Wish list for 2003

As another sporting year draws to a close, I've decided to look forward instead of back for a change by offering up a wish list for 2003. I've chosen that phrase carefully, incidentally, as a wish list is so much less arrogant than a prediction, don't you think?

1. I hope AC Milan win the Champions League. They're overdue a victory having not claimed the European Cup since 1994. They're a side that scores goals, which makes a team more appealing at any level of the game. Their captain, Paolo Maldini, is, in my experience, one of the most gracious and accomodating of big-name players when it comes to dealing with the media, and it would be great to see him lift the trophy in the twilight of his career.

Finally, Italy is emerging from the European doldrums and it would bode well for the future of Italian football if a club could win the ultimate prize by playing the kind of attacking football for which Italian teams have never been renowned.

2. My second wish is that Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis retire from boxing, and some new heavyweight talent emerges. Evander is delusional if he thinks he can ever be undisputed world heavyweight champion in the future. He was completely out-boxed by Chris Byrd in the recent (made-for-TV) Championship Series. He looked old, he was totally ineffective, he was reduced to blaming a suspect shoulder for the loss, and, what's more important, he sounded a bit incoherent in his post-fight interview, suggesting, albeit in my layman's opinion, that the punches are starting to take a heavy toll. He was a great champion, but surely somebody can convince him it's time to go.

If the "Mr. Nice Guy" image Mike Tyson portrayed at a recent press conference for an upcoming fight with Cliffiord Etienne is anything to go by, Iron Mike isn't even of "freak show" interest any more. Any vestige of "badness" was knocked out of him by Lennox Lewis this year, ensuring that no boxer need fear Tyson in the ring. And if Mike is no longer bad and no longer crazy, what has he got to offer? He certainly isn't one of the best fighters around these days. Once again, he was great once, but it's time to let the sport, at the top level, move on without him.

By contrast, Lennox Lewis is still great, but, apart from the many millions of dollars that prolonging his career would net him, I see no point in continuing. Eventually someone is going to beat him, and what's the point of him tarnishing his image? He's proven his skills against every fighter from his generation who would fight him, and sticking around until somebody younger cleans his clock, as will inevitably happen if he fights on much longer, is pointless.

3. On the tennis front, I hope Venus Williams rises to the challenge that her little sister set this year. The Williams girls are so far and away better than anyone else on the WTA tour that it seems unlikely Serena's dominance will be consistently threatened by any other player but Venus. Though I hope Kim Clijsters took a lot of heart from her victory in the 2002 year-ender. On her day, Venus, of course, does have the game to take on Serena. But there was an air of resignation about her last season, which I hope turns into a resolve to do better against her sibling next year.

4. In men's tennis I hope Pete Sampras plays on as long as he wants to, and that people like myself accept that it's nobody's business but his when or if he retires. Of course, he's not going to win every tournament in which he plays, but after such a stellar career it's surely his right to play the game he loves for as long as he can sustain a standard he's happy with -- whether that means more silverware on not. I also hope that this year sees someone step up to become the Agassi to Lleyton Hewitt's Sampras, as every generation needs a great rivalry to keep it interesting.

5.In Formula One, it would be excellent if Michael Schumacher and Ferrari had some competition next year. While taking nothing away from what Michael and his team did in the past season, 15 wins from 17 Grand Prix, with 11 going to one guy, is just not compelling. The FIA has shied away from making rule changes liable to increase the level of competition radically in 2003, so I guess it's just incumbent on the likes of McLaren and Williams to up the ante in the old-fashioned way --- by being good .

6. In a year when the Cricket World Cup takes center stage in Southern Africa, I hope the Australians play like we know they can and retain the trophy, because they are the most dominant force in the game and deserve it. With respect to the freakish achievements of the so-called underdogs at this year's football World Cup, I don't think the Cricket World Cup needs to be like this year's finals in Asia, where most of the top teams failed to do themselves justice. Cricketers are already largely anonymous in many parts of the world, and it's better for the game if the big names that there are flourish.

It would, however, be great to see someone surprise us with an exciting run, as South Korea did in soccer. There's less chance of that in cricket, of course, but how about the West Indies as an outside bet for the title? They're not exactly minnows, I know, but neither have they been at the top of their game in recent years.

7. The Rugby World Cup in Australia will be won by England in my dreams. Firstly, because with consecutive wins over the Southern Hemisphere sides, the English may have finally broken the psychological advantage the Wallabies, All-Blacks and Springboks have had over them for so many years. Secondly, it would be great to upstage the world champions on their own turf Down Under. And thirdly, because I'm English... Well why not cheer for my own team? You all do.

8. In basketball, Jordan is retiring with dignity next year, so no complaints there, so long as there's not another Sinatra-style comeback. At the other end of his career is high-schooler -- Lebron James, who's tipped to become next year's No. 1 NBA draft pick. Here's hoping that he gets the space and time to develop his prodigous talent before judgement is passed, (a courtesy this year's No. 1, Yao Ming of China, hasn't really received), and that people recognize that brilliant and well-paid as he will be, he's still only a kid trying to make his way, so we shouldn't expect too much.

9. On the golfing scene what I hope for 2003 is that someone threatens Tiger and Annika Sorenstam with enough regularity to make the tour, and especially the Majors, worth watching. I hope that the Seniors tour does not expand or get more TV time because we are already saturated with golf tournaments from the PGA, European Tour and LPGA as it is.

By the way, I don't care if women are allowed membership of Augusta National or not next year, and I don't see why anyone should boycott the Masters. It doesn't impact the Masters, which is the only reason anyone is interested in Augusta National in the first place. Lack of membership does not stop women playing on the course anyway. And, given that the cost of membership to the club probably rules out 99 percent of people from joining, it's all about a point of principle. Just find another club already. There are plenty of them that admit women (and racial minorities, for those who'll say I'd argue differently if Augusta banned black people). Leave Augusta to the good old boys that run it, and let's stop feeding their egos.

10. Lastly, I'd like to see sport in general given the importance it deserves, but not so much importance that it inspires violence, corruption and other reprehensible qualities in people that often tarnish the drama and sheer spectacle that can be generated when its kept pure.

Come on, I said it was a wish list... Who needs reality?

Happy holidays.

 

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