Returning import Gabe Freeman was unable to lift Ginebra to a crucial win, entering the quarterfinals. Dr. Noel Fermindoza, 45, and his son Timothy, 10, arrived during the second quarter of the game between Alaska and San Mig Coffee. Noel and Timothy were excited to watch the second game of the doubleheader: Ginebra versus Rain or Shine. They settled into their courtside seats located near the tunnel leading to the locker rooms. Noel carried a small backpack with his left hand and, in case a PBA player walked by, alertly held a silver digital camera with his right hand. Timothy couldn’t sit still. Noel flew from Cauayan City, Isabela to Manila to attend his graduation ceremonies after completing his master’s degree in hospital administration at the Saint Jude Graduate School. He decided to bring Timothy along. They flew to Manila together so they could go to the Smart-Araneta Coliseum on Easter Sunday, as father and son, to watch Timothy’s favorite team, Ginebra, and Timothy’s favorite player, Japeth Aguilar. Timothy, a varsity player for the Centro de Cultura School in Cauayan City, answered, “Dahil kay Japeth. Whenever I see fathers and sons watching games together, I’m transported back to the time my father brought me to my first PBA game. It was 1983. It was also a doubleheader at the Araneta Coliseum: Gilbey’s Gin versus Great Taste Coffee, San Miguel Beer versus Crispa. You tend to remember odd things from significant events. I remember thinking, “Grabe, ang lapad ni [Gilbey’s Gin import] Lew Massey.” I remember someone in the crowd, presumably a Great Taste supporter, yelling, “Joel Banal, haaay, ang gwapo mo!” I remember San Miguel guard Bokyo Lauchengco’s “Prince Valiant” hairstyle. I remember Billy Ray Bates in all his wrist-banded and head-banded glory. I was a Toyota fan yet I was still enthralled by Billy Ray’s wizardry. Wow. Billy Ray Bates. It was my first time to witness him in action, freed from the box of our grainy 10-inch Sanyo TV. It was my first time to see him dunk in person. It was my first time to see anyone dunk in person. Once you see someone fly like Crispa’s Billy Ray Bates, you never forget Billy Ray Bates. I remember sitting still for four hours. Maybe, because of the atmosphere – the huge crowd, the leather seats, the dome, and the amalgamated smell of cigarettes, sweat, soda, and hotdog sandwiches - I was mesmerized. Maybe I was awestruck beyond words. But I just sat there looking stunned, like any grade school student who was watching Star Wars for the first time. My father and I were in the lower box section behind the south goal post. He wasn’t a die-hard basketball fan. I was eight and painfully shy. Occasionally, we cheered. Generally, we simply, quietly shared the experience. Timothy, in his yellow shirt, shorts and Crocs, bounced all over the courtside section. He jumped from his seat when he saw E-Cow, Alaska’s mascot, offering a high-five. He clapped animatedly when Cyrus Baguio hit a long jump shot. He stood near the court, behind taller, older Ginebra fans during the pregame warm-ups. He strained his neck, tiptoed as best as he could, so he could stare at Japeth who stood on the other side of the court. He ran to the floor to join a free throw shooting contest for kids during halftime. He cheered when Ginebra players scored. He frowned when Rain or Shine players made field goals. Timothy froze in disbelief when Gabe Freeman, Ginebra’s new recruit, sank shot after shot in the opening quarter. Noel’s eldest child was watching Freeman, an import powered by jet fuel, for the first time. When Freeman paused at midcourt, flexed every flexible muscle and howled to energize Ginebra fans, Timothy’s eyes widened like Commonwealth Avenue. It must have felt like seeing an Avenger from just twenty feet away. While this was Timothy’s first time to watch PBA games live, this wasn’t Noel’s first time to see PBA players in action. In 1988, Leon Fermindoza, an engineer, brought his teenage son, Noel, to the ULTRA (now Philsports Arena) to watch Ginebra (then known as Añejo) versus Purefoods. That was Noel’s first opportunity see Robert Jaworski, Alvin Patrimonio and Jerry Codiñera up close. Like Timothy, Noel nagged his father to bring him to a PBA game. The trip to the ULTRA was expectedly unforgettable. I looked at Noel and Timothy and remembered a recurring thought. Often, I wish venues like the Smart-Araneta Coliseum or the Mall of Asia Arena were purposely decorated like shrines. So when fathers and sons, mother and daughters, brothers and brothers, ninongs and inaanaks, friends and friends, fans and fans decide to share the PBA experience together, the trip will instantly bring them to a place of near-religious history. Oh look, there’s a banner for Jaworski. You see those - those are the banners for the grand slam teams of the PBA. Tingnan mo hijo, that’s the retired jersey of Patrimonio. Timothy, however, doesn’t know Jawo and never saw Alvin play. He just wanted to see Japeth. Through four quarters and an overtime period, Timothy waited for Japeth to do what Billy Ray Bates used to do: to insult gravity, to assault the rim. It didn’t happen. Aguilar missed two shots, grabbed five rebounds and registered one block. To make matters worse, Ginebra lost to Rain or Shine in overtime setting up a quarterfinal duel between Ginebra and top seed plus twice-to-beat Talk ‘N Text. Nevertheless, when I approached Timothy after the final buzzer, he still had that same cherubic smile he flashed before the game. “O nag-enjoy ba si Tim?” I asked Noel. “Oo nag-enjoy siya,” a smiling Noel, still holding the digital camera like a vigilant CNN cameraman in case a player passed by, answered. Sports fandom is probably easier on the heart when you’re ten years old. Noel still remembers that day in 1988 like it happened yesterday. I still remember 1983 like it happened yesterday. Twenty years from now, Timothy Leonel Fermindoza, even if his favorite team lost and his favorite player didn’t score, will remember Easter Sunday 2014 in much the same way too. We welcome healthy discussions and friendly debate! Please click Flag to alert us of a comment that may be abusive or threatening. Read our full comment policy here. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. PBA: Gary David named All-Star Game MVPPBA: Caguioa sparks Ginebra as Barangay stops two-game fallPBA: Chism scores 17 in rout of GlobalPortPBA: San Mig Coffee begins Comm. © GMA Network Inc. GMANetwork. 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