My Butch Maniego Story

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I was not able to meet Butch Maniego personally. Maybe seeing him doing his job as PBL and PBA D-League director, yes, but not in a manner in which I'll introduce myself to him. I was just surprised when I found out that he's a UP alumnus, all because of the Taga-UP Diliman Ka Kung group. But from a TV viewer's perspective, Butch is someone that you would love bringing the news to you.

The first time I saw Butch on TV was when he was still in the PBA broadcast during the 90's. I think he was just a courtside reporter then. I was just a kid then, so it's just like "Wala lang. I'll just watch our San Mig Coffee (then Purefoods) play." But comparing the young Maniego to today's UAAP and NCAA courtside reporters (when it was still with ABSCBN), I was like, "ABSCBN should have grabbed the NCAA and UAAP TV rights earlier. He's a perfect fit to be UP's courtside reporter." In fact, he could be assigned to any team. He's a genius in the game. I don't know if he played some basketball for the Fighting Maroons, but it seemed like he knows everything, from the players to the coaches and even to the playing system. WOW!

Speaking of ABSCBN, he would still land a spot with ABSCBN Sports. First, he became one of the first broadcasters of the MBA. That's where I began to follow him more. Now doing the play-by-play color commentating, I was like, "Hey! Butch Maniego can run the entire show by himself!" He researched everything about the two teams properly. He knew what to say. He can ad lib when the other anchor's mic is being fixed or if he's yet to return from the break. I could count Butch as a quintessential sportscaster.

After the MBA disbanded, Butch Maniego remained with ABSCBN Sports, calling the shots for the NCAA, but even if they place him at the UAAP, that would be fine. Hey! Why not cover both the two leagues? His good credentials as a Mr. Basketball landed him a directorial job at the PBL, which was the predecessor to the D-League, where he would also serve as tournament director. You would see from the games themselves that Butch is also doing a great job.

It's so sad that the sports media industry lost a legend. Butch Maniego brought to us what we need to know about the game of basketball. It's so sad that he needed to go. From the traditional media to the budding social sports media industries, they consider Butch as a "basketball geek", a mentor, and a friend. Thanks for inspiring us to write sports articles. Thanks for inspiring us to play basketball more passionately. See you up there!