A Vandy fan's Christmas wish list

Once again, Christmas is upon us. While many children will dream of gifts of Nintendo Wii's and other cool toys, this Vanderbilt fan has a different wish list. Here's what I wish for, in no particular order:

1. A bowl game. We haven't seen one of those since 1982, when Ronald Reagan was in his second year as President of the United States. Since then we've seen two Bushes and might see two Clintons in office. We’ve come close the last three years. Let’s get it done in 2008.
2. An Elite 8 men's basketball team. Yeah, they made it there in 1965 but that was when there were only 16 teams to start with. Kevin Stallings’ 2007-08 edition has been energized with the arrival of freshman A.J. Ogilvy. Could this be the year?
3. A Final Four appearance by the women's basketball team. The women haven't been there since the early 1990s. Although the following for the women is not as big as the men, the expectations are higher because of the past successes of the program.
4. Another National Championship in some sport in 2008. The women's bowling team got it done in 2007 by ending Vandy's drought of no national titles. They'll be the favorite to win it again this year. Let's hope another Vandy sport can also win the big prize.
5. A stud pitcher. With David Price gone they'll be some big shoes to fill on the Commodore baseball team. Mike Minor will be a weekend starter for sure but one guy can't do it all in baseball. Tim Corbin will be searching for another strong pitcher and a closer to fill the voids left by Price and reliever Casey Weathers.
6. A home field advantage for our football team. It's getting old; SEC fans pack our home stadium and fire up their teams. It's interesting that we've had four huge SEC upset wins over the past three years and all of them have been on the road. This leads me to believe that the opposition must have some kind of advantage in Vanderbilt Stadium. We've got to figure out a way to get more black and gold clad Vanderbilt fans in the stadium for Commodore home games. I've put up suggestions in the past. I hope the administration will work to get more non-opposing fans in the home facility.
7. A rejuvenated football offense. The 2007 Vanderbilt offense was a disappointment. Let's hope Ted Cain can get the Commodore offense going better in 2008. The talent will be there. Let's wish him the best of luck in getting the job done.
8. A baseball trip to Omaha. Although they did win two 2007 SEC baseball titles, this is another carry over from last year's wish list. The Commodore baseball team was ranked No. 1 almost the entire season and then stumbled against Michigan the first weekend of the NCAAs. It was a super season for Commodore baseball but let's hope they can advance farther in the NCAAs in 2008.

Thanks to Santa: Looks like Santa fulfilled two of my wishes from last year's list. Vanderbilt won a national championship and the men's basketball team made it to the NCAA. It's looking like stadium renovations are going to be announced soon which will add another wish come true. Click HERE to see my 2006 Christmas wish list.

Merry Christmas from VandyMania.com!