MANILA, Philippines – For 16 seasons, Eric Menk made a name for himself as the PBA's "Major Pain," a dominant force who anchored the paint for the league's most popular franchise, Barangay Ginebra, for several years.

It was with great gratitude that he accepted the various tributes by former coaches and teammates on Sunday, when he officially hung up his sneakers. The Alaska Aces – the last team he played for – organized a touching halftime ceremony for the 2005 PBA MVP during the halftime of their game against Ginebra.

"I'm so happy. The timing was perfect," said Menk. "Second game on a Sunday, Alaska vs. Ginebra. It was great to see the fans… It's great to see all the Ginebra fans, hear the crowd cheer one more time, and I think Alaska did that on purpose."

Yet Menk could not help but feel a bit disappointed at having gotten such a warm, emotional tribute, when so many of his cohorts barely received any recognition.

"I don't want to be overly critical, but there have been a lot of great players that came before me," said Menk, naming Kerby Raymundo, Danny Ildefonso, and Willie Miller specifically.

"There are great players that retire every year, but unfortunately, nothing really happens," he said. "There's no real recognition or effort."

• Read: A final salute to Major Pain

Menk worries that one of his good friends, Danny Seigle, won't receive the same kind of tribute that he did when he retires.

"What's going to happen to him? (Seigle) played 12 years at San Miguel, but now he's at Talk 'N Text, and those two owners don't like each other," he said. "Is anybody going to honor him?"

"So it's been a little frustrating," he admitted. "That's why I didn't think anything would happen for me."

Menk is hopeful, however, that his own retirement ceremony will prompt other franchises to honor its retired players. "Major Pain" noted that while he has not suited up for Ginebra for several years now, the famously passionate Barangay still cheered loudly for him on Sunday.

Fans on social media have also lavished him with praise, with many remembering his remarkable run with Ginebra.

"I think with the fans' response, maybe this will happen in the future for other great players when they do retire," Menk said hopefully. "Because, you know, these guys are great players, really great players."

"They are respected, they have a lot of fans, and I think it will be nice for the fans to see a video and have them talk about their career a little bit," he added.

Menk last played for Alaska in the 2016 PBA Governors' Cup, but for the past few months, he has been busy with other pursuits. He started a well-received podcast, "Staying Major," and has also been trying his hand at being a YouTuber.

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