PBL eyeing Astrodome as new site

Philippine Basketball League chairman Dioceldo Sy yesterday said the league is contemplating on tapping Cuneta Astrodome as one of its venues when the season-opening 2004 PBL Unity Cup opens on March 28 at the Makati Coliseum.

"There’s nothing final yet but it looks like we’re going that way, meaning, the Astrodome could be one of the PBL venues this year," said Sy, president of DSS Productmakers, Inc., which owns Blustar Detergent.

According to Sy, Astrodome, a former PBA venue, charges less in rental than the Makati Coliseum, which is reportedly costing the league P40,000 per playdate, and is more accessible to the fans.

"Ang dinig ko mga P25-P30,000 ang Astrodome, mas mura kumpara sa Makati Coliseum, bukod pa sa mas accessible ito sa masa at mas maraming manonood ng games namin," Sy said.

Sy said if plans push through, they may use the Pasay venue every Saturday while the games during ˜Tuesday and Thursday˜will be held at the Pasig Sports Center, one of their more popular venues the past years.

The Makati Coliseum, San Juan Gym and the Philsports Arena, which hosted the historic Game 5 of the 2003 PBL Platinum Cup best-of-five finals between eventual champion Hapee Toothpaste, formerly Fash Liquid Laundry Detergent, and Welcoat Paints last January, will be used only in emergency cases.

Butch Maniego, executive assistant to commissioner Chino Trinidad, has been negotiating with the Astrodome management with the two parties expected to come to terms this week.

Meanwhile, Sy said the league and Studio 23, a UHL channel of television giant ABS-CBN, is set to forge a three-year contract anytime this week. — Joey Villar