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Crispa cage team sold to Shell
by Ernesto Gonzales

The Crispa Redmanizers, the winningest club in the Philippine Basketball Association, sold its franchise yesterday in the face of its failure to keep a competitive lineup for the 11th season of the country's pro-basketball league.

The sale of the 13th-time champion Crispa squad to Shell Chemical Co. (Phil.), Inc. a member of the Shell group of companies, was approved last night by the board of governors although the amount involved in the deal has yet to be finalized.

Shell also assumed the contracts of Redmanizers Willie Pearson, Bernard Fabiosa, Lim Eng Beng and Arturo Cristobal while keeping the "option of first refusal" over Philip Cezar, Padim Israel and Jimmy Javier, who have yet to join other teams.

Crispa, which earlier sold its rights on Abet Guidaben and Freddie Hubalde to Tanduay, had also given up Atoy Co and Elpidio Villamin to Beer Hausen.

Other developments:

Gilbey's Gin has acquired Arnulfo Tuadles and Ricky Relosa, while releasing Gary Vargas to Beer Hausen and Willie Generalao to Tanduay.
Great Taste has recruited Abe King from Gold Eagle.
The drafting of players from the pool was postponed indefinitely to give teams more time to negotiate with their players who have expired contracts and finalize their lineups.
Freddie Webb, the former Tanduay coach, will handle Shell Chemical.

Crispa team manager Danny Floro could not be reached for comment but he had long expressed his disenchantment over the way his players behaved ever since Narciso Bernardo took over as coach from Tommy Manotoc, now the PBA's deputy commissioner, late in the first conference last year.

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