The Ottawa Senators are doing better than anyone thought they’d be. With four key players performing up to their standards, this year’s group is playing its way into the playoffs and may give some contenders a run for their money. Matt Horner breaks down how it all happened.

The reasons why a top prospect fizzles out can be mystifying and maddening. In the case of Matt LaPorta, the seventh-overall pick of the Brewers in 2007, the upside was a world of potential. The reality was a flame-out who has struggled to keep a steady job with the Cleveland Indians. Why did this happen to the once highly-touted star?

The 100-point plateau in a single NHL season is not a feat to be taken lightly. In the history of the game, only a select handful of the league’s elite have reached the mark. In the first of a three-part series, Tim Kolupanowich breaks down the “firsts” in the history of the remarkable achievement – as well as some who fell just short.

A few months ago the world was overrun with a case of Linsanity. The story since has come back down to earth, prompted by the unceremonious return of Carmelo Anthony. By comparing the Knicks to the NHL’s Maple Leafs, Mark Milner questions who truly runs the show: the players or the coaches.

The second of Zach Sommers’ series about former top draft picks who haven’t panned out features the second-overall selection in 2005: Greg Reynolds. This pitcher spent far too much time on the DL and not nearly enough on the mound. Can he ever get it together and even make an impact in MLB?

Drew Cumberland was an up-and-coming baseball star. Selected in the first round of the 2007 MLB Draft, he had high expectations on this middle infielder and was living up to the hype. However, a devastating injury ended his career before it began. Jesse Goldbert-Strassler remembers the story…

Evander Kane is breaking out, and he’s carrying his Winnipeg Jets with him. The team’s leading goal-scorer is on pace to break 30 goals this season, and as a result, Winnipeg may make the playoffs in a season which the fans were just happy to have a team back. Are they still playing with house money, or is Kane raising the stakes in 2011-12?

The NFL marketing machine has done a superb job making it the most profitable and most hyped league in North America. Higher ticket prices and an infrequency of games makes for a premium product. The NBA, NHL and MLB have a lot to learn.

The Philadelphia Phillies are usually a lock to get into the playoffs, but for the last couple of seasons, they’ve fallen short of the ultimate prize. Will injuries to Ryan Howard and Chase Utley hamper them this season, or do they have enough talent to sustain? And does any of this matter after 162 games have been played?

Michael Jordan had a knack for ruining his opponents. Like his adversaries, the Pittsburgh Pirates have been beaten down for years at the hands of the rest of the league. But now, things finally are looking up for the Pirates, as key acquisitions, emerging prospects and smart money management may be turning this hard-luck franchise around, and sooner than you think.