FROM THE PRESS BOX: A WISH LIST FOR 2019 ... AND NEW YORK NOTES (2019-01-01)

I normally submit my wish list to Santa before Christmas, but I know he was pretty busy so I'll send it to him today and let him take care of it at his leisure in 2019.

My not-exactly-Christmas wish list for 2019 (not necessarily in the order of importance) :

1. A Valley baseball / softball tournament: This isn't the first time I've asked for this, and I've been lobbying the AD and baseball coaches for a couple years to get this off the ground.

My proposal was for a NY / Pa. challenge with the school's alternating as host sites each year, with two games at two sites on Friday, and two games at one site on Saturday.

All four baseball programs are top notch right now, and it would provide some good baseball.

As for the softball side of the docket, Waverly, Tioga and Athens are all playoff-bound this spring, while Sayre has some work to do.

Regardless, Valley teams bring out the best in each other.

Could this be the year it finally happens?

2. More Valley rivalries renewed on the gridiron: I would love to see the Waverly-Athens and Waverly-Sayre football rivalries back on the gridiron as soon as possible.

I'd like to see Tioga play Sayre or Athens, too.

It's not as easy as you might think with the teams in different leagues and different states. Scheduling can be a nightmare, but I think it's something a lot of Valley fans would love to see.

2B. Concerted effort to have Valley football teams play at different times: Last year, we had one Friday night with Athens, Sayre, Tioga, and Waverly all in action at home on Friday night.

I've said it before, the more opportunities you give Valley football fans to attend games, the more games they will attend. Saturday afternoon and Saturday night games are always an option.

3. IAC boys and girls basketball games on different nights: A week before Christmas Waverly and Tioga played each other on the hardwoods. There was a good crowd at the girls game at Waverly, and a very good crowd at the boys game at Tioga, despite the fact the games were being played simultaneously.

Both games would have had much bigger crowds if they were played on different nights. The other leagues - NTL and STAC - play the boys and girls games on different nights.

Granted, fewer Waverly fans would make the trek to Watkins Glen or O-M than to Tioga, but attendance would be higher for both games.

It's not just about the almighty-dollar either. Having the games on the same night takes away from the student section, considering the girls' and boys' team root as hard as anyone for their counterparts.

I've asked for this in the past, and we're still in the same boat. I don't expect it to change, but it would be nice.

4. More Valley teams at the Jarvis Tournament: Some of my fondest memories of wrestling hail from the days of the Valley Christmas Wrestling Tournament.

Athens already has established a very good tournament in the Jarvis Tournament, so the re-emergence of a holiday wrestling tournament is unnecessary. Waverly, Tioga, and Sayre competing at the Jarvis would make a lot of Valley wrestling fans smile.

5. Better weather for the spring sports: This one may be out of Santa's realm, but can we please get some better weather for the beginning of the spring sports season.

I love baseball and softball, but standing in 34-degree temperatures and trying to figure out whether the white spec in the sky I'm trying to take a picture of is the baseball / softball or a snowflake is not my idea of fun.

If it's not raining or snowing, the fields are too wet to play on, then the 8-week schedule ends up being compressed into five weeks, which doesn't do anything for the quality of play.

6. Every team is a winner: I would also like to see every team Valley Sports Report covers post a winning record and do well in the postseason.

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There could be at least a couple of interesting developments coming out of the NYPHSAA executive committee meeting on Feb. 1.

It appears New York State will be pushing back fall start dates a week, which will have a ripple effect on the school year.

The only portion of the fall postseason that will be effected will be the football playoffs, which will be pushed back a week - meaning if Tioga or Waverly advance to the state semifinals, it will be played Thanksgiving weekend, with the state finals played the following weekend.

The winter and spring season practice start dates will also be pushed back a week.

There's also buzz that the basketball and baseball schedules could be expanded back to a maximum of 22 games. Following the economic downturn in 2009, with N.Y. school district facing budget woes, NYPHSAA dropped the maximum to 20 games.

I'm not crazy about football on Thanksgiving weekend, unless it's a state final,, but then again it is the state semifinals, and I'm all for more basketball games.