"It says here"

[Laurence Horn]

At 10:45 AM -0500 8/16/01, Paul Ivsin wrote:
>Can "it says here" be used to mean "I predict" or "it stands to reason"?
>
>Is this a regional expression?  Only in sports?  The context of the two
>examples below make it clear that "it" does not have a concrete referent
>(that is, there is no written text being read).
>
>1. Another player who looks like a keeper is quarterback Mike McMahon. If
>Charlie Batch doesn't stay healthy, it says here McMahon will be the Lions'
>starting quarterback by November 2002.
>
>(http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/columns/20010815/welltraveledspellmanoutt.html)
>
>2. You won't hear anything official from the Stars, but it says here the
>decision to keep Turek has been made. All logic points in that direction.
>
>(http://www.findarticles.com/m1208/16_223/54492468/p1/article.jhtml)
>
I've seen it used for political claims and predictions as well as
those in sports contexts, and I think it can be used for something
more like "I claim" (used by columnists) as well as "I predict", as
long as the claim or opinion being put forward is relatively
controversial or unobvious.

Larry