Blu Boys send ace hurler vs Iran

Saying it wanted to begin its campaign with a flourish, the Philippine coaching staff has decided to field no less than its No. 1 pitcher when the Blu Boys play Iran this Saturday at the start of the seventh Asian softball championship at the Rizal Stadium.

Veteran Roger Rojas, the team’s top hurler in its five-man rotation, will start for the Blu Boys and is highly expected to come out a winner against the Iranians, whom they meet at 2 p.m. in one of four games taking the wraps off the five-day, eight-nation Asian qualifying for the 2004 world championship.

"He can easily handle the Iranians. Siya ang pupukol kasi gusto naming maganda ang start natin," said head coach Reynaldo Manzanares yesterday. "He’s a good pitcher. Possibly one of the best in Asia."

A veteran of the last world championship in South Africa, the 35-year-old Rojas is also the strongest choice to take the mound once the Blu Boys make the one-game championship possibly against defending champion Japan on Dec. 3.

Looking good and feeling great after another long workout yesterday, Rojas, a native of Zamboanga City, said he really like to pitch against the Japanese to avenge a loss the last time the Blu Boys and the Japanese met in 1998.

In the 1998 Asian finals before a big crowd at the Rizal stadium, Rojas was pitching magnificently until he issued a two-run homer with two outs in the fifth inning in a 1-2 RP defeat at the hands of the Japanese.

"Gusto kong makabawi sa kanila. Sana palarin tayo," said Rojas, a 5-foot-10, 190-pound hurler who won one and lost one in two appearances in the 2000 world tournament.

With a spot in the world championship in Christchurch,

New Zealand practically in the bag, the Filipinos have worked extra hard to win the Asian eliminations as overwhelmingly as possible to earn the respect of powerhouse nations like reigning titlist New Zealand and the United States when they play in the world tournament.

Three slots for the world meet are at stake in the Asian qualifying.

Three other games complete the opening program of the tournament organized by the Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines headed by Manila Congressman Harry C. Angping and sponsored by Toyota, Department of Tourism, PLDT, San Miguel Corp., Asia

Brewery, Philippine Sposrts Commission, Philippine Tobacco Institute and Cemex.

It will be Japan against Thailand at 4 p.m. in the lower half of the afternoon doubleheader, India against Chinese-Taipei at 9 a.m. and Indonesia against Hong Kong at 11 a.m.

A simple opening ceremony starting at 1 p.m. takes place before the Blu Boys and the Iranians take to the field starting at 2 o’clock.

Three other members of the present team-outfielders Joel Binarao, Joselito Binarao and Orlando Binarao-also saw action for the Blu Boys in the last world meet where the Philippines finished ninth in a field of 16.