Fantasy Super Heros

4 guys who have started off the season hot and are probably available in your league:

Ike Davis- Davis is in his sophomore year starting at 1b for the Mets, and he has really taken off. Him and his .345 Ba is all the Mets really have to cheer about at this point in the season.

Brett Anderson- Anderson has an ERA just a tad above 1.50 and has gone at least 6 innings in all of his starts. He has always shown talent, but health has derailed his seasons in the past.

Michael Pineda- One of the biggest surprises so far, Pineda has flourished in the Mariners rotation, which he wasn't even suppose to be in. 3-1, 1.78 ERA for the MARINERS?! Holy Hell...

Darwin Barney- Blake DeWitt who? Cubbie fans are loving the tandom of Barney and Starlin in their lineup, with Barney hitting .329 and becoming a solid duo with Castro at the plate at Wrigley. Now if Starlin could learn to field a ground ball....

NFL Draft Mock Top 7 Picks

This year's draft doesn't bring the excitement with possible trades and swapping of picks not going to happen because of the oh-so-exciting Labor Deal issue, but that doesn't mean there's no surplus of talent available. My mock draft for the first 7 picks on Thursday:

1. Panthers-Cam Newton- This guy is the prime example of a hit or miss. He has shown character issues and ran draw plays half the time in college, and now has to be the face of a franchise? With that said, his physical ability and football IQ is hard to ignore, and the Panther's organization really likes him and knows it will be hard to grab another talented Qb later in this draft.

2.Broncos- Marcell Dareus- The Broncos have 3-4 solid options here, but Dareus is the right pick. Adding him to the line, plus Dumervil coming back from injury equals a solid pass rush in the 3-4 out in Denver.

3. Bills-Von Miller- I think Miller might be the one who everyone remembers from this draft. His game is very similar to Lance Briggs and can fit into the 3-4 well to help rebuild the Bill's D.

4. Bengals- Blaine Gabbert- The lure of grabbing one of the top Qb's is too much for the Bengals to say no, especially with Carson Palmer still a question mark.

5. Cards- Patrick Peterson- The Cards were hoping for one of the QB's, but Peterson has way to much value to pass up. Peterson may be the next great shut down corner in the league with his size and hands, plus his returning skills are an added bonus.

6. Browns- AJ Green- The city of Cleveland will finally catch a break as Green falls to them. He reminds so many scouts of Calvin Johnson and will be a great target to help develop Colt Mccoy.

7. 49ers- Prince Amukamara- The Niners were atrocious in defending the pass last year, so Prince will fit in. The Niners will hope though that possibly Peterson or Miller falls to them, or might go with Bowers outta Clemson.

2011 NCAAB Early Rankings

Still hungover from Final Four fever? A quick dose of the way too early top 8 to help ease your pain.

1. Kentucky- Coach Cal's class coming in next year is his best so far, with 4 of the top 15 freshman in the country heading to Lexington. Add in upperclassmen Liggins, Vargas, and Darius Miller, plus the possibility Brandon Knight and Terrence Jones returning and this team has all the pieces to be a national contender.

2. UNC- Zeller and Henson have announced they will return, and now the key player is Barnes, who has hinted he will stay. If UNC returns all starters and with plenty of guard talent off the bench, we'll be looking at the ACC favorites. Also look for the talented freshmen PJ Hariston and James McAdoo to look nice in the tar heel blue jerseys.

3. Duke- I got the Devils right behind their rivals. Rivers, Dawkins and Curry will be the best 3 guard rotation in the country and all the Plumlees will be a force down low. Coach K will also get some solid contributions from 2nd year players Hariston and Thornton.

4. Texas- Depending on if Tristian Thompson and Cory Joesph declare for the association, the Horns will be the favorites in the "new" Big 12. Still, Myck Kabongo has all the hype to join past great Texas PGs like DJ Augustin and TJ Ford. A back court with Kabongo, Joesph and Hamilton shooting and penetrating on the perimeter plus Thompson down low is a hard team to match up with.

5. OSU- Aaron Craft will get a lot more credit with John "Threebler" now gone. Buford steps into the go to sharpshooter and keep an eye on freshman Amir Williams down low next to a guy named Jared Sullinger, who should be the pre season favorite for the Naismith award.

6. Syracuse- Another strong recruiting class by Coach Boeheim, who is a top 5 coach for recruiting, specifically for fitting into his 2-3 zone and shooters on the perimeter. The only loss on this team is Rick Jackson, who leaves big feet to fill. Can this be the year the Orange finally get back to the Final Four?

7. Kansas- They always seem to be a top 15 team year in and year out. Morris brothers are gone but Thomas Robinson is ready to burst out. Taylor and Elijah Johnson should have big years, but the big piece is whether Josh Selby comes back next year. I think he can be a top 5 PG in the country with the right attitude and commitment to workouts in the summer.

8. Lousville- The Card's lose Preston Knowles 15 ppg, but Peyton Siva and Terrence Jennings really excite me. Siva showed loads of poise against Big East foes last year, and with freshman Wayne Blackshear and Kyle Kuric with him on the perimeter, Siva now has 3 options: Lob to Jennings, pass it to Kuric for the 3, or drive and take it himself.

Teams to watch

Mizzou- If Kim English and Laurence Bowers return for their senior years, the Tigers will have 2 scorers in Enlgligh and Denmon to go with an all senior starting lineup to run, "the fastest 40 minutes in basketball."

Xavier-Tu Holloway is back to take the A-10 by storm again. He has pieces around him also and it wouldn't surprise me if they climb into the top 10.

Butler Part III?

Butler gave us a thrilling ride once again, even without top play maker Gordon Hayward, who left for the NBA after last year's run. This year's team once again showed the toughness and mentality Butler brings and shows going into every tournament game: We can play with and beat anyone. Even though coming up a win short in two straight tournaments has to be unbearable to the B-Town players, they will be back, rest assure. But back how far? Losing key players like Senior leaders Matt Howard, Vanzant, Hahn, and possibly Shelvin Mack will hurt Butler for next year. The youth, however, on this team has to excite any fan dreaming of another Butler run in a couple of years. We saw Andrew Smith step up and show he can rebound against some of the country's elite. Khyle Marshall and Chrishawn Hopkins really have loads of potential. Marshall was an offensive rebounding machine while Hopkins provided tons of energy off the bench. You will hear their names in the tourney down the road, guaranteed. Returning role players like Stigall and Nored give the Bulldogs still that hard nosed personality heading into next year. Plus, the future looks promising with recruiting. Brad Stevens has built Butler into a program that can now take away in state recruits from IU, Purdue and ND. Next year Butler doesn't haven't the talent to go as far as this year, but a future with Hopkins and Marshall, plus pipeline recruits coming in equals an underdog powerhouse growing in B-Town. But hey, every March Madness needs some Bulldog Fever.

MLB 2011 Season Predictions

Baseball season is officially here. Here are my picks in the Awards, Trade Rumors to watch until July, and Division and World Series Picks.

AL MVP-Adrian Gonzalez BOS- He’s ready to explode at Fenway, especially with that short right field fence.

NL-Albert Pujols STL- Albert will set himself up for a big offseason with plenty of zeros coming his way.

ROY

AL-Kyle Drabek-TOR- A key piece in the Roy Halladay trade, Drabek has stuff likened to Mike Mussina.

NL Brandon Belt-Giants- SF was so impressed with this kid they moved Aubrey Huff to RF for him. Belt, along with Posey is a scary thought for NL West pitching for years to come.

CY Young AL-David Price- Man on a Mission

NL- Cliff Lee- Lee has to feed off opponents being worn out every night by the Phil's staff. Can 4 pitchers win 15+? It’s a realistic possibility.

Most Improved AL- Chone Figgins-Its hard to imagine Figgins will hit .259 again. I like a nice bounce back season with 50+ bases stolen and a batting average around .300

NL- Chipper Jones- I'm going to go with Chipper, seeing this Braves team has a legit chance to challenge Philly and Jones will provide that leadership and power in the middle of the order.

Players on the move?

Prince Fielder- With him becoming a Free agent next year, the Brew Crew loaded up with pitching to try and make a run. If they're out of contention in July, Prince is going to get shopped.

Aramis Ramirez- I really like the Cubs to contend for the division this year, but there might be a point when Jim Hendry decides to blow up the roster.

Grady Sizemore- Its hard to imagine the Indians trading this guy away, but injuries and a new contract coming up might scare the Indians.

Predictions

AL West Texas NL Giants

Central White Sox NL Cards

East Boston NL Phillies

Wild Card Yankees NL Braves

Champ Boston Braves