A rivalry is brewing in the UAAP baseball community. It is a feud that goes beyond players and coaches. It begins with team managers Wopsy Zamora of National University and Jose Pepe Muñoz of De la Salle University.

The top officials of University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) may have some things in common but it's a big difference at the diamond where the 86th Season baseball edition championship crown is at stake.

Zamora and Muñoz share the same advocacy in regaining the popularity of the sport when in the 1970's, baseball fans queue for tickets at the box-office of historic Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium in Malate, Manila.

Baseball runs in the blood of Zamora and Muñoz who were sluggers in collegiate leagues before getting the management chores in NU and DLSU accordingly.

Zamora and Munoz, chairman and president respectively in the newly established Liga ng Baseball sa Pilipinas (LBP), a professional baseball league where games will be held at night at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, aim to match or surpass the crowd drawing success of basketball and volleyball.

In the ongoing UAAP baseball tournament, Zamora and Munoz are at a crossroads.

It's a clash of the titans between powerhouse title contender NU Bulldogs and defending champion DLSU Archers.

The Bustillos batters will try to end its 12-year title drought while the Taft-based sluggers are going for three-peat when they collide at 4 p.m. today, April 18, in Game One best-of -3 championship at the University of the Philippines Baseball Field in Diliman, Quezon City.

"It's a battle between destiny and dynasty. After over two decades of championship drought,our hungrier Bulldogs are destined to bring back the glory in baseball against the Archers who are seeking 3-peat in this prestigious league," Zamora said.

NU coach Romar Landicho who sent the team to the finals in his first stint will be up against LaSalle's head coach Saki Bacarisas who was also the Bulldogs' tactician when they won the UAAP crown back in 2012 against Zamora's alma mater Ateneo, the same team NU booted out in their semifinal match after the Archers showed the door to University of Santo Tomas over the weekend.

While the rivalry in big bosses enthusiasm boils down to winning the crown, it is the players and the men at the bullpen who will walk the talk.

The battle begins at the diamond today.