Billy Reed: Special New Year’s wishes for some — and peace, happiness for the rest of you

This is the time of year when lazy columnists get one out of the way by making New Year’s wishes for various friends, enemies, news sources, and other assorted characters who may pop into mind.

So here we go:

For the Cincinnati Bengals, at least one win in the NFL playoffs.

For Marty Brennaman, legendary voice of the Cincinnati Reds, a supply of Advil to help him through what promises to be a headache of a season.

For the North Carolina basketball program, the serious penalties it deserves for participating in a massive academic scandal.

For Clemson, a national collegiate football championship.

For play-by-play announcers Paul Rogers of U of L and Tom Leach of UK, strong voices and much gratitude for jobs well done over a long period of time.

For Bellarmine basketball coach Scott Davenport, a second NCAA Division II national championship.

For U of L President Jim Ramsey, a gift certificate to Taco Bell.

For the NCAA, a clue.

For the Republican party, Donald Trump as its Presidential nominee.

For the Democratic party, Donald Trump as the Republican nominee..

For the voting public, good luck.

For Western Kentucky University , the money to keep football coach Jeff Brohm in Bowling Green.

For UK athletics director Mitch Barnhart, a way out of the football mess he has created by giving a $15.5 million contract buyout to an unproven coach.

For talk-show host Drew Deener of Louisville’s ESPN680, more free trips that will add to his well-deserved reputation as “America’s Guest.”

For Muhammad Ali, good health and an abundance of love from Muslims, Christians, and people of goodwill around the world.

For American Pharoah, the endurance of Wilt Chamberlain.

For Rick Pitino, the “Fickle Finger of Fate” award.

For John Calipari, more young men like Alex Poythress.

For Teddy Bridgewater, a Minnesota Vikings team he can lead to the Super Bowl.

For thoroughbred racing, leaders who can figure out how to tap into the excitement created by American Pharoah’s Triple Crown and climactic win in the Breeders Cup Classic at Keeneland.

For former NFL players such as Jeff Van Note, Will Wolford, Frank Minniefield, and Derrick Ramsey, tickets for the movie “Concussion.”

For actor Will Smith, an Oscar for his brilliant performance in the aforementioned movie.

For the Cincinnati Reds, a complete front-office overall in which the current incompetents will be replaced by people who know how to build a winner in a small market (see Kansas City for reference).

For the University of Louisville basketball program, the finding that Andre McGee and Katina Powell were running a rogue operation and minimal penalties from the NCAA.

For McGee, Powell and the publisher of her book, nice mattresses in their prison cells.

For the media who cover thoroughbred racing, a press box at Churchill Downs.

For Kim Davis, an interview with Rachel Maddow.

For my friend Richie Farmer, a second chance and peace of mind.

For the U.S. Olympic team, many medals in Rio.

For Jerry Tipton of the Lexington Herald-Leader, a Congressional Medal of Honor of covering UK basketball for more than 30 years.

For Transylvania and Centre, spots in the NCAA D-III basketball tournaments.

For UK football coach Mark Stoops, a tape of the Indiana-Duke bowl game so he can see the kind of offense his team should be playing.

I wish everyone a happy and peaceful 2016.

Billy Reed is a member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Hall of Fame, the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame, the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame and the Transylvania University Hall of Fame. He has been named Kentucky Sports Writer of the Year eight times and has won the Eclipse Award twice. Reed has written about a multitude of sports events for over four decades, but he is perhaps one of media’s most knowledgeable writers on the Kentucky Derby.