2006: Los Angeles Returns to Dominance

Here are my fearless sports predictions for 2006:

- USC Trojans football win third consecutive national championship. Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart are taken No. 1 (Bush to Texans) and No. 2 (Leinart to Jets/Raiders after a trade) in the NFL Draft.

- Kobe Bryant wins his first NBA MVP award. Phil Jackson wins coach of the year.

- The No. 3 seeded Los Angeles Lakers push the San Antonio Spurs to a 7-game conference final series. Kobe passes to Sasha who hits a three on final play of the game to win the series. (Who knows if the Lakers win the NBA Finals, the Pistons are darn good...)

- The Los Angeles Dodgers win the NL West behind the resurgent bats of Nomar Garciaparra and JD Drew. Brad Penny wins NL Cy Young. Gagne has 65 saves. The Dodgers advance to the NL World Series after outdueling the Cardinals. After an earthquake disrupts the freeway series, the Dodgers beat the Los Angeles Angeles of Anaheim in a 7-game series.

- Both USC and UCLA basketball teams make it to the Sweet 16 in the big dance. USC, surprising everyone, loses to Duke on a last second shot. UCLA reaches the Final Four before losing to Illinois.

- Los Angeles Kings stay healthy all year and win the NHL Stanley Cup. Pavol Demitra wins playoffs MVP.

- USC football wins first 10 games of 2006 season before losing to Notre Dame. Finishes the season off with another wallopping of UCLA. After 2,000+ yards and 35 touchdowns, Lendale White (if he stays) becomes 3rd consecutive Trojan to win the Heisma

Some random thoughts

* LA needs more left-turn lanes and left-turn signals.

* Do only women overthink things? If so, am I a woman?

* Does McDonalds put a addictive chemical in its average tasting food to keep people coming back?

* Why do men have nipples?

* Why is hot food more fulfilling than cold food?

* Is "fulfilling" spelled with one l or two ll's?

* Is -8 degrees with wind chill really that cold?

* Is it OK for rappers to sample a Michael Jackson song? On another note, it'd kind of suck to see Michael Jackson moving back home with his parents.

* What's happier? Disneyland (the happiest place on Earth) or Christmas (the happiest time of the year). Does the happiness cancel out if you're at Disneyland during Christmastime?

* A bathroom stall?

* There are two Ls in fulfilling. I was right.

Holiday v Christmas

People keep asking me, "Mike, what do you think of the whole let's call a Christmas tree a 'holiday' tree?" Actually, they don't. But I ask me, so here's my answer: IT'S STUPID. It's not called a "holiday menorah," is it? NO. So, for good or for bad, call something what it should be called.

But this whole debate over "Holiday v Christmas" is overshadowing the debate that should be of greater concern. Is Christmas the celebration of Christ's birth, or is it a celebration of ourselves?

I was at Mass the other day and the priest asked us why if it's a celebration of Christ's birth do we buy things for each other? Even more so, why, during what should be a celebration of thanksgiving for Christians, is it a celebration of "have to." Don't know what I mean? During this time of year we always say, "I have to buy my niece something." "I have to wake up at the butt-crack of dawn so I can stand in line for three hours so I can save about 20 percent, or 10 dollars on my Christmas shopping." Or, "I have to go to church."

Recently, I read an article about a few churches in Sacramento that are cancelling Sunday services so that the attendants could spend more time with their families.

This isn't what Christmas is about. It's not about pushing each other to be first inside Best Buy to pick out a video game that probably celebrates violence and sex. It's not even about families, well our respective families at least.

If people want to make this time of year about those things, please call it the "holidays." Or call it Xmas. The mass that celebrates "fill in the blank."