With the holiday season steadily approaching, it is the perfect time to be in the giving mood and show others that you care. Since I am feeling the Hanukkah, I mean, Christmas spirit, I would like to hand out some presents to those in the sports world that could certainly use a helping hand at the moment. My first gift is for a basketball team that used to exemplify the way the sport should be played.

The Detroit Pistons have been serious contenders in the NBA’s Eastern Conference over the course of the last six seasons, making the Conference Finals in all six and coming away with a championship in 2004. Their emphasis on defense and unselfish play separated the Pistons from the rest of the league, with big-game point guard Chauncey Billups leading the way on both ends of the floor.

After six years of success with virtually the same players, Detroit decided to trade Billups, its heart and soul, to Denver for Allen Iverson, the most selfish player in the NBA. This move made absolutely no sense for the defensive-minded Pistons, and they are struggling out of the gate while the Nuggets have significantly improved as a team with Billups. I did not understand if the Pistons actually thought they would improve after this trade, or simply made the move to see if they can turn a hothead into a team player.

My present to the Pistons and General Manager Joe Dumars is the receipt of this horrible trade, which comes with the DVD “How to Practice with Allen Iverson”.

Speaking of horrible decisions, my heart goes out to the Texas Longhorns’ football team and the incredible year these guys had. Texas beats Oklahoma when the two played each other on a neutral field this season, but Oklahoma gets to play for the National Championship because a bunch of nerds that don’t watch football had the Sooners ranked higher.

College football is continuing to falter without any type of playoff system, and it shows when deserving teams are excluded from an opportunity to play for the national title. This is not meant to take anything away from Oklahoma, who has been spectacular all season long, but Texas had the same record as them!!! Imagine this type of playoff scenario, taking the eight best teams in college football: #1 Oklahoma plays #8 Penn State, #4 Alabama plays #5 USC, #2 Florida plays #7 Texas Tech and #3 Texas plays #6 Utah. I don’t know how many times it needs to be said, but this solves

My gift to the University of Texas, President-elect Barack Obama and millions of football fans across the country? A Playoff.

And last but certainly not least on the Christmas list is my favorite idiot in professional football, New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress.

To add insult to the hamstring injury that has sidelined him for the last few weeks, Plaxico Burress put his football career in jeopardy when he “accidentally” shot himself at a nightclub. He did not suffer any serious injury from the gunshot wound, but the fact that he was carrying a handgun without a permit could result in up to 15 years in jail. I really don’t understand how a person can accidentally shoot themselves, but leave it to a punk like Burress to uncover such a mystery.

My obvious present to this embarrassment of an athlete is a brain, something that many athletes these days are missing.

Bold Prediction of the week: The Philadelphia Eagles will win the last three games of the season and make the playoffs.