The stories that occupied sports headlines the past couple of days brought back memories of the mid-1980s, when I served as the deputy commissioner of the Philippine Basketball Association.

According to one of the stories, the PBA still has outstanding receivables from three promoters in the past?Viva Entertainment, NBN-4 and IBC-13?to the tune of a combined P400 million.

Only ABC-5 paid the league in full and on time.

The stories made me wonder why the PBA, though a bigger entertainment and marketing force then than it is today, can?t strike a deal with a giant television network which I tried to do in those days.

You rarely see jampacked playing venues, unlike in the old days when the league practically marketed itself and was in the consciousness of every Filipino who knows his basketball.

Signing up with a giant television network, which has wider nationwide reach?hence bigger viewership? would certainly help the PBA protect its interests.

The TV station that signs up with the PBA could use its nationwide marketing offices and high-rating noontime and primetime shows as effective tools to market the league.

The PBA could earn millions in royalty fees while the brand names of its teams are plugged in the highest-rating shows across the country.

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It is not entirely the marketing aspect that made the PBA click in those days?the league was easier to sell. Which brings us to the thought that, maybe, it is time for the league to re-package itself.

The PBA was built by the homegrown Filipino players?Jaworski, Arnaiz, Fernandez, Co, Adornado, Hubalde, Fabiosa, to name a few?and not the Filipino-Americans, most of whom now dominate the league not only in terms of playing time but also in terms of salaries.

It is now time to bring this vision back to focus.

There?s a lot of difference when you talk about foreigners with Filipino roots and the heroes who were raised here and learned the game in sandlots or in local schools.

Fans have an easier time relating with players whom they have seen in television from the time they started their careers.

These homegrown players have a built-in fan base and they add weight to a marketing strategy. Fellow alumni and provincemates of these players embrace them as their own.

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Phil Mickelson won the WGC-CA Championship three days ago, needing to crawl out of sick bed to fire a three-under-par 69 and nip fellow American Nick Whatney by one shot.

Could this be the year when ?Lefty? finally plays to his full potential, occupy the No. 1 spot in the world and truly dominate the PGA Tour?

One of the privileges the wonderful game of golf brought me was the chance to play with Mickelson in the Pro-Am event of the Toyota World Match Play early in the 1990s, a round which was made possible by Alfred Ty of Toyota Philippines.

Together with media friends Ding Marcelo, Lito Tacujan and Al Mendoza, we marveled at the talent of Phil, how he got himself out of trouble, how long he drove the ball and how incredible his short game is.

His swing looks much better now? shorter and tighter.

However, I feel he could do a lot of work on his physical conditioning. Which reminds me of that day we played together at 6:30 a.m. Walking down the first tee, he had a soft drink in hand.

I feel that no one has a more creative short game in the world. When Mickelson?s putting stroke is ?on,? he could be unbeatable.

The only drawback I see in his game is his penchant for taking risks. I am not the gambling kind on the golf course. In fact, there aren?t many golfers in the world who have Lefty?s mentality.

But once he is playing well, I feel that no one stands a good chance at giving Tiger a run at being world No. 1 than Phil.

(Send comments to: tommymanotoc@ yahoo.com)