INQUIRER Sports

He blushed like a schoolboy after his secret crush was revealed to the world.

The lady interviewer was asking people?s champion Manny Pacquiao on global television about reports romantically linking him to actress Krista Ranillo.

?Is it true?? she wanted to know. It was a question everybody wanted answered, but no one was bold or brazen enough to ask.

It was obvious that Manny was caught by surprise and he did not have time to react with grace and poise.

Manny lifted his cellphone to hide his face. After he regained his composure, he replied: ?No comment.?

Then he walked out.

* * *

By neither confirming nor denying the reports, a source?who is often seen with the Pinoy ring icon?said Manny gave himself away.

?Not only does she [Krista] wipe his face and body during workouts, she also feeds him like a baby during mealtimes,? said the well-informed source.

?They?re saying that it?s Manny?s brother Bobby, known to be a chickboy, who?s romantically involved with Krista, but I don?t believe this. Bobby?s wife is as ferocious as a tiger. I saw him hit Bobby with a chair once at the L&M Gym, where he worked out, in a fit of jealousy. No, it couldn?t be Bobby.?

* * *

Reports from friends in Los Angeles said Manny Pacquiao is booked in a local hotel while wife Jinkee, who planed in a few days ago, is staying in the Pacquiao mansion in Beverly Hills.

Krista had said she is watching ?Firepower? with friends.

* * *

Strangely, Coca-Cola Tigers governor and team manager JB Baylon has not made a single appearance at the PBA games since Oct. 11, when the 2009-2010 season opened.

At the start of the season, Coke officials explained his absence by saying he was greatly involved in relief work for victims of Tropical Storm ?Ondoy? and Typhoon ?Pepeng.?

But long after the relief goods had run out and the floods had subsided in Marikina, Pasig, Central Luzon and in certain areas around Laguna de Bay, JB was still nowhere to be seen in any of the PBA venues.

I started to wonder. Could he be on a lengthy and important business trip?

Or was he sick?

* * *

It?s none of the above, according to JB who confirmed that indeed, he has not watched a single Coke game at any of the venues this conference.

?Just superstitious. I think I bring bad luck to the team,? he said in a text message. ?But I?ll start watching again in the quarterfinals.?

* * *

A veteran colleague asked if the performance of Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Miguel Molina in the recent Asian Indoor Games in Hanoi should be a cause for alarm, considering that the Laos SEA Games is barely a month away.

I reminded him that competition in the SEA Games only involves Southeast Asian nations, while the AIG encompasses the whole of Asia.

He said the swimmer failed to bring home a gold in Hanoi, settling only for a silver and a bronze.

But before drawing any conclusion, the scribe said he will first take a look at the Hanoi field to determine how tough the competition is.

* * *

HOOPVINE: The Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto fight will be shown ?live? with no commercial interruptions starting at 8 a.m. this Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum. The biggest viewing party in the country, the fight will be watched by about 15,000 spectators. The Big Dome boasts four gigantic screens and excellent sound quality? Available in all Ticketnet outlets, the tickets are priced at P430 for patron seats, P530 for lower box and P158 for upper box A and B and general admission. For inquiries, call 911-5555? Radio station dzRJ 810 khz started airing the PBA games last Wednesday? Happy birthday to my friend Rhea Navarro who celebrated another milestone yesterday in Doha, Qatar.