There's 'a part' and 'apart'

In my Oxford American Dictionary under the adjective class, the example given is “a class player,” and the synonyms listed include decent, gracious, respectable, noble.

All of which can be used to describe U.S. soccer star Abby Wambach in her reaction to having her 2008 Olympic dream suddenly end.

In the Americans’ final tune-up before Beijing, Wambach collided with a Brazilian player, breaking two bones in her left leg. As she is facing a 10-month recovery, her Games are over before they began.

Yet though her leg is broken, her connection to her teammates is not, a fact she made quite clear in a recent interview.

“Yes, I know I’m a very important player for the team,” Wambach was quoted in the Los Angeles Times. “But (the injury) made me realize even more how insignificant one player is in a team environment. It really does take a team to win championships.”

Instead of sulking, Wambach has reached out to encourage Natasha Kai, Lauren Cheney and Amy Rodriguez — the three players who will try to replace her. “So many more people are getting involved. And I’m excited to see how it all turns out,” she said.

But what about her loss?

“I don’t feel sorry for myself. I’m not going to cry victim,” she said. “I’m a moving part on this team. I do not encapsulate the whole. I am a part.”

In my dictionary under the adjective selfish, the example given is “he is just selfish by nature,” and the synonyms listed include egotistical, self-absorbed, inconsiderate, uncaring.

All of which could be used to describe tight end Jeremy Shockey in his reaction to the injury that ended his 2007 season.

Last December, when the Giants’ tight end fractured his left fibula, he went into a funk, which only got worse as the team got hot.

The sulk deepened as the Giants rolled through the playoffs, eventually shocking the then-perfect New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.

All the Giants did was win and win and win, but instead of being happy for his teammates, Shockey’s main thought seemed to be, “How dare they win without me?”
Shockey sustained the sulk not only through the Super Bowl (which he watched from a luxury box), not only through the post-game celebration (which he avoided), not only through the victory parade (which he boycotted), but through the team’s recent minicamp (during which he remained in the locker room).

Despite Shockey’s obvious talent, the Giants traded him to New Orleans for a pair of draft picks — just to him out of their locker room.

Back to the dictionary.

The antonym for selfish is altruistic. I suggest Abby Wambach will do just as well.
As for Shockey, to truly capture his nature, I suggest a switch to a Yiddish dictionary and a word that might not be appropriate for a family newspaper.

It rhymes with mutts.

Contact Jim Gordon at gjames43@msn.com.