If Senate blinks, money wins again By Al S. Mendoza   SINCE he occupied Malacanang in 2010, President Aquino has taken the House of Representatives by the nose. But nothing new there, though. Historically, isn’t the Lower House a rubber stamp of the Palace? That the only true nationalists—the so-called…

Vios Cup smashing debut in Cebu By Al S. Mendoza   CEBU CITY—For a change, I flew here during the weekend to cover the Vios Cup, now in its Season 2. After its smashingly successful launch last year, the Vios Cup went ambitious and gunned for an out-of-town endeavor that…

A mere Xerox of the first By Al S. Mendoza   WE yearn for a rematch? Because we believe that a rematch will avenge Manny Pacquiao’s loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr.? Quit the crap, fellers. In the return bout, Pacquiao will lose again. In a third fight, Pacquiao will lose…

Don’t worry, the rematch is on By Al S. Mendoza   WE wanted Manny Pacquiao to win. That’s natural. He is the everyday man. He personifies everything heroic about us—from Lapu-Lapu to Dagohoy, from Soliman to Silang, from Bonifacio to Ninoy. Most important, Pacquiao represents the Filipino, the proudest race…

Knockout is Pacquiao’s only chance By Al Mendoza   IT is crime break today in the country. That’s because Manny Pacquiao has work to do. When he fights, the entire archipelago stands still. Thieves, drug pushers, riding-in-tandem killers and even rapists always pause to watch Pacquiao fight. Evils behave at…

Pacquiao pining for another miracle By Al S. Mendoza   IT used to be that only in chess do we maximize mind power to extract a win. Not anymore, fellas. Boxing has intruded into this exclusive domain. And I refer especially to the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight. By the way they are…

A giant in the making By Al S. Mendoza   ADD Jordan Spieth to Tiger Woods and Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao and Woods are sports giants, yes, but Spieth has the makings of one. Maybe because Spieth’s name, Jordan, is the family name of the greatest basketeer of all time that’s…

Rooting for Tiger Woods By Al S. Mendoza   IS Tiger Woods leading the Masters or not? Or, is he out of the Top 10 and too far from the leader to contend for the crown? Or, God forbid, did he get cut on Saturday, April 12? I ask the…

It is all hype By Al S. Mendoza   IN virtually all big fights, you hear everything. It is standard. It is in its nature. It is all business. The Pacquiao-Mayweather is no exception. What kind of training, who is ahead in strategy, when will one hit his peak, etcetera,…

Pacquiao-Mayweather fight in jeopardy? By Al S. Mendoza   THE euphoria has died down a bit. While initially, the world has become ecstatic over the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight finally happening on May 2 in Las Vegas (May 3 in the Philippines), here comes an obstacle looming large in the horizons. It’s…