Tom-and-Jessie is our Jaworski-and-Clutch
by Oliver Carlos
The 2 oldest living Castillos are my Dad Jessie and his older brother Tommy. Their other siblings have gone ahead of them, and so are their parents and grandparents. Thus, our clan looks up to Tommy and Jessie as our lead patriarchs.
It’s a fantastic coincidence that these two gentlemen can be compared to my favorite basketball players — Robert Jaworski, Sr. and Francis Arnaiz. The basis of comparison is not their basketball skills, oh no, not that, but their birthdays. These tandems were born almost at the same time too.
Uncle Tommy was born on March 7, 1946, and the Living Legend, Sonny Jaworski was born a day after — on March 8, 1946. Meanwhile, my Dad was born on the 21st week of 1951, while Mr. Clutch, Francis Arnaiz was born one week later in that same year, on the 22nd week of 1951. At the end of 2021, Tommy and Sonny will be both 75 years old, while Jessie and Kiko will be 70 years old.
Jessie and Tommy are very close to each other. For sure, they were playmates when they were kids. Big brother always watched over little brother. When they grew older, they both studied Forestry in UPLB, and thus shared the same profession. Later, they lived far apart when they built their respective families. Jessie stayed on in Los Banos, while Tommy became Manila-based. Now in their senior years, we can see the joy in their eyes whenever they would have a reunion. My cousins comically call them the “Hi-blood Brothers” which is a parody of “The Blood Brothers” because of their loud voices. They’re not really angry at each other, that’s just the Castillo trademark voice volume when having conversations, especially when they’re excited seeing each onother.
On the other hand, the Jaworski-Arnaiz tandem, also mesh together like hand-and-glove. Although they are not related by blood, their friendship equates to brotherhood. Their on-court chemistry was legendary. Their partnership had reaped so many championships for Toyota and Ginebra in the PBA. They were like the Batman and Robin of Philippine basketball. Wherever Jaworski goes, Arnaiz was also there. They share the ball and the limelight unselfishly. The Jaworski-and-Clutch title for their duo was derived from the popular 1970s American TV series “Starsky and Hutch.” These 2 guys were police detectives who solved crimes together.
Many sports scribes have written so much about the Jaworski-Arnaiz hardcourt heroics. But beyond those feats, I admire most the off-court bond they share with one another. They were family friends in the truest sense. They were godfathers to each other’s kids. Arnaiz retired at the end of the 1986 season, while Jaworski continued being a playing-coach up to 1998. Francis is now US-based, while Sonny has remained in the country, still standing as an icon of inspiration. Through those years, they kept in touch, and whenever Arnaiz would have a visit in the Philippines, they would always meet up. One time they were seen watching a PBA game live at the venue. It was very heartwarming for the televiewers to see these 2 old men enjoying themselves watching the sport they contributed in greatly during their prime.
The Bible tell us that it’s such a big blessing to have a friend for life, a BFF, someone who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24 (NLV) says:
“A man who has friends must be a friend, but there is a friend who stays nearer than a brother.”
Do you have someone in your life like this? Appreciate that person today, even in a small way. Say a prayer to God for him or her. Continue cultivating that relationship. Be a blessing to one another!
