EVEN for a brief moment on Sunday night, Danny Seigle showed a glimpse of the kind of player he was during his prime.
The 40-year-old forward scored on a pair of lay-ups and blocked San Miguel premier center June Mar Fajardo, not just once but twice to highlight TnT Katropa’s rousing 98-92 win over the two-time champions in Game Three of the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals.
Seigle finished with only four points (2 of 4) – both baskets coming in the final quarter - in just six minutes of play, but it was good enough to help the Tropang Texters take the lead in the best-of-seven series at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Good enough too, to remind people how good the 6-foot-6 product of Wagner College once was.
Aware that he’s already in the twilight of an accomplished but injury-plagued career, Seigle said he just kept himself in shape to be ready every game, regardless if coach Nash Racela uses him or not.
“I work hard every day just to stay right here. Sometimes my name is called, sometimes it’s not. I put in the effort just to be ready for situations like this,” said the native of Scranton, Penssylvania.
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His two blocks on the 6-foot-10 Fajardo, the last of which he made in the final period, also made him reach a milestone as he became the 49th player to record 300 career blocks, according to PBA chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III.
Seigle finished the game with a total of 301 blocks, the 11th active player to reach the landmark.
There was an instant flash in the eyes of the TnT veteran when told about his personal record.
“It’s another milestone that I guess I can look back and be proud of,” said Seigle, a nine-time All-Star and twice a Best Player of the Conference awardee. “I’m not always known for my defense, mostly on my offense. So I could look back that I did that.”
The record was also made special since it came against Fajardo, the three-time league MVP considered as the most dominant player in the PBA today.
“I guess it makes it a little more special because he (June Mar) is the biggest guy in the league,” he stressed. ”I always said I’m a self-proclaimed underrated ‘big.’
What Fajardo now does for San Miguel was something Seigle used to do with the Beermen, when he was still at the top of his game and formed a lethal frontcourt partnership with two-time MVP Danny Ildefonso.
Facing his former team where he won a total of seven championships also brings back a lot of memories for ‘Dynamite Danny,’ but definitely no emotions involved.
“That happened so long ago. We just approach it like any other Sundays because you wanna win,” said Seigle, a three-time Mythical team member, a former Rookie of the Year, and four-time Finals MVP, all with San Miguel.
Deep within, the Beermen will always have a special spot in Seigle’s basketball career.
“I have great memories (with SMB), some of the best memories,” a smiling Seigle said.
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