The Final Score: June Mar Fajardo, Petron Blaze reactivated

A towering presence emerged from the dugout. I waited for PBA fans inside the Quezon Convention Center to point at the big guy. Or gawk at the 6’11” rookie. Or frantically show their kids how a basketball giant looks like. Surprisingly, people in the arena didn’t stare. They watched June Mar Fajardo go by. There’s a difference. June Mar is less of a spectacle and more of a scholar. People tend to take spectacles lightly. People usually take scholars more seriously. Fans know a serious player when they see one. Fajardo has the skills and the moves. He can score over 10 points. He can grab over 10 rebounds. I asked Jolly Escobar, my broadcast partner during the Petron-Barako Bull game, to explain the difference between June Mar and the PBA giants from the 1990’s. Escobar (6’4”), who, for years, tried his best to push Marlou Aquino (6’9”), EJ Feihl (7’1”) and Bonel Balingit (6’9”) away from the basket, pointed his finger at Fajardo. June Mar was sprinting down on defense like he was 5’10”. Escobar simply said, “There, that’s the difference.” Fans, therefore, don’t treat June Mar like some hulking character in a movie. He certainly doesn’t play like one. There’s a mutual respect between the fans who expect great things from the man and the man who wants to show them what they’ve been expecting all along. Hindi siya pang-picture-taking lang. For some big men, their best photos are taken while standing up, to show that they are taller than everyone else. For June Mar, his best photos are taken when he’s on the move, to show that he’s not just taller than everyone else. Did you see his highlight play from last night? While playing defense, June Mar mysteriously folded his 6’11” frame to reach down for a weak pass near the half-court line. Then, he scooped the ball up and dribbled all the way to the basket. Hardly bothered by smaller Barako guards around him, he shifted his weight (I’m not even sure if this is anatomically possible) and performed a side-step move. He capped it all off with a left-handed lay-up. Unbelievable. It was like watching Cyrus Baguio under a really, really large magnifying glass. We should be elated that June Mar is back. I hope we never have to discuss swollen scrotums again. The phrase “June Mar Fajardo scrotum,” however, will be forever searchable on Google. That’s fine. So long as June Mar and his teammates can laugh about it now. Because like Fajardo, Petron appears whole again. The big man is back, scoring on post-up moves, blocking shots and defying science. His team is back, having won three straight games. Even with assignments against Talk ‘N Text and Alaska on the horizon, fans are now taking Fajardo and Petron more seriously. They should. Petron’s ongoing campaign in the Philippine Cup, dubbed “Petronovela,” is no longer just a melodramatic spectacle. It has evolved into a compelling storyline about the towering presence and his revitalized team. - AMD, GMA News