be surprised about.
"We're not enemies naman talaga, and you are privy to that having covered us throughout that era," Silverio, still a suave best-dresser as before, told this writer. "Yung awayan naman namin gawa-gawa lang at sa basketball court lang. for show para ma-hype ng games namin. Off-court, were the best of friends."
Dalupan, himself a through an through sport and owner of an unmatched record 52 championship victories from the collegiate, commercial and pro-ranks, that is unmatched by any coach in any sport in he entire universe, agreed. "Many, especially the uninitiated, really still believe until now that Crispa's and Toyota's fierce and intense rivalry had spilled out of the playing court."
"And they're not to be blamed really, lalo na noong first few years of the PBA ang mga manlalaro namin ay nagsu-suntukan during games. What they didn't know is, outside, nagyayakapan pa ang mga 'yan kahit na noong nakakulong sila. Remember, di ba ilang beses silang pinakulong ni President Marcos noon because of violence on the court. "
Proof of that, Baby deduced was, "when we both folded up, several of my players were taken by "Sonny" as mainstays of his now very popular Barangay Ginebra San Miguel."
"Yeah, that's true," Dante butted in. Modesty aside, tingin ko ang popularidad ng Ginebra ngayon ay produkto ng Crispa-Toyota rivalry. At tingin ko, tatagal pa. Imagine 32 years after we disbanded, pinag-uusapan pa."
"Natatandaan pa naman siguro natin noong All-Star weekend a few years back, they revived the Crispa-Toyota rivalry at yung laro namin mas marami ang nanood kesa All-Star game proper," Dante reminisced.
"Sa tutoo lang, alam mo, I'm very proud to be part of the rivalry because, to me, that continued feud between our teams helped largely in making the PBA what it is today," Silverio, who guided the Comets (sometimes called the Tamaraws, among others) to the first two championships of the play-for-pay league, sweeping the Redmanizers in topping the First and Second conferences in the league's inaugural year in 1975.
"Me, too, "Baby concurred in. " Sabi ninyo sa media, legend ako at ang Crispa, but the fact is, to me, kung wala si Dante at ang Toyota, hindi kami magiging legend. Fact also is, if we are legend, Dante and Toyorta are legends, too.
"Eh di ba si Sonny is local basketball's living legend?" he philosophized.
Asked about the percieved animosity that has existed between him and Jaworski, a Dalupan protege, while paying for him for the University of the East,said: "It's not true. There' no animosity between us. As I have been saying, I consider all my players as my sons."
As for Jaworski, the Big-J and Jawo to fans, the fact that he never played for Baby and Crispa didn't mean there was blood that existed between him and his college mentor.
"I played for coach Baby at UE all of my collegiate playing years. we were in the championship eight times and we won seven titles out of those finals appearances (in the UAAP and Inter-collegiate) and I cannot forget that, " the Big J recalled.
"You know, sometimes yung mga nagmamahalan ay nagkakahiwalay, but that doesn't mean the love that exist between two people eh nawawla. Love always remain," he said.
"Coach Baby's been so kind to me an I respect him for that. May he continue to enjoy the blessings God has been giving him," he said.
Also in attendance in the star-studded affair were coaches Tim Cone now of Ginebra an Yeng guiao of Rain or Shine, Purefoods big boss Butch Alejo, PBA commissioner Chito Narvasa, former UE softball/baseball coach Raul saberon and wife Cora and Tony Genato of the 1954 Philippine world championship third placer team, among others.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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