Checking in My Predictions for 2019

Last January, I made a number of predictions about things that would happen during 2019.  Now that the calendar has turned to 2020, I thought it would be fun to loo back and see how accurate - or inaccurate - my predictions were.

Here we go....

Sports

• Prediction: Alabama will again win the national championship in college football.              What Happened: Close, but no cigar.  The Tide made it back to the national championship game but lost to Clemson.
• Prediction: The Baylor women's basketball team will finally get back to the Final Four.     What Happened: My prediction was correct.  Even better, the Lady Bears won their 3rd national championship!  Sic 'em Bears!
• Prediction: The Baylor men's basketball team will again fall short of making the NCAA tournament but will win at least 2 games in the NIT.  What Happened: My prediction was, thankfully, incorrect.  The Bears played well down the stretch and made it back into The Big Dance.
• Prediction: Mizzou will make the NCAA tournament and advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2009. What Happened: This one was off, as Mizzou collapsed down the stretch and didn't even make the NIT.
• Prediction: The Blues will start playing better, but it will be too little, too late and they will miss the playoffs for the second consecutive year. What Happened: I think we all know that I missed big time on this one and I've never been so happy about that in my life.  THE BLUES FINALLY WON THE STANLEY CUP AND I CAN NOW DIE IN PEACE!!
• Prediction: Afterwards, the Blues will make some major moves to change the lineup.  As a result, some combination of Alex Pietrangelo, Vladimir Tarasenko, Alexander Steen and/or Jaden Schwartz will no longer wear the blue note come the 2019-20 season. What Happened: Needless to say, this one was way off, too.  All of the aforementioned players still wear the blue note, though Tarasenko has missed most of the season so far with a shoulder injury.
• Prediction: The Cardinals will end their playoff drought after 3 years and make it back to the MLB playoffs. What Happened: I was spot on with this prediction.  The Cards won the NL Central and defeated the Braves in the NLDS before flaming out against the eventual world champion Washington Nationals.
• Prediction: Matt Rhule will rebuff overtures from the NFL and remain at Baylor.  The Bears' rebirth under his direction will continue and BU will win 8 games and make another bowl game. What Happened: I was correct, in that Matt Rhule led the Bears to an amazing 11-3 season that far exceeded my wildest expectations.  Of course, in part because of that success, Rhule is once again being courted by multiple NFL teams.
• Prediction: Tiger Woods will come close but will still fail to win another major. What Happened: Wrong. Woods finally broke his streak and won another major - the Masters in April. 
• Prediction: Some guy from Kenya will win the New York City and Boston Marathons. What Happened: Yep, I was right!  ;)

Politics

• Prediction: The government shutdown go on long enough to be the longest ever but it will eventually end before the end of January without the president's desired funding for a border wall. What Happened: I was correct. 
• Prediction: Robert Mueller will finally complete the Russia investigation. What Happened: I was right about this, too.
• Prediction: The investigation will result in Donald Trump being indicted and articles of impeachment being drafted in the House of Representatives. What Happened: This is both hit and miss. Trump has been impeached by the House, but it was because of a phone call with Ukraine rather than anything involved with the Russia investigation.
• Prediction: The border wall will not get funded and will not get built. What Happened: It depends on who you talk to, I guess. Some portions of the wall are being built, but it's not happened with the speed or materials that Trump wanted.
• Prediction: Someone who is not a septuagenarian will actually declare a run for U.S. president. What Happened: Thankfully, there are at least a few Democrats who aren't eligible for Social Security who decided to run and who have not yet dropped out.
• Prediction: Like so many of his predecessors, new Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker will come under investigation for ethics or corruption related things. What Happened:  This one is wrong...so far.  But Pritzker still has time to follow in the footprints of his predecessors.
• Prediction: A current member of the U.S. Supreme Court will pass away, which coupled with the aforementioned indictment/impeachment of Trump will throw the judicial branch into chaos the likes of which hasn't been seen in decades. What Happened: Nope, not yet, though a couple of them have been hospitalized.

Personal

• Prediction: My son will successfully get his driver's license this spring. What Happened: Bingo!  And on his first attempt, too.
• Prediction: My son will get his first job. What Happened: Correct!  He started working at Bread Co. back in August.
• Prediction: I will continue to sprout more gray hair. What Happened: Duh.  Of course I have more gray hair.
• Prediction: My wife will finally get her beloved convertible this spring as well. What Happened: She did!  We bought a 2018 convertible VW Bug in late February.  It's red with a black top and it's a BLAST to drive on warm days!
• Prediction: My daughter will hit her first home run in softball and will again make the high school basketball feeder team. What Happened: This one is 50/50, though it's not my fault!  About a week or two after I published my predictions, she told me that she no longer wanted to play softball.  So, obviously, she didn't hit a home run. However, she did make the basketball feeder team again and so far she has scored points in al but one of her games.
• Prediction: My son will compile a winning record on the JV tennis team. What Happened: Nope.  He won a few matches, but not enough to have a winning record. :(

Random - I actually hope I'm wrong on all of these

• Prediction: There will be at least one major national disaster (earthquake, hurricane) to hit the U.S. What Happened: A hurricane blasted the southeast coast, but fortunately it wasn't as bad as it could have been.
• Prediction: There will unfortunately be more than one major mass shooting in the U.S. What Happened: Sadly, yes, this one was correct.
• Prediction: There will be some sort of a terrorist attack on U.S. soil. What Happened: This is a yes and no result.  There wasn't another 9/11 or Oklahoma City, but there were a frightening number of attacks on Jewish people in New York.
• Prediction: Another former U.S. president will pass away. What Happened: Wrong! Jimmy Carter has been hospitalized on multiple occasions, but he is still alive, as are Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
• Prediction: Another well known celebrity will be accused of sexual assault or misconduct. What Happened: Two words - R. Kelly.

There are you have it.  A look back at 2019 and my predictions.  I hope you enjoyed looking back at them.