Sports Writer

What a wonderful Christmas! I hope you’re like me and hate to see Christmas go. It’s the best time of the year and it’s a day you want to hold to for as long as you can. I hope ol’ Santa was good to all of you! I know this, I had the best German Chocolate and Carrot Cake you’ll ever eat. I hate to say bye to it, but I’m gonna have to!

But not until New Year’s Day!

Yes, I’m going on a "big time" diet on Jan. 1. Or maybe Jan. 2. I haven’t decided. I’ve got to stick with this one. It may be my last chance. Now I’ve got to decide what I’m going to do to lose 30 pounds. Should I starve myself to death? Or should I walk 1,000 miles in the next 364 days? I think I’ll try walking and staying away from any food that is white. All sweets will be gone from my diet. I’ll eat only meats, whole wheat cereal, a little fruit and leafy vegetables. Please pray for me because I’m going to need it. Yes! I’m really going to go on a diet. I’m going to lose a lot of weight and feel young again! If I start walking a mile a day, I can build up to two miles a day and maybe three or four miles a day to give me the 1,000 miles I need. Please give me some encouragement!

If you see me walking the streets of Troy, blow your horn and tell me to stick with it. I hope to find somebody that will walk with me. I want him or her to be someone who likes to talk like I do. Then I won’t feel the pain because I’m caught up in conversation. I’m trying to decide now when I should walk; in the morning, at lunch time, in the afternoon or at night. Maybe if I can eat at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., I can burn all my calories up at 5 p.m. If you’ve got some good suggestion about weight loss for me, please send them to The Messenger or e-mail me at amos@troycable,net. I will appreciate all your cards and letters of encouragement.

I can remember when I was in high school trying to gain weight. I would drink milk shakes with raw eggs in them. I didn’t gain a pound. Tell me how I can lose weight and not starve myself to death?

I hope none of you took my bowl predictions very seriously. I’m 1-3 so far with 21 games left to play. A lot of teams will be playing without some of their star players due to semester grades. Take Florida State for instance. They lost their great wide receiver Marvin Minnis, (1,340 receiving yards), because of failing grades. Mississippi State lost their great defensive back Fred Smoot.

From now until Jan. 3, it should be a lot of fun watching the best in college football.

Congratulations to Troy State’s men’s basketball team for their tremendous showing in the Pearl Harbor Classic last week. After losing to nationally ranked Iowa State by only 10 points, the Trojans came back to beat Boise State and Southern Illinois in the Yahoo! Invitational.

The Trojans are back home next Tuesday night against TAAC foe Central Florida. The Trojans play Mercer at Trojan Arena on Saturday night, Jan. 6.

Well, I’ve made my New Year’s resolution! I just hope I’m man enough to keep it. With your help and encouragement I can. Stay on me please!

Here’s hoping that 2001 is the best and most prosperous year of your life!

Happy New Year!