National Post (National Edition)
If the Chicago Cubs can win the World Series, anything can happen in 2017.
IF THE CHICAGO CUBS CAN WIN THE WORLD SERIES, ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN. HERE ARE A FEW EDUCATED GUESSES ABOUT WHAT WE HAVE IN STORE NEXT YEAR
Around about the fourth inning of what would become one of the most remarkable Game 7s in World Series history, Cleveland’s Rajai Davis and Chicago’s Javier Baez had already each made fielding mistakes that had cost their teams runs. Then Davis flied out, and Baez homered and I noted on Twitter that Baez was better at the redemption game than Davis.
In the bottom of the eighth, of course, Davis blasted a two-run shot off Aroldis Chapman to tie the game, and various people politely pointed out that he had been redeemed.
All of which is to say declarative statements about a sporting event are really just an invite to disaster. With that in mind, let me step out onto this shaky tree branch and offer these fearless predictions for 2017. (Most of them aren’t actually fearless, but whatever. It sounds catchy.) GOLDEN STATE WILL WIN THE NBA FINALS Two months into the season is supposed to be when a newly formed superteam is still working out the kinks. It happened when LeBron went to Miami and when he went back to Cleveland, and in some cases — remember the L.A. and Brooklyn superteams? — the kinks never get worked out. But Golden State’s adjustment phase with Kevin Durant lasted for one game, a season-opening thumping from San Antonio. Now they are leading the league in wins and routinely blowing out good opponents, which is what should happen when a 73-win team adds one of the top five players in the game. Degree of fear about this prediction: None! MILOS RAONIC WILL WIN A GRAND SLAM TOURNAMENT When he is healthy, there are few players who can handle his assortment of service bombs. Two of them, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, are clearly in their sunset years, as evidenced by the fact the big-hitting Canadian has climbed to third in the ATP rankings. He made a grand slam final for the first time this year, so let’s say he closes the deal in 2017. And then he wins the Lou Marsh and a bunch of people can complain that Sidney Crosby should have won it. Degree of fear: Mild trepidation. TIGER WOODS WILL WIN A GOLF TOURNAMENT Like, a real one, not just against his kids at his Florida estate. There’s no evidence that he’s ready to do this — not with just one tournament played in the past 18 months, a limited field event in which he led in both birdies and double bogeys — but a healthy Woods had the best winning percentage of all time. If he plays something close to a regular schedule, and proves he has slayed the mental demons that caused him to chip like a 30-handicapper, he could play himself into contention again. Time was, he was pretty good at that. Degree of fear: Quite high, actually.
NEW ENGLAND WILL WIN THE SUPER BOWL
Look, I don’t like the Patriots any more than you do. Machiavelli thinks Bill Belichick is a bit of a hard-ass, the team snapped up Michael Floyd so fast after his recent DUI-related release that he probably still wouldn’t have passed a breathalyzer test and Tom Brady, while undeniably talented and handsome, has the diet of a bunny rabbit. Am I predicting a Super Bowl win just so that I can take a tiny measure of solace in this awful, awful thing when it happens? No comment. Actually, one comment: Yes. Degree of fear: Sadly, very little.
PEOPLE WILL FIGHT ABOUT ANALYTICS
I would like to think that, as many years as we are past the point when the influence of math on front-office decisionmaking came to be accepted by the vast majority of those who work in big-league front offices, there wouldn’t still be such a rush to have an argument every time Team X does Thing Y. But then, it is 10 games into the NHL season and the Montreal Canadiens are playing well without P.K. Subban and it’s all “Ha ha, if you love your Corsi so much, why don’t you marry it, nerd?” I’m going to go ahead and make this same prediction right through 2020.
Degree of fear: None!
A HOCKEY TEAM WILL WIN THE STANLEY CUP
You are familiar with the NHL playoffs, yes? Sixteen teams make it, and we all spend countless hours debating the strengths and weakness of each, and then the games themselves happen and some goalie gets hot and some sniper keeps hitting the post and the whole thing unfolds like the playoff brackets have been filled out by a cross between a chihuahua and a pug. A chug. (I met one this summer. Funny-looking little thing.) Anyway, there’s no way you’ll get me to make some kind of Stanley Cup predi— oh, wait, I had to do this in the pre-season, didn’t I? (Checks archive.) Fine, then: Caps over Sharks in six. Degree of fear: Absolute.