Teamwork! Teamwork! Teamwork!

Whee! A.D. 2009 ended with a marvelous example of teamwork. And then 2010 took off where Ought Nine ended!

On Wednesday evening the 30th -- New Years Eve Eve??? -- I sat glued to the tube, in this case the community TV at Mercury Courts. I'm hardly ever even casually watching the "idiot box", but give me a broadcast of a sports contest involving a team dear to yours truly and I'll not just casually watch but get as fixated as if I were at the game in person!

And so it happened with ESPN's carry of the 2009 Humanitarian Bowl, from the city of my raising, Boise. My alma mater (undergrad), Idaho, was in this bowl for the second time. The first time was also the only H-Bowl I can tell you anything about -- and yes, the Idaho Vandals won that one, their first ever bowl appearance!

And what a game this '09 H-Bowl became, there on the "Smurf turf" of Bronco Stadium! The Vandals and the Falcons of Bowling Green State (in Ohio) traded leads, tied four times and piled up the points. When BGSU scored a TD with about half a minute left, to go ahead 42-35, I figured that once again the Vandals had snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

But I kept watching anyway. Alumnus loyalty for all my alma maters (high school to grad school) runs deep in my soul, and my blood was running silver and gold this day. Idaho too the kickoff and moved quickly down field with a passing attack. Got in the "red zone" and Vandal QB Ederle passed for completion in end zone. Time out. UI Coach Ron Akey called for a two-point conversion rather than a kick to send game into overtime. Receiver was almost alone by goal post. So, with four clicks left on the clock, the Vandals won 43-42!

Sunday morning I experienced another type teamwork. A spiritual teamwork. I attended Sunday School and Worship at my church, Eastwood Christian (Disciples). Part of the teamwork was just after Worship, when we removed and stored all the advent-Christmas decorations. Another part was when Bob Frech offered me a ticket to the Vanderbilt University women's basketball game in Memorial Gym that afternoon. I accepted, and had Sunday dinner with them at a cafeteria-style Mexican place on West End Avenue, across 21st Ave. from the corner of Vandy campus.

Then on to Memorial Gym. The Black & Gold women scored first, then Mississippi state scored a three-pointer to lead 3-2. It was their only lead of the game, with Vandy taking control right away. I was amazed at all the assists and other displays of teamwork! The Black & Gold gals led 47-33 at the half, and ended the game victors by a score of 86-72.

But again, dear reader, I was most impressed with the teamwork I witnessed. This I suppose is most evident in that VU had 24 assists. Go, Gold!