Is it true — Part 2?

If you enjoyed the cheese in yesterday’s column, here’s more.

Is it true the dominant player in last month’s national team tryouts was a Fil-Am whose Filipino lineage is uncertain? Not that the Fil-Am isn’t a Fil-Am. His agent just happens to be the same broker who brought Al Segova to the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). If the alleged Fil-Am is cleared by the Department of Justice, then he’ll be a cinch to make it to the national team and possibly, become the first overall pick in the PBA draft on Jan. 13.

Is it true this disgraced Fil-Am submitted a urine sample that wasn’t his to avoid detection as a drug user? When word leaked of the cover-up, he was ordered to submit another urine sample – this time with his coach beside him as he filled up the bottle. The result was as expected. The Fil-Am was booted out of his team. It’s not likely he’ll pump his way back to the land of his mother’s birth.

Is it true that this marginal PBA player was caught with his pants down, figuratively speaking of course, fooling around by his wife? The player used to promise to return home at 5 after each practice – however, he never specified if it was 5 early morning or afternoon. As it turned out, he often sneaked back into his house at dawn. The wife got fed up with his shenanigans and now, an annulment of their marriage is in the works. What they’re sorting out at the moment is the division of conjugal properties and custody of their children. Is it true the wife is independently wealthy?

Is it true this PBA player has split from his wife to live with a TV variety show host who also split from her husband? Both partners swear they couldn’t be happier. I wonder how their former partners feel.

Is it true a former National Basketball Association (NBA) champion coach is on the short-list of candidates for the Talk ’N Text job in the PBA next season? The coach, however, is tied up to a contract until February. Another candidate in the short-list is an existing PBA coach. And still another candidate is a former Division I coach who, insiders speculate, may be the second coming of Ron Jacobs.

Is it true this PBA team has a policy against hiring Fil-Ams? You wonder why. Nothing wrong with recruiting Fil-Ams as long as they’re legitimate. Do some Fil-Ams rub locals the wrong way? Perhaps, the team is wary about creating a potentially explosive situation by mixing locals and Fil-Ams.

Is it true the cagers who represented the country at the last Southeast Asian Games had nothing to do with the so-called appeal to bar a broadcaster from covering their games in Kuala Lumpur? One of the cagers recently apologized – profusely – for his alleged participation in the conspiracy against the broadcaster. So if the players weren’t behind the smear campaign, who was? Ah, the plot thickens.

Is it true a Fil-Am hoping to apply for the PBA draft recently found out his Filipina mother was already a naturalized American citizen before his birth? A source confided that the Fil-Am, who should be a first round pick, has been asked by fixers for a sum to "facilitate" his DOJ clearance. Will he do it? The irony of it all is the Fil-Am’s mother is a full-blooded Filipina.

Is it true a PBA referee was temporarily suspended for soliciting presents from teams to bring to the US for a trip? The referee, however, has been reinstated. Maybe, he just didn’t realize the implications of what he did. A referee should never owe any favors to a team – even if it’s just a simple matter of asking for T-shirts. A lesson learned, indeed.

Is it true that this budding PBA superstar has been offered a three-year extension of his expired contract and he isn’t happy? The scuttlebutt is the superstar wants only a two-year renewal. He obviously knows his worth. If he continues to play heads-up, he’ll be worth a lot more after two years than what he’s being offered now on the third year of a three-year contract.

Is it true this lion-hearted PBA superstar is considering to sign a three-year renewal of his contract that may include a provision to be involved in the front office? The word is the superstar is working out religiously during the holidays and should report to camp in the best shape of his career. Make no mistake, he’s capable of playing top-level basketball for at least three more years, especially if his team recruits a couple of able-bodied big men to relieve him of the pressure of playing inside.

And that winds up another episode of our long-running "is it true" series.