The Final Score: For Doug, it’s always Kramer vs. Kramer

In Doug Kramer’s world, he is reborn. One day, he is lost. The next day, he is found. He exudes the enthusiasm of an eager rookie even if he’s not. Who can blame him? You languish on the bench of one team only to thrive on the roster of another. It’s a new day. He’s a new man.

Once on the verge of PBA extinction, Kramer is back on the radar. Call him Rain or Shine’s version of David Lee. He scores, rebounds, bothers no one in doing so, rarely described as athletic and never regarded as a beast. Besides, he ignores most labels. The only label he cares about is the one that says “key player". Kramer is now a threat to tally 10 points and 10 rebounds. And when a player posts a virtual double-double against San Miguel, he is legit. “It feels absolutely great," Kramer, who has registered conference highs of 19 points and 11 rebounds, admits. “No greater feeling when you play well knowing you contributed to get the win." Kramer as Best Player of the Game? It’s a believable concept now. Yet in his earlier stint with Ginebra, easily the black hole of his PBA career, it was a concept as realistic as American cars turning into Autobots. Back then, he could hardly dream because he hardly played. “Lowest point of my career," Kramer, who points at Ginebra’s stellar line-up as the cause of his not-so-stellar experience, recalls. “I think I had six months left on my contract. I played a handful of games with limited minutes so I was really contemplating what to do if no team signed me. My confidence was below zero. I really thought I couldn’t compete in the PBA." Kramer, however, doesn’t look back at those times and laugh. Not even when he now plays anywhere between 20-30 minutes per game. It’s a Doug Kramer thing; to make the new Kramer beat the old Kramer into submission. Remember how he used to mishandle good passes by teammates during his early years in Ateneo? It’s been six years, he’s still not laughing at past transgressions. The new Kramer must always be better than the old one. And he’s dead serious about it. The old Kramer had limited offense and had butterfingers for hands. The new Kramer spent hours developing a jump-shot and receiving the ball at all angles. Remember how he caught the inbound pass to score the winning basket of Game 1 of the ‘06 UAAP Finals? The old Kramer had little playing time and little hope. The new Kramer records 2 points and 3 rebounds in one game then blasts San Miguel for 19 points and 9 rebounds in the next. The new Kramer wants to be consistent, always ready to tell yesterday’s Kramer, as well as other skeptics, to go eat dirt. “I had a lot of doubters in college and in the PBA. I just love proving them wrong." Rain or Shine wins. Kramer is reborn. Everyday. -- GMANews.TV