BLEACHERS BREW EST. MAY 2006

Someone asked me how my blog and newspaper column came to be titled "Bleachers Brew". It's like this, it's an amalgam of sorts of two things: The bleachers area in the stadium/arena where I used to sit when I would watch baseball, football, and basketball games and Miles Davis' great jazz album Bitches Brew. That's how it got culled together. I originally planned on calling it "The View from the Big Chair" that is a nod to Tears For Fear's second album, Songs from the Big Chair. So there.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Bonfire stories

At the bonfire, hung out in my batch’s tent. It sure was great seeing my old classmates. And I couldn’t believe that after all these years, the alaskahan continues.

While reminiscing about the good old days (well these are good new days, right) of the pre-championship years – and that means 1987 and ’88, I had a reunion of sorts with a few people who used to watch the games back then. Aside from the parents and girlfriends of the players, there were few of us in the stands. And it sure was nice to see that the former Blue Eagles remember that.

Truthfully, malakas yung loob namin watching the games then that were held at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum (and once in a while at the Araneta Coliseum). If you were told that the Ateneo entrance was at the “red gate” then you did not go to the “green gate.” Not unless you wanted to get your ass kicked. Fights were commonplace and could happen at the drop of the hat.

I will always be eternally grateful to Reggie R. who used to save our butts in Rizal. Reggie went to Ateneo for grade school and high school but went to DLSC for college. Since Rizal was next door to his new school, he would watch but root for the blue and white. He was a tough guy and no one messed with him. So back then we could cheer for Ateneo and heckle other squads. Hahaha.

One of the best things to happen to the UAAP was we (all schools) got civilized. The fights and rumbles are now a thing of the past. Those who are watching today, you should be glad there you never experienced them.

Greg Slaughter welcome to Ateneo. That was some reception, huh?

One of my best friends from school received a text from a colleague of his from Taft. “Enjoy your three-peat,” the text read. “Meron na kami nyan. Four-peat pa.” I told my friend to reply this way (thanks to Mhel G for this), “Congrats. Meron kayong four-peat at forfeit. Congrats!”

I was talking to Bong Ravena yesterday at the bonfire, he was upset with those pair of articles that came out in the internet about Kiefer allegedly making an announcement and quoting him. He said no such things and never talked to any writer and it puts him and his family in a very awkward position. When the time is right, they'll make that known. And you'll hear it right here as well. In the meantime, be careful with the stories you read, re-post, or even believe.

That was some story about the Post-Game 2. Someone just got himself declared Public Enemy in Ateneo. Tsk. Tsk.


2 comments:

  1. I remember those good old days very well Rick. Lots of great memories. I remember when we first won in 1987 how a lot of people then didn't know the cheers and songs. We had the Blue Babble Battalion practicing at the Quad so people could learn it.

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  2. i surely don't remember the good 'ol days like you guys, but i do remember that our cheers back then were very much like our cheers today --- the halikinu's and the fabilioh's. all the other schools were dancing to some hip song from duran duran or some other 80s band at halftime. we were the only school to do our cheers the way we still do them today. solid talaga tayo!

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