WHEN does one stop again?
Some say when they are on top.
Others when they are over the hill.
Still others when they feel like stopping.
Where will Tim Cone fit?
None of the above.
When Tim Cone won the PBA Fiesta crown on Wednesday, all he said was, “It’s nice to win again.”
After his impressive 4-2 victory over San Miguel Beer, Tim Cone never talked about retiring.
Rather, he talked about how hard it was for him to win another PBA crown for Alaska, the team he’s been coaching since 1989.
“After I beat Ginebra (4-0), I faced Talk ‘N Text and beating TNT (4-3) was a totally draining experience,” he said. “It was a tough road to the championship and I am just glad I did it again.”
It gave him his 13th PBA crown, while handing Alaska its 13th PBA title that tied the 13 PBA trophies of the legendary Crispa Redmanizers from the ‘70s to the ‘80s.
Tim Cone’s 13th crown gave him a more than 50-percent batting average in championship matches as he holds a total of 23 title clashes in 21 years in the league.
The American expat also brandishes an impeccable overall 646-489, win-loss mark in PBA coaching for a high of 56.9 %.
But all this Cone could not have achieved if not for the total support given him all this time by Steven Uytengsu, the owner of Alaska.
Being boyhood friends, Steve and Tim have become a sight to behold in practically all PBA games that Alaska has been in--Tim on the hardcourt coaxing his boys to give it their best shot at all times, Steve at ringside giving his chum all the inspiration a team owner can dish out.
Only a while back, Tim had seriously thought of quitting, mainly because he had lost his winning ways.
Well, if truth be told, Tim really had this ugly slump.
But Steve stood by Tim’s side and egged him on to carry on. The rest, as they say, is history.
Tim Cone, who has one Grand Slam like his idol, Baby Dalupan (Crispa 1976), is still a spring chicken when it comes to coaching. He doesn’t turn 53 until Dec. 14.
Athletes retire young due to loss of knee power.
But coaches? Knees are but incidental. Alzheimer’s is their only bane.
Mind power is unretirable.
(alsol47@yahoo.com)