| 07 April 2012
As soon as the first umpire shouted play ball, baseball writers everywhere decided it was time to make predictions. In sports writing, it’s one of the most ridiculous things there is and nothing more than a page filled.
Anyone who thinks they know exactly what’s going to transpire in a 160 game season and exactly how things are going to end up is a lunatic. Plain and simple. Of course, most of them who write these things don’t actually believe what they are writing, they just have to turn out an article. Any fool can say, the Phillies are going to win the East before the first pitch is thrown. It doesn’t make them look like any less of an idiot when they do, but they have a right to be one if they so choose.
The same thing with rankings. Some teams haven’t even played a game and the rankings are already out. Based on what? Last year? Previous years? Pure speculation? It is ludicrous.
And before things get out of hand, I do realize I made predictions about the Opening Day games myself on winners and losers. I don’t do it often but thought, hey why not be an idiot for a day and try it out. Luckily, I got the outcomes right. But the details were a bit sketchy. Predictions generally do one thing and that’s the same thing that the word “assume” does.
I realize that some people make a living out of predicting sports outcomes….for betting purposes. But they are going with numbers. Most sports writers are going with speculation and just to have something to fill a page. And let’s not forget, to generate controversy and commentary. The more people you make mad with your predictions the better because then the more people you have reading the article and writing nasty comments about your prediction skills. It’s a win/win for writers except the part about them looking like idiots.
Oh and the worst ones, MVP predictions. Really, someone is in one game and they are already the MVP? Come on, be serious. Look, he hit a homerun, MVP. Look, he threw a strikeout, MVP. Look, he made a double play, MVP. Look, he adjusted his cup, MVP. Just stop.
So, here you go, here’s a prediction for you, at the end of the post season, two teams will go to the World Series. That’s about the only prediction you can make and be right about in baseball. Anything else is just so much page filler.
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