Is it just me or have the so-called ‘experts’ in general gotten really lousy at predictions? I’m not just talking about sports, either…it’s everywhere and involves everything upon which one can venture a guess.

I thought about this as we await WH’s prediction on the Atlantic 10 Message Board as to how the 2001-2002 Flyers will fare. WH is usually pretty accurate in his handicapping of the A-10 and has been almost dead-on with his guesstimate for the Red and Blue in the last 2 years. Let’s hope he picks them to win the West and that he’s right.

Last Spring on FlyerHoops.com, I predicted that in order to have a successful recruiting crop from the HS Class of 2002, OP would have to sign Alex Carmona of Troy, Chris Quinn of Columbus and Robert Siwo of Xenia. Coach P didn’t sign any of them and yet, he has gotten verbals from 4 outstanding recruits. Which shows you how much I know!

In my recent “From The Swamp” column on hoops websites, I mentioned how basketball recruiting guru Bob Gibbons has “lost a step” in my estimation. Bob has proclaimed the Duke Class of 2006 “the best recruiting class I have observed” in his 30+ years of following college hoops. Mike DeCourcy from The Sporting News was quick to note that not only is Duke’s class not the best ever (Michigan’s fabled Fab Five was), it isn’t even the best Duke recruiting class ever. Mike rightfully points out that the ’98 group headed by Shane Battier and the ’99 class featuring Jason Williams, Carlos Boozer and Mike Dunleavy were higher ranked than the incoming Blue Devil recruits. DeCourcy also reminds us that Gibbons is the man who brought us Jerod Ward as HS Player of the Year. You want to see a Michigan fan cringe…mention Jerod Ward’s name. He’s the Maize and Blue equivalent of Steve Smith from Alter.

Betting on college sports is pure insanity. Doesn’t anybody who wagers on the outcome produced by a bunch of 18-22 year olds remember what it was like to be that age?

As a Red Sox fan, the arrival of Manny Ramirez from the shores of Lake Erie meant that 2001 could have been the “next year” that Red Sox Nation has been waiting for since 1918. However, as soon as Nomar Garciaparra appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in spring training, I knew my boys were in deep doo-doo. Nomar went down, followed by Jason Varitek, Pedro and then Manny himself and all of a sudden it was “wait until next year” all over again.

Did anybody see Joe Paterno and Penn State going 0-4 in their first 4 football games?

Notre Dame is 1-3. Gee, who saw that coming? More importantly, who cares?

Could everybody who said that Mark McGwire’s home run record would last only 3 years please stand up? I didn’t think so.

Who will win the Emmys? Better yet when, if ever, will the Emmy ceremony be held? Good question…I bet that Joan and Melissa Rivers would like to know the answer to that one.

When Sammy Smith said he was transferring from UD, did anybody think that:
a) he’d come back?
b) OP would let him come back?

I didn’t, but I’m glad he did!

As a Celtics fan, no one would have never predicted that Jim O’Brien, the man who made being a Flyer fan a “Nightmare on Edwin Moses Boulevard” would now be in charge of my favorite NBA team.

I bet even Coach Mike Kelly didn’t think his Flyer football team would be 5-0 at this point in the season. I get to see them play for the first time in 20+ years on Saturday during Parents Weekend.

That’s it “From The Swamp.”