Foregoing Dinner

     Much has been said about President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's expensive dinners at Le Cirque and Bobby Van's Steakhouse.  While people keep showing their outrage, her apologizers (aka freeloaders) keep hammering that nothing is wrong because the president a) is entitled to eat in first class establishments (rather than a hotdog stand) and b) it was personal money and not government money.  I think the problem the people have is not as much as where she ate or whose money was used, but more of how much was spent.

     All in all, it was approximated that she spent around $ 35,000 or approximately PhP 1.75 million, and that ladies and gentlemen, is a lot of money.  Perhaps the apologizers have yet to see the light because they can't see how much $ 35,000 really is.  That's why I'm doing them a favor by helping them see how much, in sports terms of course.

Being Smart About It

     In order to lock up the country's top collegiate stars to the national team development program, Manny Pangilinan and Smart Communications offered young stars like Chris Tiu and JV Casio three year salaries that would match whatever they would receive as rookies in the PBA.  Currently, PBA rookies can receive a maximum of PhP 150,000 a month.  That being the case, GMA's two dinners would be enough to pay the monthly salary of all 11 local players (naturalized recruit C.J. Giles not included).

Putting Up a Fight

     In the historic UFC 100, one of the preliminary matches featured a fight between two tough up and comers C.B Dolloway and Tom Lawlor.  The fight pay for both fighters, including the victory bonus was $ 30,000 (Lawlor had $ 16,000 icluding the $ 8,000 win bonus and Dolloway received $ 14,000), well within the $35,000 GMA and her party spent to stuff themselves silly.

Pac Man Watch

     Due to Manny Pacquiao's popularity, ringside tickets to his next fight in Las Vegas against welterweight champion Miguel Cotto has reportedly inflated by as much as 22 times.  As last reported by Top Rank officials, ringside seats are now available from scalpers for $ 22,000.  Counting in airfare which is approximately $ 1,000, two-night villa stay at Caesar's Palace for $ 5,000, and $ 2,000 for gambling money at the black jack tables, that is a complete luxury weekend at the cost of two lovely dinners.    

Developing the Next Superstar

     In his book, Adam Copeland on Edge, the wrestling superstar revealed that the first paycheck he received from World Wrestling Entertainment was a weekly one worth $ 210.  Suppose you adjust for inflation, the weekly wrestling development contract could have doubled to $ 410 weekly.  President GMA's two dinners?  They could have paid for a developing wrestler for over one and half years! If she's not down with that, I've got two words for her...

Got Balls?

     One of the Philippine Bowling Teams greatest needs has always been equipment, especially bowling balls.  High performance balls cost around $ 220 (retail) right now.  With a national bowler's salary pegged at around $ 204 dollars a month, it's almost impossible to build a six-ball arsenal.  With GMA's dinner, though, it will be child's play to accumulate 159 bowling balls.  That number means a total of 26 six-ball arsenals.  That would mean new six-ball arsenals for our 6 person senior men's team and their two alternates, our 6 person senior women's team and their two alternates, the 4 person youth boy's team and their alternate and 4 person youth girl's team and their alternate!  Now foregoing dinner to provide our four national bowling teams with the equipment needed to compete?  That takes balls.

Enjoying the Rivalry

     Ateneo vs La Salle in UAAP basketball is always an event and tickets, even scalped ones, are hard to come by.  That's why according to reports, ringside seats have gone up to over a thousand pesos.  Supposing your scalper is a real tool and he sells you tickets at PhP 1,750, using the money that paid for GMA's two dinners would enable you to buy 1,000 tickets.  That's the number of graduates in my graduating batch of 2000.  Now that would be a sea of blue at ringside.

     I'm not really a Math wizard, but I'm pretty sure I've made my point.  The next time President GMA wants to bring her entourage over for dinner, she might want to try the hotdog stand.  Sabrett dogs? They're great with relish and mustard. 

Typing with Iole: An Exclusive Interview

     With the deluge of bloggers everywhere, it's sometimes difficult to distinguish the real experts from the angry fan and it's no exception in the fighting world of boxing and mixed martial arts (mma).  While I claim to be no expert in these two fields, I do know an expert when I see one.  In boxing and mma, there is no bigger name than Yahoo! Sports' resident expert Kevin Iole.

     Covering boxing since the early 1980's, Iole has an impressive army of insightful and entertaining articles, not only about boxing, but also mma, which he started covering in 2000.  His articles combined the right amount of facts, drama and comedy all within a mostly objective tone.  T

hat's why I it was my great honor and pleasure to pick his brain about the burning questions I have about boxing and mma.  

     In this exclusive web interview, Iole discusses, among other things, his theory on why he's labelled "anti-Pacquiao," and who he believes to have the best chance of becoming the next Filipino boxing star.

Sharwin Tee:  Of all the fights you have covered, what would you consider as the greatest boxing match ever?  What MMA match you covered would you consider 

as the greatest?

Kevin Iole: 

The best fight I ever saw in boxing was Diego Corrales-Jose Luis Castillo I. In MMA, the best was Forrest Griffin-Stephan Bonnar I.

ST: With Marquez and Mayweather fighting soon, do you think it is possible that one of the two could fight Pacquiao by the end of the year?

KI: Unlikely either will face Pacquiao in 2009. I expect Manny to fight Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14

ST: Gerry Penalosa has announced he would fight at least one more time, planning on challenging for the 118 lbs belt (against the winner of the Fernando Montiel vs Eric Morel, if I recall).  Do you think it's a good idea for him and if he does fight for the title, what would his chances be?

KI: I think Gerry would beat Morel, but I think Montiel would beat him. He's younger and still in his prime.

ST: Shane Mosley has been saying all the right things (his willingness to drop weight and take less money) to get a fight with Manny Pacquiao, meaning he really thinks he ca

n handily beat Pacquiao.  Do you agree with him or will the drop in weight mean Sugar will have a difficult time?

KI: I think Shane's going to have a tough time getting to 144. When is the last time he made that weight? I believe it was in 1999.

ST: Other than Manny Pacquiao and Nonito Donaire, are you familiar with other Filipino boxing stars like Z Gorres, AJ Banal, Bernabe Concepcion and  World Champions Donnie Nietes (minimum weight), Brian Viloria?  Who among them would you say has the brightest future in the sport?

KI: I'm familiar with all of them but Nietes. Of that list, I think Viloria has the best sh

ot at becoming a star.

ST: While you have been fair in your articles, there is still a sentiment among others that you are anti-Pacquiao.  Why do you think this sentiment exists? 

KI: I'm not anti-Pacquiao, but I think Manny's fans don't want someone to say what they feel. I felt Oscar would beat him, feeling he was too big, and they took it that I didn't like Manny. Just because I don't believe a fighter is going to win a specific fight doesn't mean I'm against him.

ST: Let's switch to MMA.  With the impressive victory by Lyoto Machida over Rashad Evans, do you think it proves that a wrestling background isn't necessarily always the best base to train for MMA? Or do you think that Machida is merely an exception?

KI: Wrestling isn't a requirement, though it helps. But there are plenty of fighters in MMA who are successful w/o wrestling backgrounds.

ST: Personally, do you feel that Rampage Jackson ducked Machida by choosing to coach TUF 10 instead of challenging for the title because he feels he needs more time to train or does he really hate Evans so much he needs to coach against him?

KI: No. I don't think he ducked him. I think he is trying to make the most money and he'll make himself more known appearing on TV in the US on a weekly basis for three months.

ST: With the countdown to UFC 100 on Yahoo Sports, which would you consider to be the best and most spectacular knockout in the first 99 UFCs?  Best submission?  

KI: Best KO in my mind is Gonzaga over Cro Cop at UFC 70. Best sub was when Frank Mir snapped Tim Sylvia's arm, at UFC 48 (I think)

ST: The UFC is gaining prominence in the Philippines, especially with fighters with Filipino heritage like Brandon Vera, Philippe Nover and Mark Munoz making the UFC shows.  Unfortunately, they have all seemed to run into big time losses.  Which of the three do you see has the brightest chance to achieve popularity and success in the future?  Will any of the three win UFC titles?

KI: Vera is the best by far of that group, but I don't think any of them will win a title.

ST: Again, with regard to the popularity of UFC in the Philippines, is there a chance the UFC would put up a show here?  Maybe feature the Filipino fighters in three matches and then bring in a main event?

KI: UFC will eventually hold a show in Philippines, but will wait until the economy improves.

ST: Thank you for your time.

KI: Thank you for asking me.

How Now, Pacquiao?

     With his stunning second round demolition of Ricky Hatton last May 2, 2009, Manny Pacquiao is on top of the boxing world, with some claiming he is history's best.  Meanwhile, the very world the,  "Pacman" had enthralled is still under his spell, as everyone is awaiting word on what he is to do next.  Currently, Manny has been rightfully taking it easy and celebrating his latest conquest.  Pretty soon, though, he will have to decide what to do next.  Whether it be about his legendary boxing career or his polarizing political one, everyone seems to have an opinion on what Manny should do.  Of course, being the meddler that I am, I have some suggestions too.

Boxing Career

     Obviously, if Pacquiao stopped now, he would leave with a tremendous career and legacy that will be remembered by the world for generations to come.  I think, however, leaving this early will leave his legacy in question.  There are some unanswered questions I think he should answer before he retires and I have a plan of action that is not only feasible, but also fit perfectly into his desire to retire early and to run for congress.

     First, Manny should take on the winner of the fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr., the man he replaced as boxing's pound for pound king or one of his greatest rivals, Juan Manuel Marquez.  Pretty Boy Floyd has talked some trash since announcing his return and some have already drank from the irradiated Kool Aid he has been serving.  Taking on Mayweather will finally answer the question of who is the best boxer in this open era, and Manny should not let an opportunity pass him by.  As for fighting Juan Manuel Marquez in what should be a farewell fight for both pugilists, Manny has the opportunity to finally rid himself of the pesky Mexican.  As Manny has been enjoying number one status in the "P4P" rankings, many consider Juan Manuel Marquez as "1A."  A third and final fight would be a fan's dream fight as we finally close the chapter on a wild and exciting rivalry.  This fight could indeed happen sometime in December, giving Pacquiao ample time to rest and prepare his political party for the May 2010 elections.

     Second, Manny should take a good look at Miguel Cotto.  While Cotto possesses power that could mean trouble for Pacquiao, I feel it is worth the risk because beating Cotto would give Manny a sixth world title.  This would enable him to match his idol, Oscar de la Hoya's belt career belt haul.  Now that would be a great way to end a career.  This fight could be penciled in at around September or October of 2010, giving Manny lots of time to rest and train after the elections.

Political Career

     I don't like the idea of Manny running for congress as much as anyone, but with having "Kabayan" Noli "extortion" de Castro as Vice President (and maybe even President) and Lito"the sound of silence" Lapid as Senator, how can we tell Pacquiao he isn't ready to lead us?  He should run if he truly wanted to and believe it or not, I would seriously consider voting for him if he ran in our district.  I, however, have an even better political plan for Pacquiao.

    If it were up to me, I'd have Pacquiao become president... of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP).  For years, athletes have begged to have former athletes lead their respective Nation Sports Associations (NSA), so that the leadership could empathize better, and Manny leading the ABAP would be great.  He knows boxing, its training, scouting, weight cutting, etc, and he would be in a prime position to advise ABAP on how to train and care for our boxers.  I understand amateur and professional boxing are different animals, but surely his talent would not be dominant on the pro ring alone.  Meanwhile, his current fame will go a long way in uniting a usually fractured ABAP leadership.  Furthermore, his international stardom will bring a level of credibility to our NSA, which would help garner more respect from the international boxing committee.  This, in turn, would help lessen the questionable judging we are always a victim of.  

     If Pacquiao is really determined to go along way politically, he can serve the ABAP for a while, then run for the presidency... of the Philippine Olympic Committee.  If Manny serves the ABAP well as president and unites it, then he deserves to be POC president.  In this position, Manny can take care of all the athletes and his well-respected character and discipline transcends all sports, so uniting the athletes is certainly doable.  I mean, if he can unite an entire nation enough to stop crime and war, he should be able to do it in sports.  I know he has mentioned that all he wants to do by running for congress is to help the people.  What better way to help than to unite a nation through sports?

     In the end, it's really up to Manny.  He's the one with five titles in five divisions.  He's the P4P King.  I think, though, my plan would certainly appeal to him.  After all, my suggestions for his boxing career would close his career and legacy elegantly, while my suggestions for him politically would help him achieve his goals.  

     The best part?  After he executes my plan successfully, he would still be young enough to run for congress.

Dreams May Come

Over the past couple of months, a couple of "dream match ups," previously thought of as impossible, became realities. Manny Pacquiao and Oscar de la Hoya sealed the deal and will fight later this year, while American pros like Walter Ray WIlliams Jr. and Tommy Jones were finally able to bowl in the Bowling Men's World Championships. This got me to thinking about "dream sports match ups," and while some will be impossible to arrange, it was still nice to consider them. Here are just some of the "dream match ups" I thought out:

Basketball - Dream Team 1 (then) versus the rest of the world (now)

People keep talking about matching up the original Dream Team (Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird) with this year's Redeem Team (Kobe Bryant, Lebron James and Dwayne Wade), but I think the better way to compare them would be to see if the original Dream Team can still win the Olympic Medal with the much-improved international teams. People keep claiming that the U.S. simply could not dominate anymore because all the other countries have improved, and that claim would be answered if the original Dream Team could play in the Beijing Olympics. (Runner-Up: 1993 Chicago Bulls vs the 1994 Rockets)

Bowling - Walter Ray Williams Jr. versus Rafael "Paeng" Nepomuceno

Williams, with the most Professional Bowling titles in history, was finally able to compete in the World Championships in Thailand this year. However, Paeng shied away from joining the team this year. It would be great to see them on a one on one match on wooden and synthetic lanes, with different lane conditions. The greatest pro bowler vs the greatest amateur bowler in history. What's not to love? (Runner-Up: Dick Webber versus Pete Webber)

Basketball - Grand Slam Crispa Teams versus Grand Slam San Miguel Team versus Grand Slam Alaska Team

Each team boasts of the fact that no other team could beat them in a whole season. It would be great to see which team would beat which. A mini-tournament featuring the four teams would be sight to watch. Imagine the match ups of Johnny A vs Bernie Fabiosa or Hector Calma, Atoy Co vs Ricky Brown or Jojo Lastimosa and Philip Cezar vs Ramon Fernandez or Bong Hawkins. Araneta wouldn't be big enough to fit the amount of people who want to watch this one. (NCC National Team versus the 2007 PBA National Team)

Boxing - George Foreman versus Mike Tyson

This dream match between tremendously powerful sluggers would have been possible were it not for Mike Tyson's trouble-making ways. This won't be a pretty fight, but it sure would be a great one to watch. A knock out is almost guaranteed as neither would rely on sticking and jabbing or other pretty boy stuff like that. (Runner-up: Manny Pacquiao vs. Roberto Duran or Oscar de la Hoya vs. Marvin Hagler)

MMA - Anderson Silva versus Royce Gracie

Silva has been named MMA's best pound-for-pound fighter ,while Gracie has been widely-regarded as the sports greatest ever. The spider-like smooth moves of Silva, combined with his scary knock-out power, would be put to test against the tough, patient and crafty Gracie. Whether the fight ends with a knockout by Silva or a submission by Gracie, the fight will surely be a dandy. (Runner-up: Brock Lesnar versus Dan "the Beast" Severn or Ken Shamrock vs Frank Shamrock)

Pro Wrestling - The Rockers vs The Hardys

While pro wrestling can always bring the old guys back, this match up seems to be only possible as a dream match up since Marty Jannety is nowhere to be found. These two teams revolutionized the Tag Team genre and their high-flying antics would surely be entertaining, no matter how fake wrestling is. In fact, the only match better than this would be these four guys in a Tag Team Ladder Match. If only Vince McMahon read my blog... (Runner-up: Undertaker versus Rick Flair)

Of course, these are only dream match ups that I want to see. Place your comments if you have other dream match ups. I would love to read about them.

Pacman Vs DLH?

Just as thousands clamor to see the, "Dream Fight," between WBC Lightweight Champ Manny Pacquiao

and sure-fire Hall of Famer Oscar de la Hoya, just as many people are talking about why "Pacman" shouldn't take on

this fight. Now, Manny has never been anything but his own man in deciding things, but here are my two cents worth

anyway.

As far as I can see, there are two things that Manny has to consider before agreeing to this fight. The first factor 

to consider is the physical aspect of the fight. Size, power and speed are the keys to every boxing match, especially

in a big-game match like this. The second factor to consider is the "reward" aspect of the fight. Boxing fights are brutal

and always dangerous, even if a big-time fighter is battling a tin can, so the rewards must always be worth it for the

protagonists.

The rumored catch weight for this fight would be at 147 lbs, a dozen pounds more than Manny's limit in his first fight 

at the lightweight division. Meanwhile, 147 is bit of, "the good ole days" for Oscar de la Hoya, as this was his first weight 

division of his pro boxing career. With this kind of a set up, how does the physical aspect of the fight look for the Philippines' 

People's Champion?

Manny will probably come to the weigh in a little over 135 (maybe even 140), while Oscar will work on coming in at 147.

If the rumored "same day weigh in" clause is accepted, then both fighters will not balloon too much by the time the fight

arrives. Oscar, however, will definitely have the size advantage of this fight.  The reach advantage for Oscar will also be

pronouned as he is around 5'10", a giant compared to Manny's 5'7". Manny will have to fight an uphill battle size-wise and

now, more than ever, he will need to step up his mobility to counteract this clear disadvantage.

Power-wise, though the issue is not as definite. While Manny is smaller, gym rumors have talked about how Manny's power is tough to handle, even for

bigger welterweights. Meanwhile, de la Hoya, towards the end of a stellar career, may not possess as much strength as before,

especially if he has to work on bringing his weight back down to 147 lbs. despite all of these proclamations, though, I have to 

concede that Manny is giving up the size and power factor. It may not be much, but it's there.

While most casual fans have loved Pacquiao's speed, his quickness and speed is what is most dangerous about him. There

are worries that if he moves up another weight division, he will lose his speed. With the proper training, his move up in weight to

the lightweight division didn't do much to slow him down. (Just asked the battered but game David Diaz) With proper training anew,

his move up probably won't take away too much speed. Besides, Manny will probably not try too hard to reach the 147 weight, so he 

won't be gaining too much weight. De la Hoya, on the other hand, will be trying hard to lose weight which has been known to take away

from a boxer's mobility. His age, too will become a factor as evidenced by his losses to Floyd Mayweather and Bernard Hopkins. When 

it comes to moving around the ring, Manny will be in his element, as he will again be the quicker fighter.

Meanwhile, the reward aspect has been the most prominent content of newspapers today. The rumored payday for Pacman is

rumored to be at least in the 10 to 15 million dollar range, easily the largest for any Filipino fighter in history. Another reward for taking

on this fight is that Pacquiao gets to fight a de la Hoya, a boxing legend. A win over de la Hoya, even an aging and retiring one, would

be a feather on his cap. That honor is probably as tasty as the money, but the question is, "Is it worth it?"

The answer is yes. Manny is in the prime of his career and in the best shape of his life. Moreover, he trains harder and takes on a much more serious

whenever he faces a great fighter. When Manny has trained hard, he is tough to fight, even if he is smaller, so he can overcome any of the physical

disadvantages he may face. Meanwhile, this fight doesn't seem to contain any risk to Pacquiao's marketability for the future. Even if he loses, he will

remain one of the game's biggest draws. After all, he's not fighting a lemon, but the "Golden Boy" himself. Furthermore, imagine all the press and media

mileage he is already getting and will be getting in the future.

Overall, this fight, while it has its dangers for him, is a win-win for Pacquiao. Take it Manny, and treat boxing fans to a once-in-a-lifetime fight. While

many hem and haw about whether you take this fight or not, they will be solidly behind you on fight night.