Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
December 22, 2000, Washington Post

Sports Stocking Stuffers

I am not a kid anymore, but I have a holiday wish list. No, I don't want a Razor Scooter or a PlayStation 2. The things on my list would be hard to wrap or fit in a stocking.

Here's what I want for this holiday season and the year 2001:

• A baseball team for Washington or Northern Virginia. The Montreal Expos
and the Florida Marlins are losing money where they are because nobody goes
to their games. I bet if one of them moved here, the team's games would be packed every night.

• Major League Baseball games that take two hours to play instead of four. Little Leaguers play faster than the big leaguers. Come on, guys, play ball!

• And while we are talking about baseball, how about some youth baseball leagues just for girls?

• A U.S. men's soccer team that qualifies for the World Cup. It would be a shame for the United States to miss the biggest soccer tournament of all.

• Success for the new women's pro soccer league, the Women's United Soccer Association. And good luck to Washington Freedom superstar Mia Hamm.

• But I hope the XFL -- the new extreme football league -- falls on its face. Who needs a league of football nobodies that encourages showboating and players pointing fingers at each other like TV wrestlers?

• Fewer tattoos on athletes.

• More volunteer coaches for kids' teams. These men and women are the real sports heroes every year.

• More kids playing in low-key recreational and intramural leagues where all kids get a chance to play.

• More kids playing "minor" sports like fencing and table tennis.

• Fewer parents screaming at referees, coaches and kids during kids' games.

• Some golfer with the guts and the game to beat Tiger Woods. At least some of the time.

• A healthy year for Boston Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez. He sure is fun to watch.

• Comeback seasons for Cal Ripken and the Baltimore Orioles.

• A Super Bowl for the Redskins, oops, I mean the Ravens. Back in October, who
would have thought that the best team on the East Coast would be in Baltimore?

• How about a world championship season for the players and the poor, long suffering fans of the Buffalo Bills, Utah Jazz, Chicago Cubs or Washington Capitals. And, dare I even say it, my beloved Boston Red Sox.

Happy holidays.

FRED BOWEN is the author of sports novels for kids. Write to him at KidsPost,
1150 15th St. NW, Washington, DC 20071. Or e-mail (with "The Score" in the
subject field): kidspost@washpost.com

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