DURING his heyday, Bernie Fabiosa was PBA's Sultan of Swipe, reigning as the league's steals king until Ramon Fernandez and later Johnny Abarrientos shattered his mark.
Fabiosa said he made a conscious effort in pulling all the heists he got in his playing career, believing it's the best he could do to help his teammates.
"Pinag-aralan ko talaga yan, kung paano umagaw ng bola," said the seven-time PBA steals champ in his appearance in The Links podcast of veteran sportswriter Rey Joble.
"Ang liit ko kasi eh. Paano ako makakatulong sa team? Di naman ako scorer, eh di depensa," added Fabiosa, a Crispa great now based in the United States.
"Pinag-aralan ko yan, ka one-on-one ko si Rey Pages (during their Crispa days). Mas na-develop lalo nung dumating si (Crispa import) Glenn Hagan; tinuruan niya ako."
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With his nose in swiping, swatting and grabbing possession from unsuspected foes, the Bohol native was the second player after Yoyong Martirez to hit the 500-steal mark in June 21, 1981 and the first to make the 1,000-steal plateau on July 20, 1986.
Through the 2019 campaign, Fabiosa has got only two companies in the 1,000-steal club in Fernandez and Abarrientos.
And through his 17-year career, Fabiosa totaled 1,235 steals. Abarrientos later set a new mark with a total of 1,358 also in 17 seasons, followed by Fernandez with 1,302 in 20 seasons.
"Noong una, palitan dyan si Freddie Webb at Yoyong. Noong nagamit na ako ng husto ni coach Baby, akin na yung title," said Fabiosa.
"Yun ang papel ko araw-araw, ang umagaw. Kasi di naman nga ako scorer," added Fabiosa, surrounded by a number of great offensive threats in all the teams he played for, starting with Crispa, Shell, Great Taste, Purefoods and Swift.
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From Crispa, he had the least number of points from among players who made it to the PBA's 25 Greatest Players named in year 2000. Way ahead of him were Abet Guidaben, Atoy Co, Philip Cezar, Bogs Adornado and Freddie Hubalde.
But in truth, Fabiosa had his offensive prowess, accumulating 6,597 points.
He insisted, though, that he had his exhilarating highs in getting steals. (SB)
