10 sports things that are guaranteed to happen in 2013

Christmas has come and passed and it’s almost time to celebrate a new year.

The 2012 year was a fun one – filled with storylines galore on both the local and national level.

But there will be more about that in next week’s year in review issue. For now, it’s time to look forward.

Santa was kind enough to give me a crystal ball this holiday season.

With it, it’s time to predict the future.

Here are 10 things I think will happen in 2013.

It’s time to see if this Santa Claus guy knows what he’s doing.

1. Tiger Woods will return to prominence in 2013

OK, OK, OK, I admit – I’m a Tiger Woods homer. But there is logic that boosts my pick – it’s not all just a man-crush. If you listen to national media pundits discuss Tiger, you could swear he’s the worst golfer in the world. He’s far from it. He actually had a great year in 2012, winning three times and finishing in the Top 3 six times. Tiger held the lead in a few majors this year, but fell flat on the weekend. With a little more practice and trust in his new swing, those near misses will turn into home runs next year.

2. The Saints will polish defense, become contenders

This pains me to say because I’m admittedly not a Saints fan. But I will take my medicine and face facts – the team is far closer to the top than I sometimes like to admit. I expect the Saints to dedicate almost their entire offseason to boosting defensive depth. With it, the team will be more equipped to stop offenses, which will make the team’s offense even more potent. I don’t know if the Saints will eclipse the Packers, Falcons or 49ers as top dogs in the NFC, but they surely won’t be 0-4 to start next season, either.

3. Ellender will have huge athletic year

Brace yourselves – Ellender is about to have an absolutely huge athletic year. In football, the Patriots return a slew of talent from last year’s squad that won four games. Quarterback Dustin Creppel will have a monstrous statistical season and I wouldn’t be shocked if Ellender made a strong push for a district title. In basketball, the situation is the same and the Patriots will return loaded – both on the boys’ and girls’ sides. This year, both teams are scary matchups. Next year, they will be absolute nightmares. This will be a fun year for fans of the Patriots.

4. Theresa Plaisance will become an All-American

I saw first-hand what Theresa Plaisance could do when she was dominating at Vandebilt, leading the team to a state championship. Now, LSU is being exposed to our local center’s skillset. Plaisance is currently taking the SEC by storm and is one of the best statistical players in the conference. When this season ends and next season begins, she will be widely known as one of the best players in America. That will be fun to see. Very few deserve success more than this humble, wildly talented kid.

5. WrestleMania 30 will head to New Orleans; I will lose my mind

For the 50-60 wrestling fans still out there in the world, I have a real treat for you today – WWE announced that New Orleans is among the finalists to host WrestleMania 30! I have no insider information regarding this topic, so I am speaking 100 percent as a fan on this one. But I think Vince McMahon will bring the event to the Big Easy. Once he does so, I predict that I will become one of the largest nerds of all-time for a stretch of 100-150 days. It will be fantastic. My family and friends tease my nerdy ways now. Once this happens, I will be out of control. I may not shave or see the sun for an entire 12 month span.

6. Hornets will trade star player, franchise name

This should be an awfully interesting year for the Hornets. For starters, by year’s end, they likely will no longer be the Hornets and will likely be the Pelicans – an interesting swap of names. But aside from that, I think the team will finally realize that Eric Gordon is a highly paid cancer and move him to another team. The guy simply doesn’t want to be in New Orleans. As things stand currently, he’s being paid an awful lot of money to not play. Sure, reports have surfaced this week that Gordan has plans to return before 2012 ends. How nice it must be to play just enough to keep one’s value high, but just little enough to guarantee that the franchise doesn’t go to the playoffs. The team would turly be better off if he didn’t show up at all.

7. Mettenberger will have huge 2013 season

For as bad as Zach Mettenberger was in the first half of 2012, he was equally solid in the final games of the season. The Tigers will return all of their receiving weapons next season and the lion’s share of their offensive line. Those things should allow the big, powerful gunslinger to be more comfortable and to have more success. If Mettenberger completed 58 percent of his passes for 11 touchdowns and 6 interceptions as a junior, there’s no reason to believe he won’t do far more next year. I am not saying that he’ll be a Heisman Trophy candidate. But I am saying that I don’t think LSU fans will be calling for the quarterback’s head at any point of next season. Correction – no matter what he does, LSU fans will call for his head. We are talking about a fan base who wanted to bench JaMarcus Russell.

8. Floyd Mayweather will win twice, establish his superiority

Let me start by saying that if you don’t already rank Mayweather as the best boxer in the world, I need to recommend you a few eye doctors to visit – because your vision is way off. But if there are a few stragglers out there who still want to defame Mayweather’s greatness, I have a warning right now: You will be silenced in 2013. Mayweather is currently scheduled for two bouts in the new year and I don’t see anyone on the planet who can challenge his unbeaten record. With Manny Pacquiao regularly being waxed out of the ring, it’s time more fans admit that Money Mayweather is the true king of the sport. He already is, but too many fans shun away Mayweather because of his arrogance.

9. Nicholls State football will improve in 2013

To some, this would maybe be considered an easy pick. After winning just two games combined in the past two seasons, it’s easy to say the Colonels will be better – there’s no much of a way that they can be worse. But when I say they will improve, I mean that they will truly make incremental strides in their win/loss record. I don’t know that the Colonels will win the Southland Conference – or even have a winning record. But I think they have enough talent back at important positions to where picking up a handful of wins isn’t too much to ask. I believe Landry Klann will have a solid offseason and will return to campus as a polished quarterback. On the same foot, I think the team’s offensive line and defensive lines will be more polished and experienced. I think we’ll see the Colonels make strides next season, which will be the first step in getting the program back on the right foot.

10. Someone will give Elijah McGuire a shot – they won’t regret it

Because of his small frame, a lot of colleges are hesitant to give the Vandebilt Catholic standout a chance to play offense at the next level. All it takes is one, though. I believe McGuire will get his opportunity to be a slotback in college and I think he will make the most of his opportunity. I went to high school around the same time as Phillip Livas. People at that time said the same things about his size and strength. But Livas was so good at Louisiana Tech that he had a cup of tea in the NFL. I expect McGuire to have a similar level of success. The kid’s just a remarkable player. To make it even better, he’s also a wonderful kid and a high-character guy. Those things still do matter.