5 More respect appreciation for women's wrestling

I'm sure Holliday would be interested in playing for the reigning World Series Champions.But the bigger question is, would the Yankees offer him the money and years to play in the BronxThat's what we all want to know, and eventually, will find out.. With just two weeks left in 2009, I thought it would be the perfect time to state our biggest & best wishes for women's wrestling in 2010...while trying to keep them realistic or as sane as possible. I debated making two separate lists...one for Joshi or Japanese-based wrestling & another for the American promotions...but figured we might as well just keep it to one complete list.Here's my top wishes for the world of women's wrestling in 2010:1) Gail Kim gets a BIG push in the WWE & wins the WWE Women's Title - I know this might be "serious wishful thinking" but I can dare to dream. There is NO excuse for the best female wrestler in North America to be relegated to being an "after-thought" in the biggest wrestling company in the world.2) Kana to become a singles (NEO/NWA Pacific) Champion - I, freely, admit to being a major Kana "mark"...but the girl is AWESOME & had an incredible 2009 and I only hope that 2010 brings more success, in the form of her first singles title reign in Japan.

She's earned it & deserves it IMO.3) No injuries or retirements...by any of the major Joshi stars - 2009 was tough in Joshi, as we lost Haruka Matsuo, Arisa Nakajima & Azumi Hyuga to retirement...Estuko Mita, half of the most notorious heel tag team in Joshi history (LCO), also retired in 2009 but she had bad knees & had been wrestling for over 20 years. Hoping that most, if not all, of the main-event stars stay injury-free in 2010.4) Larger crowds in Joshi wrestling - I know the global economy, especially Japan, has been in a funk for a while now but I hope the promotions in Joshi (NEO, WAVE & JWP, to name a few) draw larger crowds in 2010...the wrestlers are AMAZING, the action is INTENSE & they deserve all the support they can get. Definitely not what it was in the 80s or 90s & not asking to reach that level but it would be nice to see more people in the arenas.5) More respect & appreciation for women's wrestling...from the fans in the West - Yes, might be a bit unrealistic...given the decades of "brain-washing" that a certain company owner has inflicted on the average North American wrestling fan and their attitude toward the women...but, like Gail Kim's push to Champion, I can dare to dream!!6) Mega-feud to develop & gain steam in Joshi - I would love to see a feud or two really become "the talk of the wrestling world" & not just Joshi...Kana v Ayumi Kurihara, Kana v Yoshiko Tamura, Passion Red v Revolucion Amandola (best heel team in Joshi & the "new" LCO) or Hiroyo Matsumoto v Yuki Miyazaki are just a few that could work out well IMO, if booked correctly.7) Major breakthrough wrestler to emerge & make an impact in Joshi - The wrestling scene in Joshi has suffered in recent years because of the lack of depth around the promotions...unlike in the 80s & 90s...and the recent retirements of young stars like Haruka Matsuo & Arisa Nakajima has not helped the situation. Hopefully, there's a Ayumi Kurihara or Hiroyo Matsumoto in the class of 2010 that can continue the AWESOME tradition of Joshi wrestling!!8) To be able to make it to Japan in December 2010 & attend a "full plate" of Joshi shows - Pretty self-explanatory...also, hope to meet several Joshi stars in person, especially Kana!!I invite all of you to state your own top wishes in the comments section & hope you enjoy my lists, whether you agree or not.. From youth hockey to the NHL, when a team is struggling, almost every hockey coach will stress the three basics to winning hockey Move your feet, shoot the puck and drive the net. Sometimes, it's almost as simple as that.The San Jose Sharks were riding a 0-2-3win-less streak heading into Thursday's contest against the Ducks but four days off prior to the game might have been just what the doctor ordered.Despite starting each period in a rather sluggish fashion, the Sharks were able to turn on the pressure and finished off each period playing their best hockey all month.Towards the end of the opening period the Sharks drew their second power-play of the night and pummeled Anaheim net-minder Jean Sebastian-Giguere with seven shots on that single man-advantage.While that particular power-play opportunity didn't provide a goal, it gave the Sharks some momentum heading in the middle period.In that middle frame is where the three basic keys to successful hockey were most evident. Devin Setoguchi was moving his feet and created a turnover down low in the offensive zone, Patrick Marleau wasted no time in firing the puck towards the net and Joe Thornton drove the front of the net for the tip in goal.But it wasn't just one instance where the Sharks performed in a way that would make all youth coaches proud.

In fact, all four San Jose goals were scored in such fashion.Marleau's tally with just over four and a half minutes remaining in the second period demonstrated two of these basic concepts. Douglas Murray collected a pass from Thornton at the point and instead of getting cutesy with the puck, (which the Sharks are often caught doing) Murray wristed it towards the net where Marleau was able to deflect out of the air and past Giguere for the 2-0 lead.Although allowing Anaheim to cut the lead in half early in the third period isn't something the Sharks wanted to let happen, their ability to bounce back and keep the pressure going was huge.A few games ago against Dallas the Sharks had a 2-1 third period lead and were simply being out played and showed tentativeness with the puck. But on Thursday night against Anaheim they were pushing the tempo instead of sitting back on the lead.The result is that the Sharks drew their fifth power-play of the night which allowed them to regain their two goal lead.Joe Thornton would get credit for chipping in the rebound but the play was made by Joe Pavelski. All by himself, Pavelski executed two of those very important basic concepts. "Joepa" took advantage of open skating room, drove the net and put a hard shot on goal and the rebound popped right out to Thornton who tapped it in.However, that two goal lead is often considered as the most dangerous lead in hockey and rather than sit back, the Sharks kept on pushing.Thornton's power-play marker came with still over six and a half minutes remaining, plenty of time for Anaheim to turn things around in their favor.Unfortunately for them, Setoguchi was on a mission to get off the scoringschnide.All game long, the Sharks right-wing was playing the way fans remember him playing all of last season when he scored 31 goals on the top line alongside Thornton and Marleau. By pressuring the puck carrier throughout the game like no other skater on either side, Setoguchi's hustle helped lead to his own goal when he forced a loose puck in the neutral zone.