Jaworski, Arnaiz blast sale (Feb. 16, 1984)

Toyota’s stunning sale to Beer Hausen left hurt feelings among its players, particularly the backcourt tandem of Robert Jaworski and Francis Arnaiz.

JAWORSKI, ARNAIZ BLAST SALE

‘Unfair and immoral’

By Al Mendoza

Tempo

Published Friday Feb. 17, 1984

Robert Jaworski yesterday threatened to quit basketball while Francis Arnaiz branded as “highly immoral” his sale to Beer Hausen.

“I was hurt,” said Jaworski. “Most of us were not consulted about the sale. The management made a totally unfair decision when they sold out to Beer Hausen.”

Jaworski and Arnaiz, together with nine other Toyota players, were sold to Beer Hausen Tuesday in a management decision that shocked millions of basketball fans.

Toyota disbanded (Feb. 15, 1984)

Toyota team manager Jack Rodriguez announced the sale of its PBA franchise to Beer Hausen, a day after rumors of the Super Corollas' demise came out in the Valentine's Day issue of Tempo.

Corollas to Hausen

By Rey Bancod

Tempo

Published Thursday Feb. 16, 1984

Toyota, winner of nine PBA titles, formally announced yesterday the disbandment of its team.

Toyota players, led by 1982 Most Valuable Player Ramon Fernandez, have all been sold to a new league member, Shareholding Incorporated of the Lucio Tan group. The team will carry the name Beer Hausen and will be coached by veteran Bonnie Carbonell.

Toyota, however, retained its franchise and coach Ed Ocampo, who has been instructed to form another team that will participate in amateur tournaments.

Goodbye Toyota (Feb. 14, 1984)

Valentine's Day turned out to be a sour one for Toyota fans after Tempo columnist Beth Celis first reported the team's decision to disband before the start of the 1984 PBA season despite a denial from team manager Jack Rodriguez.

Goodbye Toyota

By Beth Celis

Tempo

Published Tuesday Feb. 14, 1984

Toyota is out of the All-Filipino conference of the Philippine Basketball Association. And, for all intents and purposes, Toyota won’t be around the rest of the pro season.

A confidential source, who requested anonymity, yesterday, confirmed a Tempo report that Toyota is disbanding this year due to the hard times.

“It is definite. Management has made the decision to disband the team,” the source said. “It is irrevocable.”

Don’t blame refs - Prieto (Oct. 10, 1982)

PBA Commissioner Leo Prieto defended the league’s pool of referees after being criticized for its handling of the second Toyota-Crispa match in the 1982 PBA Open Conference.

Don’t blame refs — Prieto

‘Discipline starts with teams’

Tempo

Published Sunday Oct. 10, 1982

The eight Philippine Basketball Association teams will have to police their ranks to prevent hardcourt fights and other incidents which are blamed on the referees most of the time.

PBA Commissioner Leo Prieto said it is the duty of club officials, particularly the team managers and coaches, to instill discipline among their players.

Life ban poised on three cagers (Oct. 7, 1982)

Bernie Fabiosa, Francis Arnaiz and Abe King were handed hefty punishments and for their role in a brawl that marred the second Crispa-Toyota meeting in the 1982 PBA Open Conference.

Life ban poised on three cagers

Tempo

Published Friday Oct. 8, 1982

Three players from Toyota and Crispa were meted stiff penalties as the Philippine Basketball Association cracked the whip on the hotheads following last Saturday’s violent incident at the Araneta Coliseum.

Aside from the suspensions and fines slapped on them, PBA Commissioner Leo Prieto issued an ultimatum to Abe King and Francis Arnaiz of Toyota and Bernard Fabiosa of Crispa.

The three were to behave or face a lifetime ban.

Probe of PBA referees sought (Oct. 4, 1982)

Crispa team owner Danny Floro called on PBA Commissioner Leo Prieto to probe the league’s officiating crew following his team’s overtime loss to Toyota in their second 1982 Open Conference elimination round duel.

Probe of PBA referees sought

By Rey Bancod

Tempo

Published Tuesday Oct. 5, 1982

Crispa basketball team manager Danny Floro has asked for an investigation of Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) referees in the wake of the deteriorating officiating in the league.

In a stinging three-page letter to PBA Commissioner Leo Prieto last Sunday, Floro said that “censures, suspensions, and reprimands can do little to improve officiating.”

He asked Prieto to study the activities of the referees even outside the playing court.

What did Fabiosa whisper? (Oct. 4, 1982)

A fan described in detail the fight involving Crispa’s Bernie Fabiosa and Rudy Distrito and Toyota’s Francis Arnaiz and Abe King that marred their second elimination round match in the 1982 PBA Open Conference.

What did Fabiosa whisper?

Tempo

Published Monday Oct. 4, 1982

With 1:32 left of regulation period, all hell broke loose in the Crispa-Toyota game Saturday at the Araneta Coliseum.

Four players — Francis Arnaiz and Abe King of Toyota, Bernard Fabiosa and Rudy Distrito of Crispa — were subsequently thrown out by the referees after the hardcourt scuffle.

What really happened? An eyewitness, Corazon Navarro-Reyes, who was seated at ringside near where the incident took place, related her story to Tempo.

Game 116: Toyota 129, Crispa 119 (Oct. 2, 1982)

Toyota topped Crispa in overtime but not after four players from both teams were ejected during the fourth quarter of their second elimination round meeting in the 1982 PBA Open Conference.

Toyota outplays Crispa

Fight mars game; 4 players thrown out

By Bert Eljera

Bulletin Today

Published Sunday Oct. 3, 1982

With the referees losing control, the intense Crispa-Toyota rivalry, relatively quiet for the last five years, exploded anew last night with a player fight at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Super Corollas, banking on clutch hits by Arnulfo Tuadles and Andrew Fields, outplayed the Redmanizers in overtime, 129-119, before a wildly cheering crowd of some 18,000 fans.

But the result of the explosive contest was hardly the story.

Game 104: Toyota 114, Crispa 106 (Sept. 22, 1981)

An altercation between Crispa coach Baby Dalupan and his player Abet Guidaben marred the first encounter with Toyota in the 1981 PBA Reinforced All-Filipino Conference.

Toyota stops Crispa five

By Bert Eljera

Bulletin Today

Published Wednesday Sept. 23, 1981

Toyota exploited Crispa’s breakdown in team discipline in the second half last night and walked off with a 114-106 victory to grab the lead in the PBA Reinforced All-Filipino Conference at the Araneta Coliseum.

With some 20,000 fans watching, the Redmanizers lost their appetite to play after an altercation between coach Virgilio “Baby” Dalupan and Alberto Guidaben late in the third quarter and they fell easy preys to the fired-up Super Diesels.

No big 20 but it's Crispa on top at the wind up (Dec. 19-26, 1980)

Vic Villafranca of the Sports Weekly Magazine with his take on the Crispa's victory in the 1980 PBA All-Filipino Conference championship series also marred by Toyota management's firing of coach Fort Acuna.

No big 20 but it's Crispa on top at the wind up

ON THE LINE 

By Vic Villafranca

Sports Weekly Magazine 

Dec 19-26, 1980

Nine-thirty Thursday evening, December 11 was supposed to have been the time when the clock was to toll midnight for the Crispa Redmanizers in their mind-blowing bid to win their fourth PBA All-Filipino championship on the wings of an unprecendented 20-game sweep.

But in the night of shocks, both on the hardcourt and away from it, the Redmanizers saw their awesome winning streak snapped at 19 by the Toyota ballclub that lost its coach, Fort Acuna, at halftime only to make up for that loss with a resurgence in its old fighting heart to win, 97 to 94, and send the best of five playoffs to Game 4.

Arnold Tuadles sizzles anew (Dec. 19-26, 1980)

Arnie Tuadles reflects on his revived play in the 1980 PBA All-Filipino title series for Toyota against Crispa and the firing of coach Fort Acuna in a Sports Weekly Magazine feature.

ARNOLD TUADLES SIZZLES ANEW
(Or, the rebirth of Arnold T.)

By Pyke F. Jocson

Sports Weekly Magazine

Dec. 19-26, 1980

It's been a seesaw affair.

Yes, from that time he made a sensational debut in the PBA which paved the way for his earning the 1979 PBA Rookie of the Year up to the end of this season's All-Filipino, Arnulfo “Arnold” Tuadles’ caging has been characterized by ups and downs, but mostly ups, thank God.

Sensational was the best word to describe Tuadles last year for he was just that with a capital S. No other newcomer in the pro league could lay claim to the word other than him A graphic proof of this was his being named to the mythical five, dislodging the veteran Freddie Hubalde.

Right after the All-Filipino last year, Tuadles game slipped. Some said he’s gone swellhead. Others said he was too hot to handle. Some insiders insisted he was acting like a spoiled brat.

To these accusations, Tuadles could only exclaim in disbelief.

Fort and The Big J: End of a friendship (Dec. 19-26, 1980)

Sports Weekly Magazine took a close look at the war of words between Robert Jaworski and Fort Acuna, who was fired as Toyota coach during Game 3 of the 1980 PBA All-Filipino title series against Crispa for benching his long-time teammate.

Fort And The Big J

End of a friendship

Sports Weekly Magazine

Dec. 19-26, 1980

Their friendship daed back to their MICAA days when both were members of the Meralco ballclub.

When. the Reddy Kilowattmen were disbanded, Sonny Jaworski and Fort Acuna remained together as both were signed up by the Komatsu Komets, the first team fielded by the Delta group of companies in bigtime competition.

Column: 8th title for Redmanizers (Dec. 15, 1980)

Bulletin Today sports editor Lito Fernandez with a look back at the 1980 PBA season that ended with Crispa’s triumph in the All-Filipino Conference.

8th title for Redmanizers

NEUTRAL CORNER
By Lito P. Fernandez

Bulletin Today

Published Sunday Dec. 15, 1980

By winning the 1980 Philippine Basketball Association All-Filipino title, the Crispa Redmanizers took their eighth PBA crown, increasing their overall lead to two over the Toyota Tamaraws who have won six PBA championships.

Only three other teams, including one foreign squad, have won titles in the country’s play-for-pay loop, which started in 1975 and has held 18 conferences since.

Silverio backs firing of Acuna (Dec. 13, 1980)

Delta Motors Corporation President Ricardo Silverio backed the firing at halftime of Fort Acuna as Toyota coach during the third game of the 1980 PBA All-Filipino Conference championship series against Crispa.

Silverio backs firing of Acuna

By Lito Fernandez

Bulletin Today

Published Sunday Dec. 14, 1980

“If I was there, I would have kicked him in the ass.”

Thus said Ricardo C. Silverio, president of the Delta Motor Corp., yesterday in support of the decision to fire Fortunato Acuna as coach of the Toyota Tamaraws.

Acuna, a former Tamaraw himself, was fired by Pablo Carlos, Jr., Toyota team manager and vice president of the same firm, during the halftime of the Toyota-Crispa game last Thursday at the Araneta Coliseum.

In a press statement last Friday, Carlos said he was forced to fire Acuna because “he ignored me three times” during the first half of the game when he (Carlos) asked Acuna why he was not using Jaworski.

Why Carlos fired Acuna (Dec. 12, 1980)

Toyota team manager Pablo Carlos, Jr. released a statement about his decision to fire Fort Acuna during halftime of Game 3.

Why Carlos fired Acuna

Bulletin Today

Published Saturday Dec. 13, 1980

Following is the statement of Pablo P. Carlos Jr., Toyota team manager.

It was with great reluctance that I had to fire Fort Acuna. However, I believe the public interest is over and above personal interests. Hundreds and thousands of people go to the stadium and watch on television to see Robert Jaworski play. Benching Jaworski is certainly cheating the public, depriving them of the opportunity to watch one of the country’s best players in action. When Acuna refused to listen to me, I was left with no choice but to do what I did.

Jaworski: We've proven our point (Dec. 12, 1980)

Robert Jaworski shared his sentiments on the firing of coach Fort Acuna during halftime of Toyota’s win over Crispa in Game 3 of the 1980 PBA All-Filipino championship series.

We’ve proven our point, says Big J

By Ding Marcelo

Bulletin Today

Published Saturday Dec. 13, 1980

“By winning over Crispa, we have proven our point.”

Thus, declared Robert Jaworski, the Toyota team captain who is in the center of the Philippine Basketball Association’s most intriguing and beguiling development since Crispa attempted and failed to complete a 20-game sweep of the All-Filipino Conference.

Jaworski was the reason that led to the firing of Toyota coach Fort Acuna which in turn was perhaps the motivating factor that fired up the Tamaraws to stop the Redmanizers’ winning streak at 19.

The 33-year-old superstar did not specifically saw that Acuna’s firing moved the team to play its best, “but we have proven our point.”

Acuna lashes at Jaworski (Dec. 12, 1980)

Fort Acuna took shots at Robert Jaworski after he was fired as Toyota coach during halftime of Game 3 of the 1980 PBA All-Filipino championship series against Crispa.

Acuna lashes at Jaworski

‘He’s immature and insecure’

By Ding Marcelo

Bulletin Today

Published Saturday Dec. 13, 1980

Fortunato Acuna, fired from his post as coach of the country’s leading ball clubs, yesterday, labelled Robert Jaworski as “immature and insecure” who could not accept the fact that he, indeed, was the coach of the Toyota Tamaraws.

Meeting the press less than 24 hours after he got his walking papers from Toyota team manager Pablo Carlos, Jr., Acuna said Jaworski sowed the seeds of demoralization in the Toyota camp and deliberately ignored game instructions to the detriment of the team.

“I believe he is immature and insecure,” Acuna said of the Toyota star who was the PBA’s Most Valuable Player in 1978 when Acuna was still playing guard for the Tamaraws.

Game 93: Toyota 97, Crispa 94 (Dec. 11, 1980)

Toyota denied Crispa an unprecedented 20-game sweep of the 1980 PBA All-Filipino Conference after coach Fort Acuna was fired at halftime of Game 3 for benching Robert Jaworski in the first half.

Toyota stops Crispa, 97 to 94

20-game sweep goes pffft; Acuna fired midway in game

By Bert Eljera

Bulletin Today

Published Friday Dec. 12, 1980

Toyota sprang back to life at the cost of firing its coach in the middle of the game last night and robbed Crispa of a monumental 20-game sweep with a stunning 97-94 victory that extended the All-Filipino championship series at the Araneta Coliseum.

The leadership crisis that plagued Toyota for some time now broke into the open when Fortunato Acuna was given his walking papers after the first half in a move that as unprecedented as the sweep Crispa was setting its eyes on, adding a new twist to this emotional-filled playoffs.

For some 20,000 fans, it was like watching a gripping, drama played on and off the court with actors acting real life roles.

Game 78: Toyota 123, Walk Tall 95 (Dec. 11, 1979)

Toyota crushed Crispa Walk Tall on the day Dante Silverio resigned as coach and team manager to even the 1979 PBA third conference championship series at a game apiece.

Toyota rips Crispa by 28

By Al Mendoza

Bulletin Today

Published Wednesday Dec. 12, 1979

Toyota, with its three suspended players back and playing under a new coach, bounced back with vengeance last night to crush Crispa Walk Tall, 123-95, and square their best-of-five series for the PBA third conference championship at one game apiece.

A crowd estimated at 12,000 — one of the smallest to watch a Toyota-Crispa match at the Araneta Coliseum — saw the reinforced Tamaraws rout the Jeansmakers, who played without import Irving Chatman.

The Tams, now managed by Ricardo Silverio, Sr., president of the Delta Motor Corp., and coached by Fortunato Acuna following the resignation of Dante Silverio yesterday morning as coach and manager of the team, led all the way and even led by 37 points once in the lopsided encounter.

Silverio quits as coach, team manager (Dec. 11, 1979)

Dante Silverio resigned as Toyota’s coach and team manager hours before Game 2 of the 1979 PBA third conference championship series amid pressure to bring back Ramon Fernandez, Abe King and Estoy Estrada from suspension.

Silverio quits as coach, team manager

Bulletin Today

Published Wednesday Dec. 12, 1979

Dante Silverio, one of the country’s finest rally drivers who has risen to become a noted basketball coach, has resigned his post as head coach and manager of the Toyota basketball team.

Silverio, 40, made the announcement yesterday shortly after team owner Ricardo Silverio, Sr. overruled Dante’s decision to mothball three key players for the rest of the best-of-five series with arch rival Walk Tall (Crispa) for the third conference title.