Door to a Grand Slam is ajar anew for SMB

By Al S. Mendoza

 

WITH its decisive victory recently in the PBA Philippine Cup, San Miguel Beer’s Grand Slam dream is again alive.

Blocked last year by no less than its sister team, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, SMB is now aching to bounce back from that disappointing setback.

It was triggered by an upset loss to Meralco in last year’s eliminations, sending San Miguel to an unlikely duel against Ginebra.

As fate would have it, the Gin Kings ousted the heavily favored Beermen in the quarterfinals.

Ramon S. Ang, the philanthropic owner of both teams, could only scratch his head.

The debacle produced a bitter ending to the 2017 Grand Slam dream of San Miguel, which had swept the year’s first two conferences.

Seemingly, the Beermen had learned their lessons last year.

They are now more than ready to avenge their defeat and redeem themselves from that sorry loss to the Gin Kings in 2017 that should not have happened in the first place.

But there is such a thing that for every player, for every team, an off-night can never be staved off.

That’s virtually what happened to the Beermen last year.

After practically running their foes to the ground to easily stash away the first two conferences last year, they stumbled into one debacle after another in the third and final conference until they finally bowed out to crowd darling Ginebra.

But this year, they are at it again—on track for another shot at the Grand Slam after scoring an emphatic 4-1 triumph over Magnolia in the recent All-Filipino Finals.

Only one team in the 43-year history of the PBA has prevailed twice in the Grand Slam, a feat that sees a squad sweeping all three conferences of the season.

Crispa, still considered as the greatest PBA team ever, won the first Grand Slam in 1976, repeating that in 1983.

Its two legends-laden crews included the likes of Atoy Co, Philip Cezar, Rudy Soriano, Johnny Revilla, Rey Franco, Bernard Fabiosa, Abet Guidaben, Cris Calilan, Danny Picache, Rey Pages, Epoy Alcantara, Bogs Adornado and imports Tom Cowart, Paul Scranton and the incomparable Billy Ray Bates.

Before Alaska won its Slam in 1996, the second team to win a Grand Slam after Crispa was none other than San Miguel Beer in 1989.

That is why SMB was so bitter last year after failing to nail the 2017 Governors’ Cup, deflected in tying Crispa’s two Slam records.

But then, with their victory in the just-ended All-Filipino, the Beermen appear poised auspiciously, again, to seriously contend for their second Slam.

The signs are as clear as President Duterte’s vow to weed out corruption in government.

Determination is written all over the face of SMB coach Leo Austria, whose import for the second conference he had ordered to arrive way, way in advance of theApril 21 opening.

And with the 6-foot-7 Fil-German Christian Standhardinger, the No. 1 pick in the last PBA Draft, already available to suit up for SMB in the last two conferences, I see no reason why the Beermen cannot go all the way to the Grand Slam championship.

I can’t wait to see it happen—finally.

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