OH, how times have changed.
This time last year, San Miguel was chasing greatness as it set its eyes on the Grand Slam. Fast forward a year later, and that quest for immortality fell short, while also seeing what was once a dominant dynasty crumble.
It's a sad and swift decline for the Beermen, which at times looked invincible thanks to the might of six-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo and his killer supporting crew.
Yet even before the Cebuano giant went down with a leg injury early this year, things already looked down south for the team. And we need not look far than on Fajardo's 30th birthday.
What was supposed to be a birthday bash turned into another bash - the violent kind - as a fight ensued in the Beermen practice one sleepy Sunday morning.
With emotions already running high, an Arwind Santos hard pick decked import Dez Wells during a scrimmage, pulling the pin from the grenade as punches were soon thrown between the two. Ronald Tubid and Kelly Nabong soon joined the fray.

It wasn't long before Wells was sent home and suspensions were meted on the other three. That fracas effectively doomed San Miguel's grand slam hunt and showed the first cracks in the Beermen's armor of invincibility.
A year since that infamous brawl, Tubid agreed that the incident truly sabotaged what should have been the Beermen's date with destiny.
"Magaling yung import namin eh, pero siguro if ever di nangyari yun at naayos lahat, ang laki ng chance namin mag-Grand Slam," he said in a recent episode of Spin Sidelines.
There was no question of how good Wells was.
The Maryland product averaged 37.1 points, 7.9 rebounds. 4.8 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.0 block in his eight games for San Miguel in the 2019 PBA Governors' Cup.

But an ankle sprain in the game against Meralco kept him in the sidelines and forced the hand of the Beermen brass to fly in temporary replacement John Holland, who hardly impressed in his debut against Rain or Shine in Cebu.
That only put SMB in a tenuous situation with its reinforcements, which was further complicated by a skid that saw the team losing three of it last four games and five of six overall.
That practice fight led to the inevitable implosion. TNT handily beat San Miguel in its final elimination game, before Meralco snuffed the Beermen's grand dreams with a harsh boot in the quarterfinals.
Only Santos remained with SMB the following season. Nabong was sent to NorthPort in the offseason in exchange for Russel Escoto. Tubid, meanwhile, was left unsigned and has yet to return to the hardcourt since.
Looking back, Tubid acknowledged that he should have known better, but his emotions truly got the better of him.
"Yun ang mali namin, especially sa akin as a veteran sa team. Hindi man ako naglalaro, but as a veteran sa team, sa practice doon lalabas yung pagiging veteran namin nina Yancy (de Ocampo), na supposed to be kami ang mag-stabilize ng team," he said.
"Pero ako, nakidagdag pa ako," he continued. "Wala eh, tao lang ako at Pinoy kasi tayo at ayaw natin yung inaabuso tayo. Mali ko talaga at inaamin ko. Nire-respect ko naman yung suspension na penalty sa akin at tinanggap ko yun."
More than anything else, Tubid rued the grand slam that got away.
"Sayang kasi nandoon si June Mar at healthy pa siya noon. Tapos lahat, maganda ang laro. Yun nga lang, nung nagsunud-sunod yung talo, nangyari na lahat. Yung emotions, naghalu-halo na. Kung naayos namin yun, malamang naka-grand slam ang San Miguel," he said.
"Siguro, not meant to be."
Although he hasn't worn the familiar SMB red-and-blacks (or any other PBA jersey for that matter) for a year now, Tubid shared that he still keeps tabs on the team's progress.
It was tough for him to see his aging and depleted former side fall short in the 2020 PBA Philippine Cup after bowing to the Bolts anew in the quarterfinals. For the first time in six seasons, San Miguel won't be in the all-Filipino conference finals.

Pundits are quick to look at a possible rebuild, yet the 39-year-old Tubid begs to disagree, believing that the Beermen just had a hard time adjusting to life inside the Clark bubble.
Part of that is his belief on the level of play of San Miguel's veterans, that as much as its the oldest crew in the PBA today, its conditioning is still top-notch.
"Mabilis yung preparation this season eh. Nung time namin ang San Miguel, sa laro kami naku-kundisyon. Sina Alex (Cabagnot), hindi naman nagpapabaya sa katawan. Sina Marcio (Lassiter), di pa naman ganoon katanda. The way na magpakundisyon ang mga players, mina-manage namin yung time sa mga veterans, that's why di sila masyado bugbog sa practice.
"Magaling rin kasi ang mga strength and conditioning coach namin, sina Edward (Bacason), Jigs (Tenorio), at Stingray (Carlos), sila yung deserving ng credit dyan kaya in shape pa rin ang veterans. Going to the playoffs, sa laro talaga yung time na naku-kundisyon sila."
And of course, the presence of the gentle giant truly is a game-changer for the Beermen no matter how one would like to look at it.
"Mas madali ang trabaho pag nandoon si June Mar. Nahirapan lang siguro mag-adjust yung team kasi nasanay ang San Miguel dahil nagre-rely kami kay June Mar," Tubid said. "Pag binigay mo ang bola kay June Mar, madali ang trabaho at nao-open na lahat."
Tubid may be in the minority when it comes to wanting to keep the core intact instead of blowing it up, yet he's firm in his belief in his former teammates that once everyone is back, the Beermen will remain the gold standard in the league.
"Kung nandoon si June Mar, in two to three years, San Miguel is still the team to beat for me. Next year team to beat pa rin ang San Miguel. Yung ibang team, gauge pa rin ang San Miguel. If they could pass through San Miguel, there's a big chance na mag-champion sila."
Tubid's sentiments do indeed have merits, with Fajardo's presence quick to vault SMB into the conversation among the top teams in the league.
But when it comes to making another run at the grand slam, which will already be this San Miguel team's third try, we guess only time can tell.
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