Today is March 14, 2007.
On this day we celebrate the birth of the late Minnesota Twin Kirby Puckett, the still alive and kicking surly hurler Kevin Brown, as well as the rather round reliever Bobby Jenks.
Hey, it is spring training and I had to get Major League Baseball into my writing somehow.
For boxing fans who have not looked at their calendar, as of today, there is one month, yes one month until Manny Pacquiao returns to the ring, raises the spirits of Filipinos everywhere, and sends the traffic of boxing websites through the rough.
This weekend I reported that Manny’s nonchalant attitude towards his April 14 duel with Jorge Solis could lead to an upset victory for his Mexican rival.
Of course, my words set many Pacmaniacs into an angry rage. I have received emails from Filipinos worldwide stating that I am a racist, a hater, an idiot, a fake Mexican, a Cuban raft maker and much worse. My mother, wife, and daughter have been insulted in my correspondence with these fanatics.
Be clear my Filipino comrades, my words are not inspired by hate nor dislike for Mr. Pacquiao. I address you as comrades because both Cubans and Filipinos share a common bond in our Spanish ancestry, speaking rapidly, and a love for pork and rice.
My comments and concerns are based in the fact that Manny Pacquiao is the biggest star in the sport and a major icon in the Philippines. If he were to lose against Jorge Solis, we would not have much to debate or discuss on Boxing Confidential and the suicide rate in General Santos would reach pandemic levels.
In my original column, I noted that Manny Pacquiao has still not reported to his training home base in Hollywood, California, The Wild Card Gym as of Sunday evening.
Now, with one month to go, Manny still has not left his country.
Trust me, I did not have to contact Justine Fortune, the man in charge of Manny’s training while Freddie Roach is in Puerto Rico preparing the Golden Boy for Mayweather Junior, if Pacquiao would have boarded a plan to the United States, it would have been on the front page of the Manila Times and made the top of Filipino news shows everywhere.
Mr. Bob Arum, winner of the Manny Pacquiao sweepstakes, unless his victory is overturn by the United States legal system, might not be very happy at this point in time. He has invested money into Pacquiao, paid lawyers, etc, etc, etc…only to see Pacquiao repay him with lack of focus for his fight with Solis.
So, I now offically start the countdown, when will Manny Pacquiao show up at the Wild Card Gym?
