Do pro athletes make New Year’s resolutions?
After all, what could
they want?
Get in shape? Got that.
Be popular? Uh, duh.
Make a ton of money? Done.
What else is there? In the spirit of giving in this new year, we offer resolutions and hopes for 2015.
Local sports fans
Repeat after me — Channel 4 is Channel 8, and Channel 8 is Channel 4. This is the biggest upset since David knocked off Goliath.
Andrew Luck
An edge. No one doubts the nice guy image is real after Luck congratulated an opponent on a good hit. This guy needs to get a little nasty.
Reggie Wayne
Please, sports gods, give this guy one more shining moment. A game-winning catch against Cincinnati would be perfect. Reggie, Reggie, Reggie!
Boom Herron
Five healthy weeks. As Trent Richardson continues to disappoint, the success of the Colts’ playoff run rests squarely on the rookie Herron.
Without modest success (and the ability to stay on the field), Indy is toast.
Jim Irsay
A 9 p.m. curfew for the next year. In a year in which the NFL took some shots for player conduct, the Colts’ owner showed that management needs discipline too.
Kalen Irsay
A locked Twitter account. The pseudo-CEO of the Colts while Dad recovers from prescription drug abuse tweeted that the Dallas loss was “a tough pill to swallow.” Oops.
Sports media
A single standard. While the Irsay incident was treated with deference and empathy, similar actions by athletes are vilified. I vote for empathy for all.
Jim Harbaugh
The new Michigan football coach should pinch himself. Only in sports could a coach lose one job and walk into a
$40 million contract with another.
Jim Delaney
The Big Ten commissioner should explain again why it is OK to pay a college football coach
$6 million a year, but sharing money from a player’s jersey sales will cause the collapse of college athletics.
Lance Stephenson
Perspective. Stephenson is a remarkable talent marred by excesses. Too quick to anger. Too mopey at times. Too full of himself.
Johnny Manziel
See above.
Peyton Manning
One more ring. No, I am not jumping on the Broncos bandwagon. I am realistic, though. The Colts are not going to win the 2015 Super Bowl. They simply have too many holes. Denver can. A ring and retirement for Manning would be perfect.
Troy Williams: A 40-minute motor. This IU basketball season will be defined by the development of Williams, who has shown signs of finally morphing into a consistent presence. It may be too much to put on the sophomore, but he is the one indispensable part on an undersized team that has the potential to overachieve all the way to an NCAA Regional berth.
A.J. Hammons: See above but substitute “Purdue” and “NIT.”
Brandon Miller: Peace. Mystery surrounds the leave-of-absence for the Butler coach who quite possibly will step down this month (as his FMLA time expires). It is a story best untold at this point. Just let it be.
Chris Holtmann: Butler’s interim head coach deserves praise for not missing a beat in Miller’s absence. The Bulldogs, XX-XX after a New Year’s Eve game at No. 6 Villanova UPDATE AFTER GAME IS OVER, already have taken down two top 25 teams with the nation’s 15th-best defense.
Paul George: Patience and more patience as he heals from a particularly gruesome broken leg. George has made the most of his time off by keeping active on the sidelines as an “intern” to David Benner, the team’s director of media relations.
All of you: My gratitude. As I start my seventh year of writing this column, I continue to be encouraged by your kind comments and suggestions. Even when we disagree (and if we don’t do that on occasion, I am not doing my job), your feedback and thoughts are invaluable and always appreciated. Thank you.
Now, it is time for me to get on the treadmill in pursuit of my own resolutions. Remember the best advice anyone can offer a local sports fan in this new year — Channel 4 is Channel 8, and Channel 8 is Channel 4.
