THERE IS NO "I" IN TEAM or THE MOST COMMON WORDS SAID RIGHT BEFORE YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ON YOUR OWN

Current mood: amused

Have you ever notice that the moment before you get something dumped on you, you get one of these phrases barked (or cooed, depending on who’s saying it)at you.

"There is no ’I’ in team"..."take one for the team"..."it’s all about teamwork"..."the team is right behind you"..."the team depends on you" or something similar to one of these phrases.

I find it hard to believe that I am doing anything with a team. If it is/was a team effort why am "I" all of a sudden responsible for the team? Where is the rest of the team? Why should "I" take one for the team, because there is ’no "I" in team!’ But there is a "me" in team, along with meat and tame.

I sit here reflecting on that little word. I know it probably derives from ancient text that I should probably research, if I really cared that much to learn the etymology of the word, but I don’t want to. But if you’re just as lazy as me, we’ll all just accept that the fact that the word "team" has a rich and beautiful history.

Back to my tirade, I realize "team" is the perfect word for patsy, sucker and weak-willed. It’s a word perfectly designed to play on the fear of being an individual and alone.

Would you care for some proof?

OK, these are just observations that I have made over the years.

First of all...when I was in soccer (back then I was bamboozled into thinking I had to be a part of a team...... but I’m much better now) when the team was running the "end of practice" laps, the stars of the team made sure they were far out front and out pacing us insecure sheep.

When the running was done, the coach was there to tell us wheezing and gasping fodder, err i mean athletes, that we were weak and not supporting the team (but had anyone seen this particular display, five individuals were standing there smug, while the rest of the "team" was berated).

The coach than made this inspirational statement, which sparked the thought that became an idea that a few years later became this little space on the web.

"I need to see hustle the few can’t carry the team, THERE IS NO "I" IN TEAM!!

Thats also when a smart-ass individual that would eventually evolve into the man typing on this particular keyboard, started to rear his ugly face. I was always accused of speaking before thinking. This would be one of those moments. I raised my hand and said "But coach there is a ’me’ in team and without the ’me’ there is no team."

20 laps later I realized that maybe, just maybe, I’m not a "team" player. I eventually walked away from the game of soccer.

My story doesn’t end there, though. A few years after that incident, I was working at Arby’s, (the following scene would continue at every place of employment), and I was asked to cover a shift because someone called in sick. Normally, I would have said ’yes,’ but this is one of those times that I had actually made some after work plans.

So I said "sorry I can’t".

The statement that followed was simple and to the point. "You know Jose’ we are a team here and as a team we do have to cover for each other".

Thats also when a smart-ass individual that was still evolving into the man typing on this particular keyboard, started to rear his ugly face. I was always accused of speaking before thinking. This would be one of those moments. I raised my hand and said "But Randy, you do know that there is a ’me’ in team and without the ’me’ there is no team."

Three days later, after my suspension for insubordination, I was back at work, albeit with a chip on my shoulder. I would eventually be promoted TEAM leader (which is a nice way of saying Assistant Managers Bitch). In true Jose fashion, after I received the little plastic name tag with my name engraved into it, I looked at Randy and said "Randy, you do know that there is a ’me’ in team and without the ’me’ there is no team."

That story still makes me chuckle.

As I bring this to an end, no, I am not a team player. Not being a team player means I take both credit and blame for all that "I" do. There may be no "I" in team, but there is an "I" in individual, intelligent and integrity. So stay true and be true to yourself.

Currently listening: Pure Guava By Ween Release date: 10 November, 1992