A DECADE has passed but Cyrus Baguio just can't forget Aug. 19, 2010 as one of his most memorable birthdays.
As clock struck midnight, Baguio was still then wide awake in the euphoria of a PBA championship where he shared MVP honors with then Alaska Milk teammate LA Tenorio.
It was a big day in a big year for this unassuming, soft-spoken cage star from Iligan City in Lanao del Norte.
Past forward to 2020, Baguio has joined a pack of PBA warriors still in active roster in their 40s.
He is to make his swansong in PBA Season 45 rudely interrupted by COVID-19, and sending everything in uncertainty.
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But certain is that Baguio has carved a career worthy of emulation.
Consider his 2009-2010 season.
Released by Barangay Ginebra in midseason, the former UST hotshot didn't sulk but took the opportunity to silently send a message.
At season's end, Baguio had a championship, a Finals MVP trophy and a special ware as winner of the Sportsmanship Award during the annual Leo Awards.
He would win another championship with Alaska in the 2013 Commissioner's Cup and had a brief stop with the Phoenix Fuel Masters before finding his way to a reunion with original coach Yeng Guiao at NLEX in 2017.
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Guiao made him a star through a second-round pick by Red Bull in 2003.
And in 2009, the one-time slam dunk champ made the national team to the FIBA Asia Championship in Tianjin, China - also handpicked by his Red Bull coach.
Back to the special night on the eve of his birthday a decade ago, Baguio played a stellar role as the Alaska Milk Aces dumped the San Miguel Beermen, 102-88, to bag the 2010 Fiesta Conference at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.(SB)
