Accuracy in the Sports Industry

I find it bothersome that predictions made by sports journalists, reporters, "experts", and anchors are not revisited for accuracy. Currently these folks foretell, declare, and weigh in on issues without being accountable to standards of precision or correctness.

How many times do you hear someone predict an outcome that sounds outlandish and eventually turns out to be so? (Lou Holtz)

Frustrating to say the least but in an effort to check my precision, I've revisited some of my entries from the past nine months. I've been spot on in some case but in others been wide of the mark.

Back in April I praised UVM men's lacrosse player, Andrew Kelleher, for winning the America East Player of the Year award and said that the recognition he earned would lead to success in recruiting. Andrew is now an assistant coach at Hamilton and UVM's recruiting classes have greatly improved. Zack Telander headlines the class of 2013 and was tabbed by Inside Lacrosse magazine as the nations 30th best midfielder. The class of 2014 also looks strong and includes Derek Braig, who is a total package guy from St Paul's School.

One statement I made that turned out to be completely inaccurate was that Lane Kiffin wouldn't succeed at Tennessee. All that needs to be said is that I'll be watching Lane and the Vols take on Va Tech in the Chick-fil-A bowl on December, 31st.

UVM baseball made headlines this past fall as it was one of two programs cut by University Athletics. While many people wrote letters to the editor and filled discussion boards with their opinion of the decision, I was quick to ask, "what's going to happen with the field?" Sure enough, we still don't know the fate of one of America's oldest ballparks.

Next we come to my prediction of how ESPN's Power Rankings would look at the conclusion of the 2009 college football season. To say Cal and Penn State let me down would be an understatement. Ouch.

Last but not least was my declaration that UMass-Lowell wouldn't handle their preseason hype well and thus wouldn't win Hockey East. I guess we will have to wait a bit longer to see where the River Hawks will finish but so far they've been inconsistent and are currently in 5th place in Hockey East. If the River Hawks were comfortable playing as the hunted their resume would be better, especially considering the parity this year in Hockey East.

The process of review for the purpose of accuracy should be used more in sports. After revisiting some of my blog entries I've learned that more often than not I make accurate sports predictions. I wish we could find out if the same were true for the Lou Holtz's of the world.

Idiot

Don't I look like an idiot. I didn't give UVM baseball any chance to make it to the postseason - they did.

Not only did they take three against league leading Binghamton, UVM did it in incredible fashion. In Friday's second game, UVM came up with 10 runs in the 9th inning to stun the Bearcats and keep their postseason drems alive. Then on Saturday UVM stomped their way to two wins and secured a birth in the AE tournament.

Again, don't I look like an idiot.

Unlikely Scenario

The Free Press ran an article this morning, detailing the scenario that must happen in order for the UVM baseball team to win the America East conference.

Definitely not happening....

"Vermont has an outside shot at winning the conference (and hosting the league tournament). In order to accomplish that feat, UVM needs one of two scenarios to happen:

• UVM sweeps Binghamton; Maine wins two against Stony Brook; and Hartford takes three from Albany.

• Or, UVM wins three at Binghamton; Maine wins three games at Stony Brook; and Hartford beats Albany at least once."

I'd be surprised if UVM even makes it into the four team field.

What About the Field??

What is going to happen with Centennial Field? I've read many articles about the end of UVM baseball, but none of them mention anything about the field.

I believe the Vermont Lake Monsters, a minor league team, share maintenance costs with the University, so I'm left wondering if they will be willing to take on 100% of the expenses. Will UVM walk away from the field completely?

Something tells me that if UVM pulls itself away from Centennial, the Lake Monsters are gone too.

So Long Bill

Class Class Class

Bye Bill