Talk ‘N Text fined over P1M for walkout vs Ginebra

Still reeling from their failure to retain their PBA Philippine Cup title, the Talk `N Text Tropang Texters just became the recipient of the highest-ever penalty in the league’s 35-year history.

For walking out of the playing court and eventually forfeiting Game 4 of their quarterfinals series with Barangay Ginebra Kings last Friday, the Tropang Texters were fined for over P1 million by the PBA commissioner’s office Tuesday.

Commissioner Sonny Barrios penalized the telecommunication franchise P500,000 for the forfeiture, the said amount going to Barangay Ginebra as underlined in section 32 of the PBA Constitution and By-Laws.

Barrios also imposed an additional P500,000 fine, which, he said, will go directly to the Players’ Educational Trust Fund that will benefit the league players and their dependents.

Likewise, the Tropang Texters’ share in the gate receipts and TV revenues for that particular game has also been forfeited in favor of the nine other PBA teams. The amount ranges anywhere between P200,000 to P250,000.

The total fine was the highest ever levied against a team that walked out of a PBA game. Ironically, Ginebra itself got slapped with a P500,000 penalty back in 1990 after the Robert Jaworski-led Añejo Rum left the court due to what the team felt was spotty officiating and never returned in Game 6 of its First Conference Finals with Shell. The Turbo Chargers were awarded the victory and the title.

Red Bull, now Barako Bull, also shelled out P507,000 in 2006 for walking out of its Philippine Cup semifinal series with San Miguel. Unlike the Texters and the Añejo cagers, though, the Red Bull players returned to the court to resume action upon orders from their team manager, the late Tony Chua.

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There are established rules and procedures to properly ventilate a team’s disagreement with officiating so that the fans do not become innocent and unwilling victims of a team’s protest over calls.

Barrios stressed that the PBA and its teams serve different publics, foremost of which are the paying fans, who happen to be “the lifeblood of the league and whose interest the league has sworn to protect and hold as primordial.”

“There are established rules and procedures to properly ventilate a team’s disagreement with officiating so that the fans do not become innocent and unwilling victims of a team’s protest over calls,” said the commissioner.

A flagrant foul penalty 2 called on Ranidel de Ocampo sparked Talk N’ Text walkout with still 60 seconds left in the opening period and Ginebra ahead, 27-20.

The forfeiture allowed the Kings to level the series at 2-2.

Barangay Ginebra eventually eliminated TNT by beating the Tropang Texters, 113-100, in the deciding Game 5 last Sunday to advance into the semifinals of the All-Filipino conference opposite top seed Alaska.

The Kings became only the third team to rally back from a 0-2 hole to win a best-of-five series. – GMANews.TV

Bad Call Pushed Texters to Forfeit Game vs Kings

A disputed call led defending champion Talk ‘N Text to forfeit its game against Barangay Ginebra Friday night, allowing the Kings to level their KFC-PBA Philippine cup quarterfinals series with the Tropang Texters at 2-2 and force a decisive Game 5 on Sunday.

A fuming Chot Reyes, the Tropang Texters coach, ordered his players and entire coaching staff to walk out off the Araneta Coliseum floor with a minute remaining in the first quarter following a crucial flagrant foul 2 called on big man Ranidel De Ocampo.

De Ocampo was whistled for bumping Ronald Tubid while the Barangay Ginebra shooting guard was driving for a basket.

The Kings led, 27-20, when the incident happened.

“I’m happy,” Barangay Ginebra coach Jong Uichico admitted in the aftermath of the confusion that followed the first ever incident of a league walkout in the last 20 years.

“What can I say but I’m happy because they gave the game to us.”

Then known as Añejo, Barangay Ginebra was fined P500,000 for forfeiting Game 6 of its First Conference championship series against Formula Shell, which went on to win the title after the Rhum Makers refused to go back to the playing court.

“I just hope we’ll be able to pull it off on Sunday,” said Uichico of the do-or-die match for the right to face Alaska in the semifinals.

As standard procedure, Talk ‘N Text was given five minutes to return on the playing court. When time expired, a technical was called on the team and another minute given for the Tropang Texters to reconsider their decision.

But with the blessing of management, the defending champions stood pat on its decision, leading league officials to award the game in favor of Ginebra.

Reyes later claimed the franchise had been on the losing end of the officiating for the entire series.

“All we’re asking for is a fair play, to be given the chance to compete and play defense,” he said.

The outspoken coach noted how for the past three games, a total of 126 free throws were awarded to the Kings – 81 of which they made – compare to the 60-of-80 the Tropang Texters did from the same area.

Reyes said that’s a discrepancy of almost 50 free throws in favor of the Kings.

It also didn’t escape his attention that in the first 12 minutes of Game 4, the Kings were already had a 14-5 edge in free throws, not to include yet the deliberate and flagrant foul called on De Ocampo.

“They called a flagrant foul 2 on Ranidel because they don’t want him to play in Game 5,” said Reyes.

“We’ll definitely protest the throwing out of Ranidel,” said the Talk `N Text coach.

But asked whether the Tropang Texters would be showing up on Sunday, Reyes replied: “we’ll leave it that to management.”

Uichico believes the Tropang Texters are playing psy-war in the series.

“They’re playing mind games thinking they can easily get away with this,” he said.

Source: GMANews.TV