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Insights and Observations
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Henry's Highlights
Monday, January 2, 2006
By Henry Hinton |
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Crystal ball foretells
tantalizing year
©2006 Bonesville.net
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Happy New Year! For my
first column of 2006, I’ll take a stab at some predictions for the new year.
I have no crystal ball
and have never felt like I have ESP (although I do have ESPN and ESPN 2),
but I figure everyone else makes predictions this time of year… why not me?
Let’s start with East
Carolina, of course.
I predict that Jeremy
Ingram will continue to make a huge difference in Ricky Stokes’ team. So
much so, that by mid-January the Pirates will be competitive in Conference
USA. I’m expecting a huge turnaround from the disappointing start to the
season.
I predict that the 2006
Pirate football team will go bowling in December. In spite of a treacherous
schedule that includes nine bowl teams from this season, Skip Holtz’s squad
will ride the arm of James Pinkney to a winning record.
Speaking of Pinkney, I
predict he will attend class this year and stay out of academic trouble.
Also regarding Pinkney, I
predict he will be a contender for the offensive player of the year in C-USA
in 2006.
Now, let’s move to
baseball. I have to qualify my prediction about Billy Godwin’s first Pirate
squad. If — and it’s a big IF — all of the surgeries on ECU pitchers prove
to be successful, I predict the Pirates will have a record better than last
year’s 35-26 ledger.
That will be difficult to
do considering some of the new teams in C-USA are some of the best in the
nation, particularly Rice and Central Florida. Where the league can be
accused of slipping down a notch in basketball and football, not so in
baseball. ECU’s dream of getting to Omaha has some new obstacles now that
C-USA is one of the toughest leagues in the country.
Now onto some other
prognostications:
Sorry Carolina Panthers
fans, no Super Bowl this year. I predict the Panthers will beat the Giants
this week and maybe even get back to the NFC Championship game. Jake
Delhomme will have to be flawless to get that far, something he is rarely
capable of doing. I don’t see them making it back to the big game.
Contrary to much recent
speculation, I predict that former ECU Coach Steve Logan will NOT return to
college coaching in spite of being wooed by different universities. Logan is
currently slated to be the offensive coordinator of the Rhein Fire in NFL
Europe next spring.
However, with all the
openings we will see pop up this week in the NFL, don’t be surprised to see
his name thrown around at that level. Logan has made a name for himself at
the professional level and now that he needs a paycheck he may finally take
a pro job on an offensive staff in the NFL.
Oh, by the way, I predict
that Terry Holland will have a less difficult time making the athletic
department budget this year. Fewer coaches on the payroll, especially those
of the highly-paid, not-working variety.
I predict that former ECU
star David Garrard will get traded from the Jacksonville Jaguars to one of
many teams in the NFL that need a good quarterback. Garrard has proven
himself to be an effective starter for the Jags during Byron Leftwich’s
injury. Without him, Jacksonville would not be in the playoffs. It’s a shame
Garrard will probably see little or no action this weekend against New
England.
Some team will step up
and give the Jags a first round draft pick this time around, which is what
they wanted for Garrard last year. Now he is more of a proven commodity and
a much better quarterback than many who started this year in the NFL. What
about Garrard playing for the New York Jets? Broadway Dave?
And finally, I predict
another national championship for USC in the Rose Bowl against Texas. I
know, it’s a no-brainer.
Happy New Year! Go
Pirates, Panthers, Jaguars, Patriots (or whoever you will cheer for in
2006).
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Henry Hinton.
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04/21/2008 07:08:49 PM |
