Bates wears out welcome

MANILA, Philippines - PBA Hall of Famer Billy Ray Bates is living in a friend’s home in San Pedro, Laguna, hoping someone can sponsor his continued stay in the country to avoid deportation to the US. He was terminated as AirAsia Philippine Patriots skills coach last Feb. 15 for disciplinary reasons but allowed to stay in an Eastwood condo unit, paid for by the team, until the end of last month.

Bates, 55, flew in from New Jersey last October to be inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame. He was invited to stay in town for four days and four nights but got a reprieve when the Patriots signed him as a skills coach in the ABL. Bates was inked to a contract up to June but disciplinary issues prompted his termination. Now, he’s looking for a way to extend his stay but without a source of income, his days seem numbered.

Bates recently moved in with a woman in a San Pedro home where his friend Jimmy Fojas’ mother and brother live. Fojas is a Filipino professional manager with a biotechnology company living in San Francisco and a long-time PBA fan who kept in contact with Bates beyond his playing days.

“Billy’s running the air conditioner most of the time and my brother is worried he won’t be able to pay the utility bills since he doesn’t have any income,” said Fojas in an email. “A friend of mine already helped him extend his visa but warned that he needs to find an employer to sponsor his stay before his visa expires or he’ll be deported back to the US. I’ll let him know that he can only stay at our place for two more weeks and he’ll need to find another place for himself.”

It may be the end of the line for Bates in the country after he blew a golden opportunity to straighten up his life with the Patriots. Fojas said Bates has asked former PBA imports Bobby Parks and Norman Black to help him land a job.

 “We believe in second chances,” said Patriots team manager Erick Arejola. “That’s why we gave Billy a chance to join our team as a skills coach. It was also our way of paying tribute to the Black Superman. Unfortunately, he couldn’t kick his drinking problem. He would sometimes report for practice smelling of liquor and couldn’t participate in the drills. We found out he borrowed money from players, including our imports. Once, he was absent from practice because of his wife. Then, he asked for a salary advance to bail out his wife who was supposedly being evicted from her apartment in the US so I asked him which wife was in town?  His stories wouldn’t match.”

Bates was recently involved in a scandal in his Eastwood condo when at 4 a.m., someone barged out of his unit screaming for help. Apparently, Bates brought a woman to his unit only to find out later she was a male. When Bates discovered the ruse, the man stormed out of his condo fearing he would be harmed.

Arejola said there were also reports of taxi drivers and women demanding payment for services from Bates, creating a commotion in his condo building.

“His wife in the US even phoned Billy’s agent Sheryl Reyes complaining that his salary wasn’t being paid on time or at least that’s what Billy claimed,” said Arejola. “That’s not true. We pay our salaries on time all the time.”

Bates received a monthly salary of $1,500 from the Patriots. He saved a lot in transportation and food expenses since he would go to practice with the Patriots imports and eat with the team occasionally, noted Arejola.

“Because he’s a PBA Hall of Famer, we even offered Billy a graceful exit,” said Arejola. “We suggested for him to leave and we would give as a reason an emergency he had to take care of in the US. We even allowed him to stay in his condo until the end of February. But he refused and was angry with us.”

According to Fojas, Bates said his name was exploited by the Patriots and claimed “he was always there when they wanted him and he did his job as told.” Arejola, however, said his behavioral problems came to a point where management could no longer tolerate his shenanigans. A clause in Bates’ contract stipulates termination for cause such as a discipline issue, said Arejola.

Bates’ addiction to alcohol and cocaine led to a downturn in his life, leading to a seven-year prison sentence for robbing a gasoline station at knifepoint and slashing the ear of an attendant to steal just $5 in 1998. After his release from prison, Bates promised to live a clean life and got a job as a floor technician in the graveyard shift of a recycling company in New Jersey. He said he owed his resurrection to his wife of over 20 years, Beverly. In the PBA, Bates played for Crispa and Barangay Ginebra, averaging a whopping 46.2 points in 98 total games over four seasons in 1983-88.