It was Jan. 1 when I realized it. I was walking through a store I can’t quite recall, still in a haze from the night before. And I’m walking down the aisle and I see it. The bright pink and red display with the little boxes of candy hearts labeled those endearing and charming messages.

Valentine’s Day was a month and a half away and I was running out of time. My mind began to race with visions of flowers, jewelry, chocolates and dinner reservations.

Now most guys out there know exactly what I’m talking about. Valentine’s Day is just another day where being a guy means doing something that you don’t want to do. It’s not the actual day, but the social expectations that it brings for us during that six-week eternity that leads up to it. It’s the relentless reminding by the retail world that true love is dispensed by an ATM and contrary to John Lennon’s belief, you can by love.

As my checking account begins to dwindle with just the thought, I’m forced to make all sorts of decisions as to what kind of Valentines this year’s needs to be. Should I go highly romantic, or maybe highly expensive? Or maybe highly cheap? Last year I spent close to a car payment on dinner, so this year I’m sticking to the bread and water.

My perfect Valentine’s Day would be a case of Bud Light, Jack in the Box drive-thru and an all-night MXC marathon on Spike TV. But alas, I know that the night has to be more meaningful than a Sourdough Jack and a dubbed-over Japanese comedy.

But for a woman, this day is the culmination of every conversation about feelings and commitment that you have strategically avoided the past year. Most women will swear that expectations are low and a quiet night with takeout will fulfill their every desire. But take that at face value and you may end up alone long before next year’s V-day comes around. What’s not fair is that all that’s expected of women on the big day is that they just show up.

So shouldn’t there be a compromise in there somewhere? It takes two to tango as the cliche goes. So, why is this Hallmark-created holiday all about what we guys must do for women? Apparently, the loop of appreciation and recognition doesn’t include us hard-working males.

I guess all I’m asking is for a day of our own. What we need is a day where our women are expected to buy us cases of beer and take us out to sports bars and engage in deep, meaningful conversations about when to employ a zone defense and the significance of the 5-yard illegal contact rule. Any woman who can explain to me the double switch-rule in baseball is definitely a keeper.

Now I’m not saying that women don’t deserve the attention and adoration we give them on Valentine’s Day, I’m simply asking for the playing field to be a bit more level. And since there’s no chance on the horizon of implementing a “Lombardi’s Day,” I’m asking that next year all you women do unto your date as you hope they do unto you.

Josh Huggett can be reached at [email protected]