AFTER LONGORIA, PACMAN TO THROW CEREMONIAL PITCH IN LA

Manny Pacquiao has certainly gone a long way from those days when he would hitch jeepney rides in Manila, dangling perilously from the rear end of his ride.

In a solid testament to his cross-cultural appeal today in sporting America, Pacquiao has just been tapped to perform a chore even members of the creme de la creme can only dream of doing: Throw the ceremonial first pitch in a championship baseball event.

Pacquiao, according to reports from Anaheim, California, has been invited to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Game 3 of the match-up between the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Oakland-A's tomorrow.

The A's are enjoying a one-game lead in the series over the second place Angels in the highly-popular American League West Division title race.

Among the famous celebrities who had been asked to throw the ceremonial pitch in baseball are US President George W. Bush, superstar Michael Jordan and middleweight great Bernard Hopkins.

Pacquiao, however, can take extra pride in his LA Angels assignment, as he will be following in the footstep of Latina beauty and 'Desperate Housewives' star Eva Longoria, who threw the ceremonial pitch for the LA Angels last July during a game againt the New York Yankees.

Pacquiao is currently training for his September 10 bout against Mexican Hector Velazquez at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

END