RANTINGS ON THE PBA AND BOXING

Ren-Ren Ritualo was white-hot last night, raining down seven triples on Barangay Ginebra, including three straight in the noggin of a hapless Ronald Tubid. Once, the Rain Man drilled a trey with Tubid’s outstretched arms crowding his shooting hand. After the shot, poor Tubid had the “what-the-fuck?” look. My question, though: Where was this hot-shooting Ritualo when Team Philippines needed it most last July at the Fiba-Asia qualifiers?

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Nelbert Omolon dropped 40 on Air 21 yesterday. It’s either one of two things: Omolon is a better scorer than what he is being given credit for or Air 21’s defense is just simply that atrocious. I think it’s the latter. Other than Wynne “The Snatcher” Arboleda, who plays less than 25 minutes a game because he is perpetually in foul trouble, and Arwind Santos, who is more of a help-side shot blocker, there is no one on that team that can play defense. Unless Homer Se’s nonstop banging and bumping can be considered as defense.

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So the Philippine boxing team will fight in the Olympic qualifiers in Thailand after all. This after the AIBA interceded and convinced the Thai boxing council to let the Filipino boxers fight. Good luck to the six Pinoys who will battle for their Olympic dreams in hostile turf. They are kindred souls fighting an already lost war. Those six valiant warriors will be at the mercy of the Thais, and they will not be gracious hosts.

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The Roy Jones-Felix Trinidad fight is just five days away. Who cares? This is nothing but a fight between two washed up fighters. Jones, 38, has lost three of his last five fights (two via devastating knockouts), and his two wins were against nondescript sacrificial lambs. Trinidad, on the other hand, was last seen eating Winky Wright’s stiff right jabs for 12 rounds. Eight years ago, this fight would have been a fight for the ages; now, it’s just another fight of the aged.

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What’s hard is that I’m a Roy Jones fan. No, I’m not quite the fan that I was 10 years ago, but there remains a part of me that wants to see Roy succeed again. I want him to blast Trinidad, and then put on one final vintage Roy Jones performance against a ranked, top-of-the-line opponent like Joe Calzaghe, Bernard Hopkins, or Chad Dawson. Then, I want him to ride of into the proverbial sunset. Then again, not all I want ever happens.