For sure, Barrios, who will be away for one month, needed the break. He had flown the day after Sta. Lucia captured the All-Filipino championship, leaving behind an office fractured by dissension and a losing finalist chafing at some perceived injustice.

But yesterday’s development in the NBA may have given the embattled commissioner both an adrenalin-boost and a confidence-boost courtesy of NBA Commissioner David Stern.

In a decision that paralleled his own and which nearly doomed his infant commissionership, Barrios found redemption in the NBA, which upgraded last Wednesday a Flagrant Foul Penalty One to Flagrant Foul Penalty 2 on Dallas Mavericks’ star Dirk Nowitzki that resulted in a one-game suspension for the player.

That would put to rest any speculation that Barrios was in error when he upgraded James Yap’s FF1 to FF2, thereby suspending the Purefoods star for one game – a suspension so dear, it may have cost Purefoods the championship.

The technical aspect of the decision has been resolved satisfactorily. But the moral circumstances that led to his decision are still subject to debate.

Barrios met with officials of Sta. Lucia the day after Yap was slapped a Flagrant Foul 1 infraction. Hours later, the penalty was upgraded to FF2.

That meeting raised moral issues and put to the fore questions about the propriety and impartiality of a powerful commissioner.

Barrios has repeatedly claimed that there was no violation of ethical standards nor was there any pressure on him to change the referee’s decision regarding Yap.

That was his position, although we had it on good authority that a meeting did take place among Barrios, his technical group, and some Sta. Lucia officials, where Yap’s foul was dissected and analyzed, after which the decision to suspend the player was made.

That decision would have been fine because it was arrived at after a thorough study of the matter, except for one thing: Sta. Lucia officials were present during the review of the incident.

Anyway, that’s all water under the bridge. Purefoods had a chance to win the title after bringing the series to a thrilling seventh game. But credit goes to Sta. Lucia, for winning the decisive game fair and square even when momentum appeared to be on the side of Purefoods. So, to the Realtors, our congratulations.

As for Barrios, he can look at the incident as a bump on the road, as a lesson learned in the tough job of running the only professional sports league in the country. But maybe he should still see his action as flawed.

A commissioner does not meet with officials of teams involved in a championship series, or officials of any team, where a controversy under review requires his impartial decision.

He can do the socializing, or whatever, after the dust had settled and the emotions had ran its course.