Notes on a Scorecard - Dec. 20, 1995

A Christmas gift wish list:

Peter O’Malley--A football stadium. . . .

Peter Graf--An income-tax extension. . . .

Chris Miller--Christmas bells, and only Christmas bells, ringing in his ears. . . .

Soccer--Goals. . . .

Gary Stevens--An Eclipse Award. . . .

John Robinson--A big win. . . .

Bill Fitch--Little wins. . . .

R.D. Hubbard--See Peter O’Malley. . . .

Cleveland--The Browns. . . .

Philadelphia--A major league basketball franchise. . . .

Marcel Lachemann--An August, September and October to equal last year’s April, May, June and July. . . .

Riddick Bowe--Mike Tyson. . . .

Mike Tyson--Riddick Bowe. . . .

Pete Dalis--A football coach. . . .

Steffi Graf--An accountant. . . .

Jerry West--Shaquille O’Neal. . . .

Bill Bidwill--See Pete Dalis. . . .

Jim Harrick--A point guard. . . .

Davis Love III--A major. . . .

John Daly--A minor. . . .

Charlie Parker--Fans. . . .

Roberto Duran--No mas. . . .

Leon Hess--See Pete Dalis and Bill Bidwill. . . .

Wayne Gretzky--Playoffs. . . .

George Foreman--Another knockout over Michael Moorer and another retirement. . . .

Steve McNair--The starting quarterback job in Nashville. . . .

Monica Seles--Physical and mental health. . . .

Dennis Green--A defense. . . .

Dan Reeves--An offense. . . .

Bobby Cremins--A Georgia Tech basketball schedule without Mount St. Mary’s on it. . . .

Brent Barry--More playing time. . . .

Cal Ripken Jr.--Another year without needing a doctor’s excuse. . . .

ESPN--Programming as good as its in-house commercials. . . .

Tom Candiotti--Runs. . . .

Barry Switzer--The last laugh. . . .

Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Championship Auto Racing Teams--Peace. . . .

Stefan Edberg--A tournament title during his farewell year on the tennis tour. . . .

Al Franken--A track meet. . . .

NFL--Instant replay. . . .

Don Sutton--A place in the Hall of Fame. . . .

Larry Robinson--A goal scorer. . . .

Ron Wilson--Patience. . . .

Deion Sanders--A performance to match the hype. . . .

Tim Salmon--The hype to match the performance. . . .

John Jackson--Another Marco Antonio Barrera. . . .

Frankie King--The opportunity to prove Jerry West right. . . .

Oklahoma--Something longer than Howard Schnellenberger’s one-year plan. . . .

Tom Lasorda--A third consecutive season on top of the National League West standings. . . .

Northwestern--A 1996 football season that proves 1995 was no fluke. . . .

Joe Torre--An absentee owner. . . .

Greg Norman--A come-from-behind victory. . . .

Oscar De La Hoya--Recognition as the best fighter pound for pound. . . .

Butterbean--Fewer pounds. . . .

Harlem Globetrotters--More home games. . . .

Albert Belle--Manners. . . .

Angelo Dundee--A heavyweight prospect. . . .

Jerry Rice--The NFL most-valuable-player award. . . .

Al Davis--Another Marcus Allen. . . .

Mario Lemieux--A scoring title. . . .

Laffit Pincay--Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup mounts. . . .

Ozzie Smith--Ground balls. . . .

Jennifer Capriati--A comeback. . . .

Jim Bush--At least one more Olympic Games gold medalist. . . .

Mark Malone--An important football broadcasting assignment. . . .

Don King--Laryngitis. . . .

Arnold Palmer--A win on the senior tour. . . .

Art Modell--A buyer. . . .

Rick Pitino--Two or three fewer good players. . . .

Michael Buffer--Fights that really do rumble. . . .

Keyshawn Johnson--A more important role in the USC offense on New Year’s Day. . . .

My readers--A happy holiday season.