Brian: Remember Me? Happy New Year!

In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, isn't it amazing how little time we end up having for simple pleasures...like blogging? 2010 got a little crazy, and at times quite stressful for me personally, but hopefully 2011 will offer a few more opportunities for some of us to speak our minds so that you're all not left thinking: "Whoa, there must REALLY be a lot of room in there....."

As for the sports of 2010, one thing that happened toward the end of the year might be one of the most noteworthy of the entire year, as the Connecticut Womens Basketball team's amazing streak of 90 straight wins came to an end. It took a very good, and highly ranked Stanford team (playing on their home court) to end the streak, so the game may very well have had all the makings going into it. But as I watched the final couple of minutes of that game, and the reality of the significance of the game started to sink in, I couldn't help but think about what it takes for a team to put together a long run like that. Obviously, there have been a lot of great players involved, but more than that, think of all the different personalities involved, not only among the players, but also including a coach who, let's be honest, doesn't seem for even a moment to be the nicest guy in the world.

Let us not lose sight of the reality of what can happen, though, when a group of players and personalities buy into the system that they have chosen, or have been chosen, to be a part of. There are no personal or individual goals, no hidden agendas, no ulterior motives, aside from the goals that are set by the team, for the team. If we were to correlate the UCONN women's success into South Dakota high school sports, the obvious examples might be the 100-win streaks of the Wakonda and SF Roosevelt girls teams of the past 10-20 years. Or, for more current programs, maybe the Madison gymnastics or the Sturgis wrestling teams would be equally good examples. In the NFL, as much as I hate to admit, the New England Patriots are probably the best example - a team that has finished the regular season 14-2 with a bunch of youngsters and no-names, albeit led by a star quarterback having a banner year and a coach who, let's be honest, doesn't seem for even a moment to be the nicest guy in the world.

Of course, for all the examples of the way things ought to be, there are also examples of the opposite. Maybe Vikings or Cowboys fans know where I'm going with this. Or, perhaps the best current example....how do you Laker fans feel about your team after they were embarrassed again on Sunday night -- by the Grizzlies!?!? These teams in their struggles have been plagued by individuals who, at times, seem to think that they themselves are bigger than the team. Suffice it to say, unfortunately, there have always been, and will always be, examples of these types of teams (if that's what you would call them) in South Dakota high school sports as well. I won't take this any further, but if you know of any teams like that, who are capable of more, but not proving it in the young season so far, the New Year always offers a great opportunity to start over, in a sense, and try to right the ship, as things start to get going in earnest this coming week.

On a personal horn-tooting note, I was lucky enough to bowl my 8th career 300 game Sunday night, so I guess that qualifies as a good start to the new year. This feat is a little unique, though, as 2011 has also gotten off to a bit of a "crappy" start for me, if you know what I mean. :o) Let's just say, sometimes it's amazing how not feeling very well keeps a bowler a little slower and more under control in his or her delivery. Or maybe it was just my lucky Troy Polamalu shirt, I don't know.

Anyway, Happy New Year everyone. Let's try to stay healthy and buy into the system to make it great year, okay? Cheers........