By Dan O’Shea

Derek Jeter turns 40 in three weeks. Can a fantasy case be made for Captain Clutch in this, his final season?
I had Jeter listed as a sleeper at SS in my pre-season ranks, though based really only on his career-long tendency to do something great at exactly the right time.
I wasn’t expecting a heck of a lot, and if you took a chance on Jeter, you haven’t gotten much at all: .267 AVG, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 1 SB. He also hasn’t been the everyday player Yanks manager Joe Girardi suggested he would be this season.

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Posted on June 3, 2014

By Jim Coffman

The Kings triumphed by the tiniest margin imaginable last night. Los Angeles secured its victory after the teams battled to a tie at the end of regulation. The Kings have made a habit of taking series’ to the limit during these playoffs, clinching three straight with game 7 victories on the road.
But even for them, last night was close. It was the first time they had gone to overtime in the do-or-die series finale. And while the Kings had the better of the play during the extra period leading up to the game-winning goal, the Hawks had chances as well. The kind of flukey, fluttering goal that happened to bounce off Nick Leddy and just over the shoulder of Corey Crawford could easily have happened at the other end.
What was the factor that pushed the Kings over the top?

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Posted on June 2, 2014

By Roger Wallenstein

Excuse me if I’m not overjoyed that the White Sox have the third overall choice in Thursday’s major league amateur draft.
For one thing, this is just another reminder that only the Astros and Marlins had a worse record than our athletes last season, and only a masochistic goofball wants to be reminded of the disastrous 2013 season. Since the Sox pick right before the Cubs, we also must face the fact that the guys on the other side of town were a wee bit less laughable as our Sox a year ago.
Yet there are other circumstances associated with the number 3 pick that concern me.

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Posted on June 2, 2014