"THERE IS NO 'I' IN TEAM"

Life is a series of collaborations. A network of people coming together to reach a common goal. It's a lesson we learn in peewee sports. Work together, share the responsibility, and the burden. Support your partners, teammates and colleagues.You share successes and failures. It is a lesson that my son is learning young.

My son is 7 and is very astute. He has this ability to analyze a situation, and accurately discern right from wrong. He recently started playing on a basketball team. He comes home from practice pumped. He goes on and on about drills they have run, exercises he was taught, and the game in general. On Saturday he came home excited because he was recognized for a few excellent defensive plays. 

He tells me all about how much he likes his coach, and teammates because they play fair, and make sure that everyone, including my 4 year old, gets a fair chance to play. It makes him very happy to be able to go to practice and not be judged or laughed at for not being as good as the others. They actually take the time to help him learn certain plays, and other aspects of the game. It's good for him. He is learning the importance of working as a team. Learning that the rise and fall of a team does not rely on one person, but the team as a unit. 

My son also loves baseball. He loves the idea of the guys on a team being a fraternity. He sees them working together on the field, working towards a championship, and he is inspired. He doesn't only want to be good at sports, he wants to be an excellent teammate. I like that in my son. It makes me proud. He roots for his teammates on days he has to sit on the bench. When they succeed, he celebrates with them. When they don't, he offers words of encouragement.

He overheard my husband and I speaking about the entire Robinson Cano situation. There was a story going around that Cano chose to leave in part because he didn't want to play for Joe Girardi. I don't know how factual that information is, but it made me angry to think about it, so I was venting. My husband and I are in agreement. If that bit of information is true, he ruined his reputation, and gave up his legacy over pettiness. What exactly is waiting for him in Seattle? If it is sports accolades he is after, he was better off right here in New York. Without being entirely critical of that team, he'll easily become the face of that franchise, because he is the only player that is a legitimate threat. 

In the middle of my husband and I going back and forth in our tirade, my little one spoke up.  

"You don't have to like your coach," he said. "You just have to respect him. That's being a team player. He doesn't have to be in New York if he won't be a team player. There is no 'I' in team." 

And just like that, a 7 year old has summed up this entire thing better than anyone else. Cano, in his actions, was not being a team player. You don't win championships with one player. There is a lot that I don't think we know yet about this, but it looks like the decision to move to Seattle was motivated by greed, and an inflated ego. The idea that he was more important than the group unit. He was not a team player.

"There is no 'I' in team."

--Erica Morales BYB Senior Writer
Twitter: @e_morales1804

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