Kerby-Arwind fight mars PBA tune-up encounter
By Musong R. Castillo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 02:43:00 03/28/2008
MANILA, Philippines—Heavy fines and penalties are expected to be slapped on Purefoods’ Kerby Raymundo and Air21’s Arwind Santos after another fight broke out between the two during the Giants-Express tuneup game Thursday at The Fort in Taguig City.
Play was halted with just over four minutes left in the second period after Raymundo and Santos exchanged blows after the Air21 swingman was supposedly tripped by the Purefoods center in an earlier play.
The match was eventually abandoned with the score at 66-55 in favor of the Express.
The game featured a potential super import in Purefoods’ Darius Rice, who planed in at 12:30 a.m., hit the sack about 3 a.m., and then suited up for the Giants.
Despite jet lag and weary legs, Rice scored 16 points in the first period alone, even though he was not pushed by coach Ryan Gregorio, who missed the services of new acquisition Enrico Villanueva.
“Obviously, we have an offensive machine in the team,” Gregorio said of Rice.
In a related development, Romel Adducul, the 6-foot-5 Purefoods center who is battling Stage 2 nasal pharynx cancer, Thursday asked Gregorio if he could play when the Tender Juicy Giants debut on Wednesday against Magnolia.
“If his doctors will clear him, why not,” Gregorio told the Philippine Daily Inquirer over the phone. “I also want the people to see that Romel is fighting the disease and that he is alive and not as morbid-looking as reported in some papers.”
Purefoods had traded Marc Pingris for Villanueva after learning that Adducul might sit out the coming tournament.
The Raymundo-Santos clash followed the near-riot during a Talk ‘N Text-Air21 tuneup where several Express players and supporters reportedly ganged up on Phone Pals import Aaron McGhee.
Protagonists of the brawl on Wednesday appeared before executive director Rickie Santos Thursday who said the league is poised to hand down fines.
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