Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
January 5, 2001, Washington Post

Spare the Rod, Spoil the Team

Kids can learn a lot from professional athletes. Some good lessons. Some bad.

Take Rod Strickland.

Strickland is the starting point guard for the Washington Wizards. For his efforts he is paid 10 million dollars a year -- that is $121,951.22 for every regular season game. But all that money does not ensure Rod Strickland's best efforts. If you don't believe me, take a look at what he has done with the Wizards.

First off, Strickland comes late to practices. Sometimes he doesn't show up at all. The Wizards suspended him recently after he missed a team practice.

When he does show up, Strickland doesn't practice very hard. He practices like he is walking in his sleep.

Strickland even sleep-walks through games. Just watch him some time. He acts like he is too cool to care whether the Wizards win or lose.

Being late and not caring are not cool with Strickland's teammates. A couple of years ago, Strickland got in a fistfight with teammate Tracy Murray. And Strickland is always feuding and fussing with his coaches.

So what can kids learn from this guy? They can learn how to be a good teammate. That's right, how to be a good teammate.

It's simple. Just do the exact opposite of what Rod Strickland does.

You see, a good teammate shows up on time. For practices. For games. For anything the team does. Because a good teammate follows the team's rules, not his own.

But a good teammate does more than just show up. A good teammate plays hard and hustles, especially in practices, because he or she knows that players who play hard in practices will play hard in games.

And no way a good teammate would ever get in a fight with another player. A good teammate is throwing passes to teammates, not throwing punches at them.

Finally, a good teammate accepts the coach's decisions. Even the ones he does not like. Because a good teammate is always thinking about what is good for the team, not just himself.

So there you go. It isn't that tough. Just show up on time. Play hard. Get along with your teammates and your coaches. And you will be a good teammate.

And you won't be Rod Strickland.

FRED BOWEN is the author of sports novels for kids. Write to him at KidsPost,
1150 15th St. NW, Washington, DC 20071. Or e-mail (with "The Score" in the
subject field): kidspost@washpost.com.

© 2001 The Washington Post Company