Defining the News
- Advertisement -Alvin Patrimonio, before he became known as the Captain, took me back to the days of the Seoul Asian Games circa ‘86, where bronze medals had the same worth as Gold.
Talked about his long tube socks, 0-16 NCAA record during his first two years then coming back for his 3rd and 4th seasons as the league’s back-to-back MVP, his first ever PABL Championship with Yco, Asics Tiger hi-tops, those Pro-Specs jerseys, the South Korean brand, the ladies from Seoul who flocked to him during the Seoul games, his try-out experiences, the Rizal Memorial Coliseum caretaker and banana cue vendor, his Kaypee and Swatch endorsement deals, and of course, Coach Joe.
When Quinito Henson, gave him his moniker “Captain Lion Heart”, it gave this writer the greatest cringe and face-palm moments combined, which to me was really cheesy. But after talking to the man face to face, I became a believer. Alvin Patrimonio is all heart, all those years, all the time. The incident caused a mainstream media hailstorm which was tri-media fodder in those days. Public outcry for fielding ineligible players drew traction since winds of change blew over the nation that February and “social change” was the order of the day in putting a stop to the pervading culture of sending fully developed “19U” players.Similar to a stack of dominoes, the likes of Allan Caidic and the rest of the team followed suit, which left Coach Joe Lipa without a team to begin with.