As an optimist, I sometimes am blinded by my loyalty to the local teams. I've been called a homer, Disney Dawg, etc. etc. etc.... anything that would mean that I am not in reality about the local teams. If you believe that about me, then don't read the rest of this blog.
My optimistic predictions for 2012 and reasons why each of these WILL happen....
1) The Atlanta Braves defeat the Anaheim Angels in the World Series -- 5 Reasons Why:
-- The Braves have a bevy of young pitching. As the youth matures, complimented by savy veteran Tim Hudson, the Braves will have a feared rotation by October.
-- Jair Jurrjens WILL be traded at some point for a corner outfield bat. I am not sure who the bat will be, and whether it will happen prior to the season or midseason, but JJ will be gone for an offensive force that is much-needed for the Braves to win it all.
-- Heyward will have a huge bounce-back year. The Braves struggled last year offensively, and Heyward was at the center of that struggle. He is too talented and his work ethic is too strong to stay down for long. Looking for a .290 avg, 28 HRs, and 100+ RBIs from the kid.
-- Prado returns to form. Martin Prado will end up not being traded, and that will be a blessing for the Braves. Prado will return to form and give the Braves a super-utility guy that can fill in anywhere on the diamond.
-- Hanson with a Cy-Young caliber season. Tommy Hanson will finally piece all of his talent together, remain healthy, and produce a Cy-Young caliber season on the mound.
2) Tiger Woods wins the Masters and declares that he is back -- 4 Reasons Why:
-- The scandal is now a good ways in the rearview, and Tiger's focus is back.
-- Golf is at a point where anyone is capable of winning and there are no dominant players. Perfect for a Tiger comeback.
-- Tiger's putter will return to form. Woods lost too many strokes on the green this past season, and that will be fixed.
-- The PGA needs Tiger. They will set him up for success.
3) The Atlanta Thrashers will win.... umm... nevermind
4) The Atlanta Spirit will FINALLY sell the Hawks. -- 2 Reasons Why:
-- The Spirit doesn't WANT to own the team and will sell at a reasonable price
-- The Hawks and Atlanta no longer wants the ATL Spirit anymore. Mutual split.
5) The Atlanta Hawks make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, but get beat by the Heat in 5 games. -- 5 Reasons Why:
-- This team is much better defensively without Jamal Crawford.
-- Jeff Teague is developing into a true point guard that the Hawks haven't had since Mookie Blaylock.
-- Hawks have their deepest bench in the last decade. In a season in which teams are playing 4 and 5 games a week, this will pay off.
-- The Hawks will end up with the #3 seed in the East. They will match up with the #2 seed Bulls in the second round. Perfect matchup for the Hawks as they win in 6 games.
-- Hawks run into a buzzsaw in the East Finals vs. the determined Heat.
6) Falcons revamp offense and defense with new coordinators. Win the NFC South and the Super Bowl. 4 Reasons Why:
-- Steve Spagnaulo comes in as Defensive Coordinator. Coached the Giants D to a Super Bowl victory before becoming head coach for the Rams. Homerun hire for the Falcons. The automatic upgrade from VanGorder to Spagnaulo will be felt.
-- Falcons hire a forward thinking Offensive Coordinator. The Falcons O this year had no identity. Mularkey likes to grind out the games on the ground, but the O-Line was bad, and the RB is too slow to create on his own. With Julio Jones in the mix, the new OC will have weapons to air it out more. Expect the Falcons to turn more into a passing team and let Ryan show whether he has what it takes or not.
-- Need-based Draft. Even though the Falcons won't have their first-round pick this year, expect Dimitroff to find a way to accumulate some picks through trades. I expect nearly every pick to be either Defensive players or O-Line. This draft will strictly be needs-based and will provide some depth at key positions.
-- Mike Smith and Matt Ryan are 0-3 in the playoffs. When they return this season, they will let it hang out and go balls to the way. The conservative way hasn't gotten them anywhere in the postseason, and they both know that their future with the Falcons may be determined by next season's playoffs.
7) UGA goes 11-1 in regular season, defeats Alabama in SEC Championship, and then defeats USC in the National Championship to make it 7 in a row for the SEC. -- 7 Reasons Why:
-- Momentum. UGA is coming off a 10-win season and is building momentum in the recruiting game. There are already some commits who will make an immediate impact next season.
-- The Schedule. UGA could possibly run the table at 12-0, but I anticipate a classic Mark Richt slip-up at some point. This will only serve to motivate the Dawgs to finish strong.
-- 17 Starters returning. The Dawgs return 17 of 22 starters. This is an impressive amount of experience. These boys got a taste of success and know what it will take to get it done this year.
-- The Dream Team -- Last year's stellar recruiting class will truly make an impact this season. Several freshmen played key roles on this past year's team, but some of the highest rated recruits were able to redshirt or only played limited minutes. This is the year they Dream Team will make a huge impact.
-- Aaron Murray makes a huge step forward during his Junior season. QB play will be crucial, and UGA will have an edge over the rest of the SEC.
-- Todd Grantham's defense will be even better this upcoming season. As good as the Dawgs were on D this past year, they will be even better next season. The D will dominate this schedule and get into a classic defensive battle in the SECCG with Bama.
-- It is time. It is UGA's turn. The pieces are there are a special season, and they will finally fall in place. Miami, here we come.
Be looking for my next blog as I give reasons why these 7 things will NOT happen.
