By Dylan Butler
That there has been such an outcry…OK, maybe outcry is too strong a word. Because there's been such an interest in my writing this column tells me that I have to give the loyal readers what they want. But, in any case, without further ado, here goes my wish list for the Queens sporting universe.Since this is hoops season, we'll start on the hardwood. I wish that the rest of the league season in the boys' CHSAA Class AA is as good as the first game, an overtime thriller between Christ the King and St. Raymond's. The PSAL may have Lincoln and Boys & Girls, in other words half of Xaverian's team from last year, but the CHSAA is still the best league in the country. It seems that there are at least two or three marquee games each week, which should make it a fun couple of months.I've wished for parity for the Catholic girls' hoops teams and it appears we have that this year. Could this be the season that someone other than Christ the King wins the Division I Brooklyn/Queens title? I won't wish against the Royals, but I do wish for a competitive final. I'll wish for Queens to be represented well in the citywide PSAL boys' playoffs, but that's not likely to happen. Lincoln is clearly the king of the city and none of the longshot contenders call our borough home.I do wish for Ron Naclerio's reality show to finally make its way onto television. That is some must-see TV right there.As for the PSAL girls, I wish for Mike Eisenberg to teach his infant daughter, Abigail, to dribble with her left hand soon. Perhaps she'll be the one to finally lead Francis Lewis to the city title in a dozen years or so.For the Queens College men's team and head coach Kyrk Peponakis, I wish a few more quality players, perhaps an impact one with experience. I hear Theo Davis is leaving Gonzaga. I wish I would drink the Kool-Aid at St. John's and believe that the men's basketball team at my alma mater was actually turning a corner. Sadly, they are not. And I'm not a Kool-Aid fan, either. Thanks to the City Council, my wish of short high-school baseball games in the spring has apparently been granted with the wood bat law going into effect this season. There's nothing worse than standing at wind-swept Cunningham Park watching a four-hour baseball game with temperatures in the 40s in April.Now, as long as there is solid fielding, I'll be able to keep my car running while covering early season games. For everyone else in Queens sports, I wish a happy, healthy and competitive New Year.
