LAS VEGAS -- The hook for Manny Pacquiaos latest fight is that hes the fighting politician, as eager to take on problems in the Philippines as he is to take on other welterweights in the ring.Unfortunately for Pacquiao, at this stage of his career he needs a hook to sell his fights.Pacquiao meets a likable but relatively unknown Jessie Vargas on Saturday, with a piece of the welterweight title at stake. In the past that might have been enough to excite boxing fans, but Pacquiao is aging and so is his appeal.He probably should have retired after not showing up for the biggest fight of his life against Floyd Mayweather Jr. He certainly should have retired after getting elected to the senate in the Philippines, where hes an ally of President Rodrigo Duterte.Yet he plods on, partly because he reportedly needs the money. He got a few million dollars to fight Timothy Bradley in April but is fighting on percentages against Vargas, so the sales pitch is necessary.Pacquiaos longtime trainer, Freddie Roach, held out the possibility this week of a rematch with Mayweather, saying he has been told that Mayweather has been back in the ring sparring recently. But the first fight took five years to make and it seems a stretch to think Mayweather would come out of retirement to fight Pacquiao once again.Still, Roach says hes convinced Pacquiao has one or two more big fights left in him.Mannys like the old Manny now, Roach insisted after spending a month training Pacquiao in the Philippines. I like this Manny a lot.To Pacquiaos credit he did look re-energized in April when he beat Bradley in the third fight between the two men. It was his first fight since losing to Mayweather, a loss he blamed on a bad shoulder that has since been surgically repaired.But the fight with Vargas is a tough sell, which is why promoter Bob Arum stacked the undercard with competitive fights and is selling tickets for as little as $50. Arum is also selling the pay-per-view himself after HBO declined to take part in the distribution of the fight, and Pacquiaos purse will largely depend on how well it does.Anything north of 600,000 buys would be a big night and hed make a lot of money, Arum said. Im hoping he makes money like the Manny of old.Arum, of course, is way overestimating what the fight will do, but his job as Pacquiaos promoter is to get people interested. Since Vargas is not well known, its a difficult sell even with an attractive undercard.Pacquiao is taking a familiar path for an aging fighter, trying to squeeze a few more fights in before finally hanging up his gloves. Hes got the right to fight whoever he wants, but fight fans also have the right to vote with their wallets on the matchup.He is a champion (Vargas holds the WBO version of the welterweight title) so you cant underestimate him, Pacquiao said. But I still feel fresh and young.Vargas will be fighting in his home town and is taller than Pacquiao. Hes also full of confidence after stopping Sadam Ali in March for the WBO version of the 147-pound title.When I defeat Manny Pacquiao they will see that I beat a good Manny Pacquiao who is still performing at the highest level, Vargas said. Thats the Manny Pacquiao that I want to beat.The real problem for Pacquiao isnt his opponent, though Arum could have easily put undefeated Terrence Crawford in the ring against him instead of Vargas. Its that he turned off a big portion of his fans in a stinker of a fight against Mayweather and will probably never get them back.He used to sell a million pay-per-views whenever he stepped into the ring. But he barely sold 300,000 for his fight against Bradley, and this one doesnt figure to do any more.The fight features an attractive undercard that includes Nonito Donaire against Jessie Magdaleno, Oscar Valdez vs. Hiroshige Osawa, and Shiming Zou vs. Prasitsak Phaprom, all in WBO title bouts. Cheap NFL Jerseys For Sale . Instead of dwelling on the negative, Oates focused on what was good about the clubs recent play. It worked. Discount NFL Jerseys Australia .com) - The women will also have a new champion at the Australian Open. http://www.cheapnfljerseysaustralia.com/ . Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, announced Wednesday that the team would assign Swedish forward Elias Lindholm to his nations team for the upcoming tournament. Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Australia . Robinson finished with 17 points, all but two in the second half, and Lawson had 14 after halftime and finished with a game-high 11 assists as the Nuggets handed Dallas its first home loss in eight games this season. J.J. Hickson led Denver with 22, and Kenneth Faried added 10 points and 10 rebounds. NFL Jerseys China . Third-seeded Murray had the easiest path to victory on New Years Eve, barely breaking a sweat during his 6-0, 6-0 win over 2,129th-ranked Qatari wildcard recipient Mousa Shanan Zayed. NEW YORK -- Closer Jeurys Familia and setup man Addison Reed were out, even before the first pitch. Then starter Gabriel Ynoa got yanked after just two innings.A day after burning through 10 pitchers in a stirring win, the New York Mets needed someone to own the mound.Hansel Robles provided a big boost from the bullpen Friday night, escaping a seventh-inning jam and finishing a 10-5 win over Philadelphia that kept the Mets atop the NL wild-card race.Hansel stepped up and got us through it, manager Terry Collins said, later adding, really saved us.The Mets are a game ahead of San Francisco for the first NL wild-card spot, with St. Louis a half-game behind the Giants.Michael Conforto hit a three-run homer that capped a six-run rally in the fifth inning. Robles preserved a 7-5 lead in the seventh, getting pinch hitter Tommy Joseph to ground into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded.It was a pivotal spot. He threw me a BP (batting practice) fastball or changeup, Im not sure, Joseph said.Robles stayed in, didnt allow a hit and earned his first career save.Its a sense of pride for me to do that, he said through a translator.Collins emptied his bullpen in a 9-8, 11-inning win over the Phillies on Thursday night. With his team competing for a playoff spot, Collins didnt hesitate to pull Ynoa, who gave up two quick runs on five hits and a walk.I just said I dont like the way this is going, Collins said.Collins said before the game he wouldnt bring in Reed and Familia because of their recent workload. Josh Smoker (3-0) pitched one inning.Collins kept turning to his bench, using three straight pinch hitters in a three-run seventh.You come to the park these days, you know youre going to get into the game, he said.Maikel Franco homered for the second straight day and pinch hitter Darin Ruf also connected for the Phillies.Phillies starter Jeremy Hellickson (12-10) was coming off his first shutout since 2011. He took a 3-1 lead into the fifth, but the Mets loaded with one out. Curtis GGranderson singled home a run and Kelly Johnson hit an RBI single, with another run scoring when rookie right fielder Roman Quinn overran the ball for a 4-3 lead.ddddddddddddFrank Herrmann relieved and Conforto homered over the left-field wall. Phillies relievers entered the game with a 1-7 record, seven blown saves and a 6.13 ERA in September -- they let leads get away in the ninth inning and again in the 11th Thursday night.Cesar Hernandez and Quinn hit RBI singles in the second off Ynoa. Hernandez has safely reached in 28 straight games, matching the best streak by a Phillies player since Chase Utley in 2011.Travis dArnaud doubled in the Mets second for his first RBI in nearly a month.TOUGH GUYMets SS Asdrubal Cabrera left in the eighth inning, a few innings after fouling a ball off his right knee. Cabrera fell to the ground, was checked by a trainer and stayed in. Cabrera has been dealing with a banged-up left knee, and Collins said he might need to give him a day off.I dont think thats going to happen, Cabrera said.TRAINERS ROOMPhillies: RHP Jeanmar Gomez is feeling fine, but manager Pete Mackanin says he wont close for a couple of days. Gomez gave up a tying home run to Jose Reyes in the ninth inning Thursday night, and is 0-2 with a 16.20 ERA in 10 games this month.Mets: RHP Noah Syndergaard has been scratched from his start Saturday night because of strep throat. Collins said Syndergaard might be able to start Monday or Tuesday at Miami.UP NEXTPhillies: RHP Alec Asher (1-0, 2.16) makes his fourth start for the Phillies this year. He started against the Mets last Sept. 30 and gave up five runs while getting chased in the first inning.Mets: LHP Sean Gilmartin will pitch Saturday night in place of the ailing Syndergaard. Gilmartins only major league start came last year. He is 0-0 with a 4.76 ERA in 13 games this season, and got two outs Thursday night. China NFL Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap Basketball Jerseys Online Stitched Hockey Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys Football Jerseys Outlet College Jerseys For Sale Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys For Sale Wholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '