row row row your boat

How does one distinguish between hopelessly sticking to plain pride without substance and a reasonable belief that one, despite the odds stacked against him, can still hack it? The Basketball Coaches Assocation of the Philippines or BCAP is finding itself once more occupying some premium space in the dailies as it tries to stamp its authority ,which they perceive to have been bypassed by a select few personalities in the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas(SBP) notably by Noli Eala the former PBA commish, over the hiring of Serbian Rajo Toroman, the former Iran basketball coach who is now tasked to preside over RP's international basketball program in the capacity of project coordinator. BCAP has always maintained its firm stance that the basketball coaching job in the country is primarily reserved for Filipinos and no foreign national may supersede the Pinoys unless he can come up with a plausible program which no other Pinoy coach can offer. This criterion is highly subjective and it seems to have been penned to practically discourage ballclubs from acquiring the services of foreign coaches. The details of the hasty hiring of Toroman is still rather vague but this early, the statements coming from the current and former BCAP commissioners Narvasa and Yeng respectively foretells of a long and messy legal battle. While the public has yet to determine who bypassed whom or if Toroman's hiring is illegal, we are getting the impression that ultimately, BCAP will reject Toroman's appointment even before he gets the chance to strut his wares. BCAP argues that SBP pulled a fast one on them when Toroman was inked for a contract even as they were still reviewing and waiting for some pertinent documents to be submitted before they could come up with their final assessment as to the validity of acquiring the Serbian's services. Take the case of Yeng who took to publicity when he said he'd gladly carry Toroman's bags if the former has up his sleeve a method by which six footers can beat seven footers. Allowed some more time to pontificate, Yeng then conveniently followed with an equally antagonistic comment by saying that RP doesnt need a Serbian coach rather, a Serbian seven footer. A clever play of words which was obviously made in reference to Toroman's hiring. While Yeng's arguments may be valid, it sure reeks of bad taste especially with that infamous carry his bags remark. Poor choice of words and a combative stance surely wouldn't bid well on their part as a group. Narvasa was similarly tactless when he reminded the public of their 100% batting rate when they take their case against foreign coaches to the legal court. His words are one of threatening. Why the defensive approach? Granted that they may have been sidestepped by Noli Eala when SBP inked Toroman, going ballistic on the newspapers especially at a time when the recent RP team debacle still is fresh on the minds of the Pinoys is certainly a turn on the wrong direction. Bcap's argument that hiring a foreign coach is tantamount to saying Pinoys are incapable and that this is as much an emotional issue as it is a legal issue is an invitation to the public's animosity. Pinoy basketball fans are a loyal lot. Despite RP's track record of failure in the international scene, there still is a glimmer of hope that someday we will be able to capture the glory days of basketball. The success of yesteryears is reason enough for the Pinoy to root for basketball glory however bleak the present is. But Pinoy