Steady as She Goes.

By Migs

It was great to have seen FEU Tamaraw Marnel "Mac Mac" Baracael back on the hardwood. While he didn't score 20 points or make a game winning basket against the NU Bulldogs yesterday at the Philsports Arena, he did provide just enough of an emotional lift to eek out a win against one of the UAAP's cellar dwellers.

In interviews, the Quezon Province native has expressed a tremendous desire to continue his basketball career, and to help FEU navigate through Final Four waters successfully for the first time since Tamaraw teams of yore featuring the likes of Arwind Santos and Dennis Miranda. Mac Mac couldn't have come back at a better time, either, with FEU josling against La Salle for a twice-to-beat slot in the annual UAAP square dance that precedes the final round.

To date, Baracael's assailant has yet to have been brought to justice, and rumors of the shooting being linked to game fixing have all been classified as hearsay. FEU front office personalities such as athletic director Mark Molina and board member Anton Montinola have remained mum about what more they know about the case, and rightfully so, as the last thing anyone wants is to put the well-being of FEU's 23 year old star, who has said that he is at "70-75%", in any further peril.

For now, it's about time the fans of the UAAP returned to their roots- cheering, analyzing, scrutinizing, winning with grace and losing with pride, all in the name of good, clean, progressive, hoops.

Let's save the talk about dirty sports politics and nefarious syndicates for a later date, if only, to find ways to eliminate such ills.


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