This Christmas, instead of writing a gift list and sending it to my mom, I asked Santa Claus for three wishes. With all of the craziness in sports lately, I figured my plan might actually work.
1. Tim Tebow leads the Denver Broncos to the Super Bowl
After beginning the season 1-4 and reluctantly starting Tebow as the quarterback in Week 6, the Broncos are now atop the AFC West division with an 8-5 record. "Tebowmania" has swept through the NFL and has entered the lexicon of daily life in America.
Personally, I wasn't a believer until watching the Broncos play the Bears. Both teams, particularly the offenses, played poorly through three full quarters. Tebow threw 16 pass attempts for only three completions, though his receivers dropped a few potential big plays. The Broncos defense, however, kept the Bears to only ten points, allowing Tebow the chance to make a fourth quarter comeback, which, of course, he did. Following a couple of mistakes by Bears running back Marion Barber and a couple of long field goals by Broncos kicker Matt Prater, the Broncos had achieved the improbable, again.
The best part of the game was knowing, along with the players and fans in the stadium, that until the clock struck zero, anything could happen. And it did. In the spirit of the season, I wish the Denver Broncos will win the division and all three playoff games leading to the Super Bowl in February.
2. The Orlando Magic trade Dwight Howard to the New Jersey Nets
Although Howard has reportedly reversed his trade demand, the soon-to-be Brooklyn Nets have been included as one of the teams on Howard's short list of possible destinations. His arrival would be a huge start for the franchise in their new home and would lead to a great rivalry with the Knicks, just as both New York City teams will be going through historic revivals.
Imagine the Nets in a brand new stadium in Brooklyn, with star point guard Deron Williams and Howard on the same court, title contenders for the first time in about a decade. They could possibly become the best tandem in basketball since Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, and we know how much Howard wants to be Shaq.
Please bring Howard to New York, and put his new Nets jersey under my tree, too.
3. The New York Islanders gain the lead in the Atlantic Division
The Isles are a young squad and still need time to develop into a contender, but they deserve a taste of success.
The first line consisting of center John Tavares, left wing Matt Moulson and right wing P.A. Parenteau have been great recently, as the Isles have gone 4-1-2 in their last seven games. Goaltender Al Montoya also deserves credit for his .920 save percentage and becoming a reliable starter in net.
To get to the top of the Atlantic division, the Isles will have to overtake the Philadelphia Flyers, the New York Rangers and the Pittsburgh Penguins — the three top teams in the Eastern Conference.
All I am asking for is the Islanders to have a consistent offensive attack and to take advantage of games against weaker teams and division rivals. Is that too much?
