Hello Again,

With 2015 wrapping up tomorrow as well as our end of the year lists, it’s time to post my predictions for 2016. I’d say my 2015 predictions brought me a few correct. While I didn’t get a girlfriend or Jameis Winston’s draft stock didn’t fall, I did get the one about a Hollywood power couple getting divorced as that happened several times over. The Browns uniforms,though favorably reviewed by me at the time of unveiling, ended up looking bad on the field. The San Francisco Giants did not win the World Series and that’s about all I got right. So I got three,well four if you want to count me getting brighter car colors making a comeback,which I don’t think did. So what am I predicting this year? Let’s take a look!

10. The Oakland A’s will finish dead last in attendance for the 2016 MLB season

With the 2015 edition of the A’s finish far worse than even I had expected, the 2016 team doesn’t look any more promising. As a result,I think their attendance figures will have them finishing dead last.

While I have been on fans of the A’s in the past for not showing up even when the team has been in the playoffs and even a contender, they have every reason to stay away. That stadium is a shithole, the players there don’t stay very long because Billy Beane trades them away so they can win league MVP somewhere else. And don’t give me that bullshit statement that the team has no money. They have plenty of it, they’re just cheap (always have been) and don’t want to spend any money on talent in order to win a championship.

Fans don’t have patience for futility and empty promises of a bright future anymore and aren’t going to spend their hard earned money on your product if you aren’t willing to legitimately compete. Therefore I think the A’s will have the worst league’s worst attendance figures based on that. By the way,this prediction will only hold true if they finish 30th in attendance. Nothing more,nothing less.

9. Jason Pierre-Paul will get an endorsement deal with Hamburger Helper

With his fireworks accident behind him,Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul has to find someway to rebuild his image and even make up for lost time. The solution I have? Get an endorsement deal with Hamburger Helper. Athletes have long endorsed some of our favorite food items (Reggie White for Chunky Soup comes to mind!)

He could wear that four-fingered glove on his four-fingered hand and make Hamburger Helper a great meal in a 30 second spot.

I think it’s a genius idea personally and he would make a lot of money doing commercials for that. Also,Hamburger Helper is delicious and who better to advertise that four-fingered glove than a man with four fingers on one hand?

8. Sacramento will get an MLS franchise

This one’s kind of a no-brainer because all signs are indicative of that happening for Sacramento,but there’s a small chance of that falling apart or the announcement comes a year later.

I do think,however,that 2016 is the year that MLS announces that Sacramento gets an MLS franchise. The current USL franchise in town,Sacramento Republic FC,has garnered a lot of support in their two seasons in town, selling out every game and bringing out rowdy fans who genuinely love soccer. A downtown soccer stadium is in the works with private financing in place and MLS has liked what they’ve seen from Sacramento.

I’m not the biggest soccer fan,but I am a fan of civic pride and having an MLS team here would be great for the city and would create an instant rivalry with th San Jose Earthquakes. Wouldn’t that be neat?

7. The Arizona Diamondbacks will not win the World Series

With the Arizona Diamondbacks being one of the big winners in hot stove league by acquiring top pitchers Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller, they are poised to have a big year and shake things up in the National League West, but in the end I don’t think they win the World Series.

This team doesn’t have a lot of postseason experience and I don’t think they would perform well once October came. Greinke has never won a championship and has been on Dodgers teams who have been touted as contenders,but came up short when it mattered. Shelby Miller played for a bad Atlanta team this past year. I do think that yes,they will be in the postseason,but won’t win the World Series in 2016. My answer for who will? Find out in March when my MLB Season Preview comes out.

6. The top overall pick in the NFL Draft will not be a quarterback

With the 2015 NFL regular season coming to a close, the race to the bottom is rounding itself out much like the race for the Playoffs is. As of press time,the Tennessee Titans would possess the top choice in the 2016 NFL Draft and it’s highly doubtful that they’re taking a quarterback in the draft since they drafted Marcus Mariota second overall this past year. Mariota has shown he can play in the NFL and despite the team’s bad record,he has played exceptionallly well.

But what if the Titans don’t get the top pick? Fair enough! The Browns could be in the market for a quarterback (again!) and Paxton Lynch from Memphis has been talked about as a high draft pick and that’s where my prediction could fall apart. The Chargers could also finish with the top pick and I doubt they’re thinking of getting rid of Philip Rivers anytime soon or even thinking of drafting and grooming a replacement. Same with Ravens and their ties with Joe Flacco and the Cowboys with Tony Romo as well as every team (except maybe San Francisco) who is slated to pick in the Top 10 as of press time.

I think it’s safe to say we’ll be seeing someone other than a QB going top overall in this year’s draft. My preview for that comes in late April.

5. California will have a record year for wildfires and Sacramento will have at least one day of a recorded temperature of 120­ׄ°

Although 2015 brought us continued drought and with El Nino coming to us in waves and hopefully bringing us out of the drought, I think California will have not only more wildfires,but a record year for them. Yes,they’ve been coming in full force, but

I think they’ll come more frequent and will be much bigger. Our only hope otherwise is to have more precipitation in the forecast for a long period of time.

With that,I also think we will have at least one day in Sacramento where we reach 120°. It has never happened here,the closest we’ve come is 116° back in 2006. I’ve predicted this before and it hasn’t happened yet,but it always could and you never know if I predict it one year and it becomes correct.

4. Lamar Odom will vanish

Yes,I know,I’m picking someone to vanish who probably won’t,but wouldn’t it be something if I got this one right?
Lamar Odom was a pretty big mess this year and he almost died in a Nevada brothel. But then his estranged wife took him back after nearly losing him forever. There’s always a chance that he relapses and disappears forever. Like I said,you never know if I’m right,so on with the prediction.

3. The 2016 presidential election will suck

Honestly,we haven’t even reached the new year yet,but I’m already tired of this election. The name-calling,the candidates themselves and more importantly,the people who are for some of these pukes that are running.

I really don’t have much confidence in a lot of the candidates running because instead of talking about important issues that people really care about,they talk about everything else other than that. Not only will the election suck, but it will continue to bring out the worst in everybody who’s following along. Now I don’t want to make any prediction as to who will win because I honestly have no clue at this time,there are some people I hope don’t win and if you’ve been reading the lists we’ve put out this month, you have a good idea already of who those people are. What I do believe is that we will see what we did in 2012, an election process that divided us instead of bringing us together,something we’ve long needed in this country.

2. Colin Kaepernick will be Tom Brady’s back-up in New England

This is actually a bold prediction for me because nobody really knows what’s going to happen with Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers. Some people have said that he may be welcome back next season,oothers have said the experiment is over. I’m one that thinks it’s over for Kaepernick as a starter in San Francisco. I do think,however,he has a chance to go somewhere and learn how to be a top flight quarterback in this league and where better than backing up Tom Brady in Foxboro?

I think he would get some great tutelage and might learn a thing or two about playing the position a little better. Now,don’t get me wrong,I don’t think by any means that he would be an heir apparent to Brady when he’s ready to retire,but maybe the Pats take a flier on him or trade the 49ers a second and fifth round pick for him to see what he can do for them and vice versa.

1. The San Diego Chargers and St. Louis Rams will move to Los Angeles

This is my ultimate prediction because there is a huge NFL battle for Los Angeles going on with three teams hoping to move there in search of greener pastures. All three teams have ties to the area. The Rams spent nearly a half-century there,the Chargers were born there before moving south to San Diego,and the Raiders were there for a baker’s dozen. The league has not had a team there since 1994 and it looks as though they’re ready to return.

I don’t think anyone in St. Louis would care too much if the Rams left,their stadium never sells out and the product on the field hasn’t been good for a decade. When your team’s owner buys land in the city they once called home, it’s looking like it’s time to go.

The Chargers have tried to get a new home in San Diego for the better part of 15 years now and not much progress has been made in getting them that new place to call home. Fans have lost interest in the franchise and show up to as many games as Manti Te’ O’s girlfriend does. I see both the Chargers and the Rams getting clearance from the league to move to Los Angeles.

As for the Raiders, while the city of Oakland has no current plan for a stadium, I think their fan base in the Easy Bay is strong enough and the need to keep sports in Oakland is driving the league to maybe give Oakland more time to get a plan together and keep the team there. But my candidates for who will move are the Chargers and Rams and let’s see if I’m right!