Let me be the 163rd person to say this to you today: Merry Christmas! Hopefully, you’re having a great day so far (did you get everything you want?) and hopefully the rest of your day treats you well. My plans: Open presents, eat, open some more presents, eat, watch some NBA games, eat, hang out with my family, eat, eat dinner, eat, watch the NFL game at night, eat, and…did I mention I’m going to eat somewhere in between all of that? Ha. ‘Tis the season to pack on the pounds!

Anyway, I wanted to start to wrap up the end of the year from a sports perspective. And I thought: What better way to do that than to put together a list of the 10 sports-related things that I really want for Christmas this year? Now, these aren’t the typical sports-related gifts, per se (no basketballs or baseball bats here!). Rather, these are the things that I—and, I’m guessing, thousands of other sports fans—want this year from the world of sports. So, without further ado, here are 10 Christmas wishes from a sports fan. Enjoy the list—and enjoy the rest of your holiday season…

Wish #1: I wish the Orlando Magic would just trade Dwight Howard already!

Enough is enough. It’s pretty clear that D-Howard isn’t resigning in O-Town after this season. So, why not trade him now and get maximum value for him? Otherwise, we’re going to spend the entire 2011-12 season talking about his future. It’s time for the Magic to move him.

Wish #2: I wish Ryan Braun would come out and explain why he failed a steroids test.

All I keep hearing is that “the truth will come out.” Will it—or is Braun just trying to stall long enough for us to forget that he failed his test? He should’ve come out and told us the truth weeks ago now. And yet, we’re still waiting. Throw us a bone, Brauny.

Wish #3: I wish the NFL would stop scheduling primetime Indianapolis Colts games.

Please. Or, better yet, PLEEEEEEEASE. We know that these would’ve been good games if Peyton Manning were playing this season. But, this is exactly why you don’t hitch your horse to one wagon and try to ride it out. Do you know how many god-awful Colts games we’ve had to sit through this year, NFL? Too many. And while you’re at it, no more primetime games for the Jacksonville Jagaurs, either. Thanks!

Wish #4: I wish media outlets would stop covering Tim Tebow just slightly.

I’m on #TeamTebow. But even I have to agree with those who think that Tebow’s gotten a little bit too much coverage this year. Some Tebow is good in moderation. But, right now, we’ve seen waaaaaay too much of this guy on our TV sets in the last month. There are other NFL players, you know.

Wish #5: I wish athletes would stop drinking and driving.

Another year, another laundry list of players who got arrested for DUI. When are you guys going to learn?

Wish #6: I wish Floyd Mayweather, Jr. would agree to fight Manny Pacquiao.

Now that Money May is going to jail for 90 days, this fight is in even more jeopardy than it already was. C’mon, guys: You’re not really going to let your foolish pride stand in the way of a HUGE payday…are you?

Wish #7: I wish Kim Kardashian would stop dating professional athletes.

Aren’t there any singers or actors or, hell, average Joes that Kim K would like to go out to dinner with? We get it: You like pro athletes. And they obviously like you. But you’d think that Kim you would have gotten the point by now. Don’t you know how all of those love stories end up? Try dating someone else.

Wish #8: I wish athletes would think before they sent out controversial tweets.

Another pet peeve of mine. Every person on Twitter has a few seconds between the time that they type out a tweet and the time that they press “Tweet.” Use those moments wisely and really think about whether or not the tweet you’re about to send out is worth the headache that it’s undoubtedly going to bring.

Wish #9: I wish more pro players played and acted like Derrick Rose.

Did you hear this guy at the press conference the Bulls held for him the other day after he signed a $95 million contract extension? Humble. Gracious. Self-aware. I wish even just 10 percent of athletes were like him. The sports world would be a much better place.

Wish #10: I wish someone would find out the truth about what really happened at Penn State.

This was undoubtedly the sports story of 2011. And there are still so many holes in it. Someone needs to find out who knew what when and fill the rest of the world in on the details. What a Christmas gift that would be for so many people out there.

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