...Prognosticating...

At least we all know that Punxatawney Phil is a joke. I mean, we approach the whole process knowing that its just a funny, silly thing that we do to pass the time, a social norm that has grown to entertain and amuse us. That's nice.

Slightly down the ladder in terms of respectable prediction are weatherpeople in general. The countless examples of being flat out wrong far outnumber any examples of useful prediction. Basically their roles in our lives is a function of advertising space on Local News channels - they are not needed, and they essentially should exist to only let us know if there is a hurricane, tornado, or other natural disaster, weather-related, they can warn us of. Anything outside of that is frivolous, but we've accepted them.

And at the bottom of the prediction food chain are sports analysts. These are the worst because their accountability isn't low, it's next to nothing. Who is keeping track of what they say? Besides Justin, Trav & Myself, nobody really ever pays attention to how wrong these guys are basically all the time, yet they continue to predict, and we continue to be entertained by it.

But why are we entertained by it? What does it bring us to hear two "experts" tell me, before the season has even started, that the Packers and Ravens are going to meet in the Super Bowl. Guess what, they aren't. Nobody knows who is going to be in the Super Bowl - in fact, the biggest NFL experts in the Universe only serve to bring their credibility down by selecting a Super Bowl matchup.

This past weekend, Lindsey Davenport was doing analysis for the US Open and when asked who would win between Wozniacki and Sharapova, she shook her head and in true Davenport fashion just said, "I don't do that." That is the most refreshing analysis I think I have ever heard.

"I don't do that," would serve everyone well. Each Sunday for a 1/2 hour before gametime we listen to a collection of unaccountable blowhards (i hate that word, but thats what they are) sit on the sets of ESPN, CBS, NBC, FOX, etc and tell us who will win each game and why. We see their records, usually around or sub .500, and I am sure statistical analysis will show that they are literally worthless. They are a worthless experiment.

I have grown so uncomfortable with the, "so what do you think is going to happen?" question, or the "who is going to win?" question. I don't know. Nobody knows. Everyone. Nobody knows. Lets talk about something else. I am going to start taking the Davenport Approach, as I am coining it...."I don't do that," will be a common phrase you'll hear from me.

Except when it comes to ultimate. I'll take Red Tide over Zebra Muscles any day of the week.