LOS Angeles – Dr. Chic Ezpeleta is inarguably the biggest Manny Pacquiao fan in the entire Midwest. His idea of relaxation is to sit in front of his modest home’s 50-inch LCD projection screen and relive the glory of Manny’s previous triumphs on DVD.
Like most of Manny’s faithful, Dr. Chic often flirts with the idea of making a pilgrimage to watch a PacMan fight live in Las Vegas, but he never is able to consummate that desire.
You see, Dr. Chic is the medical director of St. Mary’s Hospital in Centralia, Illinois. He also has a flourishing private practice. Both duties restrain his travel, that’s why his PacMan high is only experienced through the magic of pay-per-view TV.
A close family friend, I once promised Dr. Chic that I’d secure an autograph of Manny for him. I tried doing that last March 19 in Pacquiao-Morales I, but I couldn’t come within 10 feet of Manny then.
WAKEE TO THE RESCUE. With the help of Cebu promoter Wakee Salud, I had easy access to Manny this time around. As I chatted with Manny inside his sprawling private suite after beating El Terrible, I thought about asking for his autograph.
But I felt doing so would be impolite, if not sadistic. His hands were a mess, puffed like the eyes of a jilted, broken-hearted lover. He even winced while trying to handle a fork. That’s when I thought that Dr. Chic’s autograph probably wasn’t meant to be.
Yesterday marked the seventh day of my eight-day travel covering PacMan, the Lakers and the ALA boys at the Wild Card Gym. Finally, my schedule had slowed down, like Cebu City Hall on a lazy Friday afternoon.
Upon the invite of Lorenzo Chao-Sy, I was at the Cebu La Fortuna Bakery along Amar St. in West Covina at noon yesterday. I bolted out of Lorenzo’s store carting a bagful of free goodies.
Life is good, but as I continued shopping for pasalubong for my workmates back in Chicago, I felt something missing. I had to get Dr. Chic’s autograph, tie the final bolt to a fruitful week of sports coverage.
It was about 1:30 p.m. when I texted Wakee to ask for a PacMan meeting. “Meet us at the Wild Card Gym at 2 p.m.,” Wakee replied. I couldn’t, so I asked for a 7 p.m. meeting. Wakee was non-commital: “No schedule yet.”
Dejected, I went about my business. Having already returned my rental car at 6 p.m., I was in the passenger seat of a giant 2005 Toyota 4-Runner driven by my friend Yani Danuco Dy, an RN from Mandaue now working in an LA hospital.
Yani and I were chatting as traffic crawled along Hollywood Blvd. It was 6:32 p.m. when my cellphone shrieked with a message from Wakee, “We are at The Grove,” a high-end mall in West LA.
We sped there and just moments later, we finally caught up with PacMan. He was slurping a cone of ice cream at a kiosk just outside Nordstrom’s and right in front of a Gap store.
I approached Manny and he offered a warm smile that melted a frigid 40-degree night. I asked him to autograph some stuff for Dr. Chic, and he obliged eagerly. Manny signed a shirt and a Lakers cap for Dr. Chic. And through my cellphone, fan and idol talked.
Yani didn’t go home empty-handed either. Manny signed three items for him and they snapped photos that will last a lifetime. Manny also autographed a Gap T-shirt for my wife, and they talked on the phone.
With a 6:50 a.m. flight back to Chicago, I slept early last night. And I slept good. But I’ll bet my bottom dollar that Dr. Chic slept even better.
P.S. While mingling with PacMan last night, David Jason Chua of B.G. Dionisio Marketing and Fair Deal Electrical Co., came over to tell me he is an avid reader of my columns. Ditto with his gorgeous wife, Alice Suson Chua.
The young couple, adorable as Brad and Angelina, now live in Beverly Hills, California. It was a pleasure to make their acquaintance.
