TAT: Men's Tennis Begins Season with Trip to Omaha

This article originally appeared online on January 17, 2013 on The Arkansas Traveler website (uatrav.com).

The Arkansas men’s tennis team will begin the season ranked No. 56 in the country, with hopes of improving their ranking as the season progresses.

“Some people say (the No. 56 ranking) is pretty good, but that’s not where we want to be,” UA head coach Robert Cox said. “We want to be back up in the top 25 by the year’s end, maybe even higher.”

The road to a higher ranking will be difficult for the Razorbacks, as all 12 Southeastern Conference teams rank ahead of them (Missouri does not have a men’s tennis team).
Eight of the 12 teams are in the top 25, including Georgia and Kentucky in the top 10, at No. 6 and No. 9, respectively.

“Earning a high ranking at the end of the year is very doable,” Cox said. “We have the schedule to do it and the team to do it.”

Before beginning SEC play, they must first go through a tough nonconference schedule, which begins this weekend in Omaha, Neb.

The Razorbacks will take on Division I newcomer Nebraska-Omaha and a young South Dakota State team.

“It’s very unusual that we’re making a road trip on the first weekend,” Cox said. “We’re playing two teams we really don’t know much about on paper, but we’re just going to worry about us.”

Cox hopes the long road trip will allow his team to bond and provide an opportunity to improve.

With the graduation of last year’s seniors Taj Harrison, Matt Walters and Nikolas Zogaj, the Razorbacks lost three natural leaders. So far this season, however, no one has stepped up and filled in that role, but that does not concern Cox.

“This team may not have any ‘captains,’ which is very unusual, but I’m not too worried about it,” Cox said. “We get along well and everyone steps up in a different way.”

On the court, Cox believes his players had a solid fall season and expects them to get better in Omaha.

Junior Manfred Jeske played “really well in the fall,” Cox said, as well as senior Hall Fess.

Arkansas will also have senior Mike Ward back after he missed time this fall with an injury.

Along with improving their ranking, Cox’s goal for the team is to make it back to the NCAA Tournament in May. Last year, the Razorbacks were only a couple matches away from making the tournament.

They will face Nebraska-Omaha and South Dakota State at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively, this Sunday.

TAT: Razorbacks Ready to Face Aggies

This article originally appeared in the January 17, 2013 issue of The Arkansas Traveler.

After starting the indoor season with an 85-78 victory in a dual meet against No. 3 Texas, the Arkansas men’s track and field team is ready for another challenge.

This weekend, they will travel to College Station, Texas, to compete in the Texas A&M Triangular, where they will put their No. 1 ranking on the line against Southeastern Conference foes No. 4 Texas A&M and No. 10 LSU.

“It’ll be good to get down there and get a taste of good competition,” UA head coach Chris Bucknam said. “It could be a mini preview of what’s to come (in the SEC).”

Senior middle distance runner Leoman Momoh suffered a hamstring injury in the dual meet against Texas, but he should be back by the end of this week, Bucknam said.

With his best opening mark of his career, senior Caleb Cross finished the 60-meter hurdles in 7.79 seconds. Bucknam believes Cross is one of the best hurdlers in the country and expects him to improve his time this weekend.

He also expects several other Razorbacks to improve in College Station. Junior jumper Raymond Higgs posted the top NCAA long jump of the season with a distance of 26-1, while not at his full approach.

Freshman jumper Jarrion Lawson “also shows some great promise” for improvement at the Texas A&M Triangular, Bucknam said. Lawson had a long jump of 25 1/2.

In the mile, freshman Cale Wallace ran the fastest time in the SEC this season with a time of 4:08.63 and had a “real strong last lap,” Bucknam said.

“He’s a real hard worker and a great competitor,” Bucknam said. “We originally had him running the 800-meter, but we moved some guys around and bumped him up to the mile.”

The women’s team will also travel to College Station for the Texas A&M Triangular.

They are coming off an 81-61 victory over Oklahoma State in a dual meet and own the No. 7 ranking. This weekend, they’ll face No. 4 LSU and No. 6 Texas A&M.

“We’re going to have to step up big time,” UA head coach Lance Harter said. “We have some newcomers that are in for a hard dose of reality.”

The Tigers and Aggies both “have great balance this year,” Harter said.

Texas A&M is led by senior distance runner Natosha Rogers, who won the 10,000-meter race at the NCAA Championships.

Senior sprinter Kim Duncan won the Bowerman Award, which is given to collegiate track and field’s top athlete, for LSU last year.

“If you don’t chase (Duncan) fast, you’re going to get run over,” Harter said. “Those type of people can embarrass you very quickly.”

However, Harter knows his team can hang with this tough competition. Sophomore jumper Tamara Myers won the SEC Field Athlete of the Week award for her performance against Oklahoma State and “looks like a whole new athlete this year,” Harter said.

While they were held out from the Oklahoma State dual meet, senior sprinter Regina George and junior distance runner Grace Heymsfield will race in College Station.

Both Bucknam and Harter are excited to compete at Texas A&M’s indoor track.

“Texas A&M has a great facility,” Bucknam said.

“A&M’s track is fast,” Harter said. “I think we’re going to have the opportunity to have some good national marks.”

TAT: Anderson Seeks Another Strong Defensive Effort

This article originally appeared in the January 15, 2013 issue of The Arkansas Traveler.

After defeating Vanderbilt 56-33 for the first Southeastern Conference victory of the season last Saturday, UA head coach Mike Anderson  wants to focus on shutting down key players in the home matchup against Auburn Wednesday.

The Tigers will come into Bud Walton Arena with an 8-7 overall record and a perfect 2-0 record in SEC play.

“They’re putting it together at the right time,” Anderson said. “In basketball, there are no surprises to me anymore. Fans may look at a team’s nonconference schedule, but as coaches, we look at the personnel they have.”

Senior guard Frankie Sullivan leads the Tigers with 17.2 points per game. Last season, Sullivan scored 25 points in two games against Arkansas.

“We’re very familiar with Sullivan,” Anderson said. “He’s a dynamic scorer and a fifth-year senior, so his leadership is important for his team.”

Rob Chubb has also been “playing extremely well” for Auburn down low, Anderson said, averaging 9.7 points per game and a team-leading 7.9 rebounds per game.

While Anderson is not happy with his team’s recent offensive performance, he is not worried about it. Despite only scoring 51 points and 56 points against Texas A&M and Vanderbilt, respectively, he believes they will turn it around.

“We just haven’t made shots,” Anderson said. “I thought we’ve had some good looks; we just haven’t knocked them down.”

Sophomore guard BJ Young is averaging 17.1 points per game and junior forward Marshawn Powell is averaging 14.3 points per game. However, no other player is averaging over 7.4 points per game.

“We have to have a third and fourth scorer,” Anderson said. “Our team is built on balance, so we have to have some guys step up.”

He points to freshman guard Anthlon Bell as a player who could step into a larger scoring role. Bell is only averaging 4.3 points per game, but Anderson said he has been practicing well and needs to transfer it into games.

“I think Anthlon Bell is a guy that’s about to burst onto the scene,” Anderson said. “He puts himself in position to take good shots.”

Defensively, the Razorbacks are coming off of their best defensive performance of the season, holding Vanderbilt to only 33 points, their fewest points allowed in a game since joining the SEC.

This bodes well for Arkansas, as Auburn plays a similar “mid-tempo” style of basketball, Anderson said.

“We want to build some momentum and continue to play that harassing style of defense,” Anderson said.

Although only 11,526 fans attended the Vanderbilt game, Anderson expects the crowd for the Auburn game to be larger because UA students are back in class.

“More than anything else, I like the energy of the crowd,” Anderson said. “They’re very vocal.”

The Razorbacks and Tigers tip off at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Bud Walton Arena.

2012 Year-in-Review

     It seems that every year, publications across the country talk about how this year was the "best one yet." It's cliche, but for me personally, it was true.
     I attended several great sporting events. At the very beginning of 2012, I went to Dallas with my family and witnessed Arkansas beat Kansas St. to win the Cotton Bowl. During the same trip, I saw my first hockey game, when the Dallas Stars took on the Edmonton Oilers. In April, I was at Fenway Park for the 100th birthday of the famous park and saw the Yankees beat the Red Sox, one of the greatest rivalries in sports. Also while in Boston, I saw the Boston Celtics, one of the most storied franchises in NBA history, defeat the Orlando Magic at the Garden. My streak of consecutive Razorback home Fayetteville football games attended now stands at 40, and I went to both Little Rock games, too. On Nov. 1, I was at John Brown University to witness one of the coolest traditions in college sports. As soon as John Brown made their first shot against Hillsdale Free Will Baptist, everyone in the arena threw toilet paper onto the court, resulting in the best technical foul in the country (see videos below). During the high school football playoffs, I saw a game at Prairie Grove, Pea Ridge (see: "Blackhawk Stadium - Pea Ridge" in November 2012), and Greenland. I was in Little Rock for the 7A State Championship game when Fayetteville beat Bentonville for the second straight year, as well. More recently, I saw Jim Boeheim win his 895th game as a head coach when he led Syracuse to a win over the Hogs at Bud Walton Arena.
     During 2012, I went to Hall of Fame for three of the four major sports: baseball, basketball, and hockey. On my Boston trip, my parents and younger brother, Sam, drove over to Springfield, Mass. to see the Basketball Hall of Fame. About a month later, I went on a trip with my parents and grandmother to Canada and New York. On that trip, I went to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto (see: "Day Three - Toronto and back in the U.S.A." in June 2012) and the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York (definitely the highlight of the trip - see: "Day Four - Cooperstown" in June 2012). Also in Cooperstown, I watched a Men's League baseball game at the famous Doubleday Field (seen at the end of the movie "A League of Their Own" - see: "Doubleday Field - Cooperstown, NY" in June 2012).
     While it was a rough year for the Razorback football team, I witnessed it from a unique perspective. At the very end of August, I began writing for The Arkansas Traveler, the UofA student newspaper. With The Traveler, I covered nearly all of the John L. Smith press conferences (see: "My First Press Conference - John L. Smith" in September 2012), including the infamous "Smile!" press conference. Once at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville (against Rutgers - see: "My First Game From the Press Box" in October 2012) and once at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock (against Ole Miss), I covered the Razorbacks as a member of the media in the press box. There, I was introduced to the wonderful free food, drinks, and programs the media enjoys, and all the unlimited, up-to-date stats I could ever ask for. The Traveler also gave me the opportunity to interview players such as Brandon Allen (see: "TAT: Past Will Help Allen's Game in the Future" in September 2012) and my favorite Razorback football player, Cobi Hamilton (see: "TAT: Cobi Hamilton..." in November 2012). I also interviewed Cobi's mom (Deborah Hamilton, one of the first two African-American women's basketball players at Arkansas) and high school football coach at Texas High (in Texarkana, TX). My dream interview happened in September, when I met Frank Broyles (legendary Arkansas coach, College Football HOFer, 1964 National Champion) and Loyd Phillips (member of '64 team, 1966 Outland Trophy winner) for lunch, then met Ken Hatfield (member of '64 team, went on to be a very successful college football head coach) the next day (Google them if you want to know more about them - see: "TAT: 1964 National Championship Controversy" in September 2012). Of course, I was a nervous-wreck when I had to drive Coach Broyles back to campus after the interview, but we did have an incredible off-the-record conversation. My final interview of the year happened three days after Christmas when I met All-American linebacker Ronnie Caveness (also a member of the '64 team). For nearly an hour, he shared countless stories with me about his playing days in high school, at Arkansas, and in the pros.
     It feels like I have been writing all year, as I finished up a fantastic career as the Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief of The Bulldog Herald at Springdale High (winning 13 awards at the state competition, giving me 21 over three years), then started this blog after graduation, and finally started writing for The Traveler. At The Traveler alone, I wrote 43 articles.
     On Twitter, I have been blocked by an ESPN anchor (Robert Flores - see: "My Thoughts on 'Tragic' and Arkansas Football" in September 2012), gotten into an argument with another ESPN anchor (Scott Van Pelt) and an NFL player (Jarius Wright - WR for the Vikings and former Hog), and been mentioned by Cobi Hamilton and the official NFL twitter account (which has 4.1 million followers, just saying). I also gained Jeff Long (@jefflongUA) as a follower (he only follows 42 accounts).
     I also learned something important this year: don't plan a trip until your team has actually won. With the Razorback baseball team only needing one victory in two games to reach the College World Series Championship, I started making plans and had plans to go to Omaha for the Championship, but they lost both games. With the St. Louis Cardinals needing only one victory in three games to reach their second consecutive World Series, I started making plans and had plans to go to St. Louis for one of the World Series games, but they, too, lost all three games. I blame myself for these two collapses.
     It was a very interesting year in the wider world of sports, as well. LeBron James finally won a ring with the Miami Heat. Miguel Cabrera won the first Triple Crown in MLB in 45 years, leading to an exciting AL MVP vote between him and super-star rookie Mike Trout. Calvin Johnson shattered Jerry Rice's record for most receiving yards in a single-season and fell just 36 yards shy of 2,000. Adrian Peterson rushed for 2,097 yards, falling 8 yards shy of Eric Dickerson's record of 2,105 in dramatic fashion in Week 17. Three rookie quarterbacks (Colts' Andrew Luck, Redskins' Robert Griffin III, and Seahawks' Russell Wilson) led their teams to playoff berths.
     I am sure I'm forgetting something that happened, but that's just the kind of year 2012 was. It was full of memories that will last a lifetime and I am glad I have been able to share them with you through my blog. I hope you have a happy and prosperous 2013!

This is the video I took on my phone at the John Brown toilet paper game. About three second in, I fell off the bleacher I was standing on, but I quickly recovered and you can mostly see everything.

This is the introduction video John Brown played before the starting lineups were announced. It's one of the best I have ever seen.

2011 Sports Predictions

     Similar to my previous post, these were my predictions for 2011 in the world of sports. I made these predictions on New Year's Day 2011 and opened them on New Year's Day 2012. This was originally published on Facebook, but I decided to put in on here, too, so you can compare my 2011 predictions to my 2012 predictions. Again, these are scored out of five points based on accuracy of the prediction.

1. UConn women will lose two more games during the 2010-11 season.

When I made these predictions, the UConn women’s basketball team was coming off their first loss in 90 games. However, they didn’t lose two more games. They did, though, lose one more: against Notre Dame in the Final Four of the tournament. I will give myself two points for this prediction. (2/5)

2. Ryan Mallett and Cam Newton will both return for their senior seasons, leading to a top 5, undefeated matchup between Arkansas and Auburn in Fayetteville, bringing College Game Day to town.

I wasn’t even close here. Newton was the number one overall pick in the NFL Draft by the Panthers and broke Peyton Manning’s rookie record for passing yards. Ryan Mallett was drafted in the third round by the Patriots, backing up Tom Brady this season. Also, both Arkansas and Auburn were 4-1 when they played in Week 5 of the college football season. College Game Day’s only visit to Fayetteville is still the 2006 game against Tennessee. I will give myself zero points for this prediction. (0/5)

3. The Arkansas baseball team will make the College World Series.

The Arkansas baseball team was consistently ranked in the top 25 during the season, earning a 2-seed in the Arizona St. Regional. Unfortunately, they went 2-2 in the Regional, failing to advance to even the Super Regionals. I will give myself zero points for this prediction. (0/5)

4. Tiger Woods will win two majors.

When Tiger began the year by tying for 4th at The Masters, I thought I had a chance to get this prediction right. But by not playing in the U.S. Open or The Open Championship (British Open), it went out the door. By missing the cut in the PGA Championship, he made this prediction look even worse. He finally got back in the win column with a first place finish in the Chevron World Challenge. Again, zero points. (0/5)

5. A 16 seed will finally beat a 1 seed.

Ohio State beat Texas-San Antonio 75-46, Duke beat Hampton 87-45, Kansas beat Boston University 72-53, and Pitt beat UNC-Asheville 74-51. The closest game was Kansas’ 19 point victory, so I wasn’t very close on this prediction. I will give myself zero points for this prediction. (0/5)

6. There WILL be an NFL season.

It seems like I didn’t really step out on this prediction, but remember, when I predicted this, the lockout was imminent and the two sides (owners and players) weren’t anywhere close to a deal. I was a perfect five out of five for this prediction. (5/5)

7. The Miami Heat will start the 2011-12 season 16-0.

Due to the lockout, the Heat only played four games before the end of the calendar year, winning all four of them. They reached 5-0 before losing to the Hawks and ended up having an 11-5 record after the first 16 games. This earns me another goose egg. (0/5)

8. The surprise non-BCS team will come out of the C-USA.

This prediction was looking really good until the last week of the college football season. Houston went 12-0 and won their division in Conference USA, all but clinching a spot in the BCS. However, they had to play Southern Miss in the C-USA Championship Game and they got smoked, costing their conference a spot in the BCS. I will give myself two points for being so close with this prediction. (2/5)

9. Blake Griffin will lead the Clippers to a surprise start in the 2011-12 season.

Again, due to the lockout, the Clippers only played three games before the end of the calendar year, going 1-2. Griffin averaged a double-double, with 20.7 points per game and 10.9 rebounds per game. The biggest surprise, though, was the Clippers trading for Chris Paul, leading many to believe they are the best team in Los Angeles. The Clippers finished the regular season 40-26 and earned a playoff spot for the first time since 2006. They actually defeated the Grizzlies four games to three before losing to the Spurs in a four-game sweep in the second round. This is another perfect five out of five prediction. (5/5)

10. The Cowboys and Browns will rebound with 10+ win seasons.

The Cowboys went 8-8 and the Browns went 4-12, so both of them fell short of the 10 wins I predicted. This is good for zero points. (0/5)

11.  The NFL will announce an LA team.

Rumors have been flying all year about the Jaguars, Rams, 49ers, Raiders, Bills, Vikings, and Chargers possibly moving to Los Angeles, but nothing has actually happened yet. However, plans for a stadium are underway. Although it seems imminent, I will give myself zero points for this prediction. (0/0)

12.  There will be a freshman Heisman finalist.

Andrew Luck (Jr.-Stanford), Robert Griffin III (Jr.-Baylor), Montee Ball (Jr.-Wisconsin), Trent Richardson (Jr.-Alabama), and Tyrann Mathieu (So.-LSU) were the Heisman finalists this year. RGIII won the trophy, but the closest my prediction was to coming true was with the Honey Badger, who was a sophomore finalist. I will give myself zero points for this prediction. (0/0)

**Note: I was just ONE year off in this prediction! Texas A&M freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel became the first freshman to win the award in 2012.**

13. The Colts will rebound and start the season 14-0.

…Well…we’re not all perfect. The Colts went 2-14, earning the number one overall draft pick. Again, zero points for this prediction. (0/0)

14. T.O. will end up with the Jets.

Much to my surprise, Terrell Owens hasn’t played at all this year. No team has taken a chance with him, even the New York Jets. I will give myself zero points for this prediction. (0/0)

15. The Cardinals will have the best record in baseball.

The Phillies had the best record in baseball, at 102-60, but they didn’t win the World Series. While the Cardinals only won 90 games in the regular season, they did catch fire at the end of the year, clinching the wild card with one of the largest comebacks in history, and eventually winning the World Series in seven games.  I will give myself three points for this prediction. (3/5)

     My 2011 sports predictions earned me 17 out of 75 total possible points. I vastly improved with my 2012 sports predictions, when I earned 42 points.

2012 Sports Predictions

     For the second consecutive year, I made sports predictions that I sealed in an envelope on New Year's Day and didn't open them until the following New Year's Day. Below are the predictions I made for 2012. Some of them are great, while some of them are waaaaay off. I have scored all 15 of them out of five, so you can compare my score this year to my 2011 predictions (which I will post later tonight, as well).

1. Cobi Hamilton will emerge as Arkansas' #1 wide receiver and earn First Team All-SEC honors.

Going into the season, many people expected Cobi Hamilton to fill the hole left behind by the graduation of Joe Adams, Greg Childs and Jarius Wright, but few expected him to have the record breaking year he had. He broke the Arkansas single-game receiving yards record (303 vs. Rutgers, also an SEC single-game record), single-season receptions and receiving yards record, and career receptions record last season. He was only a Second Team All-SEC selection in the preseason, but he earned First Team All-SEC honors and Third Team All-American honors at the end of the season. I nailed this prediction perfectly, so I'll give myself a five out of five. (5/5)

2. The Arkansas baseball team will finish second at the SEC tournament.

The Arkansas baseball team earned a 6-seed for the annual SEC tournament last season, but fell to Mississippi St. 9-1 and then to Ole Miss 2-0, eliminating them from the tournament well before the championship game. However, they caught fire in the NCAA tournament, making it all the way to the College World Series, ultimately finishing third in the country. While they didn't finish second in the SEC tourney, I will give myself some credit for prediction postseason success (I am very lenient with grading myself). Two points out of five seems fair. (2/5)

3. Zero number 1 seeds will make the Final Four in the Men's Basketball Tournament.

Kentucky was the only number 1 seed that made the Final Four in last year's tournament. The other three teams, Louisville (4), Ohio St. (2) and Kansas (2) were not. Since only one of the teams was a 1-seed, I'll give myself one point. (1/5)

4. The Super Bowl champion will not win their division next season.

The New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots 21-17 to win Super Bowl XLVI. This season, however, they finished with a 9-7 record, one game behind the Washington Redskins in the NFC East. They also didn't make the playoffs. I'd say I earned five out of five points for this prediction. (5/5)

5. Kevin Durant will score at least 50 points in two games during the 2011-2012 season.

On February 19 against the Denver Nuggets, Kevin Durant scored 51 points. It was the only time he broke the half-century mark, though. Since he did it once, I'll give myself a point. (1/5)

6. The Heisman Trophy winner will not be a quarterback or running back.

This was ALMOST a reality this year, as Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting, with many people believing he deserved it more than Texas A&M freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel. I'll give myself two points because of how close this came to being true. (2/5)

7. Ohio St. won't make a bowl game next year.

I have no idea what I was thinking when I predicted this. I thought I may have made this prediction before the NCAA issued the bowl-ban for the Buckeyes, but that came in December of 2011. Despite an undefeated 2012 season, Ohio St. was banned from postseason play because of violations, so while I was technically correct in this prediction, I basically cheated. I won't give myself any points for this prediction. (0/5)

8. Peyton Manning will come back and pass for 3,500+ yards and 30+ touchdowns.

Sure, I had no idea he'd be with the Broncos, but I was dead on with this prediction. Peyton Manning ended the regular season with 4,659 passing yards and 37 touchdowns, while leading the Broncos to a 13-3 record and top seed in the AFC. This is another five out of five. (5/5)

9. Gus Malzahn will lead Arkansas St. to a 9 win season next year, with another bowl berth.

Gus Malzahn led Arkansas St. to a 9-3 record and Sun Belt Championship in his first season as a college football head coach before he departed for Auburn. The Red Wolves will play Kent St. on January 6th in the GoDaddy.com Bowl. Again, a perfect five out of five. (5/5)

10. Vanderbilt will win 8 games next year.

Vandy finished the regular season with an 8-4 record and won the Music City Bowl 38-24 over North Carolina St. to earn their 9th victory. Their nine wins are the most they have had in a single season since going 9-1 in 1915. Five out of five points, again. (5/5)

11. Four different golfers will win the majors, including Tiger Woods, someone that has never won before, and someone that hasn't won one in 8 years.

Bubba Watson won The Masters, Webb Simpson won the U.S. Open, Ernie Els won the Open Championship (aka- the British Open), and Rory McIlroy won the PGA Championship (four different winners - CHECK). Watson and Simpson were first time Major winners (CHECK), while McIlroy last won one in 2011 and Els last won one ten years ago, 2002 (CHECK). However, Tiger Woods' best finish in a 2012 Major was tied for third in the Open Championship. I got nearly all of the parts of this prediction correct, so I'll give myself four points. (4/5)

12. Albert Pujols will win the AL MVP.

Albert Pujols started his first season in the American League sluggish, but he finished with solid numbers (.285 avg., 30 HR, 105 RBI). However, he didn't stand a chance in the AL MVP race against triple crown winner Miguel Cabrera and teammate and rookie sensation Mike Trout, who finished first and second in the voting. Pujols did receive one 6th, one 9th, and one 10th place vote for a total of eight points and a 17th place finish. This wasn't close enough for me to earn any points. (0/5)

13. The Cardinals will have a better record than the Angels.

The Cardinals finished the regular season with an 88-74 record and the Angels finished with an 89-73 record. The Angels, however, did not make the playoffs, while the Cardinals made the playoffs as the second NL wild-card team. Coming within one game of the World Series, the Cardinals lost to the eventual World Series Champion Giants in the NLCS. St. Louis clearly had a better season than the LA Angels, so I'll give myself two points. (2/5)

14. The U.S. will win the most medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Looking back at the final medal count from the London Olympics, it appears that the U.S. blew out every other country. However, it was very close between the U.S. and China for a while. The totals ended up being 104-88 in favor of the Americans. This is another perfect five out of five. (5/5)

15. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will rebound with a 9+ win season.

The Buccaneers went 4-12 in 2011, and I felt that they would rebound this season. They did improve their record to 7-9, but they fell short of the nine wins I predicted. I'll give myself zero points. (0/5)

     If you're keeping track at home, out of a 75 total points possible, I earned 42. As I mentioned earlier, I'll post my 2011 sports predictions sometime this week, so you can compare how I did. Now it's time for me to make my 2013 sports predictions and hide them until New Year's Day 2014.