Sweet sweep for La Salle

Yesterday’s headlines summed up Sunday’s excitement and how early my Monday morning started. The Philippine Star carried in big bold letters in its front page, “Archers trip Warriors, return as UAAP champs”; “Too fast, too furious – Pacquiao decisions Barrera in rematch.”

The Inquirer had the following on its front page: “La Salle Archers sweep UE warriors for UAAP crown” and “Pacquiao whips aging foe”.

In its sports page, The Star was even more effusive: “Archers score sweetest sweep – snare UAAP crown over Warriors” while the Inquirer had a green headline in the sports section: “Archers nail it – sweep wan Warriors for UAAP cage crown.” Tito Talao of Bulletin wrote “sweeps are most meaningful when they matter most.”

Sunday, Oct. 7, 2007, reminded me of July 2, 2006, also a Sunday. I took a 2 a.m.  flight from Cebu City to join Korina Sanchez and Recah Trinidad at 8 a.m. at ABS-CBN for the Manny Pacquiao – Oscar Larios primer a few hours before the bout at the Araneta Coliseum.

I did a fight post mortem around 3 p.m.  again with Trinidad and Sanchez. Right after the post mortem, I rushed to the Loyola Center to watch the last few sets of the successful defense by the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Archers of their Shakey’s V-League crown. It was one of the 13 titles won by the Lady Archers in the period 2003 – 2006.

I then joined the volley belles in a hurried thanksgiving party at Shangri-la Restaurant in Times Street in Quezon City. By 9 p.m., I was back at ABS-CBN for another post-mortem of Pacquiao-Larios with Boom Gonzalez.  

To cap the night, I got a call from Star Travel columnist Christine S. Dayrit and Allure asst. editor Bum Tenorio giving me positive feedback on the Gonzalez interview. That wasn’t the end of it however. At 6 a.m., Monday, July 3, 2006, I was in Arnold Clavio’s Unang Hirit show at GMA doing another analysis of the Pacquiao-Larios encounter.

Last Sunday afternoon and early Monday were practically replays of July 2, and 3, 2006, including calls from my colleagues at The Star.

I watched “Will to Win” from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Petron Mega Plaza in Makati, courtesy of Buhay party-list Congressman Irwin Tieng, son of television magnate William; Petron chair Nick Alcantara and Solar’s Luke Pasiliao.

From Petron, I drove off to the Big Dome to catch the Green Archers vindicate themselves and live true to the motto, “We’re back, We’re number one!” Right after the rousing triumph was a victory dinner with players and supporters in San Juan and on to DLSU Taft for a joyful celebration in the jampacked college canteen.

Yesterday morning I was guest again in Clavio’s show at 6 a.m. to analyze the Pacquiao-Barrera duel. That rounded off the cycle of a truly wondrous sporting day for Filipinos, Lasallians and true sports lovers.

To be sure, one cannot blame the Archers for savoring so-called bragging rights and calling this year’s UAAP basketball championship, its seventh (1989, 1990, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2007) since joining the league in 1986, its sweetest triumph. The list, by the way, does not include the 1991 title, that eluded DLSU in a most controversial manner, and the 2005 crown, which DLSU voluntarily gave up.

Star’s headline captured succinctly the saga of the Green Archers who could not be denied their moment of vindication. The entire Lasallian community had to endure all the scorn heaped upon it by some quarters, including reference to the 2006 suspension of DLSU as a cheer during the games. But for Lasallians, those incidents were more humbling than humiliating.

But the One who controls destiny rewarded DLSU not just with one but two basketball championships. And perhaps, the only sweeter victory other than Franz Pumaren’s senior Archers’ spectacular triumph after playing 19 games (the longest UAAP basketball season in memory), would be the heroic exploits of the De La Salle –Zobel junior Archers of Boris Aldeguer. The Zobel boys who had nothing to do with the controversy became collateral damage, victims of an excessively harsh ruling.

The senior Archers victory ironically came when the Archers’ recruitment program was at its weakest in years. In fact, as Pumaren admitted (at the same time apologizing to the team) during the victory celebration at DLSU, this was the weakest squad he has handled in his 10 years as DLSU coach. The Archers simply defied all the obstacles thrown their way and showed the never-say-die spirit and fighting heart of true Lasallians and champions.