Resolution: Stay on the field for a full season
Derek Jeter had a bad year in 2013. He only played 17 games while he watched the likes of Eduardo Nunez and Lance Nix take his place. He saw his buddy Cano leave for the West Coast. Worst of all, he saw his team miss the playoffs while he sat on the bench. He knows his no. 1 goal this season is to be on the field.
Resolution: turn this Knicks' season around
The New York Knicks are currently the biggest disappointment in the NBA. Carmelo Anthony is not to blame, but he does have some work to do to get the Knicks back into the Eastern Conference race. Luckily, the entire conference is bad. He needs to get his supporting cast going to get his team back into this thing.
Resolution: Get rid of the injury bug
Rob Gronkowski is once again on the IR after tearing his ACL a few weeks ago. That is after a broken forearm lost him 2012 and a high ankle sprain hurt him in the Super Bowl that same year. He is getting to the point where you are just waiting for him to go down. His goal next year will be to play a full 16-game season.
Resolution: Stay out of trouble off the field
Is there anything else Jameis Winston needs to do? I am sure one of his goals for 2014 is to win the National Championship. That much is obvious, but the fact is that this scandal about him doesn't seem to be going away. He needs to stay out of trouble next year.
Resolution: Get back in time to play for USA
Jonathan Quick was the reason why American hockey fans were quietly confident going into the Olympics next year. He was the wild card that could have a Ryan Miller-type of run that could end with a Gold Medal win. Then Quick got hurt. He hurt his groin, which is crucial for goalies. Everyone hopes he can be 100 percent by the time the team goes to Sochi.
Resolution: Become Black Mamba again
Kobe Bryant has miraculously already returned from one of the most gruesome injuries in sports, a torn Achilles. He has not looked like himself since he returned a few games ago, but he believes that is only rust. He is shooting to be one of the best in the NBA once again.
Resolution: Prove he can win in cold weather
Peyton Manning is currently dealing with the cold weather stigma. It is something that has haunted him his entire career. He needs to win some cold weather games, or signing with Denver may look like a really bad idea.
Resolution: Three-peat
There is one goal for LeBron James -- he wants to join the likes of Kobe and Jordan in superstars that were part of a three-peat.
Resolution: Be as good in the playoffs as he is in the regular season
Alex Ovechkin is one of the best pure scorers in the history of the NHL. Lately, however, he hasn't been able to turn that to success in the playoffs. Last season especially was bad as he only scored two points in seven postseason games. He needs to do much better than that if they make it to the playoffs.
Resolution: Win a major
Tiger Woods has teased the public by continuously winning the tournament before a major. He is in it in during every non-Major tournament all year, but can't seem to get over the hump when it really counts. He needs to get closer to Jack Nicklaus' record.
Resolution: To share
This might be some wishful thinking. Jimmie Johnson has owned NASCAR for the past decade and with another championship to his name in 2013, he doesn't look to be taking it easy any time soon.
Resolution: Work for a better boss
The Oklahoma City Thunder looked like they could be a force to be reckoned with for years to come when they made it to the NBA finals with a 23-year-old Kevin Durant, a 23-year-old Russell Westbrook and a 22-year-old James Harden. They had their own big three without having to sign them. Then they traded Harden away for what now amounts to be not much. They haven't spent any money to make the team better. They are wasting a talent by refusing to bring in key free agents.
Resolution: Force someone to become a viable scoring option
It has been a rough year for Tom Brady. He lost his five best receiving options, and still carried his team to a 10-4 record despite having a converted QB as his no. 1 receiver. His no. 2 receiver played only seven games. No. 3 on this list missed four games himself. He needs someone who is somewhat reliable.
Resolution: Get drafted no. 1
Jadeveon Clowney is still on the top of most analysts' draft boards, but it isn't as clear cut as it was before the season. His transcendent talent is not what is being questioned, but his effort is. He needs to show in the combine and other workouts that he is the kind of talent teams would regret not picking with the first overall pick.
Resolution: Keep your head up
Sidney Crosby has been relatively injury-free for the 2013-14 season. Between his concussions and the broken jaw from last season, he seems to have most of his injuries above the neck. He is pivotal to this Pittsburgh Penguins team. He needs to stay on the ice.
Resolution: Playoff success
Calvin Johnson is on pace to have his third straight 1,600-yard season, what more could he want? Probably to have a successful playoff run. In his seven-year career, he has played one playoff game. He went off in that playoff game, but they still lost. He would really like a playoff win next year.
Resolution: Excel as the best player on his team, whatever that team ends up being
The Rajon Rondo trade rumors are swirling and he isn't even on the court. He has yet to play with this new Boston Celtics team that is without Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett for the first time in his career. He is now the best player on the team. Even if he is traded, he will likely be brought in to be a leader. How will he respond to that?
Resolution: Get paid what he's worth
There was some interesting talk swirling around MLB circles this week when the question of what Mike Trout would make on the open market was proposed. The numbers were astronomical. Some had him in the range of ten years and $400 million. Not only would that be a record, but that would be well over $100 million more than the next highest ever. He is currently making $510,000. He is not arbitration-eligible until 2015. If the clear underpayment continues, that could sour Trout's relationship with the organization as a whole. Like they say, just pay the man.
Resolution: Don't do that again
He knows what I'm talking about.
Resolution: Only fight people who are facing people
Shawn Thornton is currently facing the most scrutiny he ever will after purposely injuring Brooks Orpick by pulling him down from behind during a scrum and punching him in the face. If someone says no to fighting you, just let it go, Shawn.
Resolution: Learn to play quarterback
Is that not the only thing that this offense needs? The likes of Christian Ponder, Matt Cassel and Josh Freeman just aren't cutting it. Let Toby Gerhart play running back and put Adrian Peterson under center. He couldn't be worse.
Resolution: Teach teammates how to hit
In the World Series, David Ortiz hit an insane .688. The best average after him was Jacoby Ellsbury with a .250 average, and he is now wearing pinstripes. Outside of Ortiz, the team hit a paltry .168. Ortiz got a little less than one-third of his team's hits for the series. His 17 total bases were 12 more than anyone else's. Need I go on?
Resolution: Beat the curse of the backup Eagles quarterback
Kevin Kolb was supposed to be a real asset when he was acquired by the Arizona Cardinals three years ago. Michael Vick was Donovan McNabb's backup, then he became the starter and was supposed to be back to the guy who earned a $100 million contract. A.J. Feeley was A.J. Feeley. I could go on, but this is getting depressing. Let's just hope for Eagles fans' sake that Nick Foles' season isn't a fluke.
Resolution: Figure out what is wrong with the Rangers
When Rick Nash went to the New York Rangers, a Stanley Cup was supposed to be a given. Since then, they traded their second-best scoring option, watched their goalie go from best in the world to maybe not better than the backup, got a coach who did not have a Stanley Cup on his resume, among other things. He needs to get this team going, because if they can't make the playoffs in the pathetic Metropolitan then, this team is really bad.
Resolution: Prove he was worth it
Robinson Cano seems to always have issues with how others have values him, especially the New York Yankees. He felt he was worth the $300 million that was originally proposed. He quickly found out that wasn't happening. Now he is a member of the Seattle Mariners. He needs to be pretty darn good to live up to the money he got.
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