By TITO S. TALAO
RAIN or Shine vs. Converge, the first offering in Friday’s PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, had just begun, and I was at courtside beside revered player-agent Danny Espiritu.
Danny E—the PBA’s version of “Jerry Maguire”—tracked the fast-paced action on the court. I, meanwhile, watched the slow-motion unfolding of Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao.
Guiao, 67, owner of seven PBA championships across nearly four decades in the pro ranks, has always been a volatile courtside presence—pacing the sideline like a caged panther, a perpetual scowl etched on his face.
At any moment, he could erupt—unloading verbal abuse on erring referees, raining fire and brimstone in the direction of the technical committee.
He is Mt. Pinatubo and Mount Doom rolled into one.
But that late afternoon stretching into early evening, Coach Guiao was the picture of restraint—by his standards, at least.
Occasionally, he would raise a point to game officials as they hurried past. At times, he cupped his hands around his mouth to project his hollered remarks toward supervisor of referees Nol Quilingen on the other side.
But that was it. No veiled threats. No expletives. No biting sarcasm. It was almost as if he was still in Lenten-season mode.
Instead, he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, rubbed the sides of his thighs, and leaned back where he stood—every now and then breaking into a slight grimace that hinted at physical discomfort.
As it turned out, Coach Yeng was in significant pain in his lumbar spine, caused by a nerve being compressed between his L4 and L5 vertebrae.
I walked with him back to the locker room after the post-game press conference, where the undefeated Elasto Painters had secured a 120–111 victory—good for their sixth straight win.
Guiao said surgery has been scheduled after the conference.
“Matagal na kasi ’to e. Di makuha sa therapy,” he said, adding that the procedure would require a two-day hospital stay and, based on online references, would “provide relief to the compression of the nerve root, usually using minimally invasive techniques.”
By his estimate, Rain or Shine needs a couple more wins to secure a twice-to-beat advantage in the playoffs—and from there, a path to the semifinals and possibly the Finals. Surgery, for now, will have to wait. Meanwhile, referees are advised to count their blessings—and do their utmost not to awaken a sleeping (and hurting) volcano. So Danny E and I can watch ROS games in peace.
