Jeremy Dubert: Forming bonds on and off the court

The Daily Pennsylvanian was not something I found by accident.

When I sent in my forms to apply early decision to Penn in fall 1998, being in the Annenberg School was reason No. 1, but writing for the DP was a close runner-up.

For all that was unscripted in that uncertain time between high school and college, these were two things I had planned on doing here, and they worked out even better than I could have hoped.

There was also no question in my mind that I wanted to be a sports writer.

If my baseball career was going to stall post-high school, I at least wanted to involve myself in Penn's athletic scene as much as possible in some capacity.

And I already had plenty of experience in the sportswriting domain.

I had oversight authority of the features and sports pages of my high school newspaper as managing editor, and I decided to write a story on professional sports in each issue.

I still think that some of my finest journalistic work came in that time, when I vividly remember recapping the Broncos' victory over the Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII as well as my tribute to Joe DiMaggio, following his death on March 8, 1999.

But what lacked on that staff was the sense of unity I found that next fall at the DP. It was at that point that I learned I had become a part of one team, while I covered a series of others.

I slowly worked my way up the ladder at the DP, beginning with my appointment to the women's golf beat.

I wasn't exactly the envy of my fellow writers at this stage, but it turned out to be an ideal assignment for me. The team was in its first year of varsity status and thus, receiving regular press from the DP for the first time.

Consequently, the players and coach were always thrilled to speak with me and easily forgave my naivete when they began speaking of the mechanics of a proper golf swing.

Because of this positive relationship between the team and the DP, I proceeded with much eagerness to other beats, including men's track -- for which I reported on the Penn Relays -- and women's soccer.

Yet, my defining -- and my most enjoyable -- moments here came in the winter of 2000-2001, as I chronicled the women's basketball team's road to glory.

I covered the team intermittently in the fall semester, rotating assignments with then soon-to-be-editor Dave Zeitlin, but really got involved when I traveled with the team to Yale and Brown.

When coach Kelly Greenberg and the team saw me at the church-like arena in New Haven by myself (even without a photographer), they instantly respected not only the work I was doing but also my commitment to them and the DP.

From that point on, I had a terrific relationship with everyone on that team, especially Greenberg.

She allowed me to return to Philadelphia from Providence on the team bus. Greenberg and assistant coach Joe McGeever even gave me meal money when the team pulled over for dinner at a Rhode Island rest stop and refused to let me pay them back.

Two weeks later, the team practically insisted that I attend their games at Dartmouth and Harvard because it was only two wins away from its first-ever Ivy League championship.

Greenberg personally invited me, again, to ride the team bus and stay at the hotel as an enticement for me to come along -- despite the fact that the Athletic Communications office was lukewarm about the idea and the DP's former sports editors stood in direct opposition to it.

Jesse Spector and I ended up driving up to New England that weekend, but the message was clear.

By that point, I was something of a good luck charm -- the team was in the midst of a 21-game winning streak. But it also appreciated the level of my devotion.

I traveled a lot more in the following two years, and that's when DPOSTM writers were really afforded the chance to feel like a team of their own.

In total, I covered 12 Penn road games and saw three others from the stands with DP writers and alumni.

Dave and I have been on a couple of these trips, the most notable being the one to Lubbock, Texas, to cover the women's basketball team's NCAA Tournament game at Texas Tech.

And I was fortunate to be at so many games with the third senior of our graduating triumvirate, Kyle Bender.

Kyle has been one of my closest friends for several years now, but there is no question that our friendship was even further strengthened by our experiences together at the DP.

In my tenure here, I have enjoyed the company of countless other editors and writers, past and present.

Much of our fun together lies in that we attend so many games in the sports we love.

But at least an equal amount comes from the fact that we at the DP, especially those on DPOSTM, are our own team.

And nothing short of being the starting second baseman on the Penn baseball team could have filled that vacancy coming out of high school the way this did.

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