Happy Birthday, Carlos “Caloy” Rodriguez ( May 21 )

Happy Birthday, Carlos “Caloy” Rodriguez

Source : Assorted Magazines (PBA Archives Collections)

PBA pioneer
7/Up Uncola forward
Angeles University standout
5-season PBA veteran

The curly-haired, humble, 22year old Pampangueño from Angeles University in Pampanga is considered one of the top forwards of the Uncolas. In the 7-Up fold, there is no star system. Everyone rates the same, hence it's impossible to slap a tag on the discernibly shy player. The fellow who has been a candidate (and later an alternate in the RP Youth Team sometime in 1974) hopes to really develop a 'good shooting hand.. The Uncola is none other than Carlos 'Caloy' Rodriguez, whose other brothers, Ignacio and Jun, 16 and 19 years, respectively, also play the game. Jun Rodriguez at 19, is 6'3", and is a member of the senior team of the school where he studies. Carlos or 'Caloy' Rodriguez can easily be considered a hotshotif and this is a big IF, their team is one of the top-rated ones. Like Toyota or Crispa, for example. But haplessly and unfortunately, 'Caloy' Rodriguez belongs to a cellar-dweller of a quintet. And although mild-mannered Rico Villaflor of the Seven-Up Uncolas optimistically said that there would be some surprises eventually in the forthcoming conferences, still and all, being a bottom-of-the-heap occupant is not so easy to swallow. And if 'Caloy' feels occasionally miserable it's simply because he had hoped like the rest of the hoopsters that they should at least have bagged a better-than-last spot in the last PBA tiffs at the hardcourt. And even if Rodriguez flips those twinners to accumulate points, the lenses of the photographers wouldn't catch him. Simply because, he's not as well played up as say, the likes of Mumar or Florencio or Paner or Estrada. Not to mention the socalled 'stars' like 'Bogs,' 'Atoy,' Francis, et al.