SMC to release players to national team?

FOR THE moment, we can forget about Manny Pacquiao showing early signs of Parkinson’s disease, the same ailment that afflicts world boxing legend Muhammad Ali and Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach.

The neuro specialist from Nevada, after he was shown the MRI of Pacquiao’s brain taken here in Manila, declared: “I have never seen a brain so pristine.”

Manny had a CT scan in Nevada immediately after the fight with Juan Manuel Marquez, and had an MRI upon his return to the Philippines.

Both tests yielded negative results.

* * *

But here’s the catch. According to a famous and well-respected sports medicine specialist I consulted, injury to the brain is not immediately evident in tests such as a CT scan and an MRI.

“The purpose of these tests basically is to look for blood clots,” he said, “which could form as the result of a concussion.”

While he did not want to comment on the observation of neurologist Dr. Rustico Jimenez, who saw early signs  of Parkinson’s in Manny as he observed tremors in certain parts of his body while he lay unconscious on the canvas after being knocked down by Juan Manuel Marquez, the specialist said “Dr. Jimenez might know something that we don’t.”

He admitted though that it’s hard for a doctor to make a diagnosis based solely on television video. He said he tends to agree more with the opinion of renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Racquel Fortun, who expressed some apprehension over the negative effect  Marquez’s knockout punch could have had on Manny.

Dr. Fortun said a blow as strong as that delivered by Marquez last Dec. 8 will surely shake the Pacman’s brain, causing some tiny blood vessels to break and hemorrhage.

“If there was injury, this will only be evident over a period of time,” said the specialist.

Meanwhile, the stage is being set for  separate tuneup bouts for Manny and JuanMa sometime in April.

* * *

No less than SBP president Manny V. Pangilinan made the announcement from his Smart cell phone late Thursday night.

MVP said the Philippines will be hosting the 27th Fiba Asia Men’s Championship which we last hosted 4 decades ago in 1973. We also won the championship that year, with the team led by Sonny Jaworski, Bogs Adornado, Mon Fernandez, Freddie Webb and coached by the late Tito Eduque.

At that time, the competition was called Asian Basketball Confederation.

In his text message, MVP vowed to do his best to ensure the success of the event which will serve as the qualifying tournament for the 2014 World Cup in Spain where the top three  teams will qualify.

For his part, PBA chair Robert Non of San Miguel Corporation has vowed to extend his full support to the project.

“We will extend all possible support to make this event a most memorable and fruitful one, most specially in ensuring  that we come up with a strong lineup that can compete with Asia’s best,” Non said.

This was taken to mean that the chair will make available all San Miguel players that will be tapped to play for the national team.

The Philippines won the Fiba Asia competition held in Manila in 1960 with Carlos Loyzaga and Carlos Badion at the helm; in Taipei in 1963 anchored by Loyzaga and Boy Marquez; in 1967 in Seoul, Korea, with the team composed of the late Tembong Melencio,  Narciso Bernardo, Jun Papa, Danny Florencio, Jimmy Mariano and Jaworski and coached by Loyzaga; and in Manila in 1973.

Our very last ABC title was won in l986 in Ipoh, Malaysia. The team, then known as Northern Consolidated, was supported by basketball godfather Danding Cojuangco and was composed of Samboy Lim, Allan Caidic, Hector Calma and naturalized Filipinos Dennis Still, Jeff Moore and Chip Engelland. Ron Jacobs was the coach.