REMEMBERING THE CRISPA REDMANIZERS

REMEMBERING THE CRISPA REDMANIZERS
THROUGH THE MAGAZINE COVERS

          If any of you readers doesn’t know who or what are the Crispa Redmanizers. It’s Philippine basketball most colorful team. Players’ names like Alberto “Abet” Guidaben (Number 5), Fortunato “Atoy” Co (6), Rodolfo “Rudy” Soriano (7), Danilo “Danny” Florencio (8), Johnny Revilla (9), Alfredo Hubalde (10), William “Bogs” Adornado (11), Bernard “Bernie” Fabiosa (15), Philip Cesar (18), etc., are legendary in roster of great Filipino cagers.

          I consider myself as one of Crispa Redmanizers biggest fans. I never missed a Crispa game whether on television, radio, or at the actual venues. Well, not unless I’m terribly sick or incredibly busy at school works. I was still in Grade 6 and going to High School when team owner and manager Danny Floro and head coach Baby Dalupan were leading Crispa to the apex of basketball championships one after another in the 1970s and 1980s, from the MICAA to the PBA.

          One can say that the memories are already nostalgic as it has been more than three and a half decades since those exciting days.

          I’ve collected many magazines where the Crispa team or its players are on the covers. Unfortunately, most of the magazines were either ruined by the 2010 Habagat flood or lost during our transfer from one residence to another.

          Here are some of what remains of my magazine collection featuring the Crispa Redmanizer or it’s players on the cover.

The Crispa Redmanizers cage team
on their way to the 1976 PBA Grand Slam,
on the cover of Philippine Panorama (January 11, 1976).

 

Coach Virgilio “Baby” Dalupan (1923-2016)
on the cover of Philippine Panorama (January 23, 1977).

 

The Crispa Redmanizers “Super Six”
(From top left, Abet Guidaben, Freddie Hubalde, Philip Cezar
Atoy Co,
Bogs Adornado and Bernie Fabiosa)
on the cover of TV Times (September 2-8, 1979).



Bernard Fabiosa
on the cover of Sports Weekly (July 24-31,1981)

 

Two Crispa cagers, Arturo “Bay” Cristobal (#8) and Elpidio “Yoyoy” Villamin (#13)
playing against the Russian Youth Team,
on the cover of Sports Weekly (August 14-21, 1981).



William “Bogs” Adornado
on the cover of Sports Weekly (October 16-23, 1981).
 





Crispa’s Abet Guidaben (#5) and Padim Israel (#9) contesting the rebound
against Toyota’s Sonny Jaworski (#7),
in a 1981 Crispa-Toyota encounter,
on the cover of Sport Weekly (October 23-30, 1981).





TO BE CONTINUED....



Crossword Puzzles About Sports

Sports Weekly Magazine Vol. 7 Nos. 372 and 373, July 17-24 and 24-31, 1981
On the covers: Toyota’s Francis Arnaiz (left) and Crispa’s Bernard Fabiosa (right),
the best point guards of their era.

On this two successive issues of Sports Weekly Magazine are specialized crossword puzzles (about sports), which are among the earliest I made. I was in college when I did these crosswords. I started contributing crossword puzzles to Atlas Publishing’s Sports Weekly, Special People and MOD Filipina, and to Times Journal (International Edition) when I was still in high school. Notice that the crossword puzzles are of grid 14x14, something rarely done by crossword puzzle maker. They are also hand-drawn.

 “Commit your works to the LORD, and your thoughts will be established.” The Book of Proverbs:16:3, Holy Bible, The New King James Version.

July 23



JULY 23

Holiday Komiks  Taon 4 Blg. 88, Hulyo 23, 1966

Nasa taklob-pahina ang “Buhay Tin-edyer” ni Ading Gonzales

UNANG LABAS

Ang unang labas ng “Varga”
na katha ni Mars Ravelo
sa Bulaklak (Hiyas ng Tahanan)
Taon 4, Blg. 17, Hulyo 23, 1947.

Marami ang nakakaalam na ang kinikilalang paboritong superheroine ng bayan na si Darna ay mula sa naunang katha ni Mars Ravelo na Varga. Alam niyo ba na ang konsepto ng isang babaeng superhero ay unang sumagid sa isip ni Mars Ravelo noong 1939, matapos niyang masubaybayan ang paglitaw ni Superman sa Action Comics? Si Superman ang naging inspirasyon ni Ravelo sa paglikha sa isang original Filipino superheroine na una niyang tinawag na Suprema, ang “Kamangha-manghang dilag” (“The Wonder Woman”). Ang pangalang Suprema ay halaw sa salitang “Supremo” o “pinakamataas na pinuno” na siyang pangalang-sagisag na ginamit ni Andres Bonifacio. Tataglayin ni Suprema ang kakayahang katulad ng kay Superman.

Binago ni Ravelo ang pangalang Suprema dahil sa payo ng isang kaibigan na nagsabi sa kaniya na baka may magalit at sabihin pang iniinsulto niya si Bonifacio. Taga-Cavite kasi si Ravelo at nang panahon iyon ay mainit pa ang usapin sa nangyari sa magkapatid na Bonifacio. Ang pangalan ngang ipinalit niya ay Varga. Si Varga ay lubhang napakalakas, nakalilipad at ang costume ay mala-watawat ng Pilipinas. Inialok ni Ravelo ang kaniyang konsepto sa mga American at Filipino publishers subali’t hindi ito agad binigyang pansin. Ang sabi nila, hindi raw bebenta ang isang babaeng superhero.

Noong huling bahagi ng 1939, inalok ni Ravelo sa magasing Liwayway ang “Varga” subali’t hindi ito tinanggap. Kaya pansamantala itong itinago ni Ravelo hanggang matapos ang World War II. Noong 1947, muling inialok ni Ravelo, sa pagkakataong ito, ang kaniyang nilikhang superheroine sa magasing Bulaklak. Unang nabasa ang pakikipagsapalaran ni “Varga” sa Bulaklak (Hiyas ng Tahanan) Taon 4 Blg 17, Hulyo 23, 1947.

Ang “Varga” ay isinulat at iginuhit mismo ni Ravelo, na ang paraan ng pagdidibuho nang panahon yaon ay pinaghalong mga istilo ng kaniyang iniidolong Irish cartoonist na si George McManus (1884-1954) at ng Jewish-American animator na si Max Fleischer (1883-1972). Subali’t naging malikot ang tadhana kay Ravelo, hindi nagtuloy-tuloy ang kabuuang kuwento ng Varga dahil nagkaroon siya ng di-pagkakasundo sa kaniyang editor, at ang pagmamay-ari sa kaniyang katha ay napunta sa Bulaklak.

Nang ilipat niya sa Pilipino Komiks ang kaniyang superheroine, kinailangan niyang baguhin ang pangalan nito. Ang “Darna” taliwas sa mga hakahaka, ay hindi nagmula sa “Ibong Adarna” ng panitikang Pilipino. Ito ay mula sa anagram ng “Narda” na pangalan ng batang babaeng alter-ego ni Varga.

 

Events that happened on July 23:

1935 – The first Commonwealth election was approved.

Personalities and celebrities born on July 23:

1815 – Apolinario de la Cruz (better known as Hermano Pule), founder of the Cofradia de San Jose, a messianic organization – in Lucban, Quezon Province (d. November 4, 1841)

1864 – Apolinario Maranan Mabini, revolutionary thinker, political philosopher and the “Brain of the Philippine Revolution” – Talaga, Tanauan, Batangas (d. May 13, 1903).

1954 – Bernard Fabiosa, basketball player known as the “Sultan of Swipes” – in Bohol.

Bernard Fabiosa
on the cover of Sports Weekly Magazine (July 24, 1981).

1971 – Maureen Mauricio, actress and model – Olongapo, Zamabales.

Maureen Mauricio
on the back cover inside spread of Pinoy Erotika Extra Hot No. 2 (March 1989)

1971 – Eugene Domingo (full name Eugena Roxas Domingo), actress-comedienne and television host – in Malate, Metro Manila. 

Eugene Domingo
on the covers of Star Studio (November 2009) and Bannawag (June 11, 2012)

1982 – Zanjoe Acuesta Marudo, actor and model – in Tanauan, Batangas. 



Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern
on the cover of Entertainment Weekly
(July 23, 2010).

Picture Trivia

          Do you know that the film Green Lantern (2011) was conceptualized as early as 1997? Warner Brothers approached filmmaker and comic book writer Kevin Smith to write the script for the first Green Lantern film, but he declined. A few directors were also offered to do the film including Greg Berlanti and Zack Snyder but it didn’t push through. Many actors were also being eyed to portray the role including Sam Worthington, Chris Pine, Brian Austin Green, Bradley Cooper, Justin Timberlake at Jared Leto. Finally, Greg Berlanti, Michael Green and Marc Guggenheim wrote the script while Geoff Johns became creative consultant. Martin Campbell took the helm as director, and in 2009, Ryan Reynolds was chosen to portray the role of Hal Jordan and his alter-ego superhero the Green Lantern.
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