Eat. Sleep. Trade. Repeat.

Is it wrong to call Intal...
The Franchise? Tagal ma trade e.
(Photo credit: Sports5.ph)

My name is Angel Velasco, and I am the advocate for the bastard incarnates, Barako Bull Energy Cola. Our mantra is Eat. Sleep. Trade. Repeat.

Denok Miranda? Eat. Sleep. Trade. Repeat.

Sol Mercado? Eat. Sleep. Trade. Repeat.

Dave Marcelo? Eat. Sleep. Trade. Repeat.

Joseph Yeo? Eat. Sleep. Trade. Repeat.

Eat. Sleep. Trade. Repeat.

EAT.

SLEEP.

TRADE.

REPEAT.

We will never tire of it, we will continue to showcase some of the league's lesser-known talent-- but not to please our fans (do we have any?), push them to the high heavens until the PBA recognizes them as high as "Best Player of the Week" goes, and then, at that one, single, perfect moment...

... EAT. SLEEP. TRADE. REPEAT.

"Pare, stat-padding lang kelangan
trade na yan for sure"
(Photo credit: Sports5p.h)

Before you get any more confused as we are-- no, we are not fans of Barako Bull (we openly root for Rain or Shine, ICYMI). But everything else we said above is true-- Barako Bull, as a team, is in the league to make money and not win games or championships. They are not there to compete, they are there to perform. At some point you'll have to feel sorry for Coach Koy Banal, who is as good as they come, for trying to push and prod his players, research and scout, only to know that one day, whoever he feels is reliable on the roster-- be it a scorer like the recently traded Yeo, or JC Intal, will be plucked from the team sooner or later.

So what is the God damn point of going to venues and playing games then?

Well, it's a paycheck for everyone involved in the Barako Bull camp. It is a stepping stone for young bucks or doubted veterans to make some noise. It is the ugly side of PBA, the politics and the business.

So because Barako Bull is able to provide a living for those involved, we can't really hate them. 

If anything, JC Intal sure as hell looked close to the Ateneo JC Intal last conference. Then again, the guy was close to being traded as well so, shit. Another Eat. Sleep. Trade. Repeat. move by the management. The takers, whoever they are, probably want another conference's worth of Ateneo JC Intal before they finally pull the trigger. Who knows?

Moving forward to next season, we hope that Coach Koy continues to build his youngsters: RR Garcia, James Forrester, Dylan Ababou and Nico Salva. Those guys can be gems and also be the team's new face/s.

We're banking on Garcia and Ababou to make a splash as soon as next conference. Not sure where Brian Heruela (acquired from Blackwater for Carlo Lastimosa) fits in. Would also be nice if and when Intal "graduates," and his fellow ADMU buddy Nico Salva literally inherits the mantle/ Barako in general.

Who are we kidding here?

Eat. Sleep. Trade. Repeat.

That's the anthem.