New Year's Day: Time for optimism, and corrections

They have accumulated again, like old traffic tickets stuffed into the glove compartment. Despite the best intentions and resolutions of each new year, a large number of corrections and clarifications that should have been published throughout 2015 did not appear because of the diligent effort of the author.

The 12th Annual Corrections Column is not something we're proud of, but it is time to come clean, ask forgiveness, and make a new start. Once more, the promise is that this won't have to happen again.

In an April 19 column on the Eagles, Bob Ford wrote: At the moment, there is more likelihood that owner Jeffrey Lurie would use the wrong fork for the salad course than that he would fire Kelly, who doesn't just have all the power in the Eagles organization, he has all the power of all the people who gave him that power.

The Inquirer regrets that Mr. Ford has never been adept with silverware himself.

In a Nov. 29 column on the Eagles, Bob Ford wrote: The Coach Will Be Back. Kelly, stubborn and pugnacious as ever, isn't going to admit failure - at least not yet - and Lurie has shown himself to be an owner who prefers to act a year too late than a year too early.

The Inquirer regrets that Mr. Ford seems intent on acting a year too late on his retirement. It does not care for gratuitous capitalization, either.

In a June 25 column on the 76ers, Bob Ford wrote: Riding along with the Sixers on their twisting journey is like getting into a taxi driven by someone in no hurry to arrive at the destination, and with an unusual choice of route. Gleaming highways are bypassed in order to take roads still under construction. Train crossings are crested without a glance up the tracks. And each sharp, unexpected turn slams the passengers around until they are dizzy.

The Inquirer regrets having been slightly nauseous during the Sixers' journey.

In a March 14 column on Villanova, Bob Ford wrote: Villanova's road to the final game of the Big East tournament took a detour through the woods Friday night in Madison Square Garden against Providence, but it was only a detour and not a stop sign.

The Inquirer regrets Mr. Ford's continuing affection for journeys, roads, paths, highways, trips, turns and dead-ends.

In a Jan. 13 column on the Eagles, Bob Ford wrote: If Kelly wants 6-foot-1 cornerbacks and 6-3 safeties, he will get them. If he wants 350-pound nose tackles, they will find their way onto the draft board. If he wants a roster with nothing but Oregon Ducks, they will be herded onto a poultry truck in Eugene.

The Inquirer is only surprised it did not hear about the twisting journey, full of roads and pathways, that the poultry truck took from Oregon to Philadelphia.

In a column on May 24, Bob Ford wrote: One thing I believe Chip Kelly knows is that quarterback Tim Tebow is probably going to be on the roster when the Eagles open the regular season. Another is that, if Tebow is on the roster, he won't be a mascot or a clipboard holder. He's going to dress and he's going to play.

The Inquirer regrets that Mr. Ford doesn't know his clipboard from his holder.

In an April 14 column on the Flyers, Bob Ford wrote: If Hextall really wants to send a message to the players and the entire organization, he will stand in front of the microphones Wednesday at his season-ending news conference and give Craig Berube a contract extension. Berube isn't the problem. The problem is believing that a little tinkering with the roster and a new coach will fix things.

The Inquirer regrets that Mr. Ford apparently hasn't been paying attention to that franchise for the last 40 years.

In a June 7 column on the Belmont Stakes, Bob Ford wrote: American Pharoah rocked the horse racing world and rolled into history. He didn't win by an immense margin, and he didn't win by a nose. He won his way, which was to race to the front and wait for a horse good enough to run by him. In this Triple Crown season, that horse didn't exist.

The Inquirer is pleased with this outcome and regrets only the rock and roll thing.

In an Aug. 20 column on the Phillies, Bob Ford wrote: Knowing how to say goodbye to Chase Utley would be a lot easier if he ever really said hello. Utley doesn't work that way, and those who feel they have a complete portrait of the man had to bring their own paints and brush to the task. All he provided through his play on the field and his approach to the game was the outline. For most, that was enough, which is good, because it had to be.

The Inquirer regrets having to agree with this one.

In an April 5 column on college basketball, Bob Ford wrote: The Final Four is taking place in Indianapolis as scheduled, and, no doubt, the NCAA is quite proud of the inroads it made in the past week to ensure that same-sex couples will still be able to get their wedding cakes from religious-right bakers. After all, it's every couple's dream.

The Inquirer supports cake in all forms and has a particular weakness for caramel icing.

In an Oct. 28 column on the 76ers, Bob Ford wrote: I'm afraid I have some bad news for you today, so it might be a good idea to sit down if you are not, or to remain seated if you are. The NBA is letting the 76ers play again this season and it starts Wednesday night. I'm sorry to have to tell you something else. The Sixers are going to be even worse this time around.

The Inquirer regrets not believing Mr. Ford at the time.

In a June 18 column on the Eagles, Bob Ford wrote: What Mathis did is standard procedure in the NFL. Professionals try to maximize their earning in the short time they have. For better or worse, if Howie Roseman were still the general manager, Evan Mathis would be on the field at the NovaCare Complex this week. Roseman has his faults, but failing to understand how the league works is not one of them.

The Inquirer regrets having to watch Alan Barbre for an entire season.

In a Feb. 1 column on the Eagles, Bob Ford wrote: When the Eagles eventually haul out the GM title again, even-money is that it will be given to Ed Marynowitz.

The Inquirer regrets not taking Mr. Ford up on that betting proposition.

In a June 21 column on the Phillies, Bob Ford wrote: Ryne Sandberg's tortured tenure as manager of the Phillies during one of their most woeful times - which is really saying something - ended Tuesday in Baltimore when Chase Utley openly berated the pitching coach, and by extension Sandberg, for a clumsy bit of strategy that was failing badly. Fair or not, Sandberg lost his job right then. He may keep it for the rest of this miserable seasons . . . but ultimately Sandberg is finished.

The Inquirer regrets almost everything about the 2015 Phillies season.

In a Nov. 24 column on the Eagles, Bob Ford wrote: "We lost two games," Kelly said Monday with his ubiquitous shrug. "I think sometimes people panic and throw the baby out with the bathwater." Whether Luries agrees, disagrees, or is undecided is unknown. Overall, he always gives the baby the benefit of the doubt, but it is definitely sitting in some nasty bathwater at the moment. I think we all know what the baby has put into that bathwater. The question isn't whether the bathwater has to be changed, but whether the nanny who prepared the bath should be tossed as well.

The Inquirer regrets reading this five times and never quite sorting out the identity of the baby, the nanny or the substance in the bathwater.

Well, once again, I feel better. The slate has been wiped clean for the new year and there will be no repeat of the same mistakes, the same hiding of corrections. As always, trust is our bond.

bford@phillynews.com

@bobfordsports