Politics can be frustrating at times. There are two sides, as opposite as it can get, who are always fighting and arguing over what to do or what not to do, and one of the sides is always contending that a positive outcome is utterly unapproachable. Pundits make generalizations and over-the-top statements on a daily basis, all of them spouting what they believe to be the truth. And even if something does work out, even if, say, Barack Obama's health care initiative turns out to be great, people will still wonder if it actually did its job. Others will wonder if something else was at play, and some will spout a crazy conspiracy theory claiming that Obama is a time-traveling Nazi from the future -- which of course will have nothing to do with the issue.

Politics are endless. The arguing just goes on and on and on without resolution.

Then there's sports, the shining ray of light on the horizon of the media landscape. Sports are everything that politics should be. There actually is a fixed outcome. By July 2010, there will be an indisputable champion in the NBA. You will actually know which teams did well and which teams failed. There will never be anything as indisputable as that in politics that could force someone like Rush Limbaugh to admit they were wrong; in sports, even someone like Skip Bayless cannot argue against the outcome. No one can. We saw it when Tiki Barber congratulated the Giants for winning it all, and we even saw it from the writer of FireUncleCharlie.com, who issued a public apology to Charlie Manuel after the Phillies won it all.

Unlike politics, we know for a fact that what happens today may not be tantamount to the result that'll happen in five to six months. But that doesn't stop people from guessing. Only a few days into the NBA season, people were already calling the Shaq trade a bust, Greg Oden a bust, and the L.A. Lakers the kings of the NBA. Now those three things may all be true, but there's absolutely no reason to predict them three days into the season. It's ironic how people complain about the length of the NBA season -- which will last for another five-and-a-half months -- yet they have no problem assessing teams after one or two games, like it was a short season or something.

Early predicting is certainly risky. Things change dramatically from week-to-week, and we sports writers can only assess what we see in the present. Take for instance Jim Zorn: when he was hired last year it was generally seen as the dumbest move of the offseason, but when his team started off 6-2, Dan Snyder was suddenly a genius and Zorn was the coach of the year. Then the 'Skins lost six of their next eight; then they began the year with six straight win-less opponents and only managed a 2-4 record. Now Zorn appears to be a dead man walking, not even a year after people were hailing him with accolades. Then there's Jets QB Mark Sanchez, who was drawing comparisons to Joe Namath after the Jets started the season 3-0. Well the team has faltered since then, and Sanchez no longer looks like the greatest quarterback of all time. His season numbers: 10 TD's, 16 INT's. His QB rating is the third-lowest in the NFL, as his completion percentage, where he is ahead of only JeMarcus Russell, and Derek Anderson (bad company).

And let's not forget the New York Giants, who were a lock to go the Super Bowl through five weeks but have disappointed since. The Dallas Cowboys have gotten knocked all year, yet they now find themselves with a lead in the NFC East. The Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots were supposedly done, yet look at who's now 7-3? And the Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons have gone from possibly title contenders to teams that may not even make the playoffs.

I understand that people want to give their opinion and make predictions -- hell, I do it too. But don't act like those analysts who pretend to know everything. "LeBron James is going to New York next year. Period." Don't be that guy. I remember in 2008 listening to a radio interview with Buster Olney, and Olney -- who I like -- emphatically stated the World Series was already decided. "You can book your tickets for an Angels-Cubs World Series right now," he said (I'm paraphrasing). A few months later, both teams were knocked out in the first round.

I know it's tempting to try to pick who is going to win the Super Bowl and who LeBron will play for next year and who will get the Olympics in 2020, but sometimes it's important to appreciate what you have. After all, this isn't politics. Let's not pretend it is.