CHICAGO -- When a school guns for a three-peat, I usually get enamored and root for them with passion and excitement.
Not this time. Not for this faded version of the once iconic Letran Knights.
The Letran I've come to know during the glory days of the legendary Avelino "Samboy" Lim was all about class, dignity, and sportsmanship.
The current crop of Knights trying to equal the feat of the great "Skywalker" do not do justice to the legacy he left behind.
What we saw from Letran in Game One of the Season 98 Finals were roughhousing, taunting, and malicious groping.
And the Management Committee (ManCom) seems to be condoning it.
Why?
Because this supposedly august body did not suspend Paolo Javillonar, the unlikable irritant who committed the most egregious act of all the dirty stuff the Knights pulled off last Wednesday. Javillonar laid his hands on the butt of Will Gozum.
After being assaulted by a serial puncher from Jose Rizal University, how many more times will the NCAA allow College of St, Benilde to be victimized?
A PATHETIC SLAP IN THE WRIST FOR LETRAN
I'm no lawyer and I'm not going to lecture you about a crime defined as "acts of lasciviousness" but I don't have to throw the penal code at you either for you to know that Javillonar's actions were a form of physical assault that demanded a more serious penalty.
After ruling Javillonar's offense as a mere act of "unsportsmanlike behavior" the ManCom then gave him only a "strong reprimand."
This decision belongs in the Laugh Factory.
And speaking of body parts, the ManCom needs to grow some balls and not be afraid of the supposedly strong and influential people backing Letran.
The College of St. Benilde Blazers are not finalists. They are the oppressed. Beaten, groped, and not necessarily getting a fair whistle from the referees.
So, yes, Letran is poised to win the 3-peat on Sunday. But to me, the real champs are the St. Benilde Blazers.
They played by the rules. And unlike Letran, who was suspected of ducking San Beda in the Final Four, the Blazers played whoever was in front of them.
And coach Charles Tiu is a far better tactician than Bonnie Tan.
CONVERGE HAS SUBMERGED.
Just like that, the Cinderella run of Converge in the Commissioner's Cup has reached midnight.
The Fiber Xers were eliminated from the playoffs tonight after being swept in their three-game series versus San Miguel, losing 120-107.
They were never the same after sitting out import Quincy Miller against Northport last November 20, a game they lost 112-97.
The hiccup broke Converge's seven-game win streak and they haven't won since.
I was originally against sitting out Miller in that game, insisting that a fine would have sufficed. But as I've learned more details about Miller's exploits during a night of drinking to celebrate his 30th birthday, I now agree with the suspension.
Too bad. The player who once led them to the top was also the one who helped them sink to the bottom.