The Ginebra “favorites” – a list of the most reviled personalities during the Big J era

        When Ginebra became the favorite team of the hoop-loving Filipinos in the mid-80’s, it’s no small wonder that they also generated their own “hitlist” of personalities that they disliked. This could be attributed for several reasons: plays with “angas” against Ginebra, always plays his career game versus the Gins, likes to “mix” it up with the crowd (ala Belga and Abueva today), or just plain grudging respect where fans can simply shake their head in amazement and awe.

Let’s list down the ten personalities heavily despised by the GInebra faithful from 1985 to 1998 when the Big J was still the undisputed leader of the team. Before we begin though, allow me to list a couple of honorable mentions:

1.     Elmer Cabahug – yeah, Cabahug never really figured in any fisticuff or trash talking with Ginebra players or the fans. What many may not know was Cabahug’s nick, “The Silencer,” may have come from his ability to quiet the Ginebra crowd with his timely three-point sniping. He wasn’t totally “hated,” but as any diehard Ginebra fan back then would admit, whenever Cabahug would take the last shot for his team for the win, a part of their respective lives passed away with that killer shot. Imagine the thrill of the fans when, in a game vs. Alaska, Cabahug missed two FT’s with no time left, sending the game to OT and Añejo winning. When the two teams met again, Cabahug was given a “standing ovation” by the GInebra faithful for what he did the last game.

2.      Alvin Teng – “Robocop” was a scorn of Ginebra because of his penchant to pull down crucial offensive rebounds in the stretch. But what made Teng stand out was his willingness to rough it up against the Ginebra defenders, including a near skirmish with Rudy Distrito. There was no doubt that the Big J wanted to have Teng on his team because of his work ethic, but never got the chance. Fans though, were able to express their frustration by coming up with a chant against Teng that wasn’t too pleasant to hear – “Teng…Ina mo!”

3.     Onchie Dela Cruz – whenever Ginebra and Tanduay duked it out, it was a relishing sight. While Ginebra may be physical, Tanduay wasn’t exactly pushovers. They had guys like Vic Sanchez, Itoy Esguerra, Willie Generalao, Mon Fernandez, and yes, Onchie Dela Cruz who wouldn’t be intimidated. There were speculations that the Big J was wary of Dela Cruz’ ruggedness that he started Distrito to “soften” him up a bit. Perhaps the one image that stood out was Onchie throwing a ball of spit at the face of Ginebra import Wes Matthews that nearly led to a melee.

4.  Willie Generalao - curiously, the Little General first played for the Gilbey's franchise in his ROY season in 1980. He was also a teammate of the Big J and Arnaiz in the 1984 season, but eventually went to Tanduay to join his mentor, Turing Valenzona. Generalao had several tough battles with the Big J and other Ginebra guards and seemed to play his best against his former team. He wasn't intimidated by anyone, even the hostile crowd, and despite his small frame, was ready to duke it out against anyone. Wily as he was, Generalao earned the goat of fans brought about by his intensity and apparent dislike for his former team.

5.     Rudy Hines – not as a player, but as a referee. Hines became the all-time villain among the officials among Ginebra followers because his calls were perceived to be against Ginebra most of the time. Hines was one of the three referees who covered Game 6 of the 1990 Open Conference Finals between Shell and Añejo. With a lot of key players in foul trouble with still 2:56 left in the first half, Añejo center Rey Cuenco couldn’t take it anymore, and slapped him on the nape (“binatukan”), leading to his banishment. Another referee reviled by the faithful was Ogie Bernarte, but it was Hines who truly stood out.

6.     Harmon Codiñera – You may wonder why the elder Codiñera is in this list when he was part of the franchise. In Harmon’s case, he is no different from Chris Ellis today – a player who fans would want to see more on the bench. Not to say Harmon was not serviceable, because he was. It’s his penchant to commit head-scratching mistakes and faulty decisions that can only make the Ginebra follower say, “WTF!” The fans’ favorite quip back then? “We got the wrong Codiñera!”

Now for the Top 10 list:

10  Angelito “Itoy” Esguerra

Itoy Esguerra started out as one of the top hotshots to come out of the NCAA, leading the Letran Knights to the crown in the 1979 season. He eventually essayed an “enforcer” role in the PBA, particularly when he moved to Tanduay where he joined forces with equally tough guys Sanchez, Dela Cruz, Generalao, and Fernandez. Fans would remember with disdain Esguerra’s deliberate throwing of the ball to Chito Loyzaga while inbounding that almost turned to a brawl. Esguerra relished his role to the hilt, and while hated by Ginebra and its followers, was considered an asset by their arch rivals.

9.  Romy Dela Rosa

The Big J was revered so much by his followers that anyone who would turn him down is regarded a villain. Dela Rosa was an unknown entity when he joined the 1989 PBA Draft, and many were surprised to see him drafted by Jaworski at #4 overall. Even more surprising was Dela Rosa turning down Ginebra’s salary of P60k a month, preferring to suit up for Shell who were willing to give him P10k more. This forced the hand of the Big J to trade him to Shell for Rey Cuenco. While the trade eventually evened out, there were several instances when Dela Rosa and Cuenco had brushes against each other, a compelling side story to a brewing rivalry.

8.  Totoy Marquez

If there was one player who had “angas” written all over his face, it was Totoy Marquez. Known to play physical defense against the Big J, the two would eventually find themselves trading shots against each other during the game. But of course, you don’t do that to the Living Legend, in the eyes of the Ginebra faithful. Everytime Marquez held the ball, fans jeered him endlessly. It peaked further when he played for the rookie franchise Purefoods TJ Hotdogs in the 1988 season. In Game 4 of the All Filipino Finals that Añejo won, Marquez committed three straight fouls in the final minutes, eventually fouling out. In disgust, Marquez took off his wristbands and threw them towards the bench obviously affected by the heckling.

7.  Atoy Co

Early Ginebra followers were mostly Toyota supporters who gravitated towards the Big J and Francis Arnaiz when the Silver Coronas disbanded at the end of the 1983 season. It’s no coincidence that the one player that they disliked the most came from Crispa and the face of the franchise – Atoy Co. When Co’s game started to dip, It gave more opportunities for fans to jeer him. It started when Co missed an unmolested layup against Ginebra, shattering his confidence in the process. When Co was dribbling the ball towards the frontcourt, fans were already egging him to take the shot – 60 feet away from the basket! It was utterly frustrating for Co who got affected by the jeers and tried to quiet them down. And like any other “favorite” player of Ginebra fans, he had his own chant from the faithful – “Co-Pal!” (try saying it out loud repeatedly)

6.     Ronnie Magsanoc

The Point Laureate was genuinely respected by Ginebra fans, but he became public enemy #1 in the 1990 season when he practically “destroyed” the defense put against him. Jaworski put every single body possible in trying to stop the former UP Maroon to no avail – he was virtually unstoppable. Distrito was practically “roughhousing” him in the 1990 Open Conference Finals but Magsanoc simply shrugged this off and retaliated by scoring trey after trey. In an ultimate sign of respect, Distrito was seen on camera high-fiving Magsanoc during the game, acknowledging the latter’s phenomenal performance. Like Cabahug, while Magsanoc wasn’t genuinely “hated,” he was feared more by the Ginebra faithful. Later that year, the Big J selected Magsanoc as part of the 1990 national team and even gave him more floor burn over then top point guard Hector Calma in the Beijing Asian Games.

5.  Frankie Lim

Who would have thought Frankie Lim ending up as a Ginebra coach abeit, for a short period of time? Seeing Lim at the Ginebra bench was a queer sight for elder fans, as there’s no love lost between him and the fans. Lim was one of those who could face Jaworski head-on without getting intimidated. He also was capable of giving his own licks to the Big J without regard to the constant howling of the fans. And then, with the game on the line, the former San Beda King Lion would seal the win for his Alaska Air Force team with a dagger of a trey at the most crucial episode of the game. Lim was the epitome of players stepping up and rising to the challenge of a hostile atmosphere known as the Ginebra faithful.

4.  Rey Lazaro

When Ginebra fans dislike an opponent, they make sure their sentiments are heard. Perhaps the first time a player got cussed by the fans happened to one of the best one-on-one players at that time, Shell’s Rey Lazaro. Lazaro wasn’t a dirty player, but knows how to retaliate when there’s a need. He made the “mistake” though of doing this to the Living Legend, thereby earning the ire of the fans. From out of the blue, the ULTRA burst with angry unison screams of “Lazaro, Gago!” For the first time in PBA history, fans vented their anger towards one particular opposing personality, something that became a common soundbyte in the coming years. Lazaro, though, was tough as nails, and didn’t let the jeers affect him mentally, continuing to menace the Ginebra defense with his acrobatic undergoal stabs. This chant later morphed into “referee, gago” or “insert name of player / team here, gago”

3.  Abet Guidaben

Abet Guidaben was perhaps the most disliked player among Toyota fans in the Crispa roster. The sentiment escalated further when the two teams disbanded and Jaworski became an icon. Guidaben was always a thorn to Ginebra so long as he kept his temper in check. Unfortunately, he had a short fuse and got riled easily. Jaworski and the fans know this and made sure that his mental game would be disrupted. Guidaben’s reactions against bad calls, hard fouls, and trash talking made him an easy target among the fans. Add to the fact that the Big J and Guidaben seemed to have a genuine dislike with each other – in one game between Ginebra and Pepsi Mega (Guidaben’s team), the two had a staredown that was riveting and lapped by the fans. Guidaben would ape Jaworski by walking gingerly with an imaginary cane holding him up, in apparent reference to the Big J’s age. Jaworski would retaliate by doing push-ups after he found himself floored after a play. Just one of those super rivalries among personalities that made the PBA the center of entertainment back in the 80’s and 90’s.

2.  Jojo Lastimosa

A rivalry among two teams can have an effect on relationships among players. Jojo Lastimosa was one of the most admired players in the young Purefoods team that even Ginebra fans would want to see him playing for their team. That all came to an end one evening when Lastimosa undercut Jaworski while going for a layup. IN the next play, the Big J, apparently losing his composure, gave a phantom punch on Jolas’ stomach, an incident clearly seen on TV cameras but was missed by the three zebras. Then Commissioner Rudy Salud suspended Jaworski for the deed, and the two didn’t seem to see eye to eye from thereon. The Ginebra faithful fanned the flames further when they jeered Jolas endlessly all the way until his Alaska years. From admiration to disdain – Lastimosa unfortunately became one of the most loathed players ever among Ginebra fans.

1.     Ramon Fernandez

Let’s face it, the feud between Jaworski and Ramon Fernandez brought about by the Toyota disbandment was perhaps one of the top reasons why the PBA peaked in terms of popularity back in the 80’s. The simmering conflict was apparent in practically every setting – when the two teams faced each other, when Fernandez also became a playing coach for Purefoods in 1988, when the two personalities became post-season awardees and didn’t even greet each other despite standing next to one another, and the rivalries among their respective teams – Ginebra vs. Tanduay, Ginebra vs. Purefoods, Ginebra vs. San Miguel. Ginebra fans didn’t exactly despise Fernandez but they know there was a feud between the two. And because Fernandez was the greatest thorn on the side of Ginebra at both ends of the court, it’s not a surprise that the team almost always struggled against Don Ramon-led teams. The detest was also mostly out of respect – El Presidente was so good that the Ginebra faithful can only shake their respective heads when they end up at the losing end. No surprise that the most memorable All-Star game in PBA history was in 1989 when the two, engaged by their coach Baby Dalupan, shook hands at the end of the game after collaborating to author a win at the buzzer.