Before I start in on this wish list of a column, I have to give credit where credit is due. I stole this story idea. Paul Clark does a fine job over at CycloneReport.com and I read with interest his daily blog posted on Tuesday of this week. It was simply a list of things he said he'd like to see happen in Iowa State athletics. That got me to thinking. What would I like to see here at Mizzou?

Now, unlike Paul, who said no one at Iowa State had every asked his thoughts on anything, someone at Missouri has actually asked my opinion on a couple of things. That doesn't mean they cared about my answer or they put any stock in what I thought, but they have asked a couple of times.

Now, I want a national title in football and one in basketball and one in baseball, etc. Sure, that would be great. But everybody wants that. My desires are a little simpler, at least for the purposes of this column.

First off, I want a basketball game against Kansas in Kansas City. I know it's unrealistic. I can't imagine a scenario where they could make it work. Neither the Tigers or the Jayhawks are going to give up a home game in any given year, nor should they. But, man, I love the Braggin' Rights game in St. Louis. Double that and you've got the tip of the iceberg on an MU-KU series in Kansas City. You know, the Sprint Center is going to open there sometime soon. If you can't do it every year, how about once? How about the first event in that building being Missouri and Kansas to tip off the 2007-08 basketball season? Seriously, is there a fan in Kansas City who wouldn't go? Maybe the ones that wear purple, but they've been so insignificant come basketball season for the last 15 years that attendance wouldn't suffer. Brandon Rush playing in his hometown against the team his brother led to the brink of the Final Four? Come on, that would be a ball. You think it sucks to go to work in KC after the Jayhawks beat the Tigers in Lawrence? How bad would it be if all your friends had actually gone to the game? How sweet would it be if you were the one rubbing it in?

I've gotten my most ridiculous request out of the way. I know it can't happen, but it doesn't mean I can't ask. I knew I wasn't getting a Nintendo for Christmas either, but I still had to give it a shot just about every year.

Next, I want a baseball stadium. I mean a stadium. Maybe you can describe Taylor Stadium as charming, but I'll be honest, I played in places just as impressive when I went to tournaments as a 13-year old. Now, I know Missouri's attendance probably doesn't justify spending millions of bucks on a baseball field, but the team does justify it. The Tigers have been to four straight NCAA tournaments (only Texas can say that in the Big 12). They're getting ready for their first Super Regional. They just had two players taken in the first four rounds of the MLB draft, and four total on the first day. This is a team that matters in the Big 12. They've certainly done more than the football or basketball teams have done in the last four years and both of those programs have gotten major renovations. Let's put a real complex on campus that makes some of the solid baseball players in the Show-Me State want to play for their home school.

Third, I want #16 put up on the wall at Faurot Field. I know the arguments against it. I know them all. But here's my argument for it and I challenge anyone to come up with a reason Missouri shouldn't put the number on the wall at halftime of the first game where the New York Jets have a bye and Brad Smith can make it back to Columbia that outweighs it. I have an eight-year-old son. To him, Missouri football is Brad Smith. Period. Every other player on the roster for the last three years, he'd ask, "Who's number 10? Who's number 48?" Not 16. He knew 16. There is an entire generation of fans just like him. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of kids who love Missouri football, who will bleed Black and Gold, because of Brad Smith. I don't care if you retire his number. But I do care if you put his name on that wall. The Jets don't open the season until September 10th. You want to sell out the home opener? You're not going to do it because the Murray State Racers are in town. But I promise you will never have heard an ovation inside Faurot like you'll hear if you bring Brad back and put that number on the wall. Yes, I'm biased. Yes, I love the kid. And, sorry, but yes, I'm right on this one.

I really, really, want one more thing. I want Midnight Madness. While big-time basketball programs across the country are kicking off their basketball seasons with parties at midnight, I watched Quin Snyder yank his team off the court at halftime of the Black and Gold game last year because he thought 16 minutes of basketball had made a bunch of 20-year-olds tired. Might have been the best decision he made in three years. But that's beside the point. Missouri made one of the most exciting hires in college basketball this off-season. I've yet to see any expert say hiring Mike Anderson was a mistake. His teams are a thrill to watch. You think ESPN won't send somebody to Columbia to see the first 40 minutes of hell at Mizzou? Come on, Missouri, make this happen. I haven't seen Mizzou Arena full more than two or three times since it was built. You can fill it up this October.

One last thing, and this isn't exactly Mizzou-related. Bring the state football championships back to Faurot Field. You ever seen a high school game in the Edward Jones Dome? It's AWFUL. Just horrendous. Even with the biggest crowds, the lower level isn't anywhere close to full. It's like watching a practice. Now, I'm not saying Faurot Field would have 65,000 fans either, but it wouldn't seem as empty as the Dome. Plus, a lot more fans from Kansas City and the western half of the state would drive two hours instead of hiking all the way to St. Louis. And there is an advantage for the Tigers in this. Give these high school kids a chance to run out of the tunnel at Faurot and see what it feels like. Maybe they'll think they'd like to do it again in a couple of years.

I don't ask a lot. I think these are reasonable requests. Next time anybody asks what I think, maybe I'll mention them. Like I said, I'm not sure anyone will care. I still haven't gotten the Nintendo. But I might ask for it again this Christmas.