Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
March 23, 2001, Washington Post

The Team Rises to the Top

Lots to talk about this week. A bunch of sports stories have got me thinking about teams, teammates and the importance of teamwork.

• Albert Belle. The Baltimore Orioles slugger didn't make it through spring training this year. He had to quit baseball because of a bad hip. Experts noted that the Orioles would miss Belle's home runs. But what I noticed is that few players said they would miss Albert Belle. That's because Belle was a real grouch of a teammate.

Now compare what happened to Belle with what happened a few years ago to Minnesota Twins center fielder Kirby Puckett. For 12 seasons, Puckett was the Twins' leading hitter and their leader in the dugout. Puckett had to retire suddenly too. He had a bad eye. But the Twins wanted Puckett to stay around so much that they gave him a job with the team.

The lesson is clear: There is more to being on a team than hitting home runs. If you are a teammate like Kirby Puckett who brings joy, enthusiasm and love of the game to your team, then maybe your team will still need you even if you can't hit home runs.

• Chris Whitney. Speaking of being a good teammate . . . The Washington Wizards point guard has been a first-class teammate all year. A backup at the start of the season, Whitney never complained when he didn't play, and he played plenty hard when he finally got his chance. Whitney even played long stretches with two bad ankles, just to try to help his hapless team.

Whitney is too hurt to play now, but sometimes even in the worst seasons, teams find the players they should keep for the good seasons. Chris Whitney is a player the Wizards should keep.

• Magruder High School. Hooray for the Magruder boys basketball team. The Fighting Colonels in Rockville didn't just have a good season, they had a perfect season. Undefeated Maryland state champs. 27-0.

I saw Magruder play and it was a very special team. No superstars. No players over 6 feet 2. But every player handled the ball, hustled and played hard-nosed defense. In other words, Magruder won 27 games the way they should be won: through teamwork.

• Indoor Soccer. A couple of weeks ago on a rainy Saturday, I dropped by a kids' indoor soccer tournament. I had never seen indoor soccer. Wow, what a game! Now I know why kids love it. It's fast-paced and action-packed. I saw a team of under-14 girls hold on to the lead in a heart-thumping 6-4 match.

Unlike regular soccer -- where it seems whole seasons go by without a shot on net -- indoor soccer has plenty of goals and scoring chances. And (just like regular soccer) lots of teamwork.

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