Back in 2005, Purefoods were pimping their corned beef product.
Against Red Bull, they were seen as the "glamour squad" because they had a "pogi" coach in Ryan Gregorio and "pogi" players like James Yap, Kerby Raymundo, Romel Adducul, Peter June Simon, Paul Artadi, and I guess Noy Castillo and Richard Yee were still in the squad.
Fast forward to 2024, Magnolia is a chicken brand but is giving beef on all sides of the court, nothing screams "Red Bull" more than Calvin Abueva, and I guess the only "pogi" players for the Hotshots are UE's Paul Lee and DLSU's Abu Tratter?
Calvin Abueva is a polarizing figure. You love his road to redemption but at the same time, he gets on your nerves whenever he taunts. You can agree with him that the taunts inside the court must stay inside the court but at the same time, you cringe at him for mocking Jorge Gallent's disability.
Like I said, he's polarizing.
While I like the tribalism aspect of the PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals, they are marking the wrong boxes in their what-to-do list. Yes, the PBA is getting the buzz because of Jericho Cruz's tongue. Cruz has been annoying The Beast for most of the finals and we all know that a volatile Calvin Abueva could mess up Magnolia's championship aspirations.
In fact, Chito Victolero has been pleading for The Beast to check his temper. The Gallent taunt was below the belt because they could easily throw shade at him. Also, like Draymond Green, Calvin has a reputation he needs to control. Again, people are happy that Abueva was able to get out from what he had a few years back, and people were also saddened when he missed out on a Gilas Pilipinas roster spot.
What happened in the dugout is the repercussion of his Gallent taunt. I know wives should stay on the sidelines, but as mentioned, Calvin is a polarizing figure. He also has a history that once involved Ray Parks and his significant other.
Are they still together?
I don't know.
Now, Abueva has to contend with a potential Mo Tautuaa fight, with Jericho Cruz and the rest of the Beermen enforcers trying to put him in a bad spot.
To finish this off, let's just agree to disagree that these incidents are making the PBA games fun. Magnolia and San Miguel have a history of beef similar to the old Crispa and Toyota days. If you think Abueva's antics are bad, just imagine the endless brawls during the Pioneer Era. With that said, life has evolved from the "olden" days. With people getting canceled left and right, maybe the taunts need to stay on the court and must revolve around basketball.
We have seen countless interviews of athletes who could have handled a situation better.
I bet a couple of years later, Abueva may have to rescind his "blind" taunt.