King James is cool with Sir Charles.... Not!

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James poses in front of the home crowd.
(NBAE/Getty Images)

Interesting turn of events in the NBA. Seems the New York Knicks aren't the only ones who like to talk about the 2010 free agency. Charles Barkley, known for his honest-to-goodness comments as TNT's sports analyst had a few words about the King's future. Well, LeBron James didn't take Mr. Barkley's small talk on the latter lightly. And Obviously, he ain't happy at all. Something not to be thankful for perhaps.

The King speaks up: "He's stupid. That's all I've got to say about that," James said Friday night before the Cavaliers' game against Golden State.

Those are cold words. Reaction like that is quite common whenever Sir Charles talks about stuff in the NBA especially on a player like LeBron James. You simply can't blame Barkley for being honest about it. The free agency is 2 years away and there's so much hype on the King's possible departure from his hometown Cleveland to the Big Apple. It's gonna take a while for these two to kiss and make-up, until the All-Star Game in Phoenix that is. Whether that could happen or not remains to be seen.

For now, cheer up Bron! You still have a couple of years having fun times with the Cavs, yes? It can't be that bad. Oh happy days.

David West is another Pacquiao fan.

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Move over Kevin Garnett. There's another NBA player who's a fan of WBC Lightweight Champion Manny Pacquiao. New Orleans Hornets forward David West (fresh from the Hornets' win against the Clippers ) paid Manny Pacquiao a visit at the Wildcard Gym in Los Angeles, California. The Hornets forward admired how an impressive fighter Manny is. His speed and power is what made West a huge fan of the Filipino Fighter.

Pacquiao pretty much appreciated the nice gesture and even showed some of his own basketball moves to D-West. He was obviously impressed. Pacquiao himself is a huge NBA fan. Trainer Freddie Roach is not surprised of the visit and it's quite an everyday thing whenever Manny trains in LA for a big fight. Doesn't seem to be a distraction for him and Pacman.

Hollywood is not to be outdone of course by NBA players who wanted see the Southpaw from the Philippines train. Actor Mark Wahlberg even dropped by the gym to say hi. How cool is that? Getting some love not only in the NBA but also in Hollywood and the wrestling world. WWE Superstar Undertaker has long been a fan of Pacquiao. His popularity is just tremendous all over.

That is just a taste of what to expect come December 6 (December 7 in Manila) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. As there will be more celebrities (and Pinoy Politicians) that are going to be in attendance to watch two of the best fighters slug it out.

The Pacquiao vs. Dela Hoya fight is something not to be missed.

The New York Knicks drama continues.

Knicks guard Stephon Marbury has yet to play in the 08-09 season of the NBA.
(NBAE/Getty Images)

There's still a lot of buzz in the NBA news wire on Starbury ever since Mike D'Antoni started coaching for the Knicks. Despite all the trades made to keep the team perhaps, in contention for the rest of the season and for the much talked about LeBron James sweepstakes for 2010. Donnie Walsh has been quite busy in the Knickerbockers office as of late. Nevertheless, the brouhaha on Stephon Marbury is still far from over.

You can't blame the Knicks fans for being a bit perplexed on the situation. Even Quentin Richardson had something to say about it. He's obviously not happy about it. For a cat like Marbury, who wanted to play for the Knicks clearly wants no part of the team already. The thought of being in such turmoil is killing him more than coach Mike D'Antoni or Donnie Walsh.

Now he gets suspended for refusing to play. Marbury however, reiterarted his stand on not playing a game against Detroit.

"If you say I got to play, I'm going to play," Marbury, speaking before the suspension, said in Friday's New York Post. "If he said I have to play, guess what, I'm going to get on the court and play, period. If I refuse to play, I'm getting suspended. I never told him I'm not going to play. Those words never came out of my mouth. That's insubordination."

It's unfortunate that the Knicks' coach and front office won't give in to let Starbury walk and play for another team that might need his services. It seems both parties are the ones making all the controversy even worse. Granted, the team has cleared cap space for the upcoming 2010 free agency and getting some good players in return off the trades (letting go of Jamal Crawford was a key loss) but the organization itself is suffering in more ways than one.

From the looks of it, the only thing clear is that Stephon Marbury is still being kept in the dog house of sorts in NYC. He has yet to play a game this season unless Knicks president Donnie Walsh finally realizes that "Coney Island's Finest" is better off playing for a another team. Knicks fans haven't been happy since the controversy broke out. At least, the LeBron James courtship is keeping the fans optimistic come summer of 2010.

The plot thickens.

Pacquiao's biggest fight looms closer.

Manny Pacquiao and Oscar Dela Hoya will fight next month
on who's the best fighter in the world of boxing.

As the most anticipated fight of the year draws near, A lot of boxing pundits have favored Golden Boy Oscar Dela Hoya to win due to his size advantage and power. Some however are on Manny Pacquiao's side because of his speed and his quick combinations. Since I'm Filipino, I'd put my money on Pacman. It's natural of course, but I can also see Dela Hoya very capable of beating Pacquiao in the process. There's a lot of debate on who's gonna win but I gotta admit, comparing these two top boxers is like comparing apples to oranges.

Well both camps have been quite confident of who's gonna knock out who. The newswire on the fight is creating a lot excitement and no doubt, boxing fans alike are itching to see the upcoming dream match. Pacquiao has been sparring with guys bigger than him and he has added some extra muscle in his 5'7" frame. Pacman is confident that his speed is still intact despite the added weight. “I’m very comfortable at this weight. There are a lot of people saying that Manny Pacquiao is moving up a weight division and, `Is he going to be fast or is he going to be slow?”’ Pacquiao said. “In training, we focus on speed, because the speed will be the key in this fight.”

He'll be fighting in a weight limit of 147 lbs. Technically, he has moved up to the Welterweight Division for this exhibition fight. It's the division the Golden Boy is perhaps most comfortable with.

For coach Freddie Roach, he knows Manny Pacquiao is ready to go toe-to-toe with Oscar Dela Hoya come Saturday, December 6 (Sunday, December 7 in Manila). The edge Pacman has over Dela Hoya is what Roach is confident about. What the trainer had to say about The Golden Boy of his chances on Pacman but did praise him on how he (Dela Hoya) has changed since his younger days and how he has transformed himself as one of the most dominant fighters.

Manny Pacquiao however, admits this is the biggest fight of his life. The biggest since perhaps, winning the WBC Lightweight Championship months ago. “This is the biggest fight in my boxing career,” he said. “This is my (chance) that the name Manny Pacquiao will be known not only in the Philippines, but in all boxing.”

For now, we can all make mock-predictions on the Pacquiao-Dela Hoya fight next month. One thing's for sure though, the whole world will be watching. Whoever wins, it will make a lot of fight fans happy and shelling out a lot of cash to watch the pay-per-view would be all worth it.

MABUHAY ANG PILIPINAS!!!!

Japanese schoolgirl makes sports history... in Japan.

16-year old Eri Yoshida is the first female in Japan to play pro
in a male-dominated sport.

Baseball is like the mecca of sports in Japan. Way bigger than soccer or basketball. Many Japanese players like Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui and Hideo Nomo are now playing in the US for the MLB. Now, who would've thought a 16 year old schoolgirl would be drafted by a pro baseball league in Japan? Well, surprising as it may be, but that same Japanese schoolgirl's life will be changed forever. Eri Yoshida has just become an instant celebrity in the world of sports.



Yoshida, a 5-foot baseball virtouso has an incerdible knack for pitching. She has become the first female to play with pro male players in Japan's sports history. That's the kind of thing that golfer Michelle Wie has been trying to achieve in the PGA but of course, that didn't happen.

Playing for an independent league is a stepping stone for Yoshida. "I have only just been picked by the team and have not achieved anything," she said. "I want to play as a pro eventually in a higher league."



She could very well be as big as the Pop idols Utada Hikaru and Ayumi Hamasaki, in the making. The popularity of Eri Yoshida will soon bring out a fan base from the high school boys and perhaps college boys, too. It won't be a surprise if her fellow players in the league would ask for her autograph.

Baseball will now be a bigger hit all thanks to Eri Yoshida and her nasty knuckleball.

Just don't make her mad though. You have been warned.