And though it seemed as if 2024 was really 20 months long, I fear that many of us are already missing the relative calm and stability of last year. Sadly, I fear that many of you are only waking up to the changes that are about to overtake us. But that is for another day. Today we celebrate the winners of my quadrennial “I told you so” contest – Everyone’s A Genius In Hindsight 2024.
I added an extra question for this contest, “What will be the big, unexpected story of 2024?” The answers fell mostly along partisan lines and I wasn’t sure if these were predictions or a wish list. Several predicted that Donald Trump would be sentenced to jail, or worse. Putin’s demise was a close second. Rob A. earned a ½ point with his guess that both Trump and Biden would drop out of the 2024 race. A few guessed (hoped) that the Russia / Ukraine war would end. Jennifer K., who came close to pitching a shut-out, predicted that Hillary Clinton would come out of the closet.
As always, no one scored 100%. And that is the point. We may be experts in our particular area of interest or profession, but we are guessing when it comes to other topics. A little humility goes a long way. Twenty brave souls joined me in guessing the outcomes of last year’s major competitions. Twenty! You could find more “experts” in just a few minutes on Facebook or Linked In.
- The President of the United States December 30, 2024 _______________________.
- The Democratic nominee will be__________________________________.
- The Republican nominee will be_________________________________.
- The winner of the 2024 Presidential election will be________________________.
- The winner of the Ohio Senate election will be ___________________________.
- There will be ____ justices on the US Supreme Court on December 31, 2024.
- The winner of the February 11, 2024 Super Bowl will be _______________________.
- The Cleveland Guardians will win ______ regular season games.
- The Cleveland Browns will win _____ regular season games.
- The Academy Award for best picture will go to _____________________________.
- The Dow Jones Industrial Average will close December 31, 2024 at _____________.
- A gallon of milk will be $_____ at Heinen’s Mayfield Village on June 30, 2024.
- Wild Card – The big, unexpected story of 2024 will be _______________________.
Sixteen of the participants had Joe Biden as still the President on December 30th. And though eleven had Trump as the nominee, only two of us, Mendy G. and I, had Kamala Harris as the nominee for the Democrats. The predictions for the winner of the presidential race were all over the map. Only three guessed that Donald Trump would win, Angela E., Carol F., and David P. Angela and Carol finished in a three-way tie for second.
Some of the categories appear to have been easier than others. Almost everyone, even Howard N., had the answer 9 for the number of Supreme Court Justices while only Mike L. predicted that Bernie Moreno would be the new Senator from Ohio. That answer helped Mike finish tied for second.
The sports categories presented a real challenge for this year’s participants. No one predicted that the Kansas City Chiefs would win the Super Bowl, though eight of us did have the 49ers. Close but no points. The Guardians won 92 games! Mike L. and I had the closest guess at 88. The Browns were an abysmal 3 – 14. Football fanatic Bill M. came closest with his prediction of 7. Eleven of us predicted double digit wins. We really should know better.
The Academy Award for Best Picture was awarded to Oppenheimer. Six contestants had the right answer. The price of a gallon of milk on June 30th was $3.19. I awarded points to the four participants, Angela E., Carol F., Ivan G., and Linda M. who were within 20¢. No one else was close. The Dow Jones closed at 42,573 on December 31, 2024. Our winner, Ivan G., predicted 42,000! That answer propelled him to the top with 6 ½ points.
Second Place with 5 ½ points were Angela E., Carol F., and Mike L. Since Angela and Carol will be taking over my business in August, it is also up to them to take over this contest in December 2027. I hope that all of you, whether you participated this time or not, will enter to predict the elections of 2028. I know that some of you are already wondering IF there will be a real election in 2028. Start writing down your guesses now in case you end up in a gulag somewhere in Greenland. (Too soon?)
As for the tie breaker: Recorded at the Agora on June 18, 1979, it became an anthem and was later covered as the theme song of a popular TV show ______. I expected everyone to know that Ian Hunter was right. Cleveland Rocks! .
DAVE
Picture – At The End Of Our Rope – David L Cunix