PBA: Tenorio closes in on Alvin’s record
Credit to Author: Tempo Online| Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2019 00:00:48 +0000
by Dennis Principe
BOCAUE, Bulacan – Ginebra’s top playmaker LA Tenorio, to his surprise, has yet to miss a single PBA game since entering the league as the fourth pick overall of the San Miguel Beermen during the 2006 Rookie Draft.
Now 34 years old and still considered to be at the prime of his career, Tenorio played his 589th PBA game when Ginebra defeated TNT KaTropa, 90-79 Sunday night at the Philippine Arena here.
There were, however, at least two games Tenorio nearly missed that would have stopped his seemingly implausible streak.
The first one was when he was playing for Alaska, his first team in the PBA, where if not for medical intervention, Tenorio would have missed his first hardcourt contest.
“I was so exhausted back then I was so tired I drove straight to the hospital where I stayed overnight,” revealed Tenorio “I was under IV (Intravenous) medication the entire night.”
“The following day went straight to practice but I never told coach Tim about what happened the night before,” disclosed Tenorio “For sure, he would have told me not to practice or he would have probably not made me play in our next game.”
LA Tenorio of Ginebra drives past Jayson Castro of TnT KaTropa (PBA Images)
Feeling so rejuvenated after that therapeutic trip, Tenorio made it as some sort of practice to go straight to his preferred hospital and undergo the same IV process whenever he feels like being a spent force after a tough outing.
“For a while, I chose to stay in the hospital after a grueling game but eventually it became boring for me. So what I did was I asked a nurse to do the process for me right at my home,” said Tenorio.
On December 13, 2013, Ginebra was to play at the Cuneta Astrodome when Tenorio was again on the verge of missing a game as his wife Chesca was about to give birth to their now five-year-old son, Sian.
“She gave birth via caesarian and though the operation went well, I was still worried the whole day until I was given assurance that everything will be fine,” added Tenorio.
Tenorio’s wife gave birth at the Makati Medical Center in Makati City which was quite near to their game’s venue that day.
Tenorio is eight games away from breaking the current record for consecutive games played established by four-time MVP Alvin Patrimonio who played 596 straight games in one stretch of his illustrious career.
Tenorio admits he himself is astounded as to how he accomplished his current feat, noting that he has never consciously thought about checking on his hardcourt mileage.
“Honestly, it’s a secret I can’t ascertain. I can’t determine whatever the key is to this feat. If ever, all I know is I just enjoy everything in practice,” said Tenorio. “Actually I also never missed a day in practice. I enjoy being with my teammates, our utility guys and enjoy playing crucial games.”
Apart from his religious belief, Tenorio admits head coach Tim Cone and conditioning coach Chappy Callanta have a lot to do to his much-talked-about longevity.
“Of course, prayers. For me, it’s the most important. Add to that is coach Tim’s philosophy in practice where he always tells us, ‘the way you practice is the way you play’,” added Tenorio.