While people are spending time figuring out what they want for Christmas or what others want, I figured I'd go a step further and list out some of the things that would make everyone happy for the holidays:
- The Penguins: put Sykora with Sid and Staal with Malkin and let them go. This team needs to score goals to win and right now they aren't doing that. Goaltending is a legit concern but has been solid so far and isn't why this team is struggling. Get the plodding Georges Laraque off the wing of high flying Geno and get the first two lines to attack. Forget cycling down low as the only means to offense - go full speed and force odd man breaks like they did last year. Then we'll see Staal start to finish beautiful plays from Malkin and Sid form chemistry with someone. Third line center? Hall, Talbot when he returns, or Christensen. I don't care. It's the third line and a reason why it's not the first or second - get Sykora and mainly Staal off of it and let them do their thing.
- Oh, and someone get Michael Therrien a stopwatch so he can tell how much ice time Sid is getting. 17th among forwards in the league at only 14:55 of even strength time per game? Seriously, someone needs to work on this, the Kid is 20 and can skate til dawn.
- College football: So it's the Rose Bowl that's holding up a playoff? Who needs them? Give the Pac 10 and Big 10 champs the option of joining an 8 team playoff or going to the Rose Bowl, which is pretty much what happens now with the BCS game. Guess which they'll choose? And the Rose Bowl can be left with their game pitting the 2nd best from each conference which wouldn't be any different than the highly anticipated USC/Illinois tilt this year. Everyone else, including the two conference champs can join the playoffs. If every other bowl is ok with, this why can't the Rose Bowl figure out it's TV deal? Bet you they will if this is proposed to them. And any argument about extra games burdening players is like Scrooge telling us not to celebrate Christmas.
- Bruce Arians: the desire to run the football. At least now he admits second guessing himself about some crazy play calls that should have been runs. But why is it that offensive coordinators get so enamored of throwing the football but don't get equally excited about running it as effectively or better? Running the ball well is a more devastating tactic and has more impact on the outcome of a game (generally speaking) then being able to throw the ball. Yet for some reason offensive coordinators love to draw up gadget plays and pass routes and use them, yet ignore simply running the ball, even when you can do it well. In the Jax game, Willie Parker averaged over 7 yards per carry, yet carried only 14 times. To top it off, every pass play was fraught with the danger of the Jags right DE blowing by Marvel Smith and causing serious damage in the backfield. Yet the Steelers continued to throw the ball. Oh to have the Jags commitment to the run - what a beautiful offensive gameplan they had on Sunday - ask yourself how demoralizing it was to be on the receiving end of those runs and how nice it would be to be able to do that to others.
- TV talking heads: Get them a clue. What do they do all week? Isn't their job to analyze football and provide some insight that the average fan can't determine? Yet they continuously appear and spout generalities, stereotypes and nonsense that isn't backed by a shred of knowledge. More than a clue - I'd force them to actually watch game film with Merrill and Jaws and break down teams tendencies. Then they would stop saying things like: "the Steelers identity is running the football."
- Pitt basketball: They might already have what they've long needed: a player who can lift them on his shoulders and take them to the Final Four. Now it's still too early to know just how good DeJuan Blair will be and it remains to be seen how he handles a 7-footer, but he has the talent, charisma and drive that the Pitt program hasn't had since Charles Smith.
- The Pirates: a plan and the guts to follow the lead of the Indians, Twins and A's and stop trying to placate fans who they think need to see a mildly competitive team on the field. Blow it up and go with prospects. The city and fans will get behind a young team that gives higher payroll squads all they can handle.
- Pirate fans: an owner who will pay out money for the final pieces of the puzzle once the building blocks are in place. And not pay out money for the Matt Morrises, Derek Bells, Pat Meares and Jeromy Burnitz's of the game.
- Kevin Colbert: a manual explaining how to use the franchise tag. They've done it before with Gildon and one or two others, why not use it on Faneca for a year? Faneca gets big money - albeit only for a year and the Steelers keep his services, preventing a major talent loss and buy time to figure out how to plug the hole when he does eventually leave.
- Mike Tomlin: a home playoff game. Win two games to end the season and you'll have one, many of the criticisms you're hearing now will be muted, and you'll get to enjoy one of the truly great/wonderful events/weeks Pittsburgh can offer.
- Steeler fans: respect. Leaving the game early on Sunday was a disgrace. Act like you want to be there otherwise let someone else who will treat the game with the importance that it deserves, go in your place.
- Steeler fans: more tailgating space! In the list of joys of Pittsburgh, behind only a home playoff game is tailgating before that home playoff game! The NFL, corporate suits and greed are conspiring to take away Steeler fans ability to enjoy cold beer and meat on the grill in 15 degree weather. Sad days are these.
- One more for Steeler fans: A home playoff game in the snow!! How great was the game in Cleveland last week? And how awful was the string of AFC Championship games in the 90s that saw a procession of mild, even warm weather in mid January for the games vs the Chargers, Colts and Pats. If ever cold weather was called for and needed, these were the games!! Of course, it helps to have a player who loved the snow and thrived in it.
- Mellon Arena: one final roof-opening. It likely can't happen anymore because it lends support to all the extra seats they've added, but there were few things cooler than the World's biggest steel roof rolling open (until Skydome was built) to reveal the night sky and the top of the Steel Building. But before it's all gone and turned into a parking lot, take down the extra seats and hold a Pens practice or better yet, an open to the public skate.
- Baseball: don't forget the Mitchell Report but stop debating it already. Take it for what it is and listen to Mitchell: it shed an ugly light on a small part of baseball and it's time to move on. Don't suspend these players, everyone is culpable and many many more than were named in the report were taking them. Don't think these were the only guilty players and put asterisks next to them only. It was widespread and chasing down the "truth" of who did and who didn't will only tire everyone out. So finally begin to acknowledge what was going on, what still is going on and get to work fixing it. Forget suspensions for past events, it's more important to get better testing for HGH and other new drugs and clean up the game going forward.
- Baseball's record book: no asterisks. With no way to determine who did and didn't use roids, asterisks become an arbitrary tool of the uniformed driven by public opinion. People aren't stupid, we already look at the record book (is there really a record book anyway?) and assess the numbers based on factors in play during those eras. Just because Ty Cobb hit .400, it isn't necessarily better than George Brett hitting .390. George Foster's 50 HRs in 1977 are a lot more impressive than any one's 50 over the past 10 years, even without the hint of steroids. The public understands that, we don't need asterisks to tell us the difference between the two eras and we don't need them now.
- The new Arena: Acknowledgment outside the new arena of the rich heritage the franchise has enjoyed over the past 25 years. maybe it's too early for a statue to Sid, but let's show our pride and understanding of the great hockey we've witnessed by honoring Mario with a statue at one entrance and one of the second greatest player in franchise history, by far, at another. Remember the joy and great hockey Jagr brought the Burgh, not the way he sulked the last year or two.
- Hockey fans (and myself): cold weather and a yard big enough to build a backyard hockey rink. How awesome would it be to walk out the back door, lace up the skates and start putting wristers on goal for as long as you want? Without anyone else getting in the way? Or to have friends over for a game and some hot toddies? How great would winter seem then? You wouldn't dread the black snow of February, you'd cherish that your ice is still frozen and you couldn't wait to get back home to lace them up. And it doesn't sound that difficult to set up!
