Thoughts from the Bull Pen: Predictions for the coming year

Gone today, here tomorrow.

Yes, that’s right, it’s the end of the year. While most news organizations come up with some kind of a “look back” at 2010 (do we really want to read the same news again?), or a top 10 list (usually made up of movies that you have never heard of by a reviewer who would not haveseen those movies if he had to pay to see them like you and me), I thought it would be interesting to predict the future.

I came up with a few and met up with my friend, Stan Lynch, the other night at Coral Café who also came up with a few. He mostly had the fun ones while I went a little more serious.

Schools: Ground will finally be broken on the new stadium at Memorial Field. I know, not going out on much of a limb here since I have already received the Jan.10 invitation.

To raise money for teachers and keep extracurricular programs, the district will solicit naming rights from corporations. Soon to be announced will be Buffalo Wild Wing’s Burroughs High, the Kmart playground at Miller Elementary and after long negotiations, Walt Disney Elementary School presented by Pixar.

Transportation: Disney will step up and announce they are using their technology to create a monorail that will link downtown Burbank, the Burbank and Universal Metrolink stations, NBC, Disney, Warner Bros., Universal City Walk and the Bob Hope Airport.

Instead of approving the Part 161 Study, the Air Force will install a giant bungee cord catapult into Bob Hope Airport that will launch jet aircraft up to 10,000 feet high before they must engage their engines.

Politics: Gary Bric will win re-election to the City Council, receiving 60% of the vote on the first ballot with Robert Frutos winning the run-off in a very close vote. All three school board members will also be re-elected.

Councilman David Gordon will finally be appointed vice-mayor after being passed over in previous years. Jess Talamantes will assume the mayoral duties and will do a superb job in presiding over the city’s centennial celebration in July.

City Atty. Dennis Barlow will step down after pressure resulting from his recent decisions. Let’s face it, going after a longtime local business in Dave’s Vending Machines was just the first in a long run of troubling, overzealous decisions by the City Attorney’s Office. Numerous times he has not been right about his interpretation of open meeting laws and now the initial refusal to provide records requested by the Leader when they already have an established court decision on their side. It just seems like arrogance, and since we have cleaned out the Police Department, maybe the same should be done with the City Attorney’s Office.

City Manager Mike Flad will finally hire Scott LaChasse as permanent police chief. A new look and direction was needed. Yes, the police union does not like outside promotions, thinking that their own should get them instead, but you have to be impressed with the direction the department has taken.

Buffet Items: A new library will be built with Kindles instead of books. After a terrible power outage hits the area after an earthquake, people will be forced to actually read books again when all their Kindles run out of power.

To celebrate the Burbank Centennial, city officials will ask developers to rebuild the ‘The Pumpkin’ in Magnolia Park.

Eat ‘N Park will also go retro and once again become an A&W. Who can forget the Papa Burger and a frosty mug of root beer?

The Burbank Leader will throw in the towel and start calling their paper the Burdale Leader. After Glendale complains, the name will then be switched to the Glenbank Leader.

After more than 10 years of trying, the Bob Hope Museum will team up with NBC to open the NBC / Bob Hope Museum on the vacant triangle at Olive and Alameda. Also, in the spirit of Carson Park and Bob Hope Drive, California Street between Riverside and Olive will be called Jay Leno Way. And once the streets, parks and museum are in place, NBC will move away.

The Media Center will be razed and a high-end Wal-Mart will be put in its place so people will finally have a place to shop instead of that three-story prehistoric relic that occupies the space now.

The Verdugo Hole will be renamed the Verdugo Pool after they finally fix it and fill it with water.

OK, there you go, some controversial, some not. Some humorous, some not. Some will come true, and most not.

CRAIG SHERWOOD is the executive editor of BurbankNBeyond.com and a baseball coach at Burbank High School. He can be reached at csherwood@burbanknbeyond.com.