Manny Pacquiao the cager stares truth in the eye

Quipped a twitter, who signed in as MrClean: “Jaworski was a playing coach, Manny is a playing mascot.”

Manny Pacquiao, or MP, suited up for his Kia Motors team and saw action for 10 minutes in a preseason game in Biñan, Laguna, on Saturday.

He contributed a solitary point via a split from the foul line.

The boxing superhero predictably got the jeers.

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Sorry for the detractors: Pacquiao, who flew in from General Santos City to play in Biñan, has all the while anticipated the taunts, the nasty labels.

Nothing to worry there, Pacquiao fought back, it was just like in the first days when he would get slurred for boxing wild, playing it rough and reckless inside the ring.

“Sanay na ako sa ganyan, puna at pambabatikos (I’m used to the jeering),” Pacquiao explained to youthful sports journalist Snow Badua: “Noon nga sabi nila wala akong mararating sa boxing kasi bara-bara ako sumuntok. Pero ano ang nangyari? (They told me then that I wouldn’t go far in boxing because I was a wild puncher. Look what happened.)”

Pacquiao, deep in training in GenSan, has vowed to fly back to Manila on Oct. 19 to coach and play for Kia in the scheduled PBA season curtain-raiser against Blackwater at the vast Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.

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Pacquiao has honestly displayed he’s no knockout as a basketball player.

There’s no promise of an instant improvement from his awkward game. No promise of a better output.

Pacquiao could, in fact, absorb dirtier digs from the expected big opening-day audience.

But there’s no pulling out from his commitment to lead and inspire his team.

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He would, of course, feel truly rewarded if Kia is able to bounce back from Saturday’s 88-77 loss against Blackwater for a victorious debut in the PBA.

After his Oct. 19 assignment with Kia in the PBA, Pacquiao rushes back to his GenSan nest where he has promised to stay focused, strictly secluded for the Nov. 23 defense of his WBO welterweight crown against unbeaten Chris Algieri (20-0) in Macau.

Pacquiao has a pact with trainer Freddie Roach that there would be no basketball whatsoever a full month to his next fight.

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Isn’t he worried he could suffer a sprain or any injury in his opening-day stint with Kia?

Not really, Pacquiao quipped: “Kung sa boxing nga, suntukan talaga, ito bangaan lamang (It’s a brawl in boxing; this time it’s just banging bodies).”

He sounded quite certain the Lord will always be there to keep him out of harm’s way.

At the same time, Pacquiao prays that the so-called basketball purists would shun their negative ways, which could only draw them away from the all-caring Savior.