Six PBA players draw P49, 000 in fines

The PBA Commissioner’s Office yesterday meted out a total of P49,000 in fines on six players for various offenses committed in the first four games of the intense-filled Commissioner’s Cup Final Four.

Red Bull’s Mick Pennisi drew the stiffest sanction, being fined P20,000 for his flagrant misconduct in Game 4 of the Thunder’ series with Purefoods, with teammate Junthy Valenzuela taking runner up honors with a P10,000 fine.

League officer-in-charge Renauld Barrios summoned the players concerned Monday, heard their sides and explanations before coming up with the decision.

"We like heated, intense action on the court, but the happenings (the past week) clearly have no place in this league," Barrios said. "The fines are but the best way to remind our players that violence will not in any way be tolerated by this office. Not before. Not ever.

"There is a line that separates intense basketball to rough basketball, and that line will and should never be crossed."

Barrios drew out the sanctions and decided on no suspensions, making all four teams in the Final Four of the tournament play with intact rosters when the rubber matches of both series are played today at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

Also fined were Alaska’s Sean Chambers and Ali Peek, San Miguel’s Danny Ildefonso, and Purefoods’ Andy Seigle.

Peek was slapped an P8,000 fine for taking a fighting stance on San Miguel’s Danny Seigle and throwing the ball at Olsen Racela while Ildefonso was meted a P3,000 fine also for a fighting stance against Chambers.

The Alaska import himself was assessed a P3,500 fine for a technical and his fighting stance on Ildefonso, while Seigle drew P4,500 for his foul on Antonio Lang, his second motion on Jimwell Torion and the incident involving a photographer.

"Tensions are high, specially during this stage of the playoffs," Barrios reminded the players. "But our league’s lofty standing as being the role models of the youth will never be served it we resort to violence.

"Let’s give our fans what is due them, and that is intense basketball at its highest level."

Pennisi drew P20,000 for throwing the ball hard on the face of Purefoods guard Boyet Fernandez, which resulted in a nasty bruise in the right eye of the Tender Juicy Hotdogs guard and which almost triggered a free-for-all.

His actions of further trying to get the goat of the crowd when he was thrown out also did not go unnoticed.

Valenzuela, on the other hand, was responsible for giving Purefoods import David Wood a busted nose, the result of what seemed like a clothesline in replay of the game tape. Barrios also warned Valenzuela further, asking the Red Bull guard to clean up his act for he seems to be headed into the direction of being a dirty player.