From hate to love. An ode to Mark Caguioa. By JC Pelagio

by **MR. FAST** Wed Sep 04, 2013 2:28 pm

From hate to love. An ode to Mark Caguioa. By JC Pelagio

I caught the Mark Caguioa hate-bug in 2001.

He was a virtual unknown in Philippine basketball but he acted as if he was not.

I remember hating him whenever he came in for Bal David in crucial fourth quarter scenarios.

I remember hating his guts when he went straight inside the paint with big men waiting to rain on his parade.

I remember hating his then blonde-anong-gupit-yan hairstyle.

I remember hating his unbridled love for the ball, wanting to hold it as much as he can.

That was until I saw him on the eve of my 15th birthday.

I still vividly remember how my totally-composed-facade crumbled in a matter of seconds. I recall how I let out a gleeful fangirl cackle when I saw MC47 inside the PhilSports Arena.

Was it possible? All my hate turned into love by just a glimpse? (Okay fine. It was more like a stare.)

The more I kept brushing off this thought, the more Caguioa continued to wow me with his and-one fancy shots. I thought to myself, damn, this man is too good to hate.

From hate to love. An ode to Mark Caguioa. By JC Pelagio 392888_633762756639740_838926030_n

That night he stared into my eyes (or was it the other way around), I came up with several realizations:

Mark Caguioa comes in for Bal David because he can actually contribute in a game, bringing with him an arsenal of jumpers and acrobatic lay-ups.

He has the guts to challenge big men because he is smart enough to create escape routes out of a defensive maze.

He loves the ball in his hands because he can orchestrate plays and shoot big baskets when he has to.

Fast forward to today, I believe my realizations still hold true.

You know what makes me love Caguioa even more? His walang-keme-honesty. During a halftime television interview in a game against GlobalPort (Ginebra was then in a losing slump at the start of the Chualay Era), he said, “Parang pugot ulo ang laro namin eh”.

You know why my love for Caguioa never fades? Because his walang-keme-honesty also never fades:

From hate to love. An ode to Mark Caguioa. By JC Pelagio Photo-162

Just like Ginebra which emerged victorious after defeating Red Bull (sorry Tony Lang) on the eve of my 15th birthday, I felt like a winner too. I found a worthy, lifetime recipient of My Favorite Basketball Player Award.

Let me end this fangirl-ing by another fangirl-ing thought: my admiration for MC47 is like the ongoing status of my tweeting-@officialMC47-until-I-get-a-reply project: ENDLESS. Frustrating at times but yes, endless. JCP

Source: MH

by **MR. FAST** Wed Sep 04, 2013 2:31 pm

Marami talagang inis kay MC noon pero marami din naman na labidabs sha, nagpakatotoo lang naman sha.. kaya nga maraming naging IDOL si MC dahil hindi puro angas lang meron sha, may ibubuga pala!

From hate to love. An ode to Mark Caguioa. By JC Pelagio

From hate to love. An ode to Mark Caguioa. By JC Pelagio

Re: From hate to love. An ode to Mark Caguioa. By JC Pelagio