The day before Valentine’s Day usually means nothing to most people. For a few, it means a last second scramble to buy their loved one assorted chocolates or stuffed bears which will be thrown out by March 1st.

But then for me, it is a time of reflection, because Valentine’s Day is also my birthday. In case you are curious if the greatest of all coincidences (see my last name for further clarification) has helped me over the years I will say this; no one ever forgets it but I’ve yet to have any bonus points for romance thus far. I suppose it’s a cosmic trade off of some sort.

Anyway in 2006, I made 23 sports related birthday wishes. They were mostly of the comedic variety, some to the extreme, but I certainly hoped a few got done. Let’s just say the luck on the wish list was very similar to my luck with romance thus far.

The format is simple; the wish is in normal text and my 2007 comment is italicized.

23. Some baseball player to have his at bat music (the song that plays when he comes up) be Pink Floyd’s “Money”. It works on so many levels. For example, imagine if A-Rod strolled to the plate with when they sing the words “I’m in a high fidelity first class traveling set and I think I need a Leer Jet”. Seriously, how A-Rod is that? Also if Mo Vaughn were still playing, “Mo Money, Mo Problems” would suffice.

Can’t say for sure if this happened. But I didn’t hear it at any ball game I went to this year.

22. Ron Artest becomes the NBA’s most dynamic player. I’d find it funny to find the mainstream media sucking up to their former most hated man in the NBA.

Artest recently made the news for animal control issues. Same old Ron-Ron. But I’ve got new hopes for him this year. See tomorrow’s list for more details.

21. Skip Bayless to just go away. Self explanatory.

I had heard it happened. But about a month and a half ago I saw him on Cold Pizza talking about the NFL. He’s never going anywhere.

20. Olympic commentators become listenable. Seriously, these people only come out once ever four years. Couldn’t they spend some of that time coming up with something interesting to say outside of “magnificent, beautiful performance” for people they like (and are favored) and “ooh that mistake’s going to cost him/her, well he/she tried hard” for those who aren’t considered favorites.

Olympic commentary, save the hockey (which is done by actual NHL broadcasters) is just as unlistenable as ever. Thank god we won’t have to hear it until Summer of 2008.

19. The Knicks to get the #1 pick this year… which would then be shipped to the Bulls as part of the Eddie Curry trade. Believe me Knick fans, after years of suffering through all of you making fun of my Nets fandom, this is payback.

They got the number two pick. In what looks like a weak draft year, Curry for Tyrus Thomas looks like a good trade for the Knicks. Of course without Curry and with their #1 pick this year, they might be playing for Greg Oden or Kevin Durant.

18. The return of the Montreal Expos as an MLB franchise. Montreal is a great city and they got shafted by the evils of Bud Selig. Besides, who doesn’t miss Youppi?

I couldn’t even do this in my old baseball mogul games.

17. For the ability to go back in time, and stop Jim Duquette from trading Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano. Also self explanatory and probably on the wish lists of every Mets fan out there.

This actually happened. But when I returned to the present I learned Jim Duquette hadn’t been fired, Kris Benson was the Mets’ ace and Pedro Martinez/Carlos Beltran/Carlos Delgado were all on the New York Yankees. So I went back in time, made the trade happen, so Omar Minaya could be become GM of the Mets and they could take their place as the best team in the N.L. Mets fans should thus humbly offer up Kazmir for the greater good of Met betterment.

16. In the second round of the 2006 NFL draft, the Jets take Sinronce Moss, Santana’s younger brother, and give him # 83, thus making my “retro” Moss jersey wearable again. Along with this, the Jets can draft D’Brickashaw Ferguson in round 1 and Marcus Vick in round 3. Voila… the start of something special on offense!

D’Brick happened; the others not so much. Can’t argue with the Jets draft though.

15. Stuart Scott and Stephen A. Smith to go away with Skip Bayless. The revolution does not need blatant stereotypes.

The revolution may not need blatant stereotypes, but ESPN does.

14. Jae Seo wins 20 games this season, proving me and all his believers right.

Seo was shipped out from LA, but would have been light years better than Steve Trachsel if he were still on the Mets. Seo didn’t have a bad year in Tampa, but Duaner Sanchez pitched well last year. Just avoid taxis this year.

13. Henrik Lundqvist to win the Vezina and the Calder trophies. This would almost guarantee the Rangers are one of the top seeds in the Eastern Conference.

The Rangers collapsed, Lundqvist got hurt, and the Devils swept them in the first round. This year Lundqvist is getting killed by a propensity for rebounds and a lousy defense.

12. Jose Reyes actually changes his name legally to “Run, Don’t Walk”, or actually learns how to get the free pass to first. Either way the entertainment value would be off the charts.

Stop the presses! This one ACTUALLY HAPPENED!!! And Reyes became a top ten player in the National League. You want to the definition of speed? Check out his inside the park home run against the LA Dodgers.

11. Winning my fantasy baseball league, ideally with many of the players from my team last year. Don’t celebrate yet, Zach, T-Bone, John and David, I’m not going to be stupid enough to draft Dan Haren and Jeremy Bonderman in the 1st round.

Lance and I finished second to last. But David and I did win the fantasy football league. So all in all a successful fantasy league season.

10. Jason Kidd remembers what defense was. The hall of famer can still bring it on the offensive end of the court, but defensively he’s one of the biggest liabilities in the NBA. Unless Nenad Krstic becomes a dominant force in the middle, allowing the Nets to outscore their opponents, or the Nets get a great defensive big man, they’re going to have trouble against the top teams in the postseason.

Kidd is playing the best ball of his career, but he still can’t play defense. No Krstic, no RJ, means no chance at a championship. At least Marcus Williams is making me giddy about the future. But he owed me one- see #6.

9. Aaron Heilman wins 20 games in 2006. It will make me look smart considering all the hyping I’ve done of him on the blog. Preferably, this would be for the Mets.

Didn’t ever crack the rotation because he was lied to by the Mets management. He’s a damn good reliever but there’s no chance he ever re-ups with the Mets. Too bad, he’s got good stuff.

8. A date with Jessica Biel. Okay I know this has the least chance of happening (yeah, I’ve got a better chance of going back in time to stop the Kazmir trade), but hey it’s a wish, not a prediction!

Not only did this not happen (what, don’t all look surprised), she’s been linked to Derek Jeter. I know, this just ruins my chances. Or does it enhance it, since Ms. Biel digs the interracial guys?

7. Trinidad gets out of the first round of the World Cup. It would probably be the biggest upset of the entire tournament.

They got a point, which quite frankly was all I could hope for. And for one and a half games, they had a chance to advance. Thanks for the memories guys, it was the most enthralling WC point I’ve had the chance to witness.

6. To repeat as NCAA tournament pool champion. Repeats in anything are hard to do. This one has an added bonus as well, but with respect to Janet Jones Gretzky, I won’t say what that is.

I was looking good until Marcus Williams, Josh Boone and the rest of the UConn Huskies collapsed in the second half against George Mason. Rudy Gay went MIA and still hasn’t been found. I think I finished in fourth.

5. Getting a full time job covering sports in the NY area. Quite self explanatory.

Didn’t happen much to my dismay.

4. For just two of these things on this list to actually happen. Is that so much to ask?

Reyes gives me one. Does fantasy football instead of baseball count as two? D’Brick as a third? You tell me.

3. To score a date with a cute female sports fan. This one has a slightly better chance of happening than the Jessica Biel wish.

Did not happen, much to my dismay. I know there’s got to be one who digs interracial guys and isn’t dating Derek Jeter.

2. The ultimate dream… become the owner of my own MLB franchise. Preferably the Montreal Expos. All I need is a couple of hundred million dollars to lay the groundwork. Contributors will have jobs in the organization. Come on, you know I could run a team better than the geniuses who are overseeing the Dodgers/Royals/Pirates…

If this did happen, you think this blog would still exist? I’d have hired everyone out and turned into the teams’ PR blog.

1. To be able to see one of my teams win a championship. Yeah, I said I would exclude this from the list, but this is a slightly different wish. I’d like any of my favorite teams to win a championship, I don’t care which one. The Rangers won in 94, but with my lack of cable TV (then and now) I wasn’t able to watch. Seeing my team win it all is something that has never happened for me before. It’d be nice to experience, especially after seeing all those Yankee fans get to see it every… damn… year…

Might have happened if not for Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright. On the other hand for the first time in my lifetime, the Mets, Jets, Rangers and Nets all made the playoffs in one calendar year. Can’t complain about that, especially since it does not figure to happen again in 2007.

Tomorrow: the 2007 Birthday wish list.