Mendoza: Kudos to Marcial

IT’S time again to give credit where credit is due. And so, here’s a glass to PBA (Philippine Basketball Association) commissioner Willy Marcial.

Marcial has done a great job marshaling the league in his rookie year—surely a feat for someone who rose from the ranks to hold the highest post in Philippine professional basketball.

What I like most about Marcial’s leadership this season is his cool demeanor. When hostile winds would threaten to buffet the league, Marcial would step in quickly and, in his own humble way, would come up with a surefire formula to diffuse an impending explosion.

The current schedule in the PBA Governors’ Cup is a source of pride for Marcial. The way he had scheduled the games was something to crow about.

The long PBA break after the semifinals was brilliant as it will afford Gilas the time to prepare for the Fiba World Cup on Nov. 30 against Kazakhstan and Iran on Dec. 3.

Likewise, Magnolia and Alaska will be well rested and fully recharged when they start their title showdown on Dec. 5.

Take a bow, Willyboy.

ANNIVERSARY. I am so happy to congratulate my dear friends, Tim and Joven, as they celebrate their 47th wedding anniversary on Tuesday (Nov. 20). They are close to achieving a coveted golden celebration three years from now but to the Power Pair, they do not give much importance to the number of years marking their union. Rather, they proudly say that their life as a couple is what has mattered all these years. Healthy love. Healthy life. That has been their mantra. What is their secret to marital bliss, to their unbroken vow of endless love, through thick and thin?

Hubby Tim: “There is no big secret, really. All I do to keep the love alive is say to her, ‘I love you, dah-lin’ the minute I wake up, followed by a gentle kiss to her lips.”

Joven the missus: “Marriage is a daily thing. Keeping the love alive is never looking at a perfect union. Today might be a good day, but tomorrow never knows. Learn to live with the unexpected. Ride the storm when it strikes. Don’t forget the goodnight kiss.”

So there.