Farewell Tigers

After months of speculation and uncertainty, the Powerade Tigers officially sold its PBA franchise to Mr. Mikee Romero.  It was a bittersweet conclusion to what have been a rollercoaster year for this team.  After 8 years of futility, the team managed to get back to the finals thanks to a miraculous run bannered by a 33-year-old veteran and 2 rookies.  This was the season that we thought the Tigers were supposed to finally turn their fortunes around, little did we know it will be their last.

I am proud to say that I have been a fan ever since they came into the league (and even longer than that), and I stuck with them all the way to the end.  Through the good and the bad.

 

The Aerial Voyager, my first basketball hero.

HOW I BECAME A FAN

I can trace this way back to the mid-90s, when there was still the Swift Mighty Meaties owned by the RFM franchise.  I was 7 years old back then.  My father, who owns an advertising business, had Swift as one of his clients at the time.  It was  only but natural that he supported the team.  My oldest memory was waking up in the middle of my sleep to the roars of my father, celebrating as Swift won a championship.  For some reason, I came to develop a similar passion with him.  Eventually, when Swift cut its ties with my father, he switched to become a Purefoods fan and had been ever since. My loyalty, on the other hand, remained with Swift.

The Panthers struggled to continue the earlier success of the franchise.

THE COCA-COLA TIGERS

After Swift/Sunkist's success in the mid-90's, the franchise started to struggle for the next few years. I had vague recollection of young Ali Peek and Nic Belasco with the Pop-Cola Panthers.  The team also seemed to become a refuge for former stars at the twilight years of their career, like Jojo Lastimosa and Noli Locsin.  Finally, in 2002, RFM sold its PBA franchise to the San Miguel Corporation, who at that time owned Coca-Cola Philippines.  And this was when the fun began.

I was 14 years old when Coke won its first title, in its inagaural year nonetheless.  It was against Alaska and it was December.  The night the Tigers won the title, I was at a family reunion/Christmas party.  What I recalled was almost all people there at the party were cheering for Alaska.  I of course, rooted for the Tigers, and by the time the night was over, I was the only one left smiling.

"The Jet" led the Tigers to 4 finals appearances and 2 titles.

The Tigers' second title came in 2003, again in December.  It was an interesting series for me, since the Tigers were up against then-sister team, San Miguel, featuring the Cebuano Hotshot Dondon Hontiveros. As a Cebuano, Dondon was my "idol", tracing back to his days with the Cebu Gems in the MBA.  He was my favorite player at that time.  But it when came to  choosing between my favorite player or my favorite team, there wasn't even a moment's doubt in my mind which one I was rooting for.  It was not Dondon.

Well, Dondon played a great series nonetheless, stepping up in the absence of Danny Seigle.  For the first time, I was rooting hard against him.  The Tigers had Tee McClary, my all-time favorite Tiger import.  San Miguel had star power and were younger, but the Tigers had championship savvy.  At one time, the guys on the floor for the Tigers were Johnny Abarrientos, Jeffrey Cariaso, Poch Juinio and Bong Hawkins, all remnants of the great Alaska dynasty in the 1990's.  The Tigers won another title that year, and it was certainly a great time to be a Tigers fan.


THE DARK AGES

Of course, it had to end.  Good times always do.  The core of that championship team was gradually dissolved; and the catalyst of all the success, Chot Reyes, also left.  This was when the team started plummeting down, an era I fondly like to refer as ""The Dark Ages."

This was also the time that I started to become active in PBA basketball forums.  I had so much pent-up frustrations as a fan and I badly needed an avenue.  I started with the NGETS Forum, where I first met fellow Tiger crazies like Potchi, Ms. Tigre, Joyzeepot, JCBernardo, Like, and several others.  Those guys will probably remember me for being such a whiner.  I was never hesitant to express my dissatisfaction with the team.  I would criticize the coach, the management, and the players.  An angry fan.. that was excatly what I was.

When NGETS ceased its operations, I transferred to PBA's official forum at PBA.ph, where I eventually became a moderator of the Tigers board.  As a mod, I felt that I had to tone down my criticisms against the team a little bit.  However, I still continued to be highly critical of the team, and continued to express my insights, most of them negative.

All those negativity stem out from my deep devotion to the team.  I cared for the team so much that when I see something is wrong, I wouldn't hesitate to voice it out.  While many people called me a pessimist, I called myself passionate.

The arrival of "The Rock" rejuvenated the Tigers for a while.

THE TIGERELLAS

The 2011 Philippine Cup Powerade team has got to be the greatest Cinderella story in the PBA in recent memory.  As an 8th seed, the team swept the top-seed B-Meg Llamados, then went on to grind it out in a 7-game series against Rain or Shine.  As the cliche goes though, every Cinderella has her midnight; and for the Tigers, it came at the hands of the powerhouse Talk N' Text squad.  Nevertheless, the outsized and outmatched Tigers fought, never backed down, and showed a heart deserving to be called champions.  The result doesn't matter anyway.  For us Tiger fans, the Tigers were the champions.

Unfortunately, that team was broken up as swiftly as it was formed.  Marcio Lassiter and Doug Kramer got traded.  Team governor JB Baylon resigned.  Those were signs that something was going on with the franchise.  The higher-ups tried to denied it again and again, but truth came out, and the franchise was eventually sold.

The team that dared to defy all odds.

And so we say goodbye.  Goodbye to the team we have rooted for, for the last decade.  Goodbye to the team that have essentially become a part of our lives.  Goodbye to the team that gave us reason to be excited on Wednesdays, Fridays, or Sundays.

The Tigers bid farewell to the PBA, but they will never be forgotten.

The Tigers won a title in its maiden year, then entered the finals in its last.  An almost perfect ending, but still quite fitting.  If this was our midnight, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Let's all remember though, that the Cinderella story didn't end at midnight.



Roar out.