Federer against Nadal again, in Madrid Finals

MADRID (AP)—Roger Federer will face Rafael Nadal for a championship.On clay. In Spain.

The two rivals set up their first clash since the Australian Open when Nadal saved three match points to beat Novak Djokovic 3-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (9) on Saturday.

Playing their fourth match this year, they needed a Masters Series record 4 hours, 3 minutes to decide matters at the Magic Box tennis center. Federer beat Juan Martin del Potro 6-3, 6-4 in their semifinal.

Top-ranked Nadal’s 33rd straight win on clay lifted him into his seventh final this season, but he will be nursing a right knee injury into Sunday’s match.

Federer has lost his last five matches against Nadal, including the finals at the French Open, Wimbledon and Australian Open in February, when the Swiss player was in tears after the defeat.

“What’s important for me is to get past that semifinal hurdle that I haven’t been able to get past in the last couple of months,” Federer said ahead of their 16th meeting in a final. “I feel like playing him anywhere is a challenge. The extra flair here is that it’s in Spain.”

Nadal, who won in the Spanish capital in 2005 when the event was played on indoor hard court, is 9-1 on clay against Federer, who didn’t doubt Nadal would be in top shape for the pair's first match in Spain.

“They asked me the same question in Australia,” said Federer, who faced Nadal after he had won a grueling five-set match against Fernando Verdasco. “I think with the adrenaline and the crowd he’s going to be the Rafa we know tomorrow.”

It’s the mental aspect that Federer will have to prepare for as he comes face-to-face with Nadal for the first time since the Spaniard denied him a chance to equal Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slam wins.

Djokovic was also left red-eyed after feeling in control for most of Saturday’s match.

“It’s frustrating when you play so well and you can’t win,” No. 4-ranked Djokovic said.

Nadal complained of discomfort in his right knee before the match, which hampered his ability to move as he made uncharacteristic errors that allowed for an early break in the first set.

Nadal had his leg wrapped in the second set before leveling.

In the deciding tiebreaker, Djokovic watched Nadal hit forehand winners down the near line to save his first two match points. The Serb then beat Nadal with a passing shot to save a match point of his own.

But leading 9-8, Djokovic sent the ball out and then netted on Nadal’s next match point to end the longest three-set match in the history of Masters tournaments, the ATP level below the Grand Slams.

“I love these matches, it’s very special to play these matches,” said Nadal, who improved to 27-1 in clay semifinals. “If I don’t fight here, when am I going to fight?”

Despite 50 unforced errors against Djokovic, Nadal’s perseverance paid off as he rallied the 12,500 spectators with crucial winners to reach his 26th clay-court final. He has won 25 of those.

Djokovic, who missed a chance to take the No. 3 ranking from Andy Murray, added his latest loss to Nadal to those recently in the Olympics, the Davis Cup, and finals at Monte Carlo and Rome.

“I played one of my best on this surface, so … I don’t think you need my comments, you saw everything,” Djokovic said. “A couple of points decided the winner.”

Federer improved to 5-0 against del Potro, who has yet to take a set off the former No. 1. He will be going for his 15th Masters title—and first in nearly two years—which would allow him to equal the 22-year-old Nadal’s tally. Only Andre Agassi has won more with 17.

Filipino citizenship for Roach?

MANILA, Philippines -- It’s time for the man behind Manny Pacquiao’s legendary triumphs in the ring to take center stage.Just as everybody appeared to be in awe of the Filipino boxing champion’s feat, a lawmaker has proposed to give due recognition to Pacquiao’s long-time coach, American Freddie Roach.

In filing House Resolution 1142, Congressman Edgar San Luis of Laguna called on the House of Representatives to confer honorary Philippine citizenship on Roach.

”Behind Manny Pacquiao’s legendary boxing triumphs is his 49-year-old American coach Freddie Roach, who over the years has masterfully sharpened the skills of the Filipino boxing icon to become one of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport,” the congressman said in his resolution.

Roach, who has been Pacquiao’s trainer-coach for years, “has equally shown his deep understanding of our people . . . that he has easily become a part of the local community without as much raising any negative issue,” San Luis said.

"F1 politics" worries Hamilton

LONDON - Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton has admitted the predominance of politics in Formula One has left him feeling disillusioned with the sport.Hamilton, 24, claimed his maiden world crown for McLaren in spectacular style last season, however the Englishman's blossoming career has already been blighted by controversy.

McLaren were fined a record 100 million dollars by the sport's world ruling body the FIA after they were found guilty of stealing secrets from Ferrari - an affair which came to be known as 'spy-gate'.

In another, more recent, affair which came to be known as 'liar-gate', Hamilton was found guilty of misleading stewards after the Australian Grand Prix in March - which led to the Briton making a dramatic public apology.

Hamilton says what happened in Australia "was wrong", but a few months down the line he admits those battles with officialdom have left him disillusioned with the sport he joined as a promising rookie driver in 2007.

"It's got to be a similar feeling to anyone who goes to jail but feels they shouldn't be behind bars," Hamilton told The Times on Friday.

"That is the feeling I have had, although I know what happened in Australia was wrong.
"I just feel knocked about by it all. I want to be a driver - I am not in the sport to be a politician.

"It hasn't affected my driving. I won't allow anything to affect my driving. But it affects your life, it affects the way you are. I used to enjoy Formula One and part of that has been taken away from me."

Hamilton currently sits seventh in the drivers standings on only nine points, 32 shy of championship-leading compatriot Jenson Button.

In the meantime some of the sport's biggest teams, including Ferrari and Renault, are battling the FIA's plans to introduce controversial budget caps of 40 million pounds (60.7 million dollars) for each of the teams as of the 2010 season.

The FIA laid down the new restrictions as a response to the global financial downturn which has ensured that F1 must rein in its expenditure.
Hamilton added: "I never imagined there would be so much politics when I came into Formula One. It definitely was a shock. There has been too much time taken up with it.

"Unfortunately, it is the way the Formula One world works for some reason. It's much nicer in the lower categories, where all the people are there just to race and the teams are there just to race."

Federer, Nadal win again in Madrid Open

MADRID (AP)—Roger Federer’s dominance of Andy Roddick continued on clay after the world No. 2 beat the American 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-1, while Rafael Nadal stayed perfect against Fernando Verdasco with a 6-4, 7-5 victory to also reach the Madrid Open semifinals on Friday.

Federer improved to 18-2 against Roddick after their first career meeting on dirt.

“His game translates well to most anything,” said the sixth-seeded Roddick.

Nadal’s 32nd straight clay win improved him to 9-0 against Verdasco, with three of those victories coming this year.

Nadal will play Novak Djokovic, another regular foe, after the third-seeded Serb dispatched wild card Ivan Ljubicic 6-4, 6-4.

“The more matches that I play against him, the more chances I have to prove something more to myself and to everybody else,” said Djokovic, who has lost to Nadal three times this year. “I know that just a couple of points here or there will decide the winner.”

Top-ranked Dinara Safina advanced to the women’s semifinals with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko, and will play Switzerland’s Patty Schnyder, who beat fourth-seeded Jelena Jankovic 7-6 (6), 6-3.

Amelie Mauresmo will face Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki in the other semi.

Federer, who won here in 2006 when the tournament was played indoors on a hard court, broke Roddick for the second time in the 11th game before serving out the first set.

Roddick saved three break points in the ninth game of the second set to hold on for a tiebreaker, where the American rallied from 3-0 down to even the match.

Federer stopped Roddick’s momentum with an early break in the third set and used his serve to hold on for the win.

“It was a close match. I bounced back well in the third (set),” said Federer, who had 15 aces. “I feel I have decent control over the ball this week.”

Fourth-seeded Andy Murray was playing No. 5 Juan Martin del Potro later to decide Federer’s next opponent.

After taking the first set, Nadal fell behind 4-0 before rallying to 4-4 with the help of Verdasco’s seven double-faults.

Nadal smacked a cross-court winner to hold his serve after a back-and-forth 11th game and, after breaking Verdasco for the fourth time, improved to 149-4 on clay since 2005.

Safina overcame a letdown after a blazing start against 46th-ranked Bondarenko and took the opening set with a break in the 10th game.

“I had a bad call from the umpire and I lost a little bit of concentration,” Safina said of blowing a 3-0 lead. “But I found my game and I’m playing every match better and better.”

Schnyder’s high balls troubled Jankovic. The fourth-ranked Serb committed 35 unforced errors while Schnyder hit 29 winners.

Mauresmo rallied for a 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 win over Agnes Szavay of Hungary, while the ninth-seeded Wozniacki beat Russian qualifier Vera Dushevina 6-0, 6-4.

RP team beats Lebanon

JAKARTA – It will definitely be a different atmosphere out there without CJ Giles.
With the 6-foot-11 Giles limping on the floor, the Smart Gilas Pilipinas National Team put up a gallant stand and survived Al Riyadi Beirut of Lebanon, 91-86, Friday to gain respect in the Fiba-Asia Champions Cup at the Britama Arena here.

Giles collided with Nate Johnson in mid-air and crashed, hurting his left knee and straining the entire leg that rendered the American import immobile for several minutes and prompted RP coach Rajko Toroman to alter his battle plans.

Good thing Mark Barocca, Dylan Ababou and Chris Tiu responded to the challenge while Aldrech Ramos and Jason Ballesteros combined their efforts on trying to push 6-foot-11 Chris Charles and Johnson out of the paint.

``Today, you saw that we're having a hard time without CJ,'' said Toroman. ``But I'm very proud of my players. They showed a lot of character out there.''

Giles was carried out of the court with the Philippines ahead, 56-46, five minutes and 38 seconds remaining in the third and had his swollen knee treated by team therapists.

Against Kuwait Saturday, Toroman said Giles would not suit up, hoping that the high-flying Smart Gilas import would be back in shape in time for the quarterfinals on Sunday.

``We don't know the extent of his injury but definitely he will not play against Kuwait,'' said Toroman after Giles was brought to the Sieta Mitra Hospital to diagnose the hurting leg. ``I hope it's nothing serious.''

``If he (Giles) couldn't play, the other big guys will definitely get a lot of minutes. The result? We'll see,'' said Toroman of his team also backed by Accel, Molten, Burlington, Cebu Pacific and Collezione by Rhett Eala.

Barocca exploded for 28 points, 17 of them in the first half when Smart Gilas opened up a 49-34 lead. After Giles went down, Lebanon snared the opportunity and erased the double-digit deficit with Johnson and Charles on the firing end.

``We played with heart and passion. We surprised Lebanon and it's a big win for us,'' said Toroman, who was also surprised with the unexpected performance of his local crew after Smart Gilas notched its second win in three games.
On Lebanon's part, the team missed its best homegrown player, Fadi El-Khatib, who sustained back spasms following a bad fall against Korea the other day.

Without El-Khatib, Johnson, a former San Miguel Beer import in the PBA, and Charles imposed themselves in the shaded area and even put Lebanon ahead, 63-62, on Johnson's long three, a minute left in the third.

With the game tied at 65, Ramos drained two crucial mid-range jumpers and added a putback off a Barocca miss for Smart Gilas to seize control, 73-67. It was then that Toroman decided to put Giles back on the battlefield with half of his leg covered with plaster.

The crowd erupted in glee as Giles gamely challenged Charles and fueled the entertainment when the wounded import caught a lob from Barocca and jammed the leather over two Lebanese defenders.

Giles drilled another jumper despite carrying his other leg for an 84-72 Smart Gilas lead that coerced Al Riyadi to push the panic button. Johnson's back-to-back threes hardly helped Lebanon's cause as there was not enough time to mount another uprising.

Barocca's floater with 37.6 seconds left and free throws by JVee Casio and Giles sealed Lebanon's second defeat in four games.

Scores:
SMART GILAS 91—Barocca 28, Giles 20, Ababou 17, Ramos 8, Tiu 8, Casio 6, Baracael 2, Cawaling 2, Jazul 0, Guevarra 0, Ballesteros 0, Slaughter 0.

AL RIYADI 86—Johnson 43, Charles 21, Fahed 8, Mahmoud 6, Ibrahim 5, Feghali 3, Balaa 0, Yehia 0, Turk 0, Fakhreddine 0, Hijazih 0.
Quarters: 26-15, 49-34, 65-all, 91-86

Lakers-Rockets game 6 draws highest viewers

Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinal series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets was the most watched basketball game ever on ESPN.The Rockets' 95-80 victory on Thursday drew 7.35 million viewers, topping the 6.6 million that watched Miami beat Detroit in Game 6 of the 2006 Eastern Conference finals.

The game earned a 5.4 national rating and a 16.0 rating in Houston, ESPN's highest local rating for an NBA telecast. ESPN's audience for its six conference semifinal games is up 16 percent from last year.

The rating is the percentage of all homes with televisions tuned into a program, while the share is the percentage of all TVs in use at the time.

Nowitzki to stay in Dallas

DALLAS -- Dirk Nowitzki is the backbone of the Dallas Mavericks, the first MVP in franchise history and the career leader in pretty much every scoring category. All that's missing is a championship, and he's not interested in going anywhere else to get one."After I played here for 11 years -- played hurt, played sick, whatever they needed me to do, basically playing my heart [out] for the last 11 years -- I don't think it would feel the same way somewhere else," Nowitzki said. "It's always been my dream here to finish my career and win a championship. I think my window has not closed yet and I'll still see what we can do."

Nowitzki inadvertently raised the question of how long he was willing to stick with the organization while describing his disappointment over falling short again this season.After the Mavs were eliminated by Denver on Wednesday night, then again during a wrapup interview Thursday, Nowitzki mentioned several times that this was his 11th season and that he'll be turning 31 in a few weeks. He talked about the window of opportunity starting to close, calling every title-less season a waste. He also said he understands that 36-year-old Jason Kidd might sign with another team he considers closer to winning a championship.

So, does all that mean Nowitzki thinks the Mavs are far from winning a title? That time is running out for him? Or maybe that he's running out of patience?

No, no, no.

"I always said I'd love to finish my career here and bring this franchise a championship," he said. "I still feel like I have a good three, four years left of solid basketball. I don't want to feel overanxious and put my pressure on myself. I'm going to be ready to play and I'm going to work hard again this summer and do more of the same again next year."

Nowitzki noted that he could opt out of his contract in 2010 "if I wanted to," but he didn't say it in a threatening way.

In fact, he tempered the thought by adding, "I never really thought about it this way."

Nowitzki is coming off perhaps his best year other than his MVP season of 2006-07.

He averaged 25.9 points and 8.4 rebounds and was first-team All-NBA -- or, as coach Rick Carlisle put it, he was voted "the best power forward on the planet."

His numbers were down in the first round of the playoffs because San Antonio based its defense around slowing him. Then, facing single coverage from the Nuggets, he averaged 34.4 points, scoring 44 in Dallas' lone victory. He did it while dealing with his girlfriend getting arrested at his home, bringing unwanted attention on his very private non-basketball life.

"It takes a strong individual to go through what he did and then carry us on his back through this whole playoffs," teammate Jason Terry said.

Part of Nowitzki's devotion to Dallas stems from his confidence in owner Mark Cuban and front-office boss Donnie Nelson.

"It's pretty obvious [Cuban] wants to win -- getting in fights with people in the stands, being fired up about every loss," Nowitzki said, laughing. "I think he wants to win as much as I do. He made all the right statements that we're trying to improve the team this summer."

If it was up to Nowitzki, the Mavericks' offseason plan would start with keeping Kidd.

"His leadership on and off the floor has been great," Nowitzki said. "He's showed that even though he's a little older that he's a warrior. He played 40-some minutes the last couple of months when we needed to win games."

Next, Nowitzki would make sure to "keep some of the core guys and just add pieces." He'd like better defenders, more 3-point shooters and some young, fast, leapers so Kidd "can actually throw some lobs on the break."

"It really showed in the second round that we need some athleticism," he said. "Denver was just stronger and faster, it felt like, at every position."

As for Nowitzki's offseason, he's expecting the German national team to ask him to play in the European championships. He's not sure he wants to after reaching the pinnacle of playing in the Olympics last summer.

"That was one of the greatest times of my life," he said. "It's hard for me to imagine ... starting all over again. I'll just have to wait and see. The good thing is that it's not until September. By that time, knowing me, I'll probably be in the gym for a couple months anyway." (AP)

Rockets tied series 3-3, force game 7

HOUSTON -- The Houston Rockets came up with one more stunning victory to set up a final showdown with the Los Angeles Lakers.Aaron Brooks scored 26 points, Luis Scola added 24 points and 12 rebounds, and the scrappy, undermanned Rockets pushed the top-seeded Lakers to the brink in their Western Conference semifinal series with a 95-80 win in Game 6 on Thursday night.Reserve Carl Landry scored 15 as the Rockets built another huge lead in the first half, then fought off a Lakers rally to force Game 7 on Sunday at the Staples Center.

Kobe Bryant scored 32 and Pau Gasol added 14 for Los Angeles, which lost for only the third time in the last 18 games when it has a chance to close out a series.

The Lakers have one more opportunity to finish off Houston, but they probably didn't expect to need it, three games after Yao Ming exited the series with a broken left foot.

"We still have no chance," Brooks said with a huge smile. "We'll keep playing, though."

The winner will play the Denver Nuggets, who finished off Dallas on Wednesday night and now have a few extra days to rest.

Ron Artest pumped his fist and Scola embraced Brooks near midcourt as the final buzzer sounded and the Lakers walked off the court with their heads down.

Los Angeles won Game 5 by 40 points, matching Houston's worst playoff loss.

The Rockets came out dominant instead of demoralized on Thursday night. They put together a near carbon copy of the first half of Game 4, when they seemed to hit every open shot, smothered the Lakers on defense and built an 18-point halftime lead.

Bryant missed a halfcourt shot at the halftime buzzer in this one and angrily shook his head as he stormed off the court. The Rockets led 52-36 at the break -- one basket shy of the halftime score in Game 4.

On Sunday, Houston stretched its lead to 29 and cruised to a 99-87 win. This time, the Lakers made a game of it, opening the second half with a 16-2 spurt.

But Landry converted a three-point play to break the Lakers' momentum and Brooks sank a 3-pointer to help Houston rebuild its lead.

The Rockets hit their last eight shots in the third quarter and took a 75-65 lead to the fourth. Landry drove down the lane for a one-handed dunk with 6:56 left to put Houston up 81-71 and Bryant checked in after a long rest.

But Bryant missed four of his next six shots and Brooks scored eight points over the next five minutes to secure another surprise over the Western Conference's top seed.

"We got active again against Kobe. He's going to make some shots. We toughed it out in the fourth quarter," Brooks said.

The Lakers outrebounded Houston 45-39, but the Rockets scored 40 points in the paint and held Los Angeles to 36 percent shooting (30-for-84). The Lakers went only 5-for-23 from 3-point range.

Houston opened the game with a 17-1 burst, electrifying another red-clad capacity crowd at the Toyota Center.

Bryant made the Lakers' first field goal near the 6-minute mark, but Scola put in another short jumper to make it 19-3 -- one point better than Houston's opening run in Game 4.

Artest got a nice pass from Chuck Hayes and muscled inside for a layup to make it 21-3. The Lakers missed 14 of 20 shots in the quarter and trailed 27-15.

Shane Battier and Artest sank 3-pointers early in the second quarter, another good sign for Houston. The Rockets made 10 3-pointers in their Game 4 victory, but only five in Game 5.

Von Wafer, averaging only 6.6 points in the series, sank a 3 with 5:51 left in the half to put Houston ahead 42-25 and force Lakers coach Phil Jackson to use a timeout.

But Houston stayed in control and Bryant's frustration boiled over near the 2-minute mark.

With Artest blanketing him near midcourt, Bryant appeared to shove Artest and earned a technical foul. The temperamental Artest, ejected from Games 2 and 3, ran away to avoid a confrontation and Brooks sank the free throw for a 47-31 Houston lead.

Dwight led Orlando to force game 7 in Boston

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Dwight Howard demanded the ball, and delivered when the Orlando Magic gave it to him.Now he needs to back it up, one more time.

Howard had 23 points and 22 rebounds after challenging Stan Van Gundy's coaching strategy, and the Magic beat the Boston Celtics 83-75 on Thursday night to force a decisive Game 7.

"I just tried to be me," Howard said. "I just have to go out there and play and not worry about nothing."

And what did he learn from his comments?

"Biggest lesson?" Howard said. "Keep my mouth shut."

Rashard Lewis had 20 points, and Hedo Turkoglu made a 3-pointer to highlight an 11-2 run to close the game for the Magic, who haven't made it to the conference finals since 1996. But it was Howard who the Magic leaned on after he called out Van Gundy for not getting the ball enough in Game 5."I guess Dwight Howard was right," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "My gosh. He was unbelievable."

Rajon Rondo finished with 19 points, 16 rebounds and six assists, and Paul Pierce scored 17 for the Celtics, who led by 10 points in the second half before falling apart. Game 7 is Sunday in Boston.

The Celtics also failed to close out the Chicago Bulls in Game 6 of their first-round series, a triple-overtime epic. Boston will now go the distance in its first two series for the second straight year.

The two days off before Game 7 should give an older, worn out Boston team a chance to rest its tired legs. It's still not enough for Rivers.

"I would take a week off and do it like the Super Bowl," Rivers joked. "That would be terrific. But that's not going to happen."

Boston had chances.

The Celtics held the Magic scoreless for more than five minutes to start the third quarter, building a 10-point lead on a jumper by Glen "Big Baby" Davis. But Howard led the Magic back, with a backspin alley-oop from Turkoglu that highlighted a spurt to end the third quarter. Orlando took its first lead with 8:38 remaining in the fourth.

Pierce hit three straight jumpers to give Boston a 73-72 lead with about four minutes to play, but the Celtics were done in by their 3-for-18 shooting from 3-point range and 19 turnovers. Ray Allen missed all seven attempts from behind the arc.

"The offense definitely struggled," Pierce said. "But we still played enough defense to win the game. We turned the ball over too much."

Howard blamed Van Gundy for not getting the ball more after the Magic's Game 5 collapse, when they blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter.

"You've got a dominant player, let him be dominant," Howard said.

He came out trying to back up his strong words.

Howard scored the first eight points of the game for the Magic, including a pair of dunks that pumped some life into the home crowd. He finished 9-for-16 shooting.

Van Gundy said he didn't change his strategy at all, and compared Howard's comments to an argument between himself and his wife.

"When she gets on me for something, my first reaction is to blame someone else," Van Gundy said. "To make an excuse. To do something else, because I don't like being criticized. And I think when Dwight gets into a game, his first thing is, 'I don't want the blame.' This is just my guess.

"But when you step back and look at it, I usually realize the person who's been on me has a point. And then it's time to step up and do the job."

The Celtics were again the scrappier team for most of the night, diving for loose balls and outmuscling the Magic for rebounds. Pierce's layup capped a 13-2 run that pushed Boston's lead to 31-22 early in the second quarter.

It wouldn't last.

Finding their shots from outside, the Magic scored seven straight points, getting 3-pointers from reserves A.J. Johnson and Mickael Pietrus. Orlando eventually tied the game just before the half on a short jumper by Rashard Lewis, but Pierce's free throws helped put Boston ahead 46-45 at the break.

Lakers can end series against Houston today

For all their follies the last two playoff seasons -- Game 6 in last year's Finals in Boston, Game 4 last Sunday against Houston -- there's one thing the Lakers have done really well.If they are one victory away from ending a series, they take care of it, winning all four of their last "close-out" games against playoff opponents.Thanks to a breezy 118-78 victory Tuesday, the Lakers could finish their Western Conference semifinal tonight in Game 6 against the Houston Rockets.

If they need extra motivation, they could always study video of their last game in Houston. The Rockets found out they'd be without Yao Ming the rest of the playoffs, and the Lakers found themselves inexplicably down 29 points on the way to a 99-87 loss.

Each team had had something in common that day: their centers were missing. Yao was out with a fractured foot and Andrew Bynum went scoreless with three fouls, two rebounds and one turnover in 12 minutes.

The good news for the Lakers was Bynum's semi-emergence in Game 5. He had 14 points on five-for-six shooting, made all four of his free throws and also took six rebounds in almost 20 minutes.

It wasn't perfect, but it was better than his meager playoff averages coming into the game -- 4.3 points and 2.9 rebounds a game.

"I thought he had pretty good energy out there," Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said. "Rebounding was great, I thought his defensive spacing was good."

Jackson declined to say if Bynum would again be in the starting lineup for Game 6, though Lamar Odom (bruised lower back) didn't do much beyond taking a few shots off to the side at Wednesday's practice after playing only 19 minutes Tuesday.

A healthy, productive Bynum might be the key to the Lakers' championship aspirations, seeing how no other playoff team will be employing a 6-foot-6 center.

If the Lakers get past Houston, Denver will be waiting with physical pivot men Nene and Chris Andersen. The teams still alive in the East all have physical post players as well -- Cleveland's Ben Wallace and Anderson Varejao, Orlando's Dwight Howard and Boston's Kendrick Perkins.

Any hint of a Bynum rebirth would intrigue just about anybody, including Bynum.

"I definitely got in the flow, started early and kept it going," Bynum said of his Game 5 effort. "It does wonders to be out there and playing with your teammates and being involved."

He had two dunks and a short bank shot in the Lakers' first few possessions and would have played more than 20 minutes if he hadn't sustained a minor heel injury that was fine by Wednesday morning, Jackson said.

Bynum was dripping sweat when he came off the court after taking part in a scrimmage at practice. He was ready to hear that Game 5 might be the beginning of the end of his playoff problems.

"It definitely has a lot to do with rust and just getting the same explosion that you had," Bynum said. "Jumping ability, quickness off the ground, was a good attribute of mine, something that I have to continue to work on and try to get back. And then, obviously, mentally, to go from playing to being on the bench is tough on anybody."

There's still a series to be sewn up, which the Lakers hope to do tonight.

"Houston's going to come out very hard and they're going to try to attack us just like they did [in Game 4]," Bynum said. "We're going to have to go out there and be ready this time, clamp down on defense from the beginning."

Maturity level

Games 4 and 5 showed the best and worst of the Rockets and Lakers.

Houston forward Ron Artest thinks he knows what's happening out there.

"I guess both teams are very immature," he said. "Both teams, they show immaturity. The good thing is that we still got two games left."

Two games left? Well, maybe.

All-NBA

Kobe Bryant was selected first-team All-NBA for the seventh time in his career, the league announced Wednesday.

Pau Gasol earned All-NBA recognition for the first time in his career by being selected to the third team.

Bryant was on the first team in seven of the last eight seasons. He was a second-team selection in 2000 and 2001 and third team in 1999 and 2005.

Bryant was joined on the first team by Cleveland forward LeBron James, Miami guard Dwyane Wade, Orlando center Howard and Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki.

Formula 1: US car might be on track on November

After announcing plans in February for a US-based entry to the 2010 championship, Formula One veterans Peter Windsor and Ken Anderson have been hard at work laying the foundations for their fledgling team.Although they must wait until June to discover whether their entry has been accepted, Windsor and Anderson’s preparations are well underway, with their car scheduled to debut in November.

“We are working very hard behind the scenes, and at the same time from a public point of view, are waiting for everything to be formalised by the FIA,” former Williams team manager Windsor told Formula1.com. “The car is well underway being designed and we start making parts in late June and should have our car on the ground by late September.

“We will torture test the car and the suspension in October/November. Depending on the engine, we will be run the car in the first week of January. But if all falls perfectly into place, we would like the car to be running in November/December.”

With such a short turnaround in mind for their team, Anderson and Windsor have already moved into their American base in Charlotte, North Carolina, and that they have started to hire key team members, ahead of a bigger recruitment push in the autumn.

“Right now (our headcount is) about 20,” explained former Ligier technical director Anderson. “We are setting up the infrastructure, the management and the design department. In June we will be hiring those who will do the manufacturing, so we are moving from design to manufacturing and towards the end of the year be will be setting up our European facility and will start hiring the people who will be working on the team.”

As well as their burgeoning workforce and stateside factory, which will have the benefit of a 100-percent scale wind tunnel, the pair is also considering plans to feature American driving talent in their team.

“We have a shortlist of guys that we are looking at,” said Windsor. “There are some Americans doing quite well right now in single-seater racing from Ryan Hunter-Reay, Jonathan Summerton, Danica Patrick, Graham Rahal and A.J. Allmendinger.

“And then the next generation looks really strong! You’ve got four guys there: Gaby Chavez who is winning a lot of BMW races right now, Alex Rossi who is American and was the World BMW champion last year, Conor Daly, the son of Derek Daly, and Josef Newgarden who is winning in England right now.”

Back at their February launch Anderson and Windsor promised to take advantage of the FIA’s cost-cutting initiatives to run a thrifty, cost-effective team. So news that Formula One racing’s governing body wants to introduce the option of a £40-million budget cap was welcomed.

“It’s not far from what our budget has been anyway, long before the cap discussion came up,” said Anderson. “We’ve been planning on starting from scratch, buying only what we need and having only the people that we need. It’s much easier to start from zero and work your way up, than to run on £300-400 million and work your way down.”

The official entry list for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship - expected to comprise 13 teams - will be published on 12 June, 2009.

New RP Tennis Group formed

MANILA, Philippines – The country’s top five players – Johnny Arcilla, PJ Tiero, Rolando Ruel , Ralph Kevin Barte and Elbert Anasta – and Davis Cupper Pop Sabandon lead the cast in the inaugural tournament of the newly formed United Tennis Players of the Philippines on May 25-31 at the BF Almanza Club in Las Piñas.
The tournament, part of the Johnny Arcilla Tennis Circuit (JATC), is sanctioned by the Philippine Lawn Tennis Association (Philta).

The UTPP hopes to provide Filipino tennis players a circuit where they could hone their skills for international competitions.

The second tournament will be held June 22-27 at Sultan Kudarat with Rep. Pax Mangudadatulined as sponsor. The third will be held July 27-Aug. 1,at Lanao Del Norte with Gov. Khalid Q. Dimaporo as sponsor.

Major sponsor is Babolat.

For inquiries, please call -9233324 or 0916-3413581 or 09159210944 or visit unitedtennisplayersph@gmail.com.

LAS-PINAS - The United Tennis Players of the Philippines, a newly-formed tennis organization whose vision is to enhance the Filipino’s talent and skills in tennis will be holding its first major Tennis Tournament this coming May 25-31, 2009 at the BF Almanza Club in Las Pinas City. Named” Johnny Arcilla Tennis Circuit” (JATC), the tournament is sanctioned by the Philippine Lawn Tennis Foundation (PHILTA).

The United Tennis Players of The Philippines named it to Johnny Arcilla because of his great attributions to the tennis industry.

The major objective of the UTPP is to give opportunity to the Filipino tennis players to become a worldclass tennis players. Congressmen Proceso J. Alcala will file a bill in the congress to fund UTTP.

RP top 5 seeded will compete each again -Johnny Arcilla, PJ Tiero , Rolando Ruel , Ralph Kevin Barte and Elbert Anasta and Davis Cupper Pop Sabandon and all top RP players.

Meanwhile a series of tournaments are in the pipeline to provide the Filipino with the opportunity to enhance their skills and talents, in order to eventually compete in the International Tournaments held by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).

On June 22- 27, the 2nd tournament, sponsored by Congressman Pax Mangudadatu will be held at Sultan Kudarat. And on July 27 to August 1, it will be held at Lanao Del Norte thru the sponsorship of Gov. Khalid Q. Dimaporo.

Major sponsor is Babolat.

For inquiries, please call -9233324 or 0916-3413581 or 09159210944 or visit unitedtennisplayersph@gmail.com.

The second tournament will be held June 22-27 at Sultan Kudarat with Rep. Pax Mangudadatulined as sponsor. The third will be held July 27-Aug. 1,at Lanao Del Norte with Gov. Khalid Q. Dimaporo as sponsor.

Nadal, Roddick win in Madrid

MADRID (AP)—Rafael Nadal powered into the third round of the Madrid Open on Wednesday with a convincing 6-3, 6-1 win over Jurgen Melzer.The top-ranked player made just three unforced errors playing on clay in front of Spain’s Queen Sofia, and converted all four of his break points.

“It’s more difficult to play here than on normal altitude surfaces,” Nadal said of playing 1,970 feet above sea level. “You can do more with the ball with less effort, but your opponent also does it.”

The only break in Nadal’s concentration came when a ball girl fainted and had to be carried off the center court for medical assistance in the second set.

Earlier, Novak Djokovic beat Oscar Hernandez 6-3, 6-3. The third-seeded Serb fell awkwardly on his right knee on the clay surface at Madrid’s new “Magic Box” tennis center in the second set, but was rarely troubled by his opponent.

“I was aware the court was quite wet because I saw they had watered it after the previous match. But I was lucky that I fell in a good way so there is no injury,” Djokovic said. “It looked easy, but it wasn’t. I played just well enough to win.”

Djokovic never faced a break point in the match, while breaking Hernandez once in the first set and twice in the second.

Djokovic recently fell from third to fourth in the rankings, surpassed by Andy Murray despite winning the Serbia Open last week—the country’s first ATP Tour event that he also helped organize.

“I try not to pay too much attention to rankings,” he said. “But I am motivated to win back my third ranking position.”

Nadal agreed with Djokovic that the way the rankings are calculated, players are forced to play too many tournaments.

“The way things are now, you can’t choose which events you would like to focus on, you have to play everything in order to defend your position,” Nadal said. “But it’s the same for everyone.”

Nadal’s next opponent is Philipp Kohlschreiber, who beat 13th-seeded Marin Cilic 6-1, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (2).

“He hits the ball very hard and cleanly, so I’d like to make sure my serves are winners against him,” Nadal said.

Sixth-seeded Andy Roddick squeezed past Tommy Haas 1-6, 7-6 (9), 6-4, eighth-seeded Gilles Simon beat qualifier Fabio Fognini 6-3, 6-2 and other winners included Nikolay Davydenko, Stanislas Wawrinka and James Blake, who withstood 26 aces from Ivo Karlovic to set up a match with Roger Federer after a 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (4) win.

Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina also advanced when Tomas Berdych was forced to retire with a leg injury. The Czech player, who won his first title of the year at the BMW Open in Munich on Sunday, retired while trailing 6-2, 4-1.

In the women’s event, top-ranked Dinara Safina beat Li Na 6-3, 7-6 (2), Amelie Mauresmo defeated third-seeded Elena Dementieva 1-6, 6-4, 6-2. Victoria Azarenka eased past Peng Shuai 6-4, 6-1, and Vera Dushevina stopped Francesca Schiavone 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.

Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina also advanced when Tomas Berdych was forced to retire with a leg injury. The Czech player, who won his first title of the year at the BMW Open in Munich on Sunday, retired while trailing 6-2, 4-1.

In the women’s event, Amelie Mauresmo defeated third-seeded Elena Dementieva 1-6, 6-4, 6-2. Victoria Azarenka eased past Peng Shuai 6-4, 6-1, and Vera Dushevina stopped Francesca Schiavone 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.

In a later match, top-ranked Dinara Safina was to play Li Na.

RP team succumbs to Iran

JAKARTA - The Smart Gilas Pilipinas National Team badly needs a seven-footer in the lineup. Make that two skyscrapers if you're talking about beating reigning Fiba-Asia king Iran.Mahram Tehran went to its oversized frontline and overpowered Smart Gilas for a 98-87 triumph that gave the Philippines a reality check in the Fiba-Asia Champions Cup.

With two huge imports, the Iranians survived an 11-point deficit in the first half before going full blast, controlling the lanes on both ends of the floor to remove the sting out of the hard-fighting Filipino squad.

CJ Giles fell into early foul trouble and after fetching his fourth with just a few seconds had gone by in the third, RP coach Rajko Toroman pulled the 6-foot-10 banger out of the battlefield and was forced to put up an all-local stand.

Sans Giles in the middle, Smart Gilas became an easy target as Mahram's daunting frontline of Jackson Vroman (6-10), Priest Lauderdale (7-4), Hooman Rezaee (6-10) and Hamed Sohrabnejad (6-9) threw their weight around.

Jackson Vroman, who played for the Phoenix Suns and the New Orleans Hornets in the NBA from 2004-2008, erupted for 42 points, 27 in the second half that wiped out the Philippines' 46-44 halftime lead.

A former NBA journeyman, Lauderdale was also unsinkable and finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds after making the entire Philippine quintet look like a bunch of school kids with his gigantic frame.

”It only showed that we're weak inside,'' said Toroman after Smart Gilas' first defeat in Group A following a convincing win over Sangmu of Korea the other day.

Toroman, who coached the Iranian team to the Beijing Olympics last year and has four players seeing action with Mahram, is convinced that Smart Gilas should get 6-foot-9 Japeth Aguilar and two more big men, preferably seven-footers, to have a fighting chance.

``This (Iran) team is stronger than its national team because my best players are here together with two solid former NBA players,'' said Toroman.

But despite the height disparity, the Filipinos didn't let the Iranians blow the game away.

Aldrech Ramos and Jason Ballesteros, both 6-foot-7s, courageously sacrificed themselves to somehow restrain the towering Iranians along with Mac Baracael (6-3) and Dylan Ababou (6-3).

Mark Barocca, Jayvee Casio, RJ Jazul and JR Cawaling were also aggressive on offense from start to finish as the Nationals fired 14 three-pointers to keep pace with the Iranians.

``They (Iranians) played better and used their experience,'' said Toroman of his team also sponsored by ACCEL, Molten, Burlington, Cebu Pacific and Collezione by Rhett Eala.

``But I'm very proud of my players. We showed great character and proved that we can be competitive.''

Successive threes by Giles and Ababou capped by a four-point play by Tiu off Mahdi Kamrany put the Philippines ahead, 18-12.

At one point, the Filipinos even opened up an 11-point lead but the Iranians, stubborn with their pressure defense at the backcourt, trimmed the gap with Vroman and Lauderdale taking turns on wreaking havoc.

Scores

IRAN 98 - Vroman 42, Bahrami 19, Lauderdale 16, Kamrany 8, Sohrabnejad 5, Kabir 3, Veishi 3, Eslameih 2, Nourafza 0, Atashi 0, Rezaee 0.

PHILIPPINES 87 - Barocca 18, Giles 14, Baracael 11, Ababou 11, Casio 9, Jazul 8, Tiu 8, Cawaling 3, Ramos 3, Ballesteros 2, Guevarra 0, Slaughter 0.
Quarters: 16-24, 44-46, 75-63, 98-87

Billups, Anthony lead Denver to West Finals

DENVER -- Chauncey Billups is taking his hometown team to new heights with a big assist from Carmelo Anthony.
Behind 30 points from Anthony and 28 from Billups, the Denver Nuggets beat the Dallas Mavericks 124-110 on Wednesday night to wrap up their semifinal series in five feisty games.So, the Nuggets are leaving all the animosity with the Mavericks' players, fans and owner behind and heading to their first Western Conference finals since 1985.

The Nuggets, who are 8-2 in the playoffs after tying their franchise record with a 54-win regular season, will face either Los Angeles or Houston for the conference championship.

"It's special. We worked hard in the offseason and training camp and throughout," Anthony said. "We stuck to everything, we overcame adversity, we stayed humble and our hard work paid off."

Winners of 16 straight games at the Pepsi Center, where no opponent has won since March 9, the Nuggets would start their next series on the road if the Lakers win, and at home if Houston does. The Lakers lead the series 3-2 with Game 6 Thursday night in Houston.

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said the combination of Billups, a proven winner, and Anthony, "who's just taking quantum leaps as a great player and leader," makes the Nuggets a true title contender.

"These guys are legitimate, a legitimate championship-caliber team," Carlisle said. "They've got a great shot. They've got a real opportunity."

The Nuggets didn't dare dream of this type of success when the season began following the departures of defensive stalwarts Marcus Camby and Eduardo Najera."Sometimes when you're forced to come together and fight together and persevere, your best qualities come forward," Denver coach George Karl said.

The impetus for the transformation came when the team made its biggest trade ever, Allen Iverson to Detroit for Billups, who turned his hometown team from an afterthought into a championship contender after leading the Pistons to six straight Eastern Conference finals and the NBA championship in 2004.

"We love Allen, Allen's family," Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke said. "But as Allen has said many times it's still a business. Chauncey was right for us, with the different personalities we have on the club Chauncey was a really important part."

"He's a leader," Anthony said of Billups. "He came on this team and he brought a businesslike attitude to our team. He brought a defensive mindset we were looking for."

Fired up from the ugliness on and off the court in Dallas in Games 3 and 4, the Nuggets came out in front of their home crowd with a passion and shot 64 percent in the first half while building a 69-55 lead.

The Mavericks wouldn't go down easily, though, making five straight 3-pointers, three by Jason Kidd, to pull within 79-72.

The Mavericks were within 103-97 with 7 minutes left but Anthony took the inbounds pass and with 2 seconds on the shot clock, hit a turnaround 25-foot jumper at the buzzer. Antoine Wright was assessed a technical and Billups' free throw made it a 10-point game with 6:35 left.

"That Melo 3 was a killer," Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki said. "We get the technical on top. Back to 10 points."

"I don't know how he hit that shot," Billups said.

Anthony said it was pure luck.

"Yeah, that was a spark," Anthony said. "If I told you I knew it was going in, I'd be lying to you. That was a lucky shot. It went in. I think that shot right there sparked the momentum for us."

Carlisle called Melo's shot a microcosm of the series, where Denver had an answer to almost everything the Mavericks threw out.

"In the final analysis, Denver's a better team," Carlisle said. "And they showed it throughout the series."

Nowitzki had his usual monster game, scoring 32 points -- he averaged 34.4 in the series -- and Kidd added 19.

J.R. Smith scored 18 points for Denver, which is starting to get recognized as this year's feel-good story.

"It's not over, we're still on the road man," Billups said. "We are moving on to bigger and better things and hopefully we can remain successful."

Karl said it's not too early for the Nuggets to believe they can be champions.

"I think our team is a good basketball team, a very good basketball team. And I have a feeling that we're not going to be messed up by the next round. We're going to make a team beat us," Karl said. "We can live with that. But we're not going to give it to anybody. We're going to go after it."

Karl said that for all Anthony's accolades, including an NCAA championship at Syracuse as a freshman in 2003 and a gold medal at the Beijing Games last summer, Wednesday was a red-letter day in Anthony's career because he was named to the All-NBA team and won another playoff series.

"These two awards tonight solidify how good he is," Karl said.

"You can start to put Melo in that group of winners and not just great players," Billups suggested.

Before the game, the NBA said it wouldn't punish anybody over the ugly incidents that occurred on and off the court in the games in Dallas, which included Mavs owner Mark Cuban throwing a fit after a non-call helped Denver win Game 3, when he also yelled at Kenyon Martin's mother.

Cuban, who skipped Game 5 to attend an awards ceremony in Las Vegas, had written in his blog this week that the Nuggets' families and friends could sit in his private suite "when the series returns to Dallas."

The Nuggets won't be going back to Texas. They have bigger plans, thanks to Anthony and Billups.

Lebron leads all-NBA first team

LeBron James, the NBA's Most Valuable Player, was a unanimous choice for the 2008-09 All-NBA first team, announced Wednesday.

It was the second straight All-NBA first-team selection for James, who led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a franchise-best 66-16 regular-season record and finished second in the NBA scoring race with 28.4 points per game. He was also among league leaders with 1.69 steals per game (eighth) and 7.2 assists per game (10th), as well as 7.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game."It doesn't surprise me at all," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said of James, who in addition to winning MVP finished second in voting for best defensive player. "It comes with being the MVP. He's proven he can do it all."

Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando's Dwight Howard, Miami's Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki of Dallas were also named to the first team, with Wade being chosen for the first time in his career. It was Bryant's seventh first-team selection and fourth in a row.

Named to the second team were Chris Paul of New Orleans and Portland's Brandon Roy at guard, San Antonio's Tim Duncan and Boston's Paul Pierce at forward, and Houston's Yao Ming at center.

On the third team were Denver's Chauncey Billups and San Antonio's Tony Parker at guard, Denver's Carmelo Anthony and the Lakers' Pau Gasol at forward, and Shaquille O'Neal of the Phoenix Suns at center.

Wade led the NBA in scoring with 30.2 points per game and was second in steals (1.7 spg) and eighth in assists (6.7 apg), leading the Heat back to the NBA playoffs. He became only the fifth player in league history to amass 2,000 points, 500 assists and 150 steals in a single season, as well as the only player under 6-foot-4 with 100 blocks in a season since it became an official statistic in 1973-74.

Bryant, the 2007-08 MVP, led the Lakers to a Western Conference-best 65-17 mark and finished third in the league in scoring. Among active players, only Duncan (nine) and O'Neal (eight) have more first-team selections.

Howard, who made the first team for a second straight season, led the NBA with 13.8 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game, becoming only the fourth player to lead the league in both categories since blocks became an official stat.

Nowitzki, named to his fourth All-NBA first team, was the NBA's fourth-leading scorer with 25.9 points per game and was seventh in free throw percentage at .890. He finished the season by scoring at least 20 points in 25 straight games -- the longest 20-plus points streak in the NBA this season.

"This is a great honor and means that you have played solid basketball for the whole season," Nowitzki said. "This is about being consistent and helping the team night in and night out."

A panel of 122 sportswriters and broadcasters from the United States and Canada chose the teams.

Pacquiao is ambassador for peace

MACTAN ISLAND—What exactly does an ambassador for “peace and understanding” do?

Malacañang Tuesday spelled out—though still vaguely—the latest job description of boxing icon Manny Pacquiao under the Arroyo administration.

To begin with, he would grace a basketball tournament pitting government troops against members of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) or rightist rebels, said Press Secretary Cerge Remonde.

“There will be events and activities that will be organized that will center on him as a focal person,” Remonde said in a media briefing here. “He will be useful as a symbol, as a rallying point for events, which in the process, would involve national unity.”

Special intel aide also

Remonde said Pacquiao would focus on his new job within the next three to four months when he is not yet training for his next bout. During the period, the boxer would go around the country gracing activities promoting national solidarity.

Besides the title of peace envoy, Pacquiao was named “special assistant on intelligence matters” of Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez on Monday.

Gonzalez said the post would be “honorary,” meaning the boxer would receive no salary.

Remonde said the idea of a basketball tournament was hatched on Friday when President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was originally set to meet with Pacquiao.

Ms Arroyo moved the meeting and the “national day of celebration” to Monday on the recommendation of the World Health Organization.

Pacquiao and his team had been advised to go on a five-day self-quarantine since they had stayed in Los Angeles where a case of human-to-human transmission of the deadly A(H1N1) flu virus had been recorded.

Riding on the Champ

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said Pacquiao could easily do the job for Gonzalez. “With all the people adulating him, he can get information.”

Sen. Panfilo Lacson was noncommittal, saying he did not know Pacquiao well enough.

“All I know is that he is good in sports, he’s the best in the world. If he’s appointed as undersecretary for sports, he can do a good job,” Lacson said in Filipino.

But the opposition senator observed that the positions given Pacquiao by the Palace were apparently done because “everybody wants to jump on the bandwagon.”

“He’s very popular and people idolize him and that’s why it’s understandable that there are those who want to ride on and take advantage of the situation,” Lacson said.

Time for politics

Sen. Manuel Roxas II said he believed Pacquiao would be able to help the government and the country as envoy for peace, especially in Mindanao.

“Many people will listen to him,” Roxas told reporters.

But he said people would have to see for themselves how Pacquiao would be able to contribute as an intelligence officer.

He echoed Lacson’s views that Pacquiao was given such positions because it was “a time for politics now.”

“Those seeking to run for office are looking for ways to be close to Pacquiao as their endorser,” Roxas said.

Symbol of unity

The senator said Pacquiao should protect his clean and untarnished name. “If he allows himself to be used, he will be tainted by the corrupt who are coming to him to use him.”

Pacquiao has hinted that he would again run for Congress in next year’s election, much to the dismay of not a few of his fans. He ran and lost in the 2007 elections.

“Right now, he has agreed to be this symbol of unity and of course, we are very grateful for that,” Remonde said. “But of course, when it comes to his decision to go into politics, that is his own decision. We should all respect him.”

Pacquiao to visit Cebu

WORLD boxing pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao will observe another tradition following his gripping conquest of British brawler Ricky Hatton: Visit Cebu next week.
Pacquiao snatched Hatton’s IBO junior welterweight crown last May 3 with a second round knockout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao, according to Cebu City Acting Mayor Mike Rama, will visit the Queen City of the South next week. Last Monday, the six-time boxing superstar had a motorcade around Metro Manila in what Malacanang Palace declared as a Day of Celebration and yesterday he was in his hometown of GenSan.

Pacquiao always makes it a point to visit Cebu after every major fight to thank his Cebuano fans and to pray at the Basilica Minore del Sto. Nino.

Rama though, informed, that Team Pacquiao is yet to set a date for the champion’s visit but would prefer to be here either on May 18 or 22.

Rama tasked Councilor Raul Alcoseba and City Administrator Francisco Fernandez to prepare for Pacman’s visit. He also urged the public to get out of their homes and join in greeting Pacquiao along the parade’s route.

Mayor Tomas Osmena is also expected to return on said dates.

Rama also said that he already asked Councilor Arsenio Pacana to draft a resolution recognizing Pacquaio’s victory. He suggested that Pacquiao be conferred the “Mega Tourism Promoter” award for promoting the country worldwide, but wants the national government to give it.

However, Rama is not so keen about the suggestion of erecting a Pacquiao statue saying the boxing hero is still alive and is just 30 years old.

“I’m not against building a statue for Manny but its not good for him. Statues are built for those who are already dead,” he added.