2005 Predictions

[Saintsfan]

I have a feeling 2005 will be filled with soprting misery for me!

1 Australia win Ashes.

2 London not awarded the 2012 Olympics.

3 Southampton relegated from the Premier League.

[DEAD!]

- St Kilda win the AFL Grand Final

- Victoria Bushrangers make the Pura Cup or ING Cup Final and win

- Australia keeps the Ashes, beating England in England

- Melbourne Tigers win the Philips Championship (NBL Basketball)

- Australia beat Ireland in the International Rules

- St Kilda to win the Wizard Cup again

- Darren Bennet to punt the length of the field

- Ben Graham to win a contract with NY Jets

list to be updated when i think of things

1) NO

2) Don't know. Don't follow cricket much

3) Most likely

4) Don't follow NBL

5) I guess? Seems to be a crapshoot every year

6) It's only preseason. Who cares?

7) Bennett has lost some of that leg strength.

8) It's possible. I wouldn't bet against it.

To saintsfan, I'll just say yes, yes and yes.

[BaltimoreFan]

Ok, may prediction is that the San Diego Chargers will play in Super Bowl XXXIX.

[buzzcut]

Auto Racing:

-There will be a 25-car wreck during Daytona 500, which will be won by Ryan Newman

-NASCAR will sign a 10-year deal with ABC/ESPN

-ChampCar will fold, forcing everyone to the IRL

-Formula 1 will still be dominated by Ferrari

Champions:

-Nextel Cup: Jimmie Johnson

-IRL IndyCar: Buddy Rice

-ChampCar: Cristiano DaMatta

-F1: Schumi

Baseball:

-BALCO scandal explodes, forcing the US Government to subject MLB to anti-trust rules

-Junior Griffey will blow out his knee, again

-Washington Nats will sell out Home Opener, draw about 25,000 per, the rest of the way.

World Series: Red Sox over Astros in 5

Basketball:

-Orlando Magic announce move to K.C.; Minnesota moves to East

-Brawl erupts at Lakers-Heat rematch; Both teams ruled ineligible for NBA playoffs

-Missouri Valley Conference will get 4 teams in NCAA's; one more than what the Big Ten will get

NBA Finals: Suns over Cavaliers in 6

NCAA D-I Men's Champion: Illinois

NCAA D-I women's Champion: Minnesota

Football:

-BCS Conferences buy the NCAA outright, ejecting everyone else but the Service Academies and the Ivy League

-Ticked-off outsiders move em masse to NAIA

-An NFL player will have a mouth malfunction during Super Bowl XXXIX

Super Bowl XXXIX: Atlanta over Pittsburgh 31-27

BCS Champion(2004): USC 31, Oklahoma 21

BCS Champion(2005): USC(Again)

Hockey:

-There will be NO NHL season until September

-Gary Bettman will resign as Commish; Bob (not)Goodenough will become a hobo

NCAA Hockey Champs: Minnesota

I've got more, but I'll wait to post it.

[Cyclopsis Joe]

Auto Racing:

-There will be a 25-car wreck during Daytona 500, which will be won by Ryan Newman

-NASCAR will sign a 10-year deal with ABC/ESPN

-ChampCar will fold, forcing everyone to the IRL

-Formula 1 will still be dominated by Ferrari

-Caused by Brian Vickers...just like last year that could've killed Waltrip..don't think Newman will get it though.

-No they won't..Fox and NBC won't let them

-Been saying that for years.

-Unless Shoe maker dies, yes.

[buzzcut]

Predictions-Part 2

Golf:

-Someone will shoot a 58 on the PGA Tour

-Michelle Wie will make the cut at a MEN'S event

-Tiger Woods will still struggle

-Phil Mickelson will win another major

-Vijay Singh will still dominate

Horse Racing:

-No one will have a shot at the triple crown

-NASCAR-style uniforms will become en vogue

Tennis:

-Interest in tennis will plummet, once it's proven that the...ah never mind.

Poker:

-Tilt will be canceled due to protests from World Series of Poker officials

Soccer:

-Chicago Fire will change name to SC Chicago

MLS Champion: D.C. United

AFL(Austrailia) Champs: St. Kilda

AFL(Arena) Champs: San Jose

[CC97]

The NHL will fold and reconstitute itself.

Barry Bonds, upon further review of evidence, will be banned from baseball for life, as will Jason Giambi, and Gary Sheffield

The Pittsburgh Steelers will win Super Bowl XXXIX

The Boston Red Sox Championship Rings will be ugly and gawdy.

The New Orleans Saints will move to Los Angeles

Paris will recieve the 2012 Olympic Games. I will still hate France.

The New York Jets will make their White Jersey/Green Pants uniform combo their official road uniform.

The Washington Nationals will not finish last in the NL East.

It's funny... if you listed these as your predictions for 2005 say, three years ago, I wouldn't have thought many of those would be even possible. But looking at the list now, I think all of that could very well happen.

[Pat]

Baseball

Yankees and Red Sox both make it to playoffs again, but Angels win AL. They face off against the Astros with Anaheim winning. Sterois scandal still hot but Bonds continues to blast homers. More players found of using steroids, and tougher testing finally happens. Nats stay in DC and get their new park somehow

Basketball

The Cavs and Spurs(the suns and sonics cool off) in the finals. The Cavaliers win, and LeBron wins MVP in the finals and the league.

Hockey

Season Cancelled, but 2005-06 season occurs. Salary Cap is insticated. No teams fold(thought many should)

Football

Packers and Steelers in the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh wins(thats my theory...predict that we wont win, because we never do when i predict we will). Saints wont move, but NFL announces plans for 2 expansion teams(im guessing LA and Birmingham)

Other

Olympics in 2012 go to London

No one has shot of triple crown

Vijay has awesome year again. Phil doesnt win a major, but Tiger wins one.

Tennis continues to suck

[buzzcut]

Predictions Part 3:

Olympics

-London wins right to host 2012 Games

-Marion Jones will be banned from international competition due to BALCO scandal

-Some extremist conservatives will call for USA to pull out of olympic movement

Sports Business

-Stadiums will be approved for Twins, Vikings, Gophers and Saints

-Extremist conservatives will start new party that vows never to subsidize millionares with new stadiums

-Rupert Murdoch will announce plans to start new sports channel to challenge ESPN

-ABC/ESPN will retain NFL "Weekend" Prime-time package

-Thursday/Saturday night NFL games go to WB/TNT

Extreme Sports

-X Games will flop this year

Tour de France

-Lance Armstrong will not compete for 7th straight Maillot Jaune

[Gary]

AFL(Arena) Champs: San Jose

Yes only in their Dreams; The real AFL(Arena) Champs will be the Arizona Rattlers

[OnWis97]

Baseball:

Even though the income gap is the sport's biggest problem, steroids will cloid the entire season. Attendence will drop and Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi and Sammy Sosa will be booed almost everywhere. Sosa will continue to stink. The New York Yankees will win the World Series over the St. Louis Cardinals. Other playoff teams will be Boston (WC), White Sox, Texas, Atlanta, San Francisco and Houston (WC). THe Twins will have no stadium movement, inching them toward contraction.

NBA:

The San Antonio Spurs regain the top of the hill as the Sonics and Suns come back to reality. Vince Carter has no impact in Jersey.

NFL:

The Green Bay Packers reach the Superbowl, thanks to a weak NFC and are blown out by the defending champion Patriots. Kurt Warner, upset that he can't be a starter anywhere, retires. The Vikings win 5 of their first six games but have to struggle to get into the playoffs (and this time they FIRE Tice). The Arizona Cardinals win the NFC West. The Colts get homefield throughout the AFC playoffs.

NHL:

(Oh, woe is me)

The NHL will soon announce cancellation of the Stanley Cup Finals. In the meantime, they will come to realize that the general population cares about this about a millionth as much as they did about the World Series (in places like Boston, Minneapolis, Detroit, Colorado, NYC, etc.) and that even people in Canada are suprisingly disinterested. The owners then get the best they can from the Players--which does NOT include a salary cap. The league comes back with roughly 20 teams and the day after the agreement is signed, the Rangers sign an injury-prone journeyman to a record-high contract.

NCAA Football:

Oklahoma upsets USC. USC retains "media darling" status and goes into the 2005 season as #1 and is not leapfrogged until they lose. The BCS gets "tweaked". The college presidents continue to lie about why they don't want a tournament. Only one BCS team goes undefeated, but their is major controversy about which one-loss team plays them in the Championship game. A whole bunch of worthless bowls are played. Reggie Bush wins Heisman.

NCAA Hoops:

Illinois goes undefeated in the Big Ten, finishes #1 in both polls and gets a 2 seed. The next best Big Ten Team (Wisconsin) finishes #20 and gets the same 6 seed they got last year when they finished #10. Illinios wins the national title and is joined in the final four by Oklahoma State, Duke and North Carolina.

NCAA Hockey:

A Young Wisconsin team, benefiting from a solid tourney run (lost regional final to Maine in OT) a year ago, wins the national title over hated rival Minnesota. ON WISCONSIN!

[Stampman]

the day after the agreement is signed, the Rangers sign an injury-prone journeyman to a record-high contract.

This is the part of your prediction MOST likely to happen...

[pcgd]

Illinois goes undefeated in the Big Ten, finishes #1 in both polls and gets a 2 seed.

I realize alot of that was tounge in cheek, but has that ever happened?

I'm curious, the number one in both polls getting a 2 seed?

Anyway, heres some from me:

Football:

Steelers over Packers Super Bowl.

Chicago Bears sign Kurt Warner to a 2 year contract after he leaves the giants. Rex Grossman beats him out for the starting job and gets hurt 3 games into the season. After losing 2 out of the first 3 games of the season with Rex Grossman, Kurt Warner takes the bears the rest of the way only losing one game the rest of the season to finish 12-4 with a first round bye. The bears return to the superbowl only to lose to the Steelers who begin a new Iron Curtain type dynasty.

I will continue to be an average Fantasy Football player.

NCAA Football:

BCS announces its own poll made up of editors of college newpapers, which will replace the AP Poll. A series of Mid Major Bowls will announce the formation of their own BCS for non-BCS schools and it will instantly become the most watched Bowl Series. Non-BCS teams will decline offers from the now 5 BCS bowls.

For Kicks, Illinois wins the Big Ten, wins Rose Bowl. (hahahaha, I'm such a homer)

NCAA Basketball:

After a near-loss to Cincinatti in late December, the Illini get their final wake up call and coast. They go on to win the Big Ten Undefeated, win the big ten tournament and enter the NCAA's undefeated. In route to their first National Championship, they never play more than 2 hours from home. This causes the NCAA to reconsider their selection process and Illinois is banished to the Far West Regional for the rest of eternity. Duke and North Carolina however will play at home throughut the tournaments from 2006 on. The final AP poll is released with Illinois on top and with Kansas only 7 points behind dispite the fact they never played an away game and they didn't even reach the final four.

Baseball:

Nobody will mention steroids the entire year.

NL will beat the AL in the All Star game. King george says he'll boycott the MLB if it hurts the yankees in the WS.

First Yankee/Boston series will have highest april baseball ratings ever. The Boston Fans will chant "Two-Thousand" the entire game, sweep the series, and then only beat the yankees once more the rest of the year.

NL

East: Braves (Mets still suck, Pedro calls starts calling himself Daddy in the third person)

Central: St. Louis Robby Alomar has a career year as the Cardinals Second baseman and the Cardinals cruise again into the playoffs.

West: Arizona. Keeps randy Johnson and wins the West by a half game.

Wild Card: Surprise! The Milwuakee Brewers win the wild card in front of an empty Miller Park.

AL

East: Yankees They sign Beltran and somehow get randy johnson even though he is still playing for the Diamondbacks. They also sign the entire Japanese League for in the words of King George "just in case"

Central: Twins, cause they always do

West: Angels.

Wild Card: Surprise, not Boston. Clement, Wells, and Renteria can't handle the Boston Pressure. Tigers are the surprise team of the Year and squeak out the wild card after barely losing to the twins in the central.

Playoffs: For the third straight year the playoffs are outstanding

St. Louis over Arizona who lost randy johnson to injury while he was playing for the Yankees

Braves over Brewers. total attendence for series: 12,493

St. Louis over Braves

Yankees come back from 2-0 down to the twins, claim they have stopped the Curse of the Idiots.

Angels beat the Tigers.

Yankees over Angels.

In a match up of the two best teams by world championships in their respective leagues, the Cardinals win their last game in Bucsh stadium ever for the World Series championship in 7 games.

Nascar:

Popularity peaks for Nascar, but it maintains it well into the year 2010. Dale Jr. wins his first Nextel Cup Championship, the first of 7 and is considered as good as his father ever was. A fan is killed on live tv while charging the infield during a green flag. Electric fences are installed at all tracks. Nascar on TV is put on a 15 minute time delay.

NBA:

I don't really care, but what the heck, Heat over Suns.

NHL:

Will be no more. A new league of 24 teams will begin play for a 2005-06 season. All Canadian teams stay and add a team in Winnipeg and Quebec. The US is dropped to 8 teams, Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, New York, Colorado, Philly, LA, and Boston. A third Division is added in Europe with a 3 teams in Sweden including MoJo, 2 in Germany, 1 in Finland, and 2 Russian teams. All nations play primarily in their divisions but with international trips to the other divisions where they play 2 games against each team over a month span. The league booms in Canada and Europe and does ok in the US.

Soccer:

The MLS will eclipse the new World Hockey League in popularity and become the new 4th sport in the United States. In '06 after David Beckham misses a penalty kick that would have won the World Cup for England against the United States, he is run out of European Soccer. He signs with the MLS which begins the MLS uprising. Quality players start coming to the MLS and the quality of play will continue to improve and by 09, all teams will have their own stadiums. In '10, 1 MLS team is invited to the Champions League in europe which becomes more international also adding an Asian team and 2 south american teams.

[wheateater]

NHL:

Will be no more. A new league of 24 teams will begin play for a 2005-06 season. All Canadian teams stay and add a team in Winnipeg and Quebec. The US is dropped to 8 teams, Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, New York, Colorado, Philly, LA, and Boston. A third Division is added in Europe with a 3 teams in Sweden including MoJo, 2 in Germany, 1 in Finland, and 2 Russian teams. All nations play primarily in their divisions but with international trips to the other divisions where they play 2 games against each team over a month span. The league booms in Canada and Europe and does ok in the US.

Yay! Thanks, PC, for keeping the Kings around and ridding us all of the cancer known as the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.