Often, people ask me if I get a kick out of meeting famous athletes here and abroad. Naturally I do. But believe me when I say that some of the most interesting people I meet in sports are people who don't have millions of followers on Twitter or don't own mega-zillion-peso contracts. They're just people who love sports like you and me. People like Eths Domingo.
Eths is a sports fan. To be more precise, she's a Danny Seigle fan. It was such a thrill to finally meet her in person. You know why? Take time to read this opus and you'll understand:
Dynamite Danny's Magic
By Eths Domingo
When Danny Seigle arrived in the PBA, I was not yet a basketball fan. Only a four-year-old back then, I was still glued to Blues Clues and Looney Tunes. I knew nothing special about the sport which, little did I know, would someday be more than just my favorite.
It all began in 2004 when I first heard about the man referred to as Dynamite Danny. From a distance, I saw how he often left everyone in awe. Because of his breathtaking jumpers and jaw-dropping slams, it didn’t take me so long to understand why he was also called a walking mismatch. I didn’t need to be older to notice that he was too strong for smaller defenders and too fast for bigger guys. Of course I then knew he was the best in the league. I was told however that what I saw was not really the beginning of the great DS reign, but was his return from a career-threatening injury.
Today, I accept that time has gone by. It is no longer 1999, not even 2004. I am no longer a kid. But what even time can’t change is the truth that I grew up as a witness to Dynamite Danny’s magic.
I was not yet there when he fell down in 2002 but I arrived just in time to see him get back up in 2004. I was there when he made it to the 5,000 career points club. I was there when he was named Best Player of the Conference and Comeback Player of the Year in the 2005-2006 season. I was there when he won his sixth PBA championship with the Beermen. Also, I was there when injuries started to bother him again, and again, and again, and again. Tears ran down my face, I remember, when he left San Miguel – the team where I first saw him, the team which we thought would be his home forever. I truly have had a taste of both the glory and the agony. And as DS performs big time in 2013, his brilliance outweighs all the dark moments in his career. All the worries. All the pain. The magic just lives on.
I must admit that sometimes I wish I joined the party in 1999. Sometimes I wish I witnessed the very beginning. Sometimes it hurts me that I did not. But past is past and I cannot change any of it. What I can change though is the notion that Dynamite Danny’s greatness in his prime seems to be too good to be true in the eyes of younger fans like me. Yes, time may have slowed him down. Yes, time may have changed the way he hangs in the air. But I see that not even time, heavier legs, and the emergence of new superstars can make him any less.
The Danny Seigle I first saw in 2004 is still vivid in my memories and no one can ever take his place. And maybe my wish was granted somehow. In his 14th year in the league, we are all seeing a reminiscent of the old days. As he soars high for an emphatic slam, he brings back the hands of time. As he plays clutch game after game, he brings us all back to 1999. And for a longtime fan – a lifelong even, if I may say, it means so much more.
Now we all think about the real thing with this man. We wonder how he was able to move even a little grade schooler. We wonder what made that grade schooler, who obviously has grown, remain in the list of huge fans. For me? It’s all because of Dynamite Danny’s magic. No one ever does it better. No one ever does it like Danny. ED
Check out Eths Domingo's blog at http://ethsdomingo.wordpress.com and follow @eths619 on Twitter.
