Is it true?

Because I know you like to be informed of what goes on behind the scenes, I try to keep my ears close to the ground–listening for tremors (rhymes with rumors). Whatever I pick up from the grapevine is news, sometimes unconfirmed. But as they say, where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

Listen to what’s hot on the streets.

Is it true that at least two Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) imports are close to receiving the pink slip? If they don’t shape up in the next game or two, their goose is cooked. Not that they’re incompetent. It’s just that they can’t seem to blend with their local teammates. Chemistry is important for teamwork. An import alone can’t bring a team to the championship.

Is it true that standing by to fly in at a moment’s notice as an import replacement is former Los Angeles Lakers guard Isaac Fontaine? He’s no stranger to the PBA. Fontaine has played here once before and he’s itching for a comeback. The word is he’s being recommended to one of the league’s most popular clubs. Another import wannabe on standby is Myron Anthony.

Is it true that a PBA team is wracked by internal dissension? After a recent game, players were up in arms–against each other. One player accused another of not passing the ball enough to him. The player shot back, saying why should he pass the ball to someone who doesn’t know what to do with it. Four-letter words punctuated the bitter verbal exchange. Still another cager complained of lack of playing time because the import plays his spot. The situation is like a volcano waiting to erupt.

Is it true that the PBA has quietly recruited hotshot lawyers to dig deep into the Fil-Sham problem? Commissioner Noli Eala announced recently he would form a five-man panel to look into the status of the league’s 26 Fil-foreigners in the wake of the Senate study calling for the deportation of five alleged "Fil-Shams" and the investigation of three others. If the panel’s findings contradict those of the Senate, what will Comish do? He may find himself boxed in, between a rock and a hard place.

Is it true that only Comish and PBA marketing director Robbie Puno made up the selection committee for the league’s cheerdancing squad the Honeyshots? The talk is several wolves aggressively jockeyed to be named to the committee, which screened over a hundred eye-popping applicants. To solve the problem of selecting the members of the selection committee, Comish and Puno decided they would take on the difficult task of screening the beauties themselves. The Solomonic solution spared the girls from "dancing with the wolves." PBA media bureau chief Willie Marcial denied he was one of the wolves. The PBA’s still keeping the names of the Honeyshots secret although filmdom’s April Tolentino appears to be a shoo-in. April was spotted watching the PBA games at the PhilSports Arena yesterday in the company of 10 relatives.

Is it true that a supposed Fil-Am not in the Senate list of "Fil-Shams" escaped scrutiny because his papers were fixed by a prominent personality from the previous dispensation? The jury’s still out on whether this player is a fake or not but what’s sure is his papers were facilitated. Now if the player is legit, was it necessary to "facilitate" his papers?

Is it true that the Fil-foreigner requirement of having one full-blooded Filipino parent no longer applies? The word is at least two Fil-foreigners are a quarter Filipino because one of their parents is only half-Filipino by blood. That means one of their grandparents was a full-blooded Filipino. It used to be that for a Fil-foreigner to play in the PBA as a local, he had to be at least half-Filipino by blood. The issue has become moot and academic with the recent passage of the dual citizenship law.

Is it true that a world-ranked Filipino professional fighter has not communicated with his registered manager the last eight months? Their contract expires in December, meaning they’re still obligated to each other until then. The fighter is booked to see action late this month and it doesn’t look like his manager will be at ringside to witness the proceedings.

If you’ve got your ears on the ground and you happen to hear some tremors, drop us a line. Your tidbit might find its way in our next "Is it true?" column.