Five things I told my dad after the Ateneo-FEU game

Five things I told my dad after the Ateneo-FEU game

by rick olivares

Enough of La Salle, the real rivalry in the last decade has been Ateneo-FEU.

There are only eight schools in the UAAP and at one time or another, rivalries will break out. They aren’t exclusive to traditional rivals. It’s easy to say UE versus FEU or Ateneo versus La Salle as they are either bound by geography or history. In the 1990s, it was actually La Salle and UST as they constantly played one another in the finals.

Ateneo has had a long and tempestuous relationship with FEU. When the Blue Eagles were gunning for a three-peat in 1989, it was the Tamaraws under Johnny Abbarientos and Vic Pablo that nailed the final coffin on Ateneo with a devastating second round defeat at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum. Ten years later, Ateneo had the twice-to-beat advantage over FEU in the Final Four but the Tams took it in two straight. In 2003, when the boys in blue were going for a back-to-back, Arwind Santos and company stopped them cold.

In 2009, the Tamaraws had built a strong team with Mark Barroca, Reil Cervantes, Aldrech Ramos, Mac Baracael, Paul Sanga and company but Paul Lee and the UE Red Warriors sent them packing.

The following season, the Tamaraws swept the elimination round series against Ateneo but come the finals, they were thoroughly routed. The two teams also met in the Champions League, the Fr. Martin Cup and University Games finals of that year. Each time, the Blue Eagles came out winners. The next year, FEU was undefeated in FilOIl play and Ateneo sent them packing in the quarterfinals en route to the title. And just this summer, it was the same – Ateneo ousted an undefeated FEU team.

The acrimony has spilled on to the board and the football pitch.

That’s it in a nutshell but in between there have been incidents, words, accusations, claims etc.

Mixed Martial Arts or boxing should be added to the sports calendar of the UAAP.

In fact, make those sports mandatory. After watching FEU play like San Sebastian, I am not sure I went to a basketball game or a skit right out of the Three Stooges. It’s one thing to play physical, a sure fire way to disrupt a finesse team but to throw punches and hurl body fluids is well… I leave it to you to fill in the blanks.

In the first round match between FEU and NU, the Bringas brothers (you can throw in Carl Cruz into the mix) tried to get into Emmanuel Mbe’s head prompting the latter to retaliate. The brothers also followed the Cameroonian all the way to the tunnel at the Araneta Coliseum to see if they could exact their pound of flesh. With the game all but wrapped up for NU, Ray Parks went up to me (I was seated at near the row reserved for the UAAP board members) and said, “Pardon my language but those #@!*)#&> don’t deserve to win!” The reigning league MVP was downright pissed.

I am surprised that one of their coaches was eager to pick a fight.

For a while, I thought I was watching San Sebastian try to bludgeon San Beda into submission. Only this game was in the UAAP.

The Bringas brothers, college basketball’s version of The Bruise Brothers (Alaska’s Ricky Relosa and Yoyoy Villamin once upon a time), were in their best behavior in the first round Ateneo-FEU encounter. This time around, well, it seemed as if they wanted to make up for lost opportunity. It’s a bloody shame because both a terrific basketball players. I remember Coach Bert Flores calling out Arvie Bringas to stop the extra-curricular activity in a previous match because they needed him in the game and perhaps the next one.

However, it wasn’t just the two. There were others and some from an unlikely source.

In the final minute of play, if you were at the Mall of Asia Arena you will have noticed assistant coach Ronald Magtulis (Incidentally one of my fave players of FEU during his time) was staring down at Ateneo’s bench and mumbling some words their way. When the final buzzer sounded and the two teams went towards each other for the post-game handshake, I was surprised that he went to Ateneo assistant Sandy Arespacochaga to pick a fight.

Ronald Magtulis (to Sandy Arespacochaga): #&@#!!!0

Sandy Arespacochaga (to Ronald Magtulis): Pare, wag naman ganyan.

Nico Salva (to Ronald Magtulis): Sabihin mo sa mga player mo na ayusin nila laro nila.

Ronald Magtulis to Nico Salva: Ganyan talaga ang basketbol. Ganyan talaga.

I am shocked that FEU officials have allowed this to happen. The Tamaraws have never been known to be a dirty team until this season. Is that any surprise that the Bringas Brothers are like the Brothers of Destruction? Now that spitting episode cost you a game against – NU.

The last time I saw two coaches try to get to each other was two years ago during a FilOil match between Letran and San Beda. It was so shocking that then Red Lions head coach Frankie Lim, who is never one to back down from a confrontation, played the peacemaker.

Now why the post-match incident happened I will never understand. Whoever was wrong, the coaches must draw the line and rein everyone in. Not exacerbate matters.

I too am shocked that the referees have let go so much. I am not in favor of ticky tacky calls (and with these refs you never know what you are getting) but does rough and dirty play equate to manhood? Maybe UAAP, it’s time to introduce MMA or boxing in the list of annual sports.

Dude that kind of style went out with Isiah Thomas and his Detroit Pistons’ dirty play. And Thomas didn’t make the Dream Team.

I wonder if the battle cry is, “If you can’t beat them, beat them up.”

JP Erram and Juami Tiongson are currently my students!

Proud teach! In my Journalism class in Ateneo, the two of them (Erram and Tiongson) constantly participate and voice out their thoughts and opinions on the variety of subjects that we discuss. Many would think that the jocks would be timid in class. But not so in mine. In fact, I try to maintain a highly interactive class. So it is now surprise for me that the two of them have stepped up and made significant contributions to the team.

I followed the Blue Eagles all the way to Roxas City in last year’s University Games and it was the two who really lead the way. I even wrote about those games!

My dad said, “Don’t let up on them in class.”

Hahaha. I won’t. But I doubt they will slack off.

And lastly, dad, there’s no substitute to watching the games live.

We caught the replay of the match on television last night and well, it looked quiet, sanitized, and well, tame. The cameras caught a few things but not everything that went on. If you talk to the media photographers who sat on the sidelines, they will tell you that they saw every punch, elbow, knee, and then some.

I think I got a preview of tomorrow (Friday’s) One Fighting Championship.