This year was, to say the least, difficult. Since it’s the holiday season and Christmas is coming, however, let’s have a little hope. They said that Santa listens to wishes all the time, even if you send them at 11 o’clock, so it’s worth a try. Here are a few things I’m putting on my Gamecock sporting wish list – ponder the comments with anything else you’d like to ask for this year.
Resumption of men’s basketball season
To be clear, given that a pandemic is underway, I don’t want them to play if people are sick and / or if they are unsafe for any reason. Trying to play sports in general in these times remains a complicated situation, and every precaution must be taken to keep people safe, including postponing and canceling games. Unfortunately, Gamecocks have been unable to play for weeks due to problems with COVID-19 in the program, and this is a drag on many levels. Their next game is scheduled for January 2, and it would be good to start the new year with a victory, if they can get into that game.
A well-managed football team
Let’s face it, asking Gamecocks to be a winning and finishing team above 0.500 in 2021 can be a difficult task, even for the big guy. It has become clear in recent weeks that there may have been some deeper problems in the football program, in addition to the lack of success on the pitch, and it will take some time for Shane Beamer and his team to get back to normal they should be. That’s why I’m just asking for a program that works well, with the right priorities and attitudes. I mean, I want us to win too, and as a GABA resident Eternal Sport Optimist, I will continue to predict that we will succeed, but at this point I would be happy with a team that operates with the right mindset and does the best it can on the field.
An appearance at the College World Series
The 2020 season doesn’t really count, as it barely managed to be played and there’s no telling how things would have changed if Gamecocks had played a full schedule. That said, it’s been a while since we went to Omaha and it’s time to go back there. Mark Kingston and his team have been here for several years now and the team got off to a good start before the pandemic derailed things in March, so hopefully they can take that energy into the next season. Otherwise, the fan base may start to get a little more restless.
Clemson losing to the state of Ohio
Look, I grew up in the Big Ten country and Ohio State just beat Northwestern, my other alma mater, so it hurts me to want them to win anything. Clemson-OSU is really a no-win contest for me, but since someone has to come out on top, let it be the Buckeyes.