January 2000 ... clean slate ... fresh start - and Januaries past ... 2nd of '42 ... Fall of Manila ... 22nd of '44 ... Anzio ... 5th of '45 ... The Bulge.

New millennium or not some things deserve a recall ... and who more worthy than those who answered the call ... and fell mortally wounded.

But come the games people play it's a whole different view. Like the past year 1999 ... and the experts ... print and electronic media alike ... jumping aboard the bandwagon with them "best ever" lists.

Beizbollers ... roundballers ... fighters ... men ... women ... name it they had a list them "experts" ... and surely more fun than a deadline sprint. Became a circus .... boxing 1999 ... started with promise ... shout was "Year of the Heavyweight" ... never sleep them purveyors of pugilism ... and always a backup.

And along with the heavyweight promise we were blitzed with shouts of "best pound-per-pound" intros at each bout we tuned in ... and the majority of today fans took the bait. Neat move ... aroused the senses ... letters, e-mails and verbal sparring heated up on internet boards ... and the purveyors of pugilism grinned from ear to ear ... and saw it as another score over the Barnum disciples.

And then sudden-like the "Year of the heavyweight" slogan turned up dead as "Remember the Alamo" ... and the pound-per-pound lunacy began cooling as fast as fever the morn' after a one night stand. No surprise ... what with the vivid memory of the Felix-Oscar two-step .. and them Vander-Lennox unification hoaxes ... and the late season Vargas-Wright bubble burster ... but then, and almost at the buzzer ... a game saver for the connoisseurs of clout.

The lists ... like enemy "incoming mail" on defensive positions at some no-name hill ... or those Big Mo' salvos at Inchon harbor prior to the landing ... similar in design the lists ... not to kill or maim ... but to distract and confuse. AP ... ESPN ... Sports Illustrated ... USA Today ... big town, small town ... all around the town ... electronic and print media ... young and old ... male and female ... name it they had it ... bleepin' lists.

And as the great Joe Louis once said ... you can run but you can't hide ... and the blitz continued ... greatest this, greatest that ... and then the final ticks. And the sound of music ... the fat lady and auld lang syne ... and now ... with luck yesterday's lists will be sentenced to the recycle bin. And with the new millennium a new start ... clean slate ... and what better way to begin than with a big broom ... and sweep away the IBF, WBA, WBC charlatans ... and replace them with a familiar ring. As in National Boxing Association ... one champ per weight class ... with the top ten ranked vying for a title shot.

Keep the faith guys and gals ... and the hands up and head down.

Semper fi,

Geo El