INQUIRER Sports

THANK YOU TO ALL those who read and responded to my latest article entitled ?Who gave the Green Light?? last week.

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Here are two of the comments I received via e-mail that I would like to share with you:

Jimmy Alabanza, Ateneo Hall of Famer for basketball, track and field, football and volleyball, past president Ateneo Sports Foundation, wrote:

?Hi, Tommy.

?Greetings from an old friend (and fellow senior-citizen)!

?I concur with you 100 percent on your excellent column in today?s

Inquirer. Hopefully it will have opened the eyes of the PBA, as well as the public, about what was sickeningly wrong about the whole shameful incident.

?You have articulated what many of us feel about the whole distasteful incident, which absolutely has no place in sports.

?With your diverse background, experience and success at many levels as a sportsman and a coach, you bring insight and above all, credibility, to the points raised, which few would have been able to.

?Whether the PBA will be man enough now to call a spade a spade, and deal with it correctly and objectively?without fear or favor?in the coming days, will be its biggest challenge thus far.

?And in case the PBA is not aware of it, all eyes are watching, not just locally but internationally as well.?

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Manuel Mangoba wrote:

?Dear Tommy,

?You are right, the mastermind got unpunished. The PBA commissioner should have also punished the coach of Burger King since he is responsible for his players? actions in the court as a coach.

No player would commit those flagrant fouls repeatedly without any blessing from him. I could understand if it is only one flagrant foul.

In Major League Baseball in the US, if the pitcher hits the batter intentionally, the pitcher and his manager (head coach) get thrown out of the game.

If the batter is hit unintentionally, a warning is given that if it happens again both pitcher and manager would be thrown out.

Warning is also given to the opposing team that if there is any retaliation they would also be thrown out.?

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As of this writing, there is now an ongoing congressional inquiry on the incident.

It appears that things are moving.

I believe that not getting to the truth of the matter is equivalent to allowing it to continue.

Please send comments to tommymanotoc@yahoo.com