D-League attracts more teams

The recent inaugural conference of the PBA Developmental League was such a huge success so many ballclubs are lining up to apply for membership.
PBA chair Rene Pardo doubts, however, if all the interested teams could be accommodated.
“It might become unmanageable if we accept too many teams. For one, the tournament will take too long,” he said.
A maximum of 16 teams would be just right, according to Pardo. That means two more ballclubs could be added to the initial 14.
“We’re attracting a lot of new teams because they’ve seen that the participating ballclubs are getting a good deal,” Pardo said. “Participation cost is very reasonable, low if I may say so, and the products they carry get very good advertising exposure.
“The D-League games are covered on television, radio and print media. The teams in the D-League practically get the same amount of exposure as those in the PBA.”
The next conference is tentatively set this October.
* * *
Will there be some kind of a draft for the fledgling league next season? I asked the PBA’s operations and technical director director Rickie Santos.
Rickie said there will be no player draft in October or next season—at least.
For some former PBL teams now participating in the D-League, this piece of information could cause concern.
Just the other night, the manager of a popular PBL team said that one of the major reasons the league folded up was because drafting was no longer strictly observed in the last two years.
In other words, recruitment of players was done directly by the teams.
I guess some teams followed the drafting policies, while the others did not, causing chaos, confusion, and eventually closure of the amateur league.
* * *
He had been having dizzy spells a week before the aneurysm struck and a vein ruptured.
PSC commissioner Chito Loyzaga said his father Caloy was lucky the attack happened while he was on the golf course.
Chito’s mother Vikki was on a visit here in Manila and Caloy was left alone in their Gold Coast home in Australia.
“If the attack happened at home, no one would have known about it and no one could have rushed him to the hospital,” Chito told his PSC consultant Lito Cinco over the phone. His golfmates brought Caloy to the hospital.
Chito flew to Australia immediately after being apprised of Caloy’s condition. The rest of the family who were here in Manila, left for the Gold Coast a day later.
Among the Loyzaga children, only Bing and Chito are still based here.
* * *
The good news is, Caloy is now lucid  and ambulating. He is past the critical stage and is definitely recovering, although I’m told that he may no longer be able to resume his active lifestyle. In other words, he may no longer be able to play golf.
One of the greatest, if not the greatest, basketeer the Philippines has ever produced, Caloy is often praised by colleagues for his innate skills, talent and unusually tough physique.
“Even now at 81, he’s still indestructible,” said a veteran writer who sat down with him for a long interview last February when he came to Manila for his annual vacation.
Three days after Caloy and Vikki arrived in Manila, Caloy had to be rushed to the Makati Medical because he was also suffering from dizzy spells.
The doctors said he had an irregular heartbeat, necessitating the installation of a pacemaker to correct the condition.
A few days after the operation, Caloy was already up and about.
A small group of veteran scribes had lunch with him just before he returned to Australia. There was absolutely no trace that he has been confined in hospital for more than a week.
He was enthusiastically talking about the good old days with that characteristically booming voice as he munched on his gourmet sandwich.
Caloy said no matter how sick he is, he never loses his appetite to eat.
And I guess, his appetite for life, too.