Sports Illustrated's writers weigh in with their New Year's resolutions for 2003. Also, check out their predictions for the Breakout Performers of 2003, and take a look back at The Year in Sports.
Hire three more black coaches. And I know who they should be: Washington defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis, who is two years overdue for a job; St. Louis defensive coordinator Lovie Smith, who has rebuilt the Rams defense and made it a force to be reckoned with; and one of two upset specials -- Detroit offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon, who is a fast riser from the Bill Parcells school; or Kippy Brown, the Houston receivers coach who used to coach Memphis of the XFL. Not exactly a wonderful pedigree, but talk to Dan Marino about Brown. He's bright, very imaginative and has the respect of everyone who plays for and coaches with him.
Au revoir, Montreal. Move the Expos to D.C. or Northern Virginia for 2004 (after funding for a new ballpark is secured; baseball learned that lesson the hard way from the Marlins). Orioles owner Peter Angelos can get a big paycheck for agreeing to allow a team near his backyard, then reap more money by selling the O's to a group that includes future club president Cal Ripken Jr.
Show up for Charlotte. Well, it's too late to say "no expansion" to a league that's already diluted, right? OK, my resolution is that the fans in Charlotte, who were lucky enough to get a new team so soon after the departure of the Hornets, come back en masse, and that they give pro sports' first minority owner a good shot at making it in what should be -- and has been -- a great hoops town.
Keep enforcing the crackdown on obstruction. The vigilance against obstruction at the start of the 2002-03 season led to more freedom on the ice and an increase in goal scoring (about one-third of a goal per game). It has also landed a lot of clutchers and grabbers in the penalty box and drawn ire from some veterans of that ilk. The NHL needs to stick with the crackdown and not abandon it as it has similar resolutions in the past. It will take some guys time to adjust, but they're the ones who are too dependent on impeding other players anyway. The guys with great skill have, of course, taken to the rule change immediately. The way to allow for more of the gorgeous skating and puck movement that makes hockey so wonderful to watch is to limit the obstruction that slows down the game.
Classy crowds. We can only hope that fans from Columbus, Ohio, to Pullman, Wash., will sober up enough to realize that the only things gained from setting fires in the streets after wins and throwing debris at visiting teams after losses are injury, arrest and embarrassment. In 2003, let us see a return to cheering, mascot-mocking, and other time-honored methods of communicating support and derision.
RIP, RPI. Please, please, PLEASE, let the basketball committee give better treatment to the mid-majors on Selection Sunday. And while they're at it, how about taking the RPI out back and shooting it between the eyes?
Hail Hale. Let's quit saying that Hale Irwin is too old to keep dominating the Senior PGA Tour. Though it has been renamed the Champions Tour, Irwin, who'll turn 58 on June 3, will take names in 2003 just like he has the last seven years.
Mix it up. I will suppress my ego and reach the conclusion that mixed-gender events -- if not a single, consolidated tour with men's and women's divisions -- are in tennis' best long-term interest.
Punish cheaters. NASCAR needs to come up with a definite policy on this front. Mark Martin was docked 25 points for an unapproved spring in early November, which may have cost him the championship. Had the same happened in March, he would have gotten off with a fine. Granted, a team is responsible for what goes on its car, so don't feel too bad for Martin. But NASCAR's reluctance to codify its policy on rules violations can only lead to problems and accusations of favoritism. A little flexibility is OK, but this is getting out of hand.
Respect the women's game. Many American men's soccer fans (and, let's admit it, some players, coaches, USSF officials and journalists) had a serious insecurity complex when the U.S. women became pop culture phenomenons in 1999. Now that the men have proved themselves on the world stage too, let's hope everyone can get along in a World Cup year for the distaff Yanks.
Southern exposure. It's time to pay even more attention to the guys south of 200 pounds and the border. Fighters such as Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales translate just fine.
Find a way to reach the world. Not so long ago, track was like soccer: a sport played by the entire world, and watched by most of it. Slowly, track has slipped back into the realm of the niche sport, like skiing or cycling, popular only to a small, vertical market. The keepers of track have to find a way to touch more people with the simple beauty of speed and power. One start: It's about nation vs. nation.
Rules revolt. I promise to learn all the technicalities of ice-dance judging. No I don't.
Avoid labor pains. For all women's professional leagues entering labor negotiations (that means you, WNBA): Don't be greedy. Don't get complacent. Don't forget where you came from. Don't forget your fans. Don't become baseball.
Find a Triple Crown winner. Just to see if the flood of public interest will flow past three weekends in the spring.
