|
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Pages: Bad Boys were bad? Yes, they were good
By John Pages
Matchpoint
Dennis Rodman wore a black cap, black jogging pants and a pair of black Converse shoes. On his forearms and legs were
engraved black tattoos. His yellow hair was littered with black spots.
Black. That stood for Rodman and his attitude.
For three hours, he never smiled. Not once. Not a half-grin or a smirk. Not even while he was photographed? What photograph? He never allowed it. I saw Joanna Lhuillier approach the NBA bench with her kids in tow. They said no, sorry, Rodman does not allow it. The only exception was when he was “forced” for a photo shot with Gov. Gwen Garcia, Mayor
Thadeo Ouano and Mandaue sports head Cheryl Ouano. Imagine thousands of fans, hundreds of cameras, and only one
photo shot. How bad.
Here’s more: Rodman is a pest. Take the press conference at Yo! Latino. Where was Rodman? In the hotel. Why? “I don’t do press cons,” he said. At the mayor’s office, he stayed put on the bus until pleaded upon. Why? I asked Dina Borbajo and Hazel Gitgano, who both help run the Mandaue Sports Commission, and his answer: “I don’t feel like it.”
What? Did I hear that right? He lands in Cebu, reportedly gets paid $100,000 and says “I don’t feel like it?”
Who does he think he is? Dennis Rodman?
He-he-he. Lest I forget, yes, in fact, he is THE Dennis Rodman. Remember, the Worm? The man who infuriated the NBA because of his crazy antics? Isn’t this the Bad Boy we invited?
Of course it is!
So here’s the verdict: For all his no-smile, no-photo, no-show, Dennis Rodman was a great show.
Consider me lucky. I sat at courtside barely 20 feet away from Rodman. Here’s the first thing I observed: He’s super fit. During the warm-up, Dennis was on the floor stretching, pulling his leg up, down, doing crunches. He’s 44 but a super-fit 44-year-old.
Here’s another observation: Rodman doesn’t run. He hops. He taps the ball. His rebounding timing is perfect. Like the character Tigger in Winnie The Pooh, he bounces. Boing! Boing!
He’s a terrific defender. Once, when PBA player Joey Sta. Maria faced him one-on-one, Joey dribbled right, left, did a quick turn around and unleashed a shot – that was quickly blocked by Rodman. The crowd roared.
He’s Mr. Entertainer. The only time Rodman went to shoot free throws, he missed his first attempt then screamed, “Oh, sh#%!” In his second shot, he closed both eyes – and made it. The crowd roared.
In the fourth quarter, Rodman scrambled for a loose ball and leapt to the crowd. Fellow columnist Karlon Rama grabbed the ball while Rodman fell straight to ABS-CBN’s Noemi Joy Jajalla. Imagine a 6-foot-7 230-pound Rodman on top of a pretty TV host? Moments later, Rodman emerged unscathed then clapped as Ms. Jajalla shook herself up. The crowd roared.
Daryl Dawkins? He’s a different animal. If Rodman didn’t smile, Dawkins grinned from ear to ear. Imagine a 6-foot-11 giant who looks like Eddie Murphy in the movie The Nutty Professor. That’s Dawkins, only bigger. He was fun. He’s a comedian.
He sat beside Grade 5 student Yosu Miranda. During warm-up, he stood near the halfcourt line and unleashed a sky hook. It went in! When the Busy Bodies dance group performed, he stepped right on line. He hugged the referees. During the press conference, radioman Bobby Inoferio asked, “Are you going to dismantle the backboard?” Dawkins stared at him and replied, “Yes. But I need a toolkit.”
Why did the PBA squad lose by 30 points? Had only the NBA Legends played – Alex English, Otis Birdsong, Sidney Moncrief, Calvin Murphy, Dawkins, Rodman – we’d have won. Consider the first quarter. Playing against the oldies, we led by 10 points. But when the US college stars took over in the second quarter, we lost. Fast.
The star was Olu Famutini. He’s a respectable 6-foot-5 but dunked like the NBA Slam Dunk champion. He did an alley-hoop dunk, in-your-face dunk, windmill dunk.
In all, it was fun. It was entertainment. It was a show.
Why was it good? Because Rodman was bad.
(john@brightacademy.edu.ph)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (April 29, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
SUPERBALITA
WEEKEND
|
