I'll give you a winter prediction: It's gonna be cold, it's gonna be grey, and it's gonna last you for the rest of your life.

So 2008 is in the books, which means it's time for the annual review of my 2008 predictions. Let's just say it's a good thing I don't make a living as a seer.

1. The Patriots will win the Super Bowl and finish 19-0.
INCORRECT.

2. Arsenal will win the Premiership.
INCORRECT.

3. Fidel Castro will die.
INCORRECT, and I'm not sure how he's held on this long.

4. Hillary Clinton will win the Democratic Nomination for President.
INCORRECT.

5. Jim Rice will be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
INCORRECT. But he better be voted in this month, or else I'm revoking everyone's BWAA membership.

6. Javier Bardem will win Best Supporting Actor Oscar.
CORRECT.

7. Julie Christie will win Best Actress Oscar.
INCORRECT.

8. Daniel Day-Lewis will win Best Actor Oscar.
CORRECT.

9. Cate Blanchett will win Best Supporting Actress Oscar.
INCORRECT.

10. The Red Sox will win the World Series again in 2008.
INCORRECT. Damn those Rays.

11. The Red Sox will have 2 20-game winners on their pitching staff.
INCORRECT, and really, not sure what I was thinking.

12. Manchester United will win the Champions League.
CORRECT, but only thanks to John Terry's epic penalty miss.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jZTvSuYQSQ

13. China will win the most medals at the Beijing Olympics.
INCORRECT. China did win the most Golds, but the US won the most total medals.

14. John McCain will win the NH primary.
CORRECT.

15. Tiger Woods will win 2 majors.
INCORRECT. But considering he won the US Open on a knee with no cartilage, and a busted tibia, I'd have to think without those injuries he'd have won 3. Bitter.

4 out of 15. Pitiful. Not sure how I could do worse this year, but I'll try. (And I've decided to just do 10 predictions this year. 15 was really pushing it, and it just doesn't seem like a lot will happen in 2009. Hey, maybe THAT should be my only prediction.)

1. San Jose Sharks will win the Stanley Cup. I usually predict this every year. One of these times I'm going to have to be right.

2. Leeds will get promoted to the Championship. Once mighty Leeds United is currently resting in League One, the 3rd division of English football. Leeds played in the Champions League semifinals in 2001, but soon thereafter begin to implode under the weight of debt their owners took on, signing big-named players with loans they couldn't afford to pay. In 2004 they were relegated to the Championship (the 2nd division), and after going into administration (meaning the league took over the club due to their financials) in 2006, a mandatory point deduction saw them relegated down to League One. But with their finances in order, as well as the revenue they bring in from their stadium (Elland Road can seat almost 40,000 fans; most other League One venues don't even sit 10,000), they should be able to finish strong and gain promotion in 2009-2010.

3. Fidel Castro will die. Sound familiar?

4. A new British Election will be called for. I honestly don't understand completely the UK's election laws (and I'm too busy/tired/lazy to look them up), but I believe the sitting Prime Minister can call for a new election at any time during his/her tenure, as long as he/she does it no more than 5 years from whence they took office. Gordon Brown, the current PM, has only been in office less than 2 years, but he didn't win election -- he took over when Tony Blair resigned. I believe Brown doesn't need to call for one until 2010, but I think he'll try to get one done before his approval ratings fall even lower.

5. The Dow Jones will finish below 9,000 for a 2nd straight year. I like Obama. I voted for him. I think he'll do well. Eventually. But in the short term, I don't see much getting better. It'll be a rough year, and the stock market will reflect that as well.

6. Barcelona will win the Champions league. They seem to be the most consistent European team these days. Consistently good, that is.

7. Tiger Woods will win the British Open AND PGA Championship. Absolutely crazy, I know. The guy is only HOPING to get back in time for the Masters from his knee surgery. Even when he does come back, it's foolish to think he'll shake off the cobwebs and rust right away. But I have this feeling that his knee is going to be stronger, and will make him a better golfer...and I think it'll just take him a few months to get back up to speed.

8. Joe Girardi will not finish the season as manager of the Yankees. The Evil Empire have spent millions and millions on free agents this off season, landing C.C. Sabathia, AJ Burnett, and Mark Teixeira, among others. They're loaded on offense, but I don't think the pitching is there, even with the new players. If the Yankees are hovering around .500 come July 1 (which I think they will be), Girardi will be gone.

9. Meryl Streep will win Best Actress Oscar for Doubt. This is more a process of elimination more than anything else. The only other actresses getting any buzz are Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married (a movie hardly anyone has seen, and one many think is too much of a downer), Angelina Jolie in Changeling (which hasn't gotten great reviews, and won't be up for any other Oscars), Kristin Scott Thomas in I've Loved You So Long (a French film that again most voters haven't seen, and Thomas does not play a very sympathetic character in it), and probably her stiffest competition, Kate Winslet in Revolutionary Road. But Streep in a nun's outfit, trying to take down Philip Seymour Hoffman? She's got it in the habit.

10. Cuba will win the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Because Japan won't.

So there you have it...10 predictions, none of which will probably come true. But it'll be fun to watch.