While hockey players around the world may enjoy their "two front teeth," and grandmothers would like to avoid reindeers while walking home on Christmas Eve, those wishes don't touch my Top Five Sports Christmas List this holiday season:
5. Oakland Raiders' owner Al Davis needs to realize he is doing more hurt than help by not hiring a general manager. They haven't had a winning season since 2003 and are simply dysfunctional, with Hall of Fame coaches failing, other coaches throwing punches and their first-round picks of quarterback JaMarcus Russell and wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey living up to the status of "busts."
My wish: That the Raiders receive a true general manager, rather than a micromanaging owner, so that they can make a return to NFL contention.
4. Minnesota Twins' catcher Joe Mauer is entering his contract year, 2010, and has yet to sign an extension. Mauer has been a long time Minnesotan, and imagining another player behind the plate for the Twins is hard to do. Still, the possibility of this being Mauer's final years in a Twins uniform must be addressed.
The catcher has hit .327 for a lifetime batting average, recently won the MVP award and won his third batting title this year. Even without mentioning his two Gold Gloves and three All-Star appearances, Mauer appears to be deserving of a salary that could shrink the expected payroll amount drastically if he were to resign.
My wish: General manager Bill Smith should do the right thing by signing Mauer to an extension that will last the Twins beyond the first three years in Target Field. The most painful experience a Twins fan could have would be to witness Mauer, the left-handed slugger, in a Red Sox or Yankees uniform.
3. Notre Dame has deserved every bit of the hardships that have hit South Bend. They have yet to give a coach adequate time to develop a program that fits his style. Ty Willingham was given three years, and he was fired before his first recruits hit their senior seasons.
Remember Charlie Weis' first year when Brady Quinn carried the team to the 2007 Sugar Bowl? Any guess of who was a recruit of Willingham? That's right, Quinn.
If athletic director Jack Swarbrick had any patience for the coach, Willingham may still be coaching the Blue and Gold. And as for Weis, despite his hardships over five years, he had one year left of the contract and should have been given one more chance. The Irish were extremely close in a number of games.
My Wish: I am tempted to wish for the continued struggles of an athletic director who's hiring and firing habits have brought the Fighting Irish into submission, but in the holiday spirit, I'll wish for more patience regarding the next coach to accept the job as head coach at Notre Dame. It takes four to five years for a freshman recruit to reach their senior season and to expect a coach to win with another coach's players is unreasonable.
2. Duke University's one loss to Wisconsin came as a shock to me, but I guess it shouldn't, being as the Blue Devil's have become a team that relies on their outside game, rather than following the tried and trodden trail of establishing their dominance with a big man inside. At some point in the season, multiple points actually, shooters go cold.
If a team is to win the NCAA tournament in March, they must become a multi-faceted team through the season.
My Wish: Coach Krzyzewski (bonus points for any person who can correctly pronounce his name) is a coaching genius, and I have a hard time criticizing any decision he makes, so I will choose to wish for the quick development of brothers Mason and Miles Plumlee, and a sudden coming-of-age for center Brian Zoubek, who in his senior year has yet to establish himself as an inside presence.
As a gift idea, Kryzewski's book Beyond Basketball: Coach K's key words for Success is a great read for any person, sports fan or not.
1. In the holiday season, all too often time is spent worried about the presents, Christmas cookies, Gingerbread houses and the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. While it may seem cheesy, my wish this season is for readers to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas. After all, Charlie Brown may be perhaps the greatest football fan ever, with his never-ending persistence to kick a football. His simple question throughout the movie is one that we as people often struggle with ourselves: "Can anyone tell me what Christmas is all about?"
Linus comes to his rescue and recites the Christmas story. So, Christian or not, take a moment with your family this holiday season to watch a holiday classic, and never forget the true meaning of Christmas.
My Wish: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill to all." Luke 2:14
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