Take a moment and note your surroundings:
You are in the presence of greatness.
Usually, my look back column at my predictions from 364 days ago, turns me into a piñata. In most years my picks are as accurate as a game of drunk pin the tail on the donkey.
Not this time.
This blind squirrel had been overdue to find a couple of acorns and sure enough in 2024 my cheeks were full. I may have made more correct calls about what was happening in 2024 than in the previous five years combined.
Have a look at what I predicted followed by a recap of how it went:
Bill Belichick will not be the Patriots head coach in 2024 — This is a win. When the crowd gathered in Times Square on Dec. 31, 2023, Belichick’s status was still in question. In fact, everyone assumed he’d be coaching somewhere in 2024, but his age and hard-to-deal-withedness caught up to him. I did not predict he would be the head coach at North Carolina. THAT would have been impressive.
Patriots hire Jerod Mayo — Not only was the pick right, but I also wrote:
“In the end, Robert Kraft is going to hire someone he’s comfortable with. It might work. Mayo radiates leadership and intelligence, but Belichick assistants don’t have a great track record as head coaches.”
In fact, Kraft was too reliant on hiring someone he knew and trusted without accurately assessing Mayo’s true readiness.
Alabama beats Michigan. Washington beats Texas. Alabama beats Washington to win the College Football Playoff — (Insert Family Feud wrong answer buzzer here). Swing and a miss. Missed that one from moment one. Michigan beat both Alabama and Washington en route to winning the whole thing.
John Henry announces he’s starting the process of selling the Red Sox — Nope. Henry still owns the Red Sox, who seem to be satisfied to be on the medal stand in every free-agent Olympics without ever winning the gold anymore. He still owns the team and is hoping you haven’t noticed that they still didn’t give money to a big-name free agent this offseason either.
Don Sweeney will add a forward at the deadline — I’m calling this a push. Yes, I got it right. But if I’m honest I was thinking of someone a little higher on the depth chart than fourth-line grinder Pat Maroon.
The Bruins will advance to the second round — This might have been my most accurate pick if you include the synopsis which read:
“Haunted by last year, Jim Montgomery will play both goalies and his very motivated team will advance out of the first round in six games, but the Bruins won’t have enough scoring depth to get beyond the second round.”
Jeremy Swayman will be the only Bruins’ free agent who will be back in Boston for 2024-25 — Bullseye. Jake DeBrusk, Pat Maroon, James van Riemsdyk, Kevin Shattenkirk, Danton Heinen, and Matt Grzelcyk are all elsewhere.
Banner 18 is coming — The best team in the NBA bulldozed everyone along the way. This pick was on the money even if it was predicting the best team in the NBA at midseason would still be the best team at the end of the season. As soon as Jrue Holliday and Kristaps Porzingis clearly fit in, a Celtics championship seemed like an inevitability.
Super Bowl: 49ers 34, Ravens 31 — Well, the 49ers made the Super Bowl so I wasn’t all the way off, but they lost to the Chiefs, which in hindsight should have been obvious. I should know better than to pick against Kansas City ever.
Sha’Carri Richardson will be the redemption story of the 2024 Olympics — She was fine winning a gold and a silver, but she wasn’t nearly as big as some other track stars.
Some sports controversy is going to be part of the election — The Republicans campaigned heavily in swing states using trans athletes in sports as a wedge issue, but it wasn’t the magnitude I was predicting.
This year’s picks will be better than last year’s — Nailed it.
Follow MassLive sports columnist Matt Vautour on Twitter at @MattVautour424.
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