It may be better to give than to receive, but what we get, we sure appreciate receiving

Only hours after the Great Elf's arrival, and my house looks like a new-age rock concert venue - lots of clutter, the makings of a headache and I can't make sense out of any of it.

But I regain my perspective a bit at my work desk.

That's because for all that is given over the holidays, here at the Appeal-Democrat, the sports staff and I certainly appreciate all we receive.

That starts with the coaches and athletics directors.

As we explain to many callers throughout the year - some who have colorful, well-annunciated Navy-educated vocabularies - we cannot cover every single event, especially given that we have 16 high schools in our readership area and three full-time staff members.

So, we rely on the coaches to call us with results, and with only a few exceptions, they accomodate us without complaint.

OK, so there are a few complaints, some even write letters to the editor, and “Santa” notes each and every one.

Over the course of a season, and as those seasons pile up, we become fairly close with many of these men and women. We certainly respect what they do.

There are times when we are standing on the sidelines or sitting up in the bleachers when we don't understand why they do it, but it's an unwritten rule that coaches cannot plead insanity for their fates.

That's another thing we have in common.

Nonetheless, when members of that sporting family are hurting, we feel for them, and similarly, we cheer when the good guys win.

Right now, two of our coaching friends are a bit down.

MaryAnn Harrison, a local legend in the coaching community and one of the truly fine individuals you will ever want to meet, is working to get back to full health. We send all our thoughts and prayers down Wheatland way.

Similarly, Lindhurst High wrestlng coach Jason Ramos recently spent some time in the hospital, and we join his family, friends and his Blazers' team in wishing him a fast and full recovery.

Then there is Thea Bordsen-Post.

Talk about a bitter-sweet moment for us writer-types.

I was away from the office when the news broke that after 20 years of coaching the Yuba College volleyball team, she is retiring.

As a staff, it is a hard blow. She has been a good friend to the Appeal-Democrat. In a very real sense, just as she has mentored many of the area's high school coaches, she has taught many of us about the game of volleyball, too.

That's was no easy task with all the mostly thick-skulled male staffers who have come and gone in her tenure at Yuba.

Through various conversations, I knew she was thinking about retirement, but deep down, I kind of hoped she might stick around long enough to hand the job over to her daughter just as her mother had to her.

It's a family thing, you know.

Still, it's hard not to be happy for Thea and her family. Except one thing, she never did tell me about her trip to Europe.

I guess, Santa will forgive that one.

Appeal-Democrat sports editor Todd R. Hansen can be reached at 749-4715. You may e-mail him at thansen@appeal-democrat.com.