CHICAGO - My phone rang at 6:18 yesterday morning (Manila time), a missed call that was quickly followed by a text message three minutes later.
"Tried to reach you regarding your article on Heading just to set the record straight, Salamat po," Terrafirma team governor Bobby Rosales said.
Rosales was referencing the column I wrote Thursday that "no one at Terrafirma approached" Jordan Heading after he was made the team's No.1 pick in the 2020 special draft.
READ: Terrafirma never made an effort to sign Jordan Heading
Rosales denied the claim and insisted they "exerted the effort to reach Heading and his agent but got no response.
I asked him which agent Terrafirma tried to contact but he couldn't "remember the name," which is fine.
But one thing doesn't make sense.
IF THERE'S A WILL, THERE'S A WAY.
If the Dyip really wanted to get hold of Heading, four years is plenty of time to get the job done especially in this 21st era of social media.
The fact that he found my phone number and actually spoke to me eviscerates Rosales' own argument about the supposed scarcity of Heading and his agent.
When I circled back to Heading's camp about Rosales' rebuttal, here's their response.
"No way. Phone records don't lie."
Before I penned this Heading column, I reached out to Rosales and team manager Ronald Tubid. Both elected to stay mute.
"I don't really do interviews," said Rosales, who pointed out that he called me from a different phone where I was calling and sent him text message requests for an interview.
THAT'S FINE, TOO.
But since Rosales and Tubid knowingly forfeited their opportunity to be heard prior to the story being posted, it's a little lame for them to come out crying when they don't like what was written.
It's like having their cake and eating it, too.
When it comes to a "he said, they said" dispute between player and team I tend to believe the player. The working class is often forthcoming while organizations tend to be effortless liars.
And even with a generous spirit, it's hard to give Terrafirma the benefit of the doubt when it comes to personnel matters.
Time and time again, the Dyip have been fleeced of their top talents through grotesquely one-sided trades that they consented to, including most recently the twin flights of Stephen Holt and Isaac Go to Ginebra.
"I'm happy for him," Rosales said of Heading's landing in Converge. "He's good for the league."
That we can agree on.
Rosales is actually a great guy to talk to. My only lament is that we didn't meet under better circumstances.
But regardless, the desire to make friends will never dull my pen.
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