I am going to go out on a limb here and make a few predictions for the upcoming sports year. I am NOT going to make some of the more "predictable" predictions (you know, Brett Favre retiring, the Lakers not making the playoffs, or Barroid breaking Hank Aaron's record). On this post, you will find predictions that you will not hear elsewhere (if you do, they probably got it from Mickey Mantle's Liver), but these are predictions you can take to the bank:
1. We will have a new NCAA Football national champion. I know the BCS system is really - REALLY -- screwed up, but not even under the current system will the Texas Longhorns have a shot at winning the national championship. This much I do know.
2. Alex Rodriguez will hit .300, 30 HRs, and 100+ RBIs, and Yankee fans are still going to complain that Alex Rodriguez isn't worth the money he is being paid.
3. A team will win the Stanley Cup - on the "Versus" channel. And no one will care.
4. Even though he isn't racing in this year's Tour de France, during the Tour, you will hear more about Floyd Landis than you will hear about the winner of this year's race.
5. Phil Mickelson will choke during a major.
6. By the end of the year, Roger Federer will make us all forget Pete Whats-his-name.
7. The Dallas Mavericks WILL NOT make the NBA Finals. But Mark Cuban will be fined while attending the NBA Finals.
8. An offensive lineman WILL NOT win the Heisman Trophy, continuing the obvious anti-lineman media bias against offensive lineman. Somebody must do something to stop this injustice.
9. Jose Canseco will continue to be the only credible and knowledgeable athlete on the subject of performance enhancing drugs. Until Mark McSteroid and Barroid and the others admit the error of their ways and come clean, their credibility will be overshadowed by Canseco's credibility. Never thought I would write a sentence like that on this Blog.
10. Ichiro Suzuki will get at least 200 hits this year and deep thinkers like Rob Dibble and Keith Olbermann will still openly question whether Ichiro is good enough to make it in the major leagues. After all, Ichiro is Japanese, which means he did not grow up in America or Latin America playing baseball. And as we all know, only Americans and Latinos know how to play baseball.
11. The Raiders will have the #1 pick in the 2007 NFL Draft (ok, this much we already know), and they will try to use their pick to draft Reggie Bush. Or Vince Young. Or Matt Leinart. Or Jay Cutler. Or Marques Colston. When Al Davis finds out those guys aren't available, he will ask "Why would I want to draft a dynamic player like Troy Smith?"
12. One thing is undeniable - sports talk radio is more popular now than ever before. Another point is also undeniable: sports talk radio hosts are getting dumber. They sound more like FM Disc Jockeys than persons knowledgeable in the world of sports. When challenged on their knowledge of sports, radio hosts turn condescending. This year, a host will be fired because he (or she) crossed the line.
13. A least one member of the Cincinnati Bengals will be arrested.
14. Dennis Erickson will leave Arizona State for yet another "Final stop on the Dennis Erickson Coaching Tour".
15. UCLA will win the Men's Basketball Championship and Bruins fans will still complain about Ben Howland's coaching style not being anything like Coach Wooden's style of play.
16. An Oregon State Beaver football player will be drafted in the first round of the NFL draft.
17. Bowling will become very popular - surpassing golf in popularity.
18. The NFL Network will become standard programming for all Cable TV companies.
19. Congress will do nothing about the prevalence of performance enhancing drugs in sports.
20. Somebody other than myself will start reading Mickey Mantle's Liver.
There you have it. 20 predictions you can take to the bank - guaranteed to occur (or not) in 2007. Remember, you heard it hear first. Have a happy and safe New Year.