Touchstones of yesterday

Can it really be possible to turn back the hands of time? Why do we always seem to want to redo the past, even when it carries its own lessons and value?

This year seems to be the year of the comeback, as STAR columnist Quinito Henson said in his opening remarks at the opening of the first Philippine STAR Friendship League at the Meralco Gym last Saturday. Of course, he was referring to the trend started by Michael Jordan, who came out of retirement to play for the Washington Wizards.

I agreed with him. At the games (which included ABS-CBN, San Miguel Corporation, RCBC, UCPB, RFM Corporation and, of course, The STAR), I saw many old faces, from retired PBA legends Allan Caidic and Hector Calma to recent MBA player and now San Miguel assistant coach Siot Tanquincen, to former teammates and opponents from the different corporate and broadcasting basketball tournaments I’ve been in since the late 1980’s.

It warms my heart to see old foes as we now greet each other like the rocking chair-bound warriors we should be. I asked Calma if he misses playing, and he still does. Some of us will never be able to let go of the game, I guess.

One thing that time salves is the arrogance, the anger, the bitterness that makes competitive fire spill over into personal assault. There was hardly any tension in the opening games (either we all know better or don’t want the hassle of getting out of trouble), and a lot of humor. Even the teasing had no bile, perhaps just the grudging acceptance of how Father Time (and a few spare tires around the midsection) has rendered us mostly earthbound.

Events like this always make me reflect, particularly on what my life is really all about. It reminded me why I do what I do, and why I jumped into the deep waters of self-employment to produce The Basketball Show (if you’ll pardon a shameless plug: Thursdays, 10:30 p.m. on RPN 9). I’ve always believed in dignity with victory, and I’ve always been one to keep competitiveness confined to myself, and within the playing court. And that’s why I admire The STAR (through its mean shooting guard CEO Miguel Belmonte and his deadshot brother, philstar.com head Kevin Belmonte) for coming up with this idea. Thank you. A lot of younger players at every level could learn a lot. We’ve learned well enough to leave trash talking at the door.

Life has a lot of surprises that sharpen its colors. Sports is perhaps the most vivid example of how living in the moment, living large, and living on the edge are the way to go. Who would have ever imagined that Muhammad Ali would go against the military draft, or that Michael Jordan would turn to baseball and return to basketball twice?

Another advantage of growing older is that you see things in slow motion (not because you’re generally moving in slo-mo) because you know that you’ll be reviewing everything that happened, anyway, so might as well slow down and save yourself the trouble of rewinding. Besides, in life, you generally don’t get a second take, so enjoy the first one with all its foibles. There’s something to be said for saving effort and getting things right ahead of time, if you can.

I’m looking forward to suiting up for the next game. I know my mind and body will be arguing over whether or not we should take off from the fifteen-foot line (my guess is my body will win the argument), but I’m sure it’ll be fun playing with no expectations. You see, with time also comes acceptance, and with acceptance, serenity, and liberation.

And what fun that will be.