CHICAGO ? It was Wednesday evening last week.
I was watching the Bulls try to gore the Celtics on TV, my one-year-old son A.J. was playing with his stuffed toys by my side, while my right hand held a tall glass filled with ice.
The ice, of course, was swimming in a sea of Bacardi rum and coke.
It was shaping up to be a wonderful evening. And then the phone rang. The wife, Ermee, who was busy in the kitchen, darted me her patented look of disapproval. She then nodded her head as if to say ?pick it up.?
Like a dutiful husband I did as ordered, but unfortunately for the caller, I was determined not to be Mr. Nice.
You see, I hate it when my phone rings after dinner. Calls that late are usually unsolicited and unwelcome ? darn telemarketers who have something to peddle. I try to be polite every time such an intrusion occurs, but when these telephone salespeople take no for an answer, I tend to go bananas.
I picked up the phone anyway, wary that it might be long distance from the Philippines since the caller ID identified it only as ?unavailable.?
Guess what? It was a call from Batangas and I wouldn?t have missed it for the world.
The voice on the other end of the line was very familiar. It was Cebu City Sports Commission chairman (CCSC) Jonathan Guardo and he opened the conversation with a genuinely enthusiastic ?kumusta na, bai??
Well, after his call, I have never felt better.
Jonathan called me in his capacity as a close personal friend. He called not as CCSC chair, but as an entrepreneur whose subsidiaries include Osaka Iridology. Jonathan, the ruggedly-handsome former owner of a Philippine Basketball League (PBL) team, wanted to do business in terms of advertising his companies.
I?m just to happy to oblige.
Guardo told me that Osaka Iridology is one of the major sponsors in the March 19 Manny Pacquiao-Erik Morales television telecast. When he learned that I?m scheduled to cover the fight on site, he offered his company?s sponsorship.
It?s been reported that Mike Aroyo might show up at the 17,000-seat MGM Grand Garden Arena to root for Pacquiao. Well, the First Gentlemen could be rubbing elbows with Guardo at ringside on March 19. If his voluminous work schedule would permit, Jonathan said he?ll also fly to Las Vegas.
I don?t want to divulge Guardo?s pledged monetary support, but let me just say it?s extremely generous. Believe me, I could use every peso considering that my entire Las Vegas excursion will reach in excess of $3,000.
Osaka Iridology thus joins San Miguel Corp., Nestle Philippines and Cebu Isuzu Parts Supply Inc. as the companies who will bankroll my trip to Las Vegas for the Pacquiao-Morales tiff. Isuzu Cebu at Ayala, through Bobby Casta?ares, is waiting in the wings pending the green light from Manila.
And like always, Park and Go Bakeshop, which is owned the Rama clan, will sponsor my trip, too. Park and Go has been Second Overtime?s partner since 2000. I can?t say enough thanks to my kumpare Raul, Dr. Gene, Alice and matriarch Manang Mely.
Besides my four-year run at the NBA Finals as an accredited writer, I have also been credentialed to several world championship fights, most prominently the Tyson-Lewis duel in Memphis on June 8, 2002, when I first met PacMan in the flesh.
All my boxing credentials (except for the Pacquiao-Barrera fight which was given by Golden Boy Promotions) were previously provided by Magna Media International. But since the fight isn?t held at the Mandalay Bay, press accreditation for Paccquiao-Marquez must be secured from MGM Grand, which will host the event.
Also last week, I got a return call from Scott Ghertner, Director of Sports and Entertainment at the MGM Grand. I informed Scott of Sun.Star Cebu?s desire to cover Pacquiao?s MGM saga and Ghertner told me, ?We?d be delighted to have you.?
Acquiring credentials to a mega-fight is hard. It?s even harder to plan the trip. But the hardest part is raising the finances necessary for the coverage. That is why I am extremely grateful to Guardo for coming forward unsolicited and help ensure that Sun.Star Cebu will have a presence as Pacquiao seeks to vanquish a Mexican ring legend.
The MGM Grand is an architectural wonder that opened on Dec. 18, 1993.
The five-star facility has four 30-story towers that soar 280 feet above the sky. World-famous for it?s 100,000-pound bronze lion statue at the main entrance, the MGM Grand has 5,034 guest rooms and 751 suites. It also has 29 private villas inside The Mansion, plush accommodations that could set you back as much as $15,000 a day.
Rooms are sold out for March 17 and 18, but there are still rooms for March 19 and 20. They cost $249.99 a night excluding taxes.
See you there.
