The Farm

It won't be long until another "sponsor"
 asks for Garcia
(Photo courtesy of Sports5)

"Old McDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O
And on his farm he had a cow, E-I-E-I-O
With a moo moo here,
And a moo moo there,
Here a moo, there a moo,
Everywhere a moo moo, 
Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O"

If the PBA does not act on the matter soon, this problem will turn into a cancer that will ultimately rob the league of all of its hard-earned glory and integrity as Asia's "first" organized professional basketball body.

Rumors have it the Barako Bull Energy Cola, long known in most circles as a conduit team that would rather sell its top players than win a title (and reward what little fanbase it has), is on its way to either be sold to an outside corporation (please let this be the case) or, formally change its name to Air21 with old, notoriously business-minded (read: trade nut) hand Lito Alvarez back calling the shots.


While the latest rumor has resident Energy Cola star point guard Denok Miranda possibly being shipped to GlobalPort for Sol Mercado can be considered as "fair trade," there's no denying that this team is operating to simply make as much money as possible through the players that they have on the roster. Plus, in case you still haven't noticed, this team is becoming more and more blatant and abusive when it comes to ensuring that their "sponsors" are provided for.

Need a backup point guard for the playoffs? Check. Need a wing? Check. Need a big man? They have a bunch who are being developed as we speak.

From a professional player's perspective, it's easy to dismiss all of the points made above and all talks of integrity and competition. At day's end, a paycheck is a paycheck no matter who is signing it. These players have families to care for, so don't expect them to go on record against the team (not until they are out of the payroll of course).

But from a fan's standpoint, we'd rather just have this team fold than to waste our time watching them on television--or worse, paying to watch their games. Their fans must know that they won't be winning any time soon, so you could probably wager on the fact that the team doesn't have fans, more like the players, all of which are wishing that their hero be plucked by one of the sponsors sooner rather than later.

What good is a league, with a dozen teams in the fold, if every one is well aware of the corruption going on underneath? Where is the parity? How many independent teams are there in the PBA, really? There are two blocks. And if you follow all of the trades, you will definitely have an idea of who likes to sleep with who.

Will we ever enjoy a single PBA conference that does not feature Barako Bull in a trade?