PBA Opening 1986

PBA Opening 1986
Date : April 06, 1986
Location : University of Life Theater and Recreational Arena (ULTRA) in Pasig

List of PBA teams participated : 

Alaska Milkmen(General Milling Corporation) - Wilfred Steven Uytengsu
Ginebra San Miguel(La Tondeña Incorporada) - Carlos Palanca III
Great Taste Coffee Makers(Consolidated Foods Corporation) - James Go
Manila Beer Brewmasters(Shareholdings, Inc.) - Andrew H. Jao
San Miguel Beermen(San Miguel Corporation) - Leonides Valencia
Pilipinas Shell Oilers(Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation) - Reynaldo Marquez
Tanduay Rhum Makers(Elizalde & Company Tanduay Distillers, Inc.) - Jose Luis Ledesma

Reinforced Champion : Tanduay (4-2 ) coached by Turo Valenzona
Reinforced Champion Runner-up : Great Taste

All-Filipino Conference Champion : Tanduay ( 3-1 ) coached by Turo Valenzona
All-Filipino Conference Runner-up : Ginebra

Open Conference Champion : Ginebra ( 4-1 ) coached by Robert Jaworski
Open Conference Runner-up : Manila Beer

Hello Again To Hoopla
& Long Vintage Nights
By TESSA JAZMINES

The long drought is over. The PBA opened its gates again to the basket- ball-hungry crowd last Sunday at the ULTRA and ended a three-month long hiatus that nearly made psycho-wrecks of avowed PBA addicts. The crowds queued along the main roads leading to the ULTRA ticket counters like misplaced dragon dancers. Cars parked bumper to bumper along the roads and parking lots, reaching even almost to the "forbidden" motel territory farther deeper into the Pasig. People walked and hurriedly, leisurely thronged at the entrance gates, eager to take their places and catch a glimpse of the colorful proceedings and that darling of a special guest, the President's daughter, Kris Aquino.

Inside the gym, the atmosphere was festive. A carnival crowd dressed in their sporty Sunday best, had seated them- selves around the tiers of ringside, lower level and bleacher seats. Popcorn, ice cream and softdrinks vendors peddled their wares animatedly among the crowd. As did sellers of the just-out PBA Annual. Over at the press box, an over-zealous guard refused entry to legitimate press people there to cover the games in a misplaced attempt to put order into. crowd control. The atmosphere was charged. Suddenly there was loud cheering and hearty applause. The President's daughter, dressed in meaningful yellow and black, paraded in, escorted by a dapper General Fidel V. Ramos, who was likewise heartily greeted by the crowd. Booming Joe Cantada started the opening ceremonies going with an intro speech that smacked of relevance. "This. is another expression of people power," he said. "The PBA will continue to thrive as long as you and the masses continue to see in us a diversion and a relief from the drudgery of everyday life." And then he stressed: "We will never allow politics to get in the way of the games," pre- empting potential booers of politically- aligned cagers in the last elections pre- vailing upon them indirectly to shut up. and behave.
Then the colorfully dressed brass band from Cainta, Rizal, Balikbanda '85 champions, struck up a march and paraded around the hardcourt. They too wore relevant dark green-and-yellow cos- tumes, and the baton-twirling majorettes drew special accolades from the crowd.

Then the parade of players began what Joe Cantada called "The Cast of Characters of the 1986 PBA". The league's newest ballclub, Alaska Milk, with pert and pretty Joey Albert as muse, paraded in while the Cainta Band played the Alaska Milk "Wala Pa Ring Tatalo Sal Alaska" jingle in the background. Close at their heels were the Manila Beermen in their golden yellow jackets and pants, led by muse, Peachy Sacasas. The loudest cheers, however, were reserved for Ginebra, who marched in with Gretchen Barretto at the helm, followed by a host of (Super) Angels and the Living Legend himself, Sonny Jaworski, in their midst. There was no booing for Jaworski, as previously feared. Instead, thunderclaps of applause and deafening cheers, plus streamers declaring fans' loyalties to the Big J staggered the senses. Tanduay came in next, a little out-of- place in the eye-dazzling parade. With- out a muse, the all-male contingent looked quite forlorn, although Tanduay man, Ed Rivera, divulged later that they had been sort of "injunned" by their muse, Kristine Garcia, who came at 5, thinking the opening ceremonies would begin that late. Shell followed suit, with Miss Philip- pines-International Sabrina Artadi as muse. Great Taste brought up the rear with the only foreign muse and two little girls bearing flowers to add more spectacle to the parade. Several cagers sported new looks and new haircuts. Steve Watson, now with Great Taste, sported a well-coiffed flat top haircut that made him look like a 30's matinee idol. Francis Arnaiz came clean-cut, sans his age-old moustache and beard. Padim Isreal had a close-cropped Robert de Niro cut from "Taxi Driver" days.