I Miss JAWO!!!

The 34th Season of the PBA starts today,

with a new carrier network,
C/S Sports on ch.9,
a bunch of rookies out to carve their niche,
veterans trying their luck with new teams,

but there doesn't seem to be any real excitement
in the air, no consuming buzz about the league,
no breathless anticipation about the coming year,

unlike the era when this man dominated Philippine Basketball...

The Big J, The Living Legend,
Robert or Sonny, Senator or Coach,
or simply,
IDOL.



Robert Jaworski barreled his way through the league
during its formative years, when it was a Man's Game,

the decades when Filipinos starred rather than Fil-Shams;
when fouls really hurt and teams really hated each other,

when policemen were needed during the Toyota-Crispa battles,
when blood, sweat, and tears flowed like booze
during Gilbey's & Tanduay matches,

when all of the Philippines loudly cheered for Añejo or Purefoods,
when we witnessed the unforgettable wars between Ginebra vs. Shell.



And through it all, the one constant was the player that you either
truly, madly, deeply LOVED, or HATED with an all-consuming passion:

He was #7, and he was Philippine Basketball.

And sadly,
the PBA has never been the same since his final game.