Remember this time last year when the baseball world was in an uproar about how Derek Jeter was to old and was losing a step. He’s hitting .416 and is leading major league baseball in hits. He currently sits 18th on the all-time hit list and could be sitting at 14 by the all-star break. Derek is 38 years old, and could easily play another 5 years because he keeps himself in great shape and has avoided the injury bug during his career. So my question to all of you is, do you think Derek Jeter will pass Pete Rose as the all-time hit leader? As of today Jeter currently sits at 3,120 hits. 1,136 hits behind Rose. Jeter has averaged over 180 hits a year since coming into the league and only has 2 seasons in which he has failed to reach 179. Rose played until he was 45, if Jeter plays until he is 45 with an average of 170 hits a year, it would give him 1,190 hits in the span, enough to pass Rose. Derek Jeter is my favorite player of all time and I believe he can pass Rose, especially in this Yankees lineup, do you?
Leave your comments or opinions and why you do or don’t think he will.

Until next time
“The Freak” Tim

These are my predictions for the 2012 season. If you have any yourself our want to discuss any of them feel free to comment.

A.L. MVP- Miguel Cabrera
N.L. MVP- Justin Upton

A.L. Cy Young- Justin Verlander
N.L. Cy Young- Clayton Kershaw

A.L ROY- Matt Moore
N.L. ROY-Bryce Harper

A.L. Manager of the Year- Joe Maddon
N.L. Manager of the Year- Kirk Gibson

A.L. Playoff Teams- Texas,Detroit,New York, Los Angeles, Tampa Bay.
N.L. Playoff Teams- Philidelphia,Arizona,St. Louis,Milwaukee,San Francisco.

World Series- Detroit over Arizona

For all things baseball, check out the Baseball Buffet every Sunday night at 7:30 eastern time at Sportcitychefs.com.

Until next time,
“The Freak” Tim

After a while, change isn’t just inevitable, it’s necessary. Things become tired. It’s important to refresh them before they get stale & unattractive. Phase out oatmeal for breakfast, phase in cereal with fruit. Phase out corduroy pants from Winter, phase in plaid shorts for Spring. Life; it weighs heavy.

Nothing can compare, however, to the weight of March.

The frenzy is upon us. 68 teams over 6 days will do their best to dodge, dip, dive, duck & dodge the bracket-busting bullet of fate. Every year I personally engulf myself in this mini-season with cautious, but calm optimism. Sometimes, no, most always, it’s a difficult task.

So, while you’re doing that bracket thing, here are a few pointers from the Maj to help you stay focused and remember to breathe.

• ANYONE, A-NY-O-NE, CAN GO DOWN!

Every team that’s been invited to the tournament has a right to be there, bubble or not. Arguments over legitimacy will go on forever, but the fact is, they are there so respect them. It’s easy to look past mid-major darlings who draw behemoth monsters of the Majors in the first round, but they all got spark, and it would do you well to remember that these teams feed off of their unofficial underdog labels, long to shock the world in style and very often give these big time programs some of their toughest tests in the entire dance.

• FOOL ME ONCE, SHAME ON YOU. FOOL ME TWICE, SHAME ON ME.

You loved that first round match up of Morehead State against Louisville last year, but just didn’t have the cajones to roll the dice on them. It’s OK, not many did. Just don’t let it happen again this year. If you feel it, it must be. All the numbers, talking heads & seeds can make heads spin, so when you’ve found yourself at a quandary as to who to roll with in an enticing match-up, the upset or the safer bet - the deciding factor should always be your gut. Listen to it, it’s done you right before.

• NEVER ALLOW THE FUTURE TO DETERMINE THE PRESENT.

Let’s say you really like the potential UCONN match-up against Kentucky in the third (second) round. Only problem is, there’s a game they must win before that against a fierce Iowa State team. Same goes for Kentucky, just not as tough. Don’t get caught up on the “what if’s” before you are confident in your “what will’s”. By that I mean if you are a believer in a team should they make it to the next round, you’ve most likely already lost them in the first round. Sure, we have to progress the bracket before the match-up’s pan out, but it’s dangerous to believe more in a team’s potential after they win than before they win. Sure, Connecticut could probably give Kentucky a good contest if they both move on, but Iowa State isn’t anything to look past just because of that potential next round game. Think before you bracket act, you owe your Final Four that much.

• KEEP YOUR HEAD UP.

Upsets abound! Sure, I’m a believer, but it’s wise to temper expectations. Choosing wisely (see above) is a seriously lost art when looking at Cinderella’s. They seem to rise from the darkness & shine brighter than any star in the galaxy (Butler, VCU, George Mason) but they also fade from burnout after a while. There are teams out there built to win this entire tournament, and then there are teams built to win a game or two in this tournament. Knowing the subtle differences between them can be the most maddening task of all. Take the numbers with a grain of salt; instead, give more attention to the conference quality, schedule quality & roster quality. I’m not saying you’ll find a blaring red flag screaming “PICK ME”, but I promise it will make you stronger in your convictions as you progress teams through the dance.

• NOBODY EVER MADE IT TO THE TOP PLAYING IT SAFE.

Safety is for Crossing Guards. If you’re in the madness, you like danger. Fear teams that are experienced, deep, aggressive, have an identity & play team basketball, for they may be the teams facing power conference Giants. They aren’t playing safe, so why should you? These teams are hungry. They want to win for their coach, their teammates, their students & especially the audience watching with bated breathe to see if they can do the miraculous. Yes, it all sounds so romantic, doesn’t it? Well it is. Go to the edge and jump off. The worst thing that could happen is you soar.

Good luck with your pools. I hope you take them for all their worth.

See you in April.

X} Maj - @theMajorGray

Hello to everyone here, I am happy to be here blogging about the NHL along with my partner Charlie Pavarini and look forward to seeing your feedback on our articles. I have been writing at various sites over the last few years and really enjoy doing this related to hockey. You can also catch me on the Sport City Chefs Radio Shows – Icing for Everyone and the Callers Cookout as a call-in guest. I’m a 35+ yr fan of the New York Rangers, but also watch loads of hockey during the season thanks to NHL Center Ice and simply love the sport.

Hello Sports City, I’m giving you an earlier than normal blog today so you can get to you waiver wire and get your injury replacements. The update on Derrick Rose is that the Bulls said they will take their time with him. With that being said he is a competitor and may try to play through it. But if not here are some players you can pick up.

C.J.Watson- The Bulls said they are going to take their time with Derrick Rose and Watson is a guy that can score and give you good assist numbers when he is getting the minutes. With Rose questionable he is going to pick up the minutes.

Randy Foye- With Billups out Mo Williams is going to get his minutes so if you can trade for him I highly suggested it. If not Foye will be the first guard off the bench behind Chris Paul and Williams.

Landry Fields- Carmelo is going to miss the next 2 weeks so Fields is the player I recommend. He had a very productive year while starting last year and should be a good add while Melo is out.

Rudy Fernandez- With Denilo Gallinari missing the next month, Fernandez is going to slide into the starting role. He shoots the three ball well and can get you some assists from the small forward spot.

Now for the top performers from last night.

Monta Ellis- 48 points 7 rebounds 2 assists 2 steals and 1 block

Kevin Durant- 33 points 10 rebounds 7 assists 2 steals and 1 block

David Lee- 25 points 11 rebounds 10 assists and 1 block.

Ok Sports City, I will not have a blog tomorrow because I will be live at 11:30 eastern time with Caleb and Steve on the fantasy feast. Make sure to listen and call in with your fantasy questions. Hope to talk to you all tomorrow.

“The Fantasy Freak” Tim

What’s going on Sports City, before I get into the top performers from last night I want to update you on some of the big injuries that happen.

Carmelo Anthony left the game with a groin injury that is reportedly going to sideline him for about 2 weeks.

Danilo Gallinari has a bone chip in his ankle that is going to keep him out of action for about 3-4 weeks.

Chauncey Billups came down awkward on his left leg and first reports are it is a torn ACL and he is going to be out the remainder of the year.

Derrick Rose left after only 10 minutes last night with back spasms. He is listed as day to day but expects to play tomorrow so I will follow up on him in tomorrows blog.

Now for the top perfomers of the night.

Andrew Bynum-20 points 20 rebounds 3 assists and 3 blocks.

DeMarcus Cousins-28 points 19 rebounds and 3 blocks.

LeMarcus Aldridge-39 points 6 rebounds 3 assists and 1 block.

I will be back tomorrow with an update on Derrick Rose along with the top 3 performers from tonight and potential injury replacements.

“The Fantasy Freak” Tim

Hello Sports City, let’s start this blog of with my condolences to Amare Stoudemire and his family for the loss of his brother last night. With that being said Amare will miss tonights game as he has flown back to Florida to be with his family. Also in the breaking news department Kevin Love has been suspended 2 games for his stomp on Luis Scola on Saturday Night so make sure you don’t have him in your lineups the next couple of nights. We have 2 stars out, so I’m going to give you 4 players to replace them with.

1. Spencer Hawes- We talked about him on the show Thursday, he did indeed come back Saturday with a 14 point 5 rebound and 1 block night. This guy was hot before he got hurt so I recommend a pick up here.

2. Grevis Vasquez- He has been averaging 13 points and 7 assists while starting for the injured Jarrett Jack.

3. Jeremy Lin- Lin had 25 points 7 assists and 5 rebounds Saturday in his first start with the Knicks. The Knicks point guard position has been terrible as of late so Lin is getting the opportunity to start again tonight and for the foreseeable future. So I would give him a look.

4. Nikola Pekovic- With Darko Milicic out Pekovic has been averaging 17 points and 7 rebounds. He should pick that up a little more the next 2 games with Kevin Love suspended.

That’s what I got for today Sports City. I will be back tomorrow with some of the top performers from tonights games.

“The Fantasy Freak” Tim

Hello Sports City, thank you for having me. I’m excited to be part of the family. This is my first blog so take it easy on me. What I’m looking to do is provide daily baseball, basketball and football fantasy tips, like hot waiver wire pick ups, buy lows, sell highs and great performances from the night before. See everybody can identify the studs in fantasy sports like Lebron James and Arian Foster, but what I want to do is help you find the sleepers and later round players because that’s how fantasy championships are won. Guys like Ryan Anderson and Demarco Murray. So from here on out I will be doing a daily fantasy blog. If you have fantasy questions about a trade or help with a pick up please comment on my blogs and I will answer them the best I can. I am on the Fantasy Feast Thursday nights at 11:30 with Caleb and Steve, call in and debate or ask questions about fantasy sports. I’m here for all of you Sports City. So let’s win some fantasy championships together.

Sincerly yours, “The Fantasy Freak” Tim

Please note before reading: I wrote this draft before the first round of the playoffs so, obviously, Denver won’t be selecting at that spot so all the picks down the line are also affected.

Also Ryan Tannehill’s and Nick Toon’s injury will undoubtedly hurt their draft stocks but this was written before that but that will be reflected in the next version of the draft.

1. Indianapolis Colts – Andrew Luck QB Stanford
Jim Irsay wants Luck and Peyton I don’t think the GM is going to be able to convince him otherwise. Its unfortunate that the Colts have a great opportunity to really help their franchise and the owner chooses the wrong time to be pig headed.

2. St. Louis Rams – Justin Blackmon WR Ok State – The Rams fire everyone with the exception of Josh McDaniels somehow having one of if not the worst offense in the league isn’t enough to get fired from his job. But I digress I know that the addition of Brandon Lloyd makes the need for a top flight WR more of a neglectable one but having a young franchise QB adding this kind of weapon can resurrect a stagnant offense.

3. Minnesota Vikings – Matt Kalil OT USC – The LT position has proven to be a huge need since Bryant McKinnie left for Baltimore right now they are in a great position to grab the best LT in the Draft in Kalil.

4. Cleveland Browns – Robert Griffin III QB Baylor – Lets face it Colt McCoy isn’t the future in Cleveland this pick may end up being a trade, but if it isn’t , they will have their QB of the future the question is will Pat Shurmer be able to design an offense to fit Griffin’s abilities if he can the Browns could be a very dangerous team going forward.

5. Tampa Bay Bucs – Morris Claiborne CB LSU – The secondary of the Bucs is constantly in trouble off the field this isn’t good. Getting a high character CB with great talent really will help that secondary.

6. Washington Redskins – Ryan Tannehill QB Texas AM – I think the leash is getting really short for Mike Shanahan can he really go into next season with Rex Grossman at the helm? This is an enormous reach for Tannehill but just like Ponder he is the last passable starting QB and could get a real boost after the senior bowl forcing Washington to reach on a QB.

7. Jacksonville Jags – Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame – The Gabbert experiment started horribly right now they are stuck with Gabbert for at least another year. The WR situation in Jacksonville is the worst in the league bar none. They really wish Blackmon could fall here but Floyd isn’t a bad consolation.

8. Miami Dolphins – Riley Reiff, T, Iowa – Jeff Ireland is somewhat predicatable as a GM look at the top three needs for the Dolphins take the best player in one of those needs. Right now the Phins would love one of those top 3 QBs to fall to them and I expect after a disappointing season Landry Jones will return to school for another chance to boost his draft stock that means QB is out. Jake Long is one of the best in the league but the Tackle position on the other side could use some help.

9. Carolina Panthers – Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama – The Panthers have a pair of good pass rushers outside of that the Panthers have problems in almost every other position on the defensive side of the ball. Dre Kirkpatrick is a very good corner and should help the Panthers immediately.

10. Buffalo Bills – Jonathan Martin, T, Stanford – This is a BPA situation Ryan Fitzpatrick was one of the least sacked QBs in the league but Martin is just too good to pass up at this point.

11. KC Chiefs – Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama – Jamaal Charles isn’t an every down back Richardson is a top 5 talent but the RB position is undervalued due to their longevity in the league but having Richardson with Charles would give the Chiefs the best backfield in the league.

12. Seattle Seahawks – Quinton Coples, DE, UNC – Give Red Bryant some credit the giant at 300+ lbs he has done a bang up job but Coples is very talented and will make drastic improvement to the pass rush.

13. Arizona Cards – Luke Kuechly, ILB, Boston College –

14. Dallas Cowboys – Alphonso Dennard, CB, Nebraska – Dennard is very physical and would be a great fit to Rob Ryan’s scheme. I imagine that a trade down situation should happen but I’m not doing trades in this mock.

15. Philadelphia Eagles – Vontaez Burfict, ILB, Arizona St. – Casey Matthews nuf said

16. NY Jets – Courtney Upshaw, OLB, Alabama – The Jets havn’t had much success rushing the QB and at this point Upshaw is likely BPA.

17. Bengals – David DeCastro, G, Stanford – As a whole the Bengals O-Line has been playing well but one of the guards could use an upgrade and lets face it we’re looking at easily BPA on the board.

18. San Diego Chargers – Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina – The Chargers are rumored to let Jackson walk this off season if that happens they will be in need of a #1 WR either Jeffery or Wright would be the guy here.

19. Chicago Bears – Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor – Who ever isn’t a Charger will be a Bear. The WR situation in Chi town is horrid. When Roy Williams is the best your team has to offer you need help.

20. Tenn Titans – Jerel Worthy, DT, Michigan St. –

21. Denver Broncos – Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis – Imagine a 325lber taking blocks away from Elvis and Von scary.

22. Bengals (f. Oak) – Devon Still, DT, Penn St – Geno Atkins is great and can get after the QB this move would solidify that D-Line. It was very difficult to choose which DT I wanted at this spot.

23. Browns (f. Atl) – Mohamed Sanu WR Rutgers – Instead of one WR in Jones the Browns bring in two Greg Little has came along well but they need more weapons specially when Robert Griffin is coming into the league. Sanu is the best WR available.

24. Detroit Lions – Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama – Lions two biggest needs at this point are Corner and OL they go BPA and after the humiliation that they got at the hands of Matt Flynn and inevitably at the hands of Drew Brees they decide to spend a high pick on this risky prospect.

25. New York Giants – Daunta Hightower ILB Alabama – I’ve been mocking a LBer to the Giants for years now it is 100% likely that they will ignore it again but Hightower is a very good ILB and should be the pick here.

26. Houston Texans – Nick Toon, WR, Wisconsin – The Texans now have very little holes the secondary is working great they have depth at most positions the only real need is a #2 WR the Texans have at times reached on needs Toon shouldn’t be a first rounder but walking into a season with Andre and a bunch of scrubs is not the best idea.

27. Pittsburgh Steelers – Cordry Glenn, G, Georgia – The steelers need even more O-Line help Glenn should be a good pick here.

28. New England (via Saints) – Vinny Curry, DE/OLB, Marshall – The Pats ignored the pass rush last draft when there were plenty of talented players available but this year Belichick sees the error of his ways getting a beast in Curry.

29. San Francisco – Chase Minnifield CB Virginia – The only weaknesses on the 49ers if you can even call them weaknesses is the QB and the secondary maybe they could use a #2 WR but the first round WRs are long gone by now. So Value dictates that they go CB.

30. New England – Mark Barron, S, Alabama – After the strange cutting of Merryweather the SS position has been a major issue in New England Barron should start right away but I wouldn’t be surprised if this pick was traded… again.

31. Baltimore Ravens – Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina – The addition of Smith was a good start but the Ravens could use more CBs.

32. Green Bey Packers – Alameda Ta’amu DT Washington – Ta’amu did an amazing job in the bowl game and has been a beast all season at worst he is a backup to Raji at best he can slim down and work the DE position.

After draining the dramatic game-winning 3-pointer from several feet beyond the arc against the defending world champion Dallas Mavericks, Kevin Durant was just as he always is; calm and in control.

The two-time defending scoring champion doesn’t just score, he scores in the clutchest of moments. That’s right, I said clutchest. We all have known for a while now about this guy’s ability to fill the basket relentlessly since his single season as a Texas Longhorn. But so rarely do we witness this kind of poise and leadership from a 23 year-old small forward.

After Oklahoma City’s game @ Memphis Wednesday night, talented point guard Russell Westbrook once again showed visible frustration with his teammates. Since this is not the first time the young point guard has lashed out with a myriad of unpleasant verbage towards his teammates, people have started wonder if OKC really has the core unity and strength to actually go all the way.

Durant confronted Westbrook about the matter and the situation appeared to be getting worse for the moment. When asked about the situation later, Durant simply stated that it was water under the bridge at that point and that he has Westbrook’s back 110%, just as he knows Westbrook has his.

Seriously KD ? Could you be more perfect ? And is this really water under the bridge ? Westbrook’s past behaviour would suggest that the answer to the second question is the same as the first one – No.

Just one day after this ugly situation, Durant leads his team to victory against the Mavericks by scoring 30 points (again), 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks, and a steal. So whether or not you believe this to be water under the bridge, you have to admit, Durant has at least built that bridge. He transcended himself from scorer and go-to-man on the floor, to a genuine leader that is now the Thunder’s go to man-to-man in the locker room as well.

Thus far this season (I know, we’re only four games in) Durant has shown a committment to continue to improve defensively as well as a constant progression in his passing (61% increase in assists from last year) and 3-point shooting (32% increase). When you add that to his terrific percentages, most fantasy players should already know that there is no one better.

Alongside Chicago Bulls’ reigning MVP point guard Derrick Rose, Durant has re-shaped the expectations of what a young star in the NBA should be: Proud yet humble, great scorer yet solid defender, physically gifted yet emotionally strong, and a gentleman that can lead other men who are not so gentle.

If the Thunder can remain a calm and cohesive unit throughout the rest of the season, I think they will win it all. That is something that is going to be much easier said than done, especially when you consider the presence of Russell Westbrook and Kendrick Perkins in Oklahoma City.

In New York they called old Yankee Stadium “The house that Ruth built” and in Seattle we called Safeco Field “The house that Junior built”. After all the turmoil the NBA and it’s players put themselves through this past off-season, if Kevin Durant and the Thunder can accomplish NBA Finals glory, then I propose that 2012 be known as the NBA’s bridge that KD built.