Written by Jerry Roche

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Face it: 2012 has been a suck-ass year in Cleveland professional sports. But we’re used to it by now, aren’t we? Pleasant surprises were admittedly few and far between—which made it even worse for optimists like me.

One year ago, we posed “12 Questions for 2012” and speculated on their answers. Every December, we like to revisit the year and see how fate answered the questions.

Here are last year’s 12 questions, my predictions, and the eventual truth. As this has become somewhat of an annual chore, you can look for “13 Questions for 2013” in the next week or two.

1) Who will be the Browns’ starting quarterback when they break training camp in the fall?

ANSWER: Brandon Weeden, the rookie from Oklahoma State.

WHAT I SAID LAST DECEMBER: “Chances are 55 percent for Robert Griffin III and 45 percent for Colt McCoy.”

0-10 ACCURACY: 2.0. (The Browns were at least in the bidding for RG3, and Colt’s still on the roster.)

2) What impact will rookie Kyrie Irving have on the Cavaliers?

ANSWER: He was Rookie of the Year and led the team in just about every offensive category except rebounding: 18.5 ppg, 5.4 apg and 87.2% free-throw accuracy.

WHAT I SAID LAST DECEMBER: “Given the current roster, Irving should lead the team in scoring and assists. He’ll also lead the team in free-throw shooting. I’m guessing 18 ppg, 6 apg and 84 percent from the foul line. Throw in Rookie of the Year honors.”

0-10 ACCURACY: 10.0. (Woo-woo!!)

3) How many games will the Cavaliers win in the strike-shortened 2011-2012 season?

ANSWER: They finished 21-45.

WHAT I SAID LAST DECEMBER: “Put me down for 17-49, guys.”

1-10 ACCURACY: 7.8 (They won 23% more than predicted.)

4) Who, specifically, are the Browns likely to draft in the first round?

ANSWER: Trent Richardson of Alabama and Weeden.

WHAT I SAID LAST DECEMBER: “Consensus among the media at this early juncture is that the Browns will take Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama, with their higher pick and Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina, with their lower pick. But I keep coming back to RG3.”

0-10 ACCURACY: 3.0. (Partial credit for just mentioning TRich.)

5) Who will start for the Indians in the outfield on Opening Day? At first base?

ANSWER: Shelley Duncan, Michael Brantley, Shin Soo Choo; Casey Kotchman.

WHAT I SAID LAST DECEMBER: “Michael Brantley, Grady Sizemore, Shin Soo Choo. At first base, it’ll be Carlos Santana if the opposing pitcher is right-handed and incumbent Matt LaPorta if we’re facing a southpaw.”

0-10 ACCURACY: 5.0. (Two outta four.)

6) Will Pat Shurmur return as the Browns’ head coach?

ANSWER: Yes, to the delight of practically no one.

WHAT I SAID LAST DECEMBER: “President Mike Holmgren said that Shurmur would be the last head coach he’d ever hire. I’m taking him at his word.”

0-10 ACCURACY: 10.0.

7) Which of the current Cavaliers will not be on the roster by season’s end?

ANSWER: Cavaliers on the roster when the article was written but who did not make it to the end of the season, for one reason or another: Ramon Sessions, Lionel Hollins, Semih Erden, Christian Eyenga, Mychel Thompson.

WHAT I SAID LAST DECEMBER: “Antawn Jamison is history. Booby Gibson might well go, too. Give Andy a 50-50 chance of remaining with the team.”

0-10 ACCURACY: 3.5. (Three points for getting Andy half-right, and another 1/2-point bump for mentioning Jamison, who departed shortly after the end of the season.)

8) Will the Indians finally be sold, as Forbes magazine postulates? (“It is likely that owner Lawrence Dolan will sell the team if the franchise's economics do not improve soon.”)

ANSWER: Not yet—but hope springs eternal.

WHAT I SAID IN DECEMBER: “It would be a godsend if Dolan took his money and went home. But, for 2012, it’s also wishful thinking.”

0-10 ACCURACY: 10.0. (It’s times like these that I hate it when I’m right.)

9) Can the Browns improve enough over the off-season to at least get out of the AFC North’s cellar?

ANSWER: Unlikely. If the Browns win out and the Steelers lose out, they’d be tied for the cellar.

WHAT I SAID IN DECEMBER: “The young, exciting Browns finish 8-8, ahead of the Bengals, their sights set firmly on Baltimore and Pittsburgh in 2013. Gawd, talk about wishful thinking!”

0-10 ACCURACY: 4.0. (I said it was wishful thinking! I also made these predictions: “QB play improves; Little, Sheard, Taylor et.al. grow by leaps and bounds; college draft fills much-needed holes.”)

10) Will Tribe pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez’s performance look more like his 2010 (19-8, 2.88 ERA in the rarified air of Colorado) or his 2011 (10-13, 4.68)?

ANSWER: Jimenez finished 9-17, 5.40.

WHAT I SAID IN DECEMBER: “Jimenez will never have another season like he did in 2010. I look for something like 13-10, 3.95.”

0-10 ACCURACY: 1.0. (First sentence partly true so far, but I’m still giving myself a massive fail, like Jimenez.)

11) What impact will rookie Tristan Thompson have on the Cavaliers?

ANSWER: 8.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 62 total blocks.

WHAT I SAID IN DECEMBER: “Negligible. Look for about 3 ppg, 5 rpg and maybe 70 total shot-blocks.”

0-10 ACCURACY: 6.8. (Key word: Negligible.)

12) One year from now, the Indians will no longer have any long-term contract obligations. Who on the current roster will they choose to cast their future with?

ANSWER: Still unclear.

WHAT I SAID IN DECEMBER: “Justin Masterson, Carlos Santana, Choo and Asdrubal Cabrera. Next in the pecking order: Jimenez, Jeanmar Gomez, Chris Perez, Lonnie Chisenhall, Vinnie Pestano, Jason Kipnis, Cord Phelps and Michael Brantley.”

0-10 ACCURACY: 8.0. (Only Choo is not still on the active roster.)

***OVERALL ACCURACY: 5.9 (Just slightly better than last year’s 5.7.)***

NEXT: 13 Questions for 2013