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.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Arvie Bringas should play


This appears in abs-cbnnews.com

Arvie Bringas should play
by rick olivares

Now that the controversial second round match between FEU and NU (played last September 2) will be replayed on September 23, does that mean that the Tamaraws Arvie Bringas will miss that match?

To refresh everyone’s memory, Bringas was suspended by the UAAP Commissioner for the spitting incident that marred the second round Ateneo-FEU match. The Tamaraws management at their own discretion decided to suspend Bringas for one more game.

Now that is an internal matter of their own and not a league-sanctioned suspension.

Bringas missed the NU match because of the league-mandated suspension and the UE game played last September 8 because of FEU’s INTERNAL suspension.

There is no ruling yet from Commissioner Ato Badolato but I would still like to weigh in my thoughts (as I am sure everyone connected to this is doing so).

Since the September 2 match has been voided that means the “suspension” game is now the UE match. And any succeeding game where Bringas suits up should be fine. FEU should not be made to pay for the cancellation of the game. Why should a player of theirs not suit up for a third game? It’s insane. As far as they are concerned Arvie has missed two matches. It is unfortunate on FEU’s part that the game has been asked to be replayed.

From my point of view, the NU coaches only did their jobs in filing a protest. Now I disagree that when the protest was denied, it was elevated to the technical committee that is all made up of UAAP members.

The members all have something at stake here. I’d like to think that they are impartial and will render fair judgment but you know, they do not.

What the board should do is have a permanent league commissioner with a staff made up of people not connected to any UAAP school. The UAAP board should just determine the rules, run the league affairs but stay out of the sports decisions because God knows how many stupid rules they have and boners when it comes to decisions. And this replay is just the latest.

What for did you get a commissioner?

It is sad though that FEU should learn from this because several years ago, the football tournament commissioner recommended the suspension and banning of their football coach for attacking a referee but it was overturned by the board.

All this playing around with the rules just makes frenemies out of everyone. Now that should be on their agenda the next time they meet. They shouldn’t be making winning a personal or hidden agenda. It’s funny because the games are played on the hardcourts and fields but they too have their own extramural and boardroom games.

Nevertheless, FEU should be allowed to field Arvie Bringas for the September 23 match.

To not let him play would be like suspending him for three games and smacks of double jeopardy. 

2 comments:

  1. Agree that ABringas be allowed to play vs NU! Don't tell me this is going to be another UAAP Board discretion...the bigger concer n though is the "authority" bestowed by the UAAP Board on its Commissioner! The Board should not "interfere" on how the tournament is run and let the Comm do his job! The Board's responsibility is the smooth staging of the games not "deciding" on the games tantamount to manipulating the results...

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  2. i think that the game should have gone to overtime. it was really inconclusive. though i also agree that it shouldnt have reached the boardroom and it should have just went into overtime on that day itself.

    is anyone stopping bringas from playing?

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