Here&8217;s to having a prosperous 2006, with the hope of never missing at PAT in overtime and no one running a fake field goal on you while holding a 34-3 lead.

A week later, there are still plenty more people I&8217;d rather be than Central Florida&8217;s kicker. Or anyone on defense for the U. No wonder the two teams went to fist city in the tunnel afterward.

For the aforementioned and anyone else whose fate was similar to that of the Grizzlies&8217; Mike Miller, here&8217;s to a better 2006. Let&8217;s hope all is forgiven, and let&8217;s hope for the following good things in the new year:

Play the Adams Christian-Trinity Episcopal games. Both schools agreed to play Jan. 30 if the date remains available outside of district tournaments after haggling back in the fall over whether or not to play the game.

Scheduling conflicts were cited between the two. But this should have never come to this point this late in the season. The two teams have played each of the last two seasons &8212; including a meeting at South State at the AC gym last season before a packed house &8212; and played the last three seasons in football.

The big if, you&8217;ve got to wonder, can be construed as an escape clause. Adams Christian&8217;s boys are down this season after losing three starters from a year ago and could very well get that No. 6 seed for the district tournament. Trinity&8217;s boys aren&8217;t a powerhouse by any means but would be favored if the two would meet up.

But it&8217;s not about who would win or lose. This game is about bringing two neighboring schools together, pitting two teams with players who know each other very well and have for several years and creating interest in the community (not to mention turning in a nice amount of bucks at the gate).

But if it&8217;s winning or losing that&8217;s the holdup here, remember this. Of all sports out there, basketball is the one where the ball bounces funny the most. Funny things happen more on the hardwood than on the diamond, gridiron or maybe anywhere else.

It&8217;s about the kids. It&8217;s rivalry. It&8217;s playing as hard as you can because you can&8217;t let your friend beat you.

Which would make the girls&8217; matchup all the more interesting. That should go down to a last shot.

Better days ahead for the New Orleans Saints. The announcement couldn&8217;t have come at a better time Friday &8212; the Saints will return to their headquarters in Metairie and play home games in Louisiana next season.

So long, San Antonio. For now, at least.

The road to recovery will be long, especially for a team that was heading nowhere fast before running away from Hurricane Katrina. Don&8217;t look for any major free-agent spending after the season, and you may see Todd Bouman or some no-name like Kelly Holcomb taking over at quarterback next season.

Unless &8212; a big UNLESS &8212; the Saints draft a big-name quarterback with their first pick. Don&8217;t hold your breath, since they&8217;ve done it only once in 38 years of NFL drafts. Can&8217;t remember his name right off hand, but his two boys now start in the NFL.

Alcorn basketball playing home games prior to conference. Basketball hasn&8217;t drawn well for games not against Southern or Jackson State the last three seasons, but is that the reasoning? Neither the men or women played a home game prior to conference this season and will play their home openers Saturday against Jackson State.

Now it&8217;s hard to turn down good money. Schools like USC, Florida State and Missouri will make it worth Alcorn&8217;s while (and then some) to come on down, get slapped around for 40 minutes and head on home.

Alcorn&8217;s fans are fickle. And maybe not many teams want to travel to Lorman for a game. But you can&8217;t beat playing at home, eating your own food and sleeping in your own bed at a decent hour.

No changes to the bowl schedule. Don&8217;t complain about the Put Up Enough Money For a Bowl games. What you&8217;re seeing is football&8217;s version of the NCAA Tournament (sans bracket) with small schools getting a chance to gain national exposure.

All I-A conferences are involved. Everyone knows about George O&8217;Leary at Central Florida, Navy&8217;s continued success and Missouri quarterback Brad Smith thanks to the putyournamehere.com Bowl.

Time will slow down. It&8217;s been 10 years for me in this business already. Right off hand, I can&8217;t recall much time away from work. Don&8217;t ask me where the time&8217;s gone. I know.

Another enjoyable Christmas with my wife.

MHSAA and MPSA teams to play each other. Aw, not this year. I&8217;ll put that in a time capsule.

Adam Daigle

is sports editor of The Natchez Democrat. Reach him at 601-445-3632 or at

adam.daigle@natchezdemocrat.com

.