{"id":78441,"date":"2016-08-02T16:31:12","date_gmt":"2016-08-02T16:31:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sandbox.web.rcn.net\/rcntv\/?p=78441"},"modified":"2016-08-02T16:32:11","modified_gmt":"2016-08-02T16:32:11","slug":"sportstalk-shop-2016-predictions-mid-year-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/sportstalk-shop-2016-predictions-mid-year-update\/","title":{"rendered":"The SportsTalk Shop: 2016 Predictions: Mid-Year Update"},"content":{"rendered":"

Each December both here at the \u201cSportsTalk Shop\u201d and on our TV show, \u201cSportsTalk\u201d, panelists and I make some sports-based predictions for the new year.\u00a0 I don\u2019t get caught up in the prediction business ordinarily, but it\u2019s become a bit of a tradition around the holidays to make a couple bold statements to go along with resolutions (of which I don\u2019t do nearly as well).<\/p>\n

While some sports prognosticators love to boast about how accurate they are with their futuristic insights, I make it a habit of going back and making public my predictions, and owning up to any that don\u2019t come true.\u00a0 (I\u2019d also like to take a miniscule amount of credit for the ones that work out\u2014I\u2019m owed at least as much, right?)<\/p>\n

Since we\u2019re over the halfway point through the calendar year, and before we start ramping up our fall football coverage (which will be bigger and better than ever before!), I think I should take a peek at how some of my predictions are holding up and make myself accountable for any gaffes on my part.<\/p>\n

Philly pro sports teams will win LESS games in 2016<\/strong>
\nThe 2015-16 76ers<\/a> certainly lived up to their end of my prediction.\u00a0 Aside from forcing out the team\u2019s General Manager, Sam Hinkie, they were near perfect in their quest for futility, reaching new levels of bad play, even with pressure from Jerry Colangelo (and the league office?) to try to improve.<\/p>\n

My prediction will take a hit with the idea that the Sixers will try to go after some more recognizable free agency in all probability this offseason.\u00a0 They might also win a few more games than expected if they select Brandon Ingram with the first pick in this month\u2019s NBA Draft.\u00a0 Selecting Ingram would make the team better\u2014short-term\u2014than if they select Ben Simmons or even draft down a few spots, but I don\u2019t see that much improvement in November and December and still believe they\u2019ll ring up more losses in the 2016 calendar year than they lost in 2015 (but the future is very bright for 2017).<\/p>\n

I knew the Flyers <\/a>were going to be improved, but had no idea that they would be as exciting to watch this past season as they were, to say nothing about making the playoffs and having a few good moments against the Capitals <\/a>before losing to Washington in the first round of the NHL playoffs.\u00a0 This team ramped up the speed of its rebuild and, with a few tweaks, will be a middle-of-the-pack playoff team, in not better, for next season.<\/p>\n

The Phillies <\/a>also have surprised me with better than average starting pitching, and the bullpen overcame a woeful start to the season and has pitched better, helping the team to a slightly better record than I had anticipated.\u00a0 This, despite a woeful offense that had seven position players on the roster hitting below .200 after the first month of the season.<\/p>\n

However, the Phillies fell (like a plummeting cannon ball) back to Earth hard and fast during the month of May and show very little signs of making a push to get back above, or probably even near, .500 this summer.<\/p>\n

With less than half of the Major League baseball season remaining\u2014which will still probably have more losses than wins, and an Eagles <\/a>team in, at the very least, a retooling stage following the car wreck of the Chip Kelly Era, I\u2019d say I still have a good chance at nailing this prediction.<\/p>\n

The Wizards, Nationals AND Redskins \u2013 will have even greater success in 2016<\/strong>
\nWith over half of the MLB season and the entire NFL season yet to come (and I\u2019m looking pretty good for both of these teams), we only have the Wizards <\/a>to look at.\u00a0 And on the prediction that they would have a better 2016\u2026I admit I put up a major \u201cairball.\u201d<\/p>\n

Off a second-round playoff appearance and loss to a high-quality team, I thought the Wizards could improve and\u2014with the right match-up–the Wiz could actually advance a round further.\u00a0 However, not only did they take took a major step back in win total, they also didn\u2019t qualify for the post-season, ushering in a quick replacement at the helm by bringing in Scott Brooks (formerly of Oklahoma City) as a new head coach.<\/p>\n

Rumors of discontent and players \u201ctrading barbs\u201d (according to the Washington CBS sports radio station) spread wildly as they limped home to close out the regular season out of the playoffs.\u00a0 There are different reports as far as remaining free agent possibilities and other speculation about what direction the team could go in.\u00a0 Also, players are a little less secure than this time a year ago and the forecast is more ambiguous as far as how good this team will be for the upcoming season, even with one of the most exciting, yet underrated players, in John Wall back on board.\u00a0 I\u2019ll stick to my guns and say they make a jump for the 2016-17 campaign.<\/p>\n

Notice, I did NOT include the Capitals in this mix.\u00a0 Their back-to-back premature failings in the playoffs have me worried about their future, and I\u2019ll also continue to say (as I did following their playoff exit) that they might actually take a step back in the upcoming year.<\/p>\n

2016 will be a successful District XI Wrestling season<\/strong>
\nI have never claimed to be a wrestling expert, but the fact that we had so many talented underclassmen returning for the 2015-16 wrestling season made it easy for me to say that the Lehigh Valley would have tremendous success at the state tournament in Hershey.<\/p>\n

Not only did Bethlehem Catholic come away with convincing (mostly dominating) performances in the team PIAA competitions, but they accomplished this goal against the best the state of Pennsylvania had to offer, by competing in the 3A classifications (as critics had ask for, for a number of seasons).<\/p>\n

Individually, District XI featured eight gold medalists and 20 overall medal winners.\u00a0 Special props go out to Palisades\u2019 Tyler Marsh, the lone wrestler in the RCN viewing area to receive the top scholar athlete award.<\/p>\n

For an area that has had a long tradition of great wrestling success, it was a tremendous season all the way around for many different schools and I can unequivocally chalk this one up as one I got correct.<\/p>\n

Stay tuned for more sports conversations coming up and don\u2019t forget to check back later in the year as I take a look at the rest of my predictions to see how I fared.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Each December both here at the \u201cSportsTalk Shop\u201d and on our TV show, \u201cSportsTalk\u201d, panelists and I make some sports-based predictions for the new year.\u00a0 I don\u2019t get caught up in the prediction business ordinarily, but it\u2019s become a bit of a tradition around the holidays to make a couple bold statements to go along…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,5],"tags":[587,176,190,421,451],"class_list":["post-78441","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-featured","category-sports","category-the-sportstalk-shop","tag-capitals","tag-eagles","tag-flyers","tag-phillies","tag-redskins"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe SportsTalk Shop: 2016 Predictions: Mid-Year Update - 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