JT the Brick

It's time again for my annual holiday memo to various athletes and individuals who make their living in sports. 2004 was a down year, with several disturbing trends taking place on and off the field of play.

From the actions of Kobe Bryant, more instances of fan violence against athletes, a steroid scandal in baseball and no professional hockey in the foreseeable future, we should look forward to 2005 and a fresh start for fans and sports organizations.  Here are a few suggestions for those in the spotlight:

David Stern, NBA commissioner
Stop worrying about television ratings and the expansion of basketball around the world. Look in the mirror and correct some of the mistakes that have taken place in the last five years.

Too many high school players have an unrealistic view of becoming a professional player. They no longer practice fundamentals and just want to dunk or stand around and watch other players take over. Europeans are taking the place of U.S.-born ballers who have forgotten how to get back on defense and move without the ball.

The sport isn't as entertaining as when Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird took it to new highs in the late 80's and early 90's. This new generation of stars don't want to compete in the Olympics or spend time in the off-season working on weaknesses.

The NBA cares more about marketing a game between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal because of their mutual dislike instead of promoting the team aspect of franchises that don't have high-drama players.

The NBA is at a crossroads and Stern must concentrate on the product on the court instead of the marketing opportunities that exist around every corner.

The year in sports Celizic: Year of mediocrity Highs, lows of 2006 in golf Parsons: Johnson among NASCAR winners Complete coverage of year in review

Tiger Woods
The last major tournament you won was the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage, Long Island. 2005 must be the year you bounce back and start winning again. You always wanted to retire as the greatest ever, but the sport has gotten more competitive and it isn't as easy to dominate as in years past.

You got married to settle down, but now it's time to find the right equipment, get out to the range and find your old swing. Your former coach Butch Harmon is only a phone call away and you need to get him back on the payroll full time.

Vijay Singh is now No. 1 and won't let you back on top without a fight. There are too many players now who can hit the ball as long as you and if your putter isn't hot, you don't win. Get back to basics, start smiling and have fun again. The business aspects of being Tiger Woods is obviously more important to you then being on top of the leaderboard on Sunday.

Dale Earnhart Jr.
It's time to win the Nextel Cup. We all know you can win at certain stops on the circuit, but you need to become more consistent. You have done a great job at building your own name and fan base since the death of your father, but he cared more about competing week in and week out than you do.

Too many other drivers want to win and will do whatever it takes to make their teams better in hopes of beating you. We love that you can dominate at Daytona and Talladega, but can you win in Chicago and Vegas? You don't want to be remembered as the man who couldn't win the big one.

Evander Holyfield
Please retire. I'm afraid you will suffer a serious injury in the ring or lose the mental ability to live out the rest of your life. You can no longer compete at a championship level and too many shady individuals still want to exploit you.

You should have enough money to take care of your kids and their grandchildren, so don't continue to fight for glory. The upcoming chapter of your career is looking uglier by the minute and too many of your dedicated fans love you and want you to begin your life outside of the ring.

Barry Bonds
We can confirm that you cheated but wish you would come clean about your history with steroids. The "cream" and the "clear" are two words that Willie Mays and Henry Aaron never spoke of.

I've enjoyed watching your home runs sail into McCovey Cove, but at what cost? Baseball is the sport that has the most prestigious history and you can't break the greatest record in the history of the game while cheating. The old-timers didn't have any of the advantages that you have today, including harder bats; smaller ball parks and watered down pitching.

You are not well-liked by the general public and don't seem to care about your image. You need to volunteer to take as many steroid tests as possible in the next few years and hope that your statistics don't come back to earth like a rocket that has run out of fuel.

Kobe Bryant
You won't win a championship for years to come. No free agents want to come and team up with you because you aren't a team player. You cheated on your wife and lied about your friends and took too long to apologize. Los Angeles is Shaq's town and you have divided the rest of your fan base.

Not enough Lakers fans want to get to know you again, and none of them appreciate it when you try to take over a game by hoisting three-point shots. Stay out of the spotlight for a few years and continue to work on your tremendous skills to get back to the top again.

Fans
Keep going to as many events as you can afford, but make sure athletes you support live up to your standards. You pay their salaries and need to make sure they always hustle and fight to the finish. You are continually asked to spend more money and buy more apparel, but your wallet has to right to just say NO!

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