The Jaworski Inforgraphic

With the PBA coming in a couple of weeks, might as well bring up this cool infographic on the Living Legend. (h/t to Mico Halili's blog)

Mabuhay ka, Jawo.

The Jaworski Homage

Photo 1st seen @ Celest Flores' article on Inquirer.net

I was privileged enough to be able to be at the Araneta Coliseum on July 8, where 15,098 predominately Ginebra fans became witness to the retirement ceremony of the Living Legend, Robert Jaworski.

The Big J clearly remarked that this is merely a retirement of his iconic number 7, and that he will never ever depart the sport that blessed him all the way back from his collegiate days at the University of the East, where he was molded by the Maestro himself, Virgilio "Baby" Dalupan, to his MICAA days, to the iconic Toyota brand and to the Ginebra franchise.

The former senator personally gave thanks to those who helped pave the way to who he was then, and who he is now. For more details, watch the entire speech below.



It was a special night, graced by his former players at Ginebra, his former head coach at Toyota, Dante Silverio (whose jet-black hair still stands amidst the test of time), PBA Commissioner Chito Salud, Ginebra executives and SMC sports head Noli Eala, representing Ramon S. Ang.

Ginebra's Past meets its Current

The game that followed, Barangay Ginebra against Petron Blaze Boosters, had to come close to the pomp and drama of the ceremony. Instead, the match evolved into a modern illustration of the essence that is ang lahing Ginebra San Miguel, in fact, they were sporting throwback jerseys that night as well.

The Gin Kings suffered a sluggish start, trailing early they tried to find their form. But they kept themselves hanging around ensuring they keep themselves in a position for a possible comeback, anchored by the likes of Mark Caguioa and the wily veterans. And then in the fourth quarter, with the Spark firing on all cylinders, Ginebra's future shows up. SMART-Gilas alum Dylan Ababou scored all 13 of his points in the second half, while Rico Maierhofer snags a 10 and 10 performance.

And although Alex Cabagnot scores to even things at 85, it just sets up the drama.



And the postgame.

The Jersey Retirement of Robert Jaworski

Credit to Natashya Gutierrez of Rappler

On July 8, there will be a special ceremony to take place at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum. The semifinals of the PBA Govenor's Cup will be ongoing, but at 6pm, all eyes will be on that court, as Barangay Ginebra will honor the Living Legend, Robert Jaworski, Sr. with the retirement of his iconic number 7. 

Jersey retirement is arguably the highest honor that a team can bestow on a player. It means they value you so much that they will never have someone wear your number ever again.

According to Ginebra San Miguel, Inc. President Bernard Marquez, this is the highest honor that they as a franchise can bestow on the Big J, Ginebra and Jaworski are synonymous, whose personifies the never-say-die spirit that is now part and parcel of the company itself.

The former Senator is honored to be bestowed such an achievement, that according to him, nakakataba ng puso na siya ay iniidolo ng mga batang manlalaro ng PBA. But he noted that even with the jersey retirement, he is not ready to leave the sport that he loves very much. He jokingly remarked that he is getting ready for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Being the former politician, he used the press conference to stress and remind us of the need for sports as an integral part of national development, as sports provide avenues for heroes and idols to emerge, so that future generations will look up to them. He chose not to take the opportunity during the press conference to announce his plans for the upcoming 2013 elections.

As a former Olympian and national team player and coach, he is most honored with the privilege of wearing the nation's colors and playing for flag and country. He emphasized the notion that the more important thing in competition is on how you played and your decorum during play instead of how it ended up, reminding our Olympians competing in London to enjoy the journey and the country will always be behind them. He specifically spoke of believing in yourself and going there with a positive attitude, because you are a representation of where you come from.

Yours truly with The Living Legend

Update: According to the trusty Fidel Mangonon a.k.a. @thepbaologist, the matchup on July 8 will be involving the winner of the playoff involving Powerade, Barako Bull and Meralco against Rain or Shine in the first game, while Barangay Ginebra will be facing Petron in the nightcap.