University of South Carolina Libraries
% Todd Money Money in the Bank Christmas requests for the new millennium % With the holiday season upon us again (or all over us, to discard the cliche), it’s easy to find peo ple asking one another, “What’s the best thing about this time of year?” I can’t figure this out. The best thing about the holidays is so obvious, it’s not even funny. No, it’s not getting together with your family over ham and fruitcake. It’s not putting up plastic trees with plastic objects draped around them. And it has absolutely nothing to do with “The Nut cracker.” ii s me list, res, maKing out me Christmas want list is the absolute most wonderful thing about this season. It’s • - all about what you’re going to get me. Nothing else even compares. With that in mind, here’s a retir ing sports editor’s final want list of the millennium: A is for arena football in the Car olinas, which is much more ethical than wrestling and just as much fun to watch. Oh yeah, it’s already here. B is for Boise State and Bowling Green? Are you nuts? These are USC’s new non-conference football opponents other than Clemson, at least for the 2001 season. This is actually Lou Holtz’s pre sent. Not mine. C is for a contest, something the an nual Carolina-Clemson basketball game usually isn’t but should most certainly be this season. Two of the youngest teams in the country square off in an intrigu f/ ing matchup at Littlejohn Coliseum on Dec. 16. D is for depth for the Atlanta Braves’ bench. Boy, nothing scares those pow erful, All-Star-laden American League champions like Howard Battle and Kei th Lockhart. Someday they’ll get it. E is for easy replacements for Ly dia Bienias, Jennie Ondo and Mindy Sanders of the USC women’s soccer team. F is for four wins for the Gamecock football team next season. That’s being optimistic, though. Actually, that’s what I asked for last year, and we know how that request turned out. G is for just a few more great catch ^ es for Jerry Rice, who deserves better than to have to stick out his career for a lost franchise. H is for a Hall of Fame induction for I-—-r»mi Pete Rose, who deserves at least that much. But, I wouldn’t buy a used car from him. I is for inspired NM players, who are harder to find than hard sports news on network TV. J is for justice for Florida State wide receiver Peter Whrrick, and anyone else who gets away with mind-numbingly stu pid crimes. Yeah, I’m sure that’ll happen soon. K is for kudos to football coach Glen Mason, who left a reasonably good job at Kansas to take a mediocre job at Min nesota and turned his team into the Big 10’s big surprise this season. L is for leniency under the Bowden tree this Christmas, when daddy Bobby tries to undercut son Tommy for beating him out for Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year honors. M is for more John McEnroe, who’s even more fun to watch now that he has a position of power in the tennis world. N is for national championship hopes for Vnginia Tech football, which hasn’t been close to the position it’s in now in a long, long time. 0 is for an offensive line. This is one of those combination presents. Keep read ing. P is for plenty of playoff games for Steve McNair and the Tennessee Titans, who have shaken off all the crap that comes with moving a franchise and become one of the NFL’s top five teams. And, they didn’t even have fans last season. Q is for a quarterback who can win. To get F, you must have this. Or, as Phi losophy 101 taught me: Q—> F —> eter nal happiness. R is for restricting the number of ---_*1_*__ - JJ/U1 U) UTTU1VW JIIUH J Umi VUli WUVV |/1UW in a year. How many of these are there now? The ESPN awards, the Sports Il lustrated awards, the Player’s Choice Awards, ESPN’s top 50 athletes, blah, blah, blah. Meaningless. S is for solace, which should also go to the San Francisco 49ers. The only thing woree than ripping up your franchise from its roots after it finally gains respect (See: 1997 Florida Marlins) is letting it die a slow, miserable death. T is for tickets to the 2000 baseball All-Star Game in Atlanta. Of course, this means the Braves still won’t win a Wbrld Series; the team that plays host to the mid season classic never wins the fall classic. Oh well. U is for the unveiling of some other postseason system for college football. The NCAA will listen to me about this, eventually. V is for vile, insensitive, trash-talk ing fans, who should never be afraid to come to USC baseball games and blend in. W is for wrestling maybe, perhaps, just for a few years, going out of style. X is for a Xerox of basketball coach Eddie Fogler’s conversation with the me dia following Tuesday’s game with Charleston Southern, in which both teams combined for 53 turnovers and 49 per sonal fouls. The first time I remember a coach asking the media what the hell hap pened in a game. Y is for young, talented college stu dents, who should never be afraid to come up to their school newspaper to write for its up-and-coming sports section. Z is for zingers, which are always neat for sports columnists to end with. 30$ « I I_|IIIII III Carolina Sports _ University of South Carolina Winter Break Sports Calendar Date_Opponent, _Time Dec. 16 Dec. 18 Dec. 21 Dec. 28 Dec. 30 Jan. 5 Dec. 15 Dec. 18 Dec. 22 Dec. 30 Jan. 2 Jan. 5 Men’s Basketball at Cfemson Campbell at St. Joseph’s UNC-Charlotte S.C. State ... Tennessee Women’s Basketball Florida Atlantic Georgia Southern S.C. State at N.C. State George Mason -Charleston Southern 9 p.m. 7:30 p.m. TBA 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7 p.m. 5 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 2 p.m. 5 p.m. The champion of the 1999 Sports Challenge, sponsored by Gamecock Sports, is: TODD MONEY (40-20) |p free G\K*?Jrx* r v it's HERE* toNxGht -^seR stoRw • o on j DdSKetDaii Tournament begins at 8 pm • ? Triples Volleyball Tournament begins at 9 pm • f 3 Point Shoot Out • Carolina Trivia Contest • | Scavenger Hunt • Hole in One Golf Contest • ? * Holiday Funk Aerobics at 9 pm * f • Weight Room Open All Night • | • FOOD • Door Prizes -- ALL FREE! • I Register to win door prizes donated by Addam's University Bookstore, the Backpacker, C Columbia Athletic Club, Domino's Pizza, the Extra Mile, Frankie's Fun Park, Gamecock Gear, I Jeff Price Tennis Ski & Skate, Out Spokin', Russell House University Bookstore, Salty's Skate Shop, “t Sounds Familiar, South Carolina Bookstore, Stronghold Athletic Club & more! ' 1 /\/\ r—■_■_ i a _ < Buy 12 Wings - - Get 12 Wings Free! j 2000-18 Clemson Rd. 7587 St. Andrews Rd. 2347-C Augusta Rd. NE Columbia, SC Irmo, SC W.Columbia, SC (803) 419-0022 (803) 781-0084 (803) 791-0260 Check out our menu and more at www.carolinavvings.com . I Dine-In Only - Not Vfolid with Any Other Offer - One Coupon Per Person i Offer Expires 11-30-99 -----------------------___J