No reprieve for Racela

With or without malicious intent, veteran Olsen Racela was slapped a one-game suspension for his ejection on a flagrant foul-penalty two in the first quarter of San Miguel Beer’s 98-93 win over Barangay Ginebra in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Cuneta Astrodome last Sunday.

The suspension means Racela will sit out Game 1 of the San Miguel-Talk n Text best-of-7 semifinal series starting tomorrow at the Araneta Coliseum.

Racela was summoned by PBA commissioner Sonny Barrios to the league office in Pasig yesterday morning. He was informed of the suspension by Barrios in the presence of supervisor of officials Ramil Cruz.

A replay of the game tape showed Racela’s foot in the space where Jay-Jay Helterbrand landed after taking a three-point shot. He was ejected with 8:59 left in the period and Ginebra ahead, 4-2. PBA officials reviewed the tape and recommended the one-game suspension based on the so-called “landing spot rule.”

Barrios explained that when a defensive player intervenes in the space where an offensive player lands, specifically if a foot is in the way, the call is an automatic flagrant foul. If there is no contact, the call is a flagrant foul-penalty one which means two free throws, possession and a mandatory three-minute rest on the bench (to increase to five minutes on a second team flagrant foul). If there is contact, the call is a flagrant foul-penalty two which means two free throws, possession, ejection and a one-game suspension subject to review.

PBA technical consultant Romy Guevara said the previous “landing spot” rule was a technical foul without contact and a flagrant foul-penalty one with contact. But the rule was amended by the Board of Governors on the motion of San Miguel Beer governor Ely Capacio, a former PBA cager who batted to upgrade the penalties.

“The players themselves wanted us to tighten up on this rule,” said Barrios. “That’s why Ely, being a former PBA player, pushed for the upgrading of the penalties because this violation is potentially career-threatening and extremely dangerous.”

But Barrios qualified the suspension is not automatic on a flagrant foul-penalty two.

In Paul Artadi’s case in a Barangay Ginebra-Rain or Shine game last Dec. 25, he was ejected on the infraction but was spared a suspension.

Barrios pointed out that three elements must be determined to spare the offender of a suspension.

“First, the defensive player must be coming in from the side, not head to head,” said Barrios. “Second, the defensive player must be in airborne position so that he is not able to establish his landing spot. If a shooter is airborne and the defender is on the ground, the situation is different because the defender takes a superior position. Third, the offensive player is moving forward on his shot and lands where the defending player is. In Artadi’s case, all three elements were seen on tape and that’s why he wasn’t suspended.”

Barrios said calling the foul is simple. “We call it the landing spot rule because if there is interference on the spot where an airborne offensive player lands, the call is an automatic flagrant foul. If there is no contact, it’s a flagrant one. If there’s contact, it’s a flagrant two. It’s as simple as that. We’re not in a position to judge if there was malicious intent or not because we don’t get into the mind of a player. We make a call based on an action not on anyone’s intention.”