History far more important than bonuses for SMB and Alaska

Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

For San Miguel Beer, completing the most improbable comeback in PBA history is far more important than the monetary windfall that is expected to go with it.

“People don’t remember bonuses,” June Mar Fajardo said in Filipino on Sunday night while seated beside coach Leo Austria and Arwind Santos, after the Beermen moved within another victory of completing a rally from 0-3 down in the best-of-seven series with Alaska for the Philippine Cup title.

Players, as stipulated in their contracts, usually get big bonuses for winning championships and individual awards.

There have been reports that what is given in total to players during successful seasons dwarf amounts that CEOs and presidents of multinational companies get.

But with the stakes in Wednesday’s Game 7 now including a big chunk of PBA folklore, money, it seems, has taken a backseat.

“The bonus is not important,” Austria said in Filipino. “The important thing for us is history, that’s what we are longing for.”

“[Besides], yung akin barya lang (my bonus is just chump change),” he said. “And it’s just normal for the players who work hard. I’m sure their families will be happy.”

Wednesday’s Game 7 will be just the 25th time in 75 series that a rubber match will happen, but this one wasn’t expected, after the Beermen were given up for dead after falling into a 0-3 hole.

No team in PBA history has even come back from such a deficit to forge a Game 7, much less win it.

“We’re at the door now,” Santos said, also in Filipino. “We just need to knock on the door the right way for us to enter.”

San Miguel will obviously have momentum going into that 7 p.m. game at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, while the Aces hope to avoid the ignominy of being the first team to blow a 3-0 cushion in a best-of-seven series.

If they finally finish off San Miguel with their fourth try, the feat will be also be worth more than the bonuses the Aces will get.