Monday, October 23, 2006 Sayson: Dr. Chic Ezpeleta and the golden Pacman tickets By Homer Sayson Second overtime
CHICAGO—Like cash swallowed by the hungry pockets of a crooked City Hall official, ringside tickets for Pacquiao-Morales III this Nov.18 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas have vanished.
A huge chunk of those precious stubs, whose face value is $500 each, are now hostaged by greedy ticket brokers. The good news is that Pacquiao fans can still watch their idol at ringside.
Unfortunately, it will cost them an arm and a leg. Curious how high the Grand Finale ticket prices have risen, I picked up the phone one lazy afternoon three days ago. And after 45 minutes of probing, I was convinced I missed my calling. I should have been a ticket broker.
My first call went to Main Event along North Ashland Avenue here in Chicago, where a young lady gladly informed me that Row 2 ringside tickets were available.
Sheena was cheerful, and with the cool of someone about to rob an armored car, she told me “they’re $2,200 each.” Yikes!
Next stop was another Windy City company named Primetime Tickets on 1025 W. Addison St. A guy who spoke with the gravelly voice of a chain smoker told me there were Row 7 ringside seats for $2,000 per. It’s cheaper than dear Sheena’s tickets, but $2,000 still smells like highway robbery.
Ticketbroker.com had the cheapest quote, $1,565 for ringside Row 8. I didn’t ask why the figure was so uneven, but I did quiz the service rep if I could get a massage or a beer for the $1,565. He laughed and gave me a “no.” I cried and gave him a dial tone.
I then called BMC Tickets. Bob, who said he owned the outfit, went right down to business. He spewed price quotes like a violent volcano spitting lava. “It’s $3,200 for Row 1 ringside, $2,400 for Row 2 and $1,600 for Row 8.” I just listened in awe, chewing at the phone cord.
I also got a hold of Ticketmaster, arguably the largest ticket broker in the US Surprisingly though, Ticketmaster is “not handling the fight, “ said a bewildered Stephen, the operator who took my call from Charleston, West Virginia.
Dr. Chic Ezpeleta, a close family friend and medical director at Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Centralia, Illinois, wanted ringside tickets for the Pacquiao-Morales 3. And while he and his brother Winky could well afford it, they’re practical people who won’t pay $3,200 for a $500 ticket.
Eager to help, I called the Pacman camp in LA and spoke to one of Pacquiao’s trusted lieutenants. I was told an order will be made next week and that I was assured of three ringside tickets for just $500 each.
Still, the Ezpeletas decided to stay put. Winky’s family will visit Dr. Chic’s family on that Nov. 18 weekend. They’ll watch PacMan-Morales 3 at Dr. Chic’s massive home theater, a state-of-the-art viewing that could put your local cineplex to shame. Meanwhile, the ringside tickets I’ve requested for the Ezpeleta brothers quickly attracted a lot of suitors. The moral of the story here is that Manny Pacquiao has become a certified box-office draw in America, an attraction perhaps as big as the Rolling Stones. And this makes me really proud to be a Filipino.
BONG THE BANKER. He is a fine gentleman with a wickedly good jumpshot. He has more friends than a barangay captain, and he is one of the founders of Cuba. No, I don’t mean Fidel Castro. And neither am I referring to that communist island nation some 90 miles off the coast of Florida.
I’m talking about Bong Bacalla of Export Bank in Gorordo Ave, Cebu City. A close friend of Talamban Parish’s Fr. Jun “Batitz” Gutierrez, Bong The Banker helped form the basketball club of Cuba, as in the Cebu United Bankers Association. Bong e-mailed me saying he is an ardent fan, professing a loyalty he seems willing to swear on a stack of bibles. “I make sure to read every article you write at Sun.Star Cebu and I listen to your sports analysis on dyAB while driving to the office,” Bong wrote.
Bong also said that members of their hoops fraternity are avid fans of Second Overtime. “They play every Saturday morning at the Capitol Parish gym and they always have a copy of Sun.Star Cebu just to read your column.”
Thanks for your support, guys. And happy 10th anniversary to the Cebu United Bankers Association basketball club.
