So Scott Suggs chose UW.....

I will leave the impact of this decision by a high school senior in the hands of those FAR more knowledgeable than I on the topic. What I did want to discuss has to do with why I wanted to be a part of this site's creation. That being, how "people in the know" create an environment of unstable fans through their "knowledge" which ultimately leads to disappointment and despair for a fan-base that already seem to get off on being disappointed....and trust me...I say that last part with all the love in the world.

And I would not be so committed to writing this piece if these incidents did not happen over and over and over again. To me, I would have believed people should have learned the lesson by now through the countless other times this has occurred...all the way up to what was likely the GRANDEST occurrence with Blaine Gabbert. Those in the know swore up and down it was simply a matter of time. They did so with such frequency I even bought into it. Never again.

So...without naming names and keeping those I feel are SO ridiculous in their espoused "knowledge" safe, here is what was discussed this past week on message boards by those believed and known to be "in the know" on these matters.

"Missouri feels good.....just saying that from what I can gather, Missouri feels good."

"But I keep coming back to the fact that Suggs grew up dreaming about playing for the Illini"

"He will play in the braggin rights, but for whom?"

"I think he will be a Tiger!"

"He should be one of the center pieces of a great Missouri team in a few years"

"I have to give the edge to us"

"there was a mention from Suggs that "it would be hard" to go to Washington. If it is MU vs. Ill, I feel good about about Mizzou's chances"

"UW people are fairly certain that Suggs is not coming to UW"

"If it is down to MU and UW and UW does not think he's going there, think that is a very good sign,"

And yes....in some cases these predictions were tempered with "just my thoughts" and the like, but let's be honest. When you see or hear someone who you believe is in tune with ALL that goes on, you don't typically pay attention to that caveat.

What are the lessons learned here?
#1 - Quit making predictions. You know you are either in a position of knowledge or know your readership holds another (in particular) in that similar position. You do yourself an injustice and defame yourself as an insider each time your pick goes south, which they often do, since we are dealing with teenagers.

#2 - Get better sources, or at least credit them differently. This one goes without saying, but of late, the "sources" involved here leave a LOT to be desired.

Just my thoughts...best of luck to Mr. Suggs on his future in the northwest.