It’s Christmas day and what might players, coaches, teams and even a few fans secretly hope to find under the tree, in their stocking or after Christmas dinner, having taken the long haul to the grandparents’ house?

• Bob Stoops: a bowl opponent that relies on the run rather than the pass now that it appears two starters in the secondary won’t be available for the Fiesta Bowl, preferably one coming off the emotional loss of its coach … How about that? Christmas came early.

• Sherri Coale: a few more home games and continued consistency (redundant?), if you can call three straight big halves of basketball consistency. Anyway, it’s a start.

• Jeff Capel: more of the same improved play from guys nobody might have expected so much from. Like Longar Longar against the good teams on the schedule and Austin Johnson against everybody. And, a thank you, just for letting everybody know you don’t like 53-51 games, because there’s been enough of those around here the last 15 years to last a lifetime.

• Adrian Peterson: a quarterback.

• Barry Bonds: company in fans’ and media’s performance-enhancing doghouse … Yet another for whom Christmas came early.

• Roger Clemens: some other scandal to take everybody’s mind off his. You know, big enough to make everybody forget the last 10 years of his career may well have been a fraud.

• Sam Bradford: good health because nothing else may be required.

• Courtney Paris: a huge game. Something like 30 points and 20 boards. It’s been too long. And a little patience from the free-throw line or a mental trick that allows believing only seconds remain in a tie game every time she steps to the line.

• Oklahoma soccer: a season that doesn’t head south just as soon as conference play begins for Nicole Nelson, the way they always headed south for Randy Evans, even when he thought the coming season (every season) had a chance to be his best team yet.

• Patty Gasso: a return to the WCWS. It’s been too long.

• ESPN loyalists: Kenny Mayne on more SportsCenters and more Doug Gottlieb and less Digger Phelps.

• Metro NBA fans: a team to call their own, with Chris Paul running the point (have you seen New Orleans’ attendance numbers?)

• College football: an early signing period. Coaches might be less compelled to run out on their teams when a new job waits, players who know where they’re going won’t have to run away from the phone for several months and message board devotees can choose something more important to bicker about.

• Oklahoma State basketball: a team that will respond to its coach or a coach that can get more out of the Pokes.