Predictions for 2012

I've seen this in other places, so I thought I would do a BC-sportscentric one as 2011 comes to a close. This is not a wish list. Just some hunches I have...

BC will be bowl eligible in 2012. We underachieved in 2011 and have plenty of talent returning. I like the change in Doug Martin. But I don't think 2012 will be much fun. I still expect Spaz to blow some games for us.

Gene Defilippo will announce his "retirement" in 2012. Gene has pissed off plenty of people lately. I think there is a chance that the powers that be will let him know that the 2012-2013 school year will be his last.

BC will win at least one game in the ACC Men's basketball tournament. The Harvard game should have been a wake up call for me, but I am still drinking the Donahue koolaid. I think we will get better in ACC play and pull off an upset in Day 1 of the ACC Tournament.

BC will make it to another Frozen Four. It doesn't feel like it right now, but does anyone doubt Jerry York's ability to peak at the right time?

Sylvia Crawley will be fired after the 2011-2012 season. I know she has a young team too and has had success so far at BC, but I just think there are enough things in play that BC might make a change.

Frank Spaziani will not be fired. I think being bowl-eligible and my predicted change in the AD spot will save Spaz. If BC does change AD, it is probably better that the new AD decided Spaz's fate in 2013.

Hockey loses, Hoops loses and other links

Hockey returned to action after their long break. Unfortunately they began the new portion of their schedule they way they ended things prior to the break: with a loss. Thursday's disappointment came with a 4-2 loss to Michigan in the Great Lakes Invitational. The have a chance to redeem themselves in the consultation game against Michigan Tech.

I had a lot of optimism about the basketball team taking on Harvard. It wasn't to be as they lost 67-46. The big concern was the inability to score in the second half.

Blauds comes out with a defense of the talent that left the program during the Donahue-Skinner change. I loved Al but I am not going to kill Donahue for running these guys off and/or not doing more to keep them. As painful as this season is, Donahue's legacy will be about what he does with his own players.

BC recruiting target Jamil Pollard recommited to Penn State. I know Spaz didn't want to take advantage of his alma mater's downtime, but I wish we had exploited their issues a bit more. It is disappointing that we lost a kid to a school in the middle of a scandal and without a head coach.

It looks like former BC Defensive Coordinator Phil Elmassian will take the same role at UMass.

As I tweeted, the New Yorker wrote an article on Don Bosco. It is an interesting read considering all the BC-Bosco connections over the years.