Reunion: One match for old time's sake (May 26, 2003)

Robert Jaworski headed straight to the Cuneta Astrodome after his work at the Senate to join Toyota's preparation for the 2003 Reunion Game against rival Crispa.

Jawo: One match for old time’s sake

By Dodo Catacutan Jr.

Manila Bulletin

Published Wednesday May 28, 2003

THE FIRST time he joined the scrimmage, he threw a length-of-the-court pass which for a moment looked as if it would sail over Ed Camus’ head, but at the last moment dropped into the overweight ex-Toyota Comet’s hands right under the basket. Easy two points.

Right there, you know: Robert Jaworski’s in the house.

“I’m out of shape and out of touch, but for old time’s sake I think this will be good,” Jaworski said on Monday night, the first time he joined his fellow ex-Toyota players in practice for Friday’s highly anticipated Legends game against the Crispa Redmanizers.

The country’s most celebrated cager of all time had just wrapped up work at the Senate and drove a couple of kilometers to the Cuneta Astrodome dressed in his old Ginebra practice jersey, warmly welcomed by Dante Silverio and former teammates led by Mon Fernandez.

After a couple of handshakes, several laughs, a short huddle presided by Silverio and a shooting drill that lasted a couple of minutes, he was ready to buckle down to work.

The rain was pouring the Astrodome from the outside, and there were less than 20 people in the stands. The game, as expected, wasn’t much, played by old men in their forties and fifties cramming to get in shape and get reacquainted with the game.

Still there was a bit of history at work here.

Monday night marked the first time Jaworski played a basketball game since May 25, 1997 in Game Six of the All-Filipino Cup finals which Ginebra lost to Purefoods.

It was also the first time he and Fernandez shared a floor since the 1989 PBA All-Star Game, which ended with Baby Dalupan getting the two estranged teammates together for a handshake for posterity, moments after combining for the game-winning play.

“I bump into some of them from time to time, but basically we’ve been very busy with our lives,” said Jaworski, explaining why a reunion of this sort has happened only now.

Jaworski, of course, has been the busiest, his work keeping him from even playing a single game since he resigned as Ginebra playing-coach in 1999.

That also explains why a cager who has played 23 seasons in the PBA and up until he was 51 — league records for longevity that may never, ever be broken — now admits he is out of shape, and about 15 pounds overweight.

“There was a time I was in excellent shape, even if I was no longer active,” he said. “But lately, I was in the US for a long time because of some personal matter, at kasama na nga ang trabaho, so walang oras talaga…

“I think it’s too short a time to prepare for this game. Off-hand, I think I need eight weeks to get in shape — six for the cardio-vascular thing, and two to get back the feel. But this is for a good cause so let’s see, andiyan lang naman ‘yan,” he said.

That, however, didn’t stop Jaworski or his ex-teammates from getting some work done, trying desperately to recapture their form of old:

Ompong Segura finishing a fastbreak; Mon Fernandez zig-zagging down the lane, finishing a drive with his rusty elegant shot; Jaworski and Fernandz playfully exchanging no-look passes on the fastbreak — fancy passes they may not even try come Friday.

But leave it to Jaworski to put things in their proper perspective.

At a time when the group was getting the hang of it, starting to get comfortable and the sweat finally dripping down their jerseys, the lights suddenly went out on the Astrodome.

“Nawalan ng ilaw,” he said, “kasi masakit na raw tayo sa mata.”