Sports and Politics Preview – The Top 100 Questions and Answers For 2018

We’ve made it to the fourth and final part of our 2018 Preview! So here you go, the top 100 questions and corresponding answers for 2018!

If you want to go back and read the first three installments of our 2018 Preview, which takes you from Questions 365 to 101 in the worlds of sports and politics, here you go: Part IPart II, and Part III.



100.   Will Congress Pass a Comprehensive Bill On Immigration Reform?

(You mean to ask, “will we get a combination of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell keeping his word and the GOP members of the House signing off?”. The answer to that is unfortunately: Nope.)

99.     What About the Dreamers a.k.a. the DACA Recipients?

(Same combination. Same answer unfortunately.)

98.     Will There Be Massive Protests If DACA Isn’t Renewed?

(To quote Sarah Palin once again, “you betcha.”)

97.     Do Republicans On TV Get How Transparent They Are When They Flip From Referring to DACA Recipients as “Dreamers” to the Terms, “Illegals” or “Illegal Aliens”.

(No they don’t. And even if they did, they wouldn’t care. To them, people of color are “the other” and the modern day GOP has no place in it for people of color, despite the airs the GOP tries to put on. Sorry Omarosa, you had to find out the hard way.)

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96.     Will This Be the Year That the People Who Leave Water Faucets On In Public Bathrooms Get What Karma Has In Store For Them?

(No. Unfortunately not. We’re looking at 2026 for their comeuppance.)

95.     Okay, But the People Who Don’t Hold Doors Open and Let Them Slam In Your Face; They’re Going to Get Their’s, Right?

(Nope, 2022 for them.)

94.     Fine. What About the People Who Miss the Trash Can With Their Paper Towels and Leave Them On the Floor?

(Oh for sure. Those jerks are going down in 2018. Same with the people who steal other people’s food from the office refrigerator. What is wrong with people?!)

93.     Will the Brewers Unseat the Dodgers After the Offseason They’ve Had?

(Whoa there captain. The Brewers are still second behind the Cubs in the Central going into 2018. However, to answer your question, barring injury, and despite recent moves, we will still see Dodgers vs. Yankees in the World Series.)

92.     Speaking of Your Prior Picks, Still Like Trae Young to Go First In the NBA Draft?

(Unless an NBA GM makes a mistake, yes.)

91.     How About Your Michigan State Pick to Take Home the Title In March Madness?

(No. That pick we’re abandoning. Debating between Purdue and Arizona.)

90.     Is Your Switch Related to the Allegations of Sexual Assault By Former Spartan Players?

(Yes. Sweeping sexual assault under the rug is a deal-breaker.)

89.     Will Tom Izzo Survive This Scandal?

(Not sure, but if he keeps having press conferences like this one, then do you think he can? “No” is the correct answer there. And that set of clips actually comprised the good parts of his performance.)

88.     If Izzo Gets Fired, What Will His Next Job Be?

(Based upon that press conference, we’d guess Trump White House Spokesperson.)

87.     Will LaVar Ball Get Himself Banned From Staples Center By the Lakers Because of All the Trash He Spews About Luke Walton?

(No. Jeannie Buss is too smart for that. But guaranteed it has crossed her mind.)

86.     If Tom Brady Wins the Super Bowl MVP, Will Dan Patrick Really Say, “Well Tom, It’s Not the Patriot of the Week Award, But It’ll Have to Do.”

(Yes. Dan keeps his word.)

85.     Will Donald Trump Go Up Onto the Stage to Greet His Friends Bill Belichick and Tom Brady If the Pats Win?

(There is a zero percent chance that Trump passes up on stealing that stage.)

84.     If Donald Trump Is On the Stage, Will He Rip Off His Face and Reveal That He Is In Fact Roger Goodell With a Mask?

(No . . . well . . . )

83.     The Patriots Aren’t Going to Win the Super Bowl Again, Are They?

(Yes, they will.)

82.     Does Philadelphia At Least Have a Chance to Unseat the Patriots?

(Yes, but let’s just say we wouldn’t bet the farm.)

81.     Would the Philadelphia Eagles Have Won It All Had Carson Wentz Not Gone Down With an ACL Tear?

(Not sure, but regardless, a Pats/Eagles Super Bowl is going to be amazing to watch. If Nick Foles catches fire again . . .)

80.     Is MLB Developing the Same Boom or Bust/Tanking Problem That the NBA Has?

It sure seems that way, especially after the Astros succeeded in using that model.

79.     Who Wins The Masters?

(Jordan Spieth. Augusta is very well-suited to his game. Jim Nantz impersonators win it every year though . . . friends.)

78.     How About the World Cup?

(You mean the World Cup that the U.S. didn’t even qualify for? Okay. Well since you asked, Argentina. This is the year Messi permanently shuts his naysayers up.)

77.     Is Tiger Woods’ Comeback a Big Deal?

(In terms of world rankings and major contention? No. But of course the answer is yes as it pertains to viewership and ratings.)

76.     What is the Most Surprising Part of Tiger’s Comeback Thus Far?

(Most would say that he played 72 holes and made a cut. However, the most surprising thing is that Tiger will be playing in the Genesis Open at Riviera. For those who don’t know, Riviera gave Tiger his first ever pro tournament opportunity when he was 16 years old. However, Tiger stopped playing Riviera in his prime because the course with the famous kikuyu rough did not suit his game. Interesting and a pleasant surprise to see Tiger back in L.A. this year.)

75.     Does Robert Kraft Own 50 of the Same Suit and Shirt Combo or Does He Have the Same One Laundered Daily?

(Good question. We’re betting on same one laundered. Rich people don’t like to spend.)

74.     Will the New XFL Succeed?

(Not a chance. Alienating liberals at the outset with the “anti-criminal” and pro-standing for the anthem policies is not smart. Neither is a lower grade product with the same concussion problems.)

73.     As One of Your Readers Pointed Out, Doesn’t It Make Sense to Try to Appeal to a Niche Market When You Have an Inferior Product?

(That’s a good point. The XFL still fails as a result of the shoddy product though.)

72.     What Will Curt Schilling’s Craziest Conspiracy Theory of 2018 Be?

(That President Obama and Secretary Clinton secretly poisoned water fountains at Christian churches with a poison that will kill those who drink the water. But the poison takes 40 years to take effect. Those sneaky Democrats!)

71.     Come On Now. Curt Schilling Will Get Crazier Than That In 2018, Can’t He?

(Crazier than the Democrats planning for 40 years from now? Not a chance.)

70.     What’s In the Devin Nunes Memo?

(To use a GOP term of art: A big nothingburger.)

69.     Will the GOP Release the Nunes Memo, Supporting Intel Included?

(No, because nothing’s in the intelligence portion. If it had any incriminating evidence about anything, we’d have seen it already. But the mere prospect that the FBI could be compromised is all the GOP and Trump want, which is scary and incredibly un-American.)

68.     Do the Trumpsters Know That the Upper Echelon of the FBI is Comprised of Men Who Were Appointed By Republican Presidents?

(Fake news! Not really fake news, just fake news the way that Trump uses the term.)

67.     And We Take It That the Republicans Don’t Care How Shady It Looks That They’re Releasing the Nunes Memo Without the Democrats’ Rebuttal?

(Correct.)

66.     Will a Democrat Pull a Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Release the Rebuttal Anyway?

(Maybe, but be careful. Sen. Chuck Grassley used Feinstein’s maneuver as an excuse for why Jared Kushner can’t be asked to testify before the committee.)

65.     Will Serena Williams Win a Major In 2018?

(Considering she diagnosed herself with a pulmonary embolism in the hospital, is there anything on which you’d bet against Serena Williams? We wouldn’t. She’ll win the U.S. Open)

64.     Will 2018 Be the Hottest Year On Record?

(Every year will be the hottest year on record until we stop the impact of climate change. And that we is not just the U.S.; it’s the entire world. We should also note that the methane created by cows is something that gets completely overlooked in all of this. Enjoy that hamburger!)

63.     Will Congressional Republicans Figure Out That Drastically Frigid Temperatures Can Also Be Caused By Climate Change? In Other Words, That Global Warming Leads to Extremes on Both Ends of the Climate Spectrum?

(Um, no. We’ll still have members of Congress bringing snowballs onto the Senate floor in the hopes of demonstrating that climate change is a hoax.)

62.     Fidget Spinners Were the Craze of 2017. What Will Be the Craze of 2018?

(Marbles with prickly extensions and stamps of Donald Duck that you can massage your feet with.)

61.     Seriously? Marbles With Prickly Extensions For Your Feet?

(No! You think we’d be toiling through writing this list if we knew what simple machine would become a craze and make us millions of dollars?!)

60.     Had DeMarcus Cousins Not Torn His Achilles, Would the Pelicans Have Made Some Noise In the Western Conference Playoffs?

(Not sure, but as we said before the season, Warriors vs. Pelicans in the playoffs would have been intriguing.)

59.     Still Think It’s Going to Be Warriors vs. Cavs In the NBA Finals?

(No question about it.)

58.     Should We Watch Trump’s First State of the Union Speech?

(No. Unless you are a glutton for punishment and want to watch him brag, lie, and top it off with false promises.)

57.     But Isn’t It Important to Watch the State of the Union to Be Kept Apprised About What’s Going On In Our Society?

(Read the transcript afterward. It takes fifteen minutes and you don’t give Trump the ratings he so loves and needs.)

56.     Speaking of Blights On Our Society, With the Cleveland Indians Finally Committing to Get Rid of Their Mascot, Chief Wahoo, Will the Washington Redskins Follow Suit and Finally Change Their Racist Name?

(Not a chance. Dan Snyder is the most egomaniacal and stubborn owner there is. Yes, worse than Jerry Jones.)

55.     Will Conor McGregor Fight Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao, or Another Boxer?

(Yes? No? Who cares? Please save your money and don’t watch the next one. Just watch a replay of the McGregor/Mayweather fight without the sound. It was awful.)

54.     Now That We Have Canelo vs. GGG II, Who Wins?

(GGG by knockout. He was apprehensive in the first fight given the stage. Canelo’s in trouble this time around. Golovkin won’t leave it to the judges.)

53.     Have Ben Simmons and Raheem From Juice Ever Been Seen In the Same Place and At the Same Time?

(Juice was a long time ago, but we will accept the argument that Raheem from Juice is Ben Simmons’ real dad.)

52.     Speaking of the 76ers, How Good Can the Joel Embiid and Russell Westbrook Rivalry Become?

(Good but not great because the odds of the two of them meeting in a game that has any significance (e.g. the NBA Finals) are slim to none.)

51.     Now, Speaking of the Thunder, They Seem to Have Figured Things Out In Making Carmelo Anthony a Catch and Shoot Player. You Sure They Can’t At Least Test the Warriors?

(What Django and Dr. Schultz said.)

50.     Did Trump Engage In a Public Feud With Jay-Z Instead of Eminem Because Eminem Is White?

(No, it’s because everybody in the rap game knows what happens when you get into a war of words with Eminem. You get ethered. Remember Ja Rule? Exactly.)

49.     Trump Listens to Rap?

(Of course not! And of course he chose to feud with Jay-Z instead of Eminem because Jay-Z is African American. What kind of silly question is that?)

48.     What Would It Take For Senate Republicans to Turn On Trump?

(Money, power, and a whole bunch of blackmail material. In other words, it’s just not happening. Vote them out.)

47.     Will the Yankees Break the Team Home Run Record?

(Probably not, but that’s not to say that we’d bet against a lineup with Stanton and Judge in the middle of it.)

46.     Will the Cleveland Browns Finally Get a Draft Right?

(They have to at some point, right? This could be the year. Draft a stud QB at #1 and then Saquon Barkley at #4. Tough to screw this up. But, we are talking about the Browns, so who knows?)

45.     They’re Going to Screw It Up By Doing Something Like Taking Barkley First, Then Trading the 4th Pick, Moving Down, and Drafting Baker Mayfield, Aren’t They?

(Yep.)

44.     Are We Moving Back Into the Era Where Running Backs Go Top 5 In the NFL Draft?

(No. Saquon Barkley is an anomaly, even more so than Leonard Fournette was last year. Running backs are the most replaceable position players in the NFL.)

43.     Will the United States or Any Other Nation With a Conscience Intervene On Behalf of the Rohingya In Myanmar?

(No. And history is watching us and shaking its head in disgust. If you have to ask the question, “is this genocide” then something should be done.)

42.     Will the NFL’s Ratings Continue to Decline?

(Maybe in the short term, but they will plateau for a few years afterward; however, participation in football will continue to decline due to CTE, leading to a lesser talent pool. That could very well lead to the NFL eventually losing its stranglehold atop the sports world in the coming generations.)

41.     Who Stands to Gain From the NFL’s Loss?

(Every other major sport. The question will be: Which sports league markets itself to the youth who otherwise would have played football but for CTE.)

40.     Will Adam Sandler Make Another Movie That Makes 9-Figures Yet Nobody Claims To Have Gone and Seen It?

(Yes.)

39.     Is There a Sports Corollary For the Adam Sandler Phenomenon?

(Yes. Adam Sandler movies are the anti-Kirk Gibson’s one-legged home run off of Dennis Eckersley. Three million people living in Los Angeles claim to have been there yet Dodger Stadium seats 60,000 people.)

38.     What Would It Take For Republicans to Ask Why Melania Trump Is Staying With Her Cheating President Husband the Same Way They Did to Hillary Clinton? Does She Have to Announce a Run For Senate In New York?

(Don’t give them any ideas please.)

37.     Will Alabama Win the College Football Championship Again?

(No reason to doubt it.)

36.     If Alabama Wins Again, Will Nick Saban Try His Hand at the NFL Once More?

(We think Saban’s smart enough to stay and not let his ego get the best of him. He can go down as the greatest college football coach in history if he stays.)

35.     Will Any of Baseball’s Steroids Tainted Players (e.g. Bonds and Clemens) Get Into the Hall of Fame Next Time Around?

(No. But they are getting closer. Just look at that before and after picture of Barry Bonds though.)

34.     Should the Steroid Users Be In the Hall of Fame?

(Yes, but in a dedicated wing with some historical context. If they don’t like that, then they can always decline the invite.)

33.     Will the Dow Jones Industrial Average Hit 30,000 This Year?

(Two weeks ago we would have guessed yes. Now? No.)

32.     Why the Change?

(More aggressive interest rate hikes will lead to fear on Wall Street. Less cheap cash out there could have a significant impact on the type of economy we have now. That’s of course if you are asking for our non-expert opinions.)

31.     Will Twitter Finally Get Its Act Together and Figure Out a Way to Monetize All of the User Activity It Has?

(No.)

30.     More Importantly, Will Twitter Get Its Act Together and Figure Out a Way to Abide By the Freedom of Expression That It Embodies But Stop the Harassing Behavior, Especially as It Pertains to Women and People of Color?

(Unfortunately, no. Above is a lovely tweet that our Editor-In-Chief got thrown his way in response to a tweet saying that he supports a two-state solution and calling for critics of Israel to also be critical of Hamas and Fatah.)

29.     Will Twitter and Facebook at Least Stop the Russians From Using Their Platforms to Swing Our Elections?

(Hopefully yes . . . but no.)

28.     Will a Move to the WWE Be a Good Thing For Ronda Rousey’s Career?

(Yes, but only for the short term. The WWE is making clear that it wants no part of a progressive message (see #74 re XFL above). If Rousey wants to move past the WWE and into Hollywood, that stain could get worse and worse before her WWE contract is up.)

27.     Is the NCAA Made of Teflon or Will the Combination of the Sexual Abuse Scandals and the Myth That Is the “Student-Athlete” Take Down This Nation’s Largest Cartel?

(The NCAA is made of teflon. The only way it goes down is if people stop tuning in for March Madness and college football. Not happening.)

26.     Can the Men’s Basketball and Football Players Get Paid Without the Entire College Sports System Coming Down?

(Not unless they get some Title IX exemption. Otherwise the schools would have to pay the women too. The math just doesn’t work. The players deserve to be paid, but logistically speaking, it’s a nightmare, and not just because of Title IX.)

25.     What About Letting the Players Cash In On Their Likenesses? Will That Happen In 2018?

(No. Because all that becomes is a way for boosters and schools to “legally” pay players. The following is what would happen: “Company X has signed Player Y to a 2-year, $5 million contract to sign autographs exclusively for Company X.” It gets messy really quickly.)

24.     Will Congress Do Anything About the Shadiness That Goes On In College Sports?

(If the questions begins with, “Will Congress do anything about . . . ” then the answer is no.)

23.     Will More Players Follow Colin Kaepernick’s Lead By Donating Time and Money to Their Causes?

(This isn’t a new thing. Google “Warrick Dunn” and see what comes up. We’re just focused on Kaepernick because half of the country abhors him.)

22.     Will The Media Spend Some More Time Covering the Good That NFL Players Do Instead of Making So Many of Them Out to Be Hoodlums?

(TURN OFF FOX NEWS! There are plenty of stories out there about players helping those in need and we’re not just counting the ones that the NFL and the United Way air during games.)

21.     Does the Movement Started By Colin Kaepernick Have Staying Power?

(As to the kneeling, who knows? But as to fighting systemic racism, police brutality, and helping communities in need, absolutely. Look no further thanthis piece that we did on Doug Baldwin for Thanksgiving.)

20.     If Trump Goes Down, Who Will Become the Face of the Republican Party?

(Good question. Paul Ryan is our first guess, but he may have had enough of Washington at this point.)

19.     Who’s the Face of the Democratic Party Now?

(There isn’t one. There also isn’t really a Democratic platform other than, “Hey, we’re not the party with Trump. Vote for us!” The DNC has to get its act together.

18.     Will Marijuana Be Legalized Federally In 2018?

(Unfortunately not. As long as the evil elf, a.k.a. Jeff Sessions, is still the Attorney General, we’ll continue this inane war on drugs as if we’re stuck in 1985.)

17.     Can We Replace the Trump Administration With the Saturday Night Live Comedians Who Portray Them?

(Now there’s a good idea! Way to think outside the box!)

16.     Will the Democrats Take Back the House and the Senate in 2018?

(No. The map doesn’t shape up too nicely in 2018 for the Dems, despite the recent dropouts of Ed Royce and Darrell Issa in CA. 2020 will be a whole different story though. Expect a blue map in 2020.)

15.     What Unlikely But Possible Story Has the Potential to Change the Political Landscape In 2018?

(Mitt Romney runs for and wins the Utah Senate seat currently occupied by Orrin Hatch.)

14.     Will Mitt Romney Run For the Utah Senate Seat Currently Occupied By Orrin Hatch.

(Yes.)

13.     Will Mitt Romney Win the Election For the Utah Senate Seat Currently Occupied By Orrin Hatch?

(Yes.)

12.     Will U.S. Senator Mitt Romney Change the Political Landscape?

(No. He’ll be a thorn in Trump’s side by publicly slamming him for his infantile behavior. However, similarly to the other Republicans, Romney will also vote in favor of Trump’s policies, which the GOP have now adopted.)

11.     Will LeBron James Resign With the Cleveland Cavaliers In the Summer of 2018?

(No. Would you? Have you not seen how the Cavs’ owner conducts himself vis-a-vis LeBron?)

10.     Where Will LeBron James Sign?

(Houston. Chris Paul is one of his best friends. Additionally, and don’t think that LeBron doesn’t know this, Texas has a 0% state income tax. For those of you Lakers and Clippers fans hoping for LeBron in 2018, that 13.3% tax in California could make a difference in LeBron’s Decision Part III.)

9.     Will Robert Mueller Uncover Sufficient Evidence to Show That Not Only Did Donald Trump (Among Others In His Family and Administration) Collude With Russia Because of Financial Ties and Dirt That Russia Had On Him, But Also That Trump and His Family/Team Obstructed Justice In an Attempted Cover-Up?

(Yes.)

8.     Of the Names We Know, Other Than President Trump, Who Will Be Indicted and Convicted In the Mueller Probe?

(Don Jr., Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn, Steve Bannon, Sebastian Gorka (either in the U.S. or in Hungary), Reince Priebus, Stephen Miller, Devin Nunes, and Sean Hannity.)

7.     Wait, Sean Hannity? 

(Conspiracy to commit computer/wire/etc. fraud and obstruction of justice are pretty widely engulfing. Speaking of widely engulfing, Hannity is going to learn a whole new meaning of the term “deep state” once he gets to prison. Sorry. Had to.)

6.     Okay, So After Trump Himself, Whose Jail Sentence Will Get the Loudest National Round of Applause Once Mueller Is Done Getting His Convictions?

(Tie between Jared Kushner and Sean Hannity.)

5.     No Jeff Sessions Though?

(No. Attorney General Sessions was smart enough to say “I don’t remember” rather than lie. As Sessions and Mueller know, proving beyond a reasonable doubt that someone doesn’t remember something is quite hard. Mueller wants to bat a thousand on this and won’t risk losing on Sessions.

4.     Is the Trump “Pee Tape” Real?

(If Vegas let us bet on it, we’d bet “yes” and lay 5 to 1 odds. Easiest money there is. Seriously, between this, peeping on teenage pageant contestants, sexual assault, and “grab ’em by the pussy”, how on Earth did we elect this guy?)

3.     Will Donald Trump be Impeached In 2018?

(No. The Republicans do not have the required anatomy . . . Get your heads out of the gutter. We’re talking about having a spine!)

2.     Will Robert Mueller Still Be Time’s Person of the Year Though?

(No. The United States House of Representatives will be Time’s Person of the Year for failing to impeach a POTUS who is found by a former FBI Director from his own party to be worthy of a criminal indictment.)

1.     2018 Will Be Better Than 2017, Right?

(There are things you can control and things you can’t control. Do your absolute best at what you can control and we’ll all have a better 2018.)

A Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous 2018 to you! -RW

P.S. We’re starting our Podcast, “Rudin Rants”, in March! Get excited!

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