INQUIRER Sports

THERE WAS A FEARSOME PICTURE in the papers last week of a burly PBA guard barging angrily through the special ringside section of the Araneta Coliseum.

The battle-scarred veteran, identified as Wynne Arboleda, was ablaze like a battle tank.

The son-in-law of the Burger King majority owner Bert Lina, Arboleda also has the reputation of a rugged on-court enforcer.

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With his wild looks, not even a fire truck could’ve stopped Arboleda in his tracks.

There was murder in his eyes.

True enough, Arboleda went on to maul a noisy PBA fan that had allegedly been badmouthing him.

The ringside incident was said to be an offshoot of a flagrant foul Arboleda had committed on Mac Baracael of the Smart Gilas national developmental squad.

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The morning after the report on the mauling came out, Arboleda and his team issued a public apology.

They also apologized to the victim, Alain Katigbac, who was reportedly planning to file charges.

For the record, it was the third incident in a year involving a PBA player who went after a spectator.

PBA commissioner Sonny Barrios was still locked in an emergency meeting at press time to tackle the issue.

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There’s a clamor for Barrios to put his foot down and mete out severe penalties.

Of course, several questions were again asked even before PBA authorities could sit down.

Should there be a legal limit to the slur a spectator can hurl on a certain player?

There’s also a suggestion for the league to issue rules on protocol.

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Shouldn’t the PBA post security experts around to determine when a crucial situation is about to go out of hand.

If not, shouldn’t spectators who couldn’t control their ire or keep their mouth shut be provided with armor?

It may not be easy to determine when an abused player will finally burst violently like an over-filled dam.

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Of course, a ticket stub can never pass off as license to smear and curse a player.

But, so far, it has been a one-sided affair with spectators, who definitely need protection, on the receiving end.

There’s of late an urgent call for effective policing of the immediate sections during games.

Barrios, in the league’s inquiry, should zero in on ringside security people who were obviously sleeping on the job when Arboleda started to run berserk.

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Based on the timing and result of the ringside incident, Arboleda could’ve been effectively prevented from hurting the victim.

There was ample time to hold back the attacker after he started charging in.

OK, the PBA can always claim that, security-wise, they always have what amounts to a fire truck on stand by.

Unfortunately, this fire truck was visibly crippled and useless.

The PBA needs instant repairs.