Owning Up to My 2007 Predictions
For several years ... 10 maybe? ... I did an annual predictions column in the newspaper.
I'm ending that streak this year, mostly because the Lakers' biggest regular-season game of the season was on Dec. 30 (last night), which meant my Dec. 31 column was NOT an assessment of my 2007 predictions ... AND I don't have a column for Jan. 1, which is when I usually predict the next year.
So, I'm using the blog to check up on my 90 (!) specific predictions for 2007.
Right up front: I did about what I usually do -- about half right, half wrong. Actually, a little on the low side, at 46.7 percent correct. (That is, you flip a coin, you probably do better than me; though, in my own defense, some of the picks involve a lot of moving parts.)
But this year the correct predictions don't have many of those "how did he know that?" predix ... while some of the misses were laughably wrong.
Let's start with the good news ... the ones I got right.
1. Auburn over Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl.
2. Louisville over Wake Forest in the Orange.
3. LSU over Notre Dame in the Sugar.
4. Chicago in the NFC title game.
5. New Orleans in the NFC title game.
6. Chicago in the Super Bowl.
7. UCLA wins the Pac-10 basketball title.
8. UCLA does NOT go 18-0 in Pac-10 play (15-3)
9. UCLA reaches the Final Four.
10. Florida repeats as NCAA basketball champ.
11. The Lakers make the NBA playoffs.
12. Detroit makes the Eastern Conference finals.
13. San Antonio makes the Western Conference finals.
14. San Antonio wins the NBA Finals.
15. Greg Oden goes No. 1 in the NBA draft.
16. UCLA's Darren Collison stays in school.
17. Ducks make NHL playoffs.
18. Kings don't make NHL playoffs.
19. Dwayne Jarrett declares for NFL draft.
20. Jarrett is taken in the first round of the draft.
21. Barry Bonds breaks Henry Aaron's career home run record.
22. Aaron is not in the stadium when it happens.
23. The Dodgers win more games than the Giants.
24. Dodgers don't make the playoffs.
25. Dodgers sell more than 3.5 million tickets.
26. Angels sell more than 3.5 million tickets.
27. Argentina wins the Copa America soccer tournament.
28. The U.S. doesn't survive the first round of the Copa.
29. Landon Donovan wins the Honda Award (nation's best player).
30. Roger Federer wins at Wimbledon.
31. Lorena Ochoa leads the LPGA in victories.
32. Pete Carroll doesn't jump to the NFL.
33. Ben Olson makes more starts at QB for UCLA than does Patrick Cowan.
34. Ontario breaks ground on an arena.
35. Silverado wins the Desert Sky football title.
36. Colony wins the Mt. Baldy title.
37. Kaisers wins (a share) of Sunkist title.
38. Etiwanda wins (a share) of the Baseline basketball title.
39. Serrano wins the Mojave River.
40. Colony wins Mt. Baldy (hoops here, still).
41. Tiger Woods doesn't win eight tournaments (he won seven).
42. Clippers don't make the NBA playoffs.
Not bad. Forty-two correct predictions.
Now for the bad news.
1. Michigan over USC in the Rose Bowl. (32-18, Trojans)
2. Oklahoma over Boise State in the Fiesta. (43-42 Boise State)
3. Ohio State over Florida in the BCS title game. (Not even!)
4. The Ravens reach the AFC title game.
5. The Chargers reach the AFC title game.
6. Ravens make Super Bowl.
7. Ravens win Super Bowl (by two touchdowns, no less; hah).
8. REV wins CBL basketball title (Redlands won by five games).
9. Silverado wins the Desert Sky title (actually, Silverado finished last; Granite Hills won).
10. San Gorgonio wins SAL title (Arroyo Valley).
11. Damien wins Sierra League (Chino Hills).
12. USC fails to make NCAA tournament (it got to the sweet 16).
13. Cal State San Bernardino wins the CCAA basketball title (Humboldt finished a game ahead).
14. Prentice Harris of Cal State is player of the year (it was a Humboldt kid).
15. Cal State's Jeff Oliver is coach of the year (Humboldt's guy).
16. LeBron James in NBA MVP (Nowitzki).
17. Lakers get to second round of playoffs.
18. Miami in Eastern Conference finals.
19. Dallas reaches Western Conference finals.
20. Detroit reaches NBA Finals.
21. Buffalo wins NHL title (Ducks).
22. Raiders use No. 1 draft pick on Brady Quinn (JaMarcus Russell).
23. Jason Schmidt wins more games for Dodgers than Barry Zito does for Giants (Schmidt barely pitched).
24. The Padres win the NL West (Arizona).
25. Athletics win AL West (Angels).
26. Angels don't make playoffs.
27. Yankees win World Series.
28. Mets play in World Series (it was Boston over Colorado).
29. Mexico wins the Gold Cup soccer tournament (U.S.).
30. Floyd Mayweather knocks out Oscar De La Hoya in their prize fight (it was a decision).
31. USC loses at Notre Dame, in football. (USC hardly lost; Notre Dame hardly won at all)
32. USC loses at California.
33. Cal wins the Pac-10 football title (USC, ASU).
34. USC plays in Holiday Bowl (Rose).
35. UCLA plays in Sun Bowl (Las Vegas).
36. Karl Dorrell isn't fired.
37. Maria Sharapova wins Wimbledon (Venus Williams).
38. McFadden wins Heisman (Tim Tebow; McFadden WAS second).
39. Texas makes BCS title game.
40. Florida State (!) makes BCS title game. ('Noles barely mustered a quorum for their minor bowl)
41. Kurt Busch wins Nextel Cup championship (Jimmie Johnson).
42. Danica Patrica gets first Indy-car win.
43. Rancho Cucamonga wins Baseline football title (Los Osos).
44. Redlands wins CBL football title (REV).
45. Rim of the World wins Mojave River (Serrano).
46. Chino Hills wins Sierra League (Damien).
47. Big Bear wins CIF football title.
48. Tiger Woods wins two Grand Slam events (he won one, the PGA).
I don't know if I'll take a whack at 2008. Maybe, tomorrow, before kickoff at the Rose Bowl. Or maybe I'll just hang up the crystal ball. If you can hang a ball, that is.