"Manoy" Pacquiao plays catch with "The Franchise" Lincecum
By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 24 Apr 2009
San Franciso, California -- "I would not fight Manny Pacquiao even if I had a bat," SF Giants pitching ace Tim Lincecum intimated to SFChronicle.com and PhilBoxing prior to Tuesday night's Filipino Heritage Night at the AT & T Park in the city by the bay.
"He's good," joked Manny Pacquiao after being reminded of Lincecum's part-Filipino heritage (mother Rebecca Asis Lincecum's parents are Filipino- American immigrants).
Prior to his ceremonial toss to Lincecum, Manny admitted he's never heard of Tim.
We all know that "Manoy" (Visayan for big brother) Pacquiao, is a quick study.
After their meeting atop the pitching mound, I'm sure Manny now appreciates the best pitcher in all of baseball whose image appears on the cover of the video game MLB 2K9--a first for a Filipino-American.
Lincecum , the starting pitcher during the 2008 All-Star game at Yankee Stadium, dubs Pacquiao as the odds-on favorite against Britain's Ricky "The Hitman" Hatton.
The bout is set for May 2 during Cinco de Mayo celebration at the MGM Grand Arena (Las Vegas, Nevada) for Hatton's IBO 140-pound tiara.
Top photo: Promoter Bob Arum and Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao pose during the Giants vs Padres game in San Francisco.
Tim Lincecum in action.
The parallels between the two superstars are few but striking (pun intended).
Both have meteoric rises to the top of their game.
The 24 year-old Lincecum is the future of the San Francisco Giants baseball franchise.
Manny Pacquiao is his own franchise.
Lincecum pitches right-handed and bats left-handed.
Pacquiao is a righty who boxes lefty.
Lincecum maximizes his God-given attributes through efficiency--a must due to his diminutive stature.
He is known for his unorthodox mechanics , long stride, and ability to generate high velocity despite his slight build of 5'11", 172 lbs.
Tim Lincecum won the 2008 NL Cy Young award becoming the first second-year player to win the best pitcher award since Dwight Gooden.
Manny iced bigger opponents from his start as a flyweight all the way to welterweight capped by his demolition of Oscar dela Hoya.
Lincecum's father Chris, a Boeing employee, coached the youngster from Little to major league without changing his natural body mechanics. He developed a custom regimen of weight training and calisthenics to avoid injuries and maximize delivery.
One routine calls for a fluid pitching motion with a balanced finish good enough to pick up a dollar bill atop his left foot.
The result is a first-round draft pitching ace who's capable of striking out the best major league baseball sluggers .
Pacquiao is no stranger to the importance of proper mechanics, balance and power evident in his frightening record (48-3-2, 36 KOs).
Come May 2nd, Ricky Hatton may just need a bat.
Postscript:
The annual Filipino Heritage Night on Tuesday highlighted the plight of the World War II Filipino heroes during the pre-game ceremonies.
The Congress of the United States of America finally recognized their invaluable and historic contributions.
To our heroes, Mabuhay at Maraming Salamat, po.
The presence of 11,000 Filipino-Americans capped a wonderful night of baseball. The San Francisco Giants beat the San Diego Padres 8-3 in front of 39,400 delighted bay area fans.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Emmanuel Rivera, RRT.
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