Things I’d like to see in 2007.
– Peyton Manning winning at least one big game. The Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback has gotten a bad rap as not being able to win the big one. Perhaps that was the case when he was a young, developing QB. Now, he doesn’t have the defense behind him for the Colts to make a run at the Super Bowl. It’s not Peyton’s fault. Still, if Indy can beat just one good team.
– Jeff Garcia leading the Eagles to the NFC Championship Game. I’m not sure Philadelphia has what it takes to get past Chicago. But the Eagles, if they get past Atlanta on Sunday, will be positioned to do what they did when Donovan McNabb took them to the NFC title game for four straight seasons. And then it will be interesting to see whether Garcia ends up back in Philadelphia or where he continues his career.
– A change of heart for Team Guerrero. Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero and his management team have been conspicuously tight-lipped about the IBF featherweight title bout against Spend Abazi set for Denmark in early 2007. My question is why would his team even consider fighting Abazi in Denmark? After all, Abazi has fought just once out of Denmark and never out of Europe, and his manager is the fight promoter. Talk about a stacked deck.
– Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony together at last. It would have happened already except for Anthony pulling his Muhammad Ali impression last week – stick and move or shall we say hit and run. Don’t expect the two to be successful at the start, but the bet here is that A.I. remains a creative force while allowing ‘Melo to do his thing.
– An NBA playoff series between Phoenix and San Antonio. The individual matchups, e.g. Nash-Parker and Duncan-Stoudamire, aren’t the only compelling subplots here. No team plays offense like the run-and-gun Suns, and no team plays defense like the fundamentally sound Spurs. Contrasting styles can be fun to watch.
– We finally learn the truth about steroids in baseball, which has been the dirty little secret that Bud Selig and Donald Fehr either knew about or closed their eyes to, and hid from the public. It will be interesting to see what team is willing to fork over millions for Sammy Sosa and how he fares without any “help.”
– More of Tiger Woods and less of Michelle Wie. More of Lorena Ochoa and less of John Daly. Being a golfer myself, I marvel at the athleticism of Woods and am appalled at the talent Daly squanders. Ochoa showed that Mexico has more to offer the sports world than soccer and boxing, whereas Wie showed that she is nothing but a cash register.
– More George Masons, Wichita States and Bucknells strutting their stuff during March Madness, the absolute best time of the year for college sports. Is there anything more fun and challenging than trying to break down the brackets?
– And finally, there’s one I hope for every year – parents allowing their children to enjoy amateur athletics without living vicariously through them and trying to get too involved with their school teams. The kids don’t need the added pressure.
Happy New Year!
