Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter get most of the credit and blame in New York, but if the Yankees are going to return to the World Series, a sports psychologist might help make the difference.

Outfielder Nick Swisher, in the final year of his contract, is hoping regular offseason visits with a sports shrink will mean a big season.

"It's one thing to be in great physical shape, but anybody can do that if they work hard enough," Swisher told the New York Daily News. "The mental game is something you can always improve, because there isn’t really a point where you can ever be mentally prepared enough.

"When you talk to these guys, they start spinning your mind and making you think of things you normally wouldn't think of. I wanted to work on all the things I was bad at; my mental game was something I wanted to get better."

Swisher was lousy in April and May for the Bronx Bombers a season ago, but with a different approach to preparation, he expects things to be much better.

Jeremy Lin's sleeping on his brother's sofa doesn't sound nearly as bad after hearing about one veteran player's housing nightmare.

Delonte West is quite possibly the first active NBA player to be without a home during a season. The Mavericks guard tells the Dallas Morning News that after arriving in the Lone Star State he couldn't find a place to stay, so he spent nights sleeping in the Mavs locker room and even in his car.

Let us explain.

West suffers from bipolar disorder, which causes extreme mood swings. In 2009, he was pulled over near his Maryland home on a three-wheeled Cam-Am Spyder motorcycle, and police found a 9mm Beretta pistol, .357 Magnum and a Remington 870 in a guitar case. West pleaded guilty to weapons and traffic charges, but was able to avoid jail; instead he got electronic monitoring and supervised probation and counseling.

Additionally, West was dealing with the end of his four-month marriage. He feels his mental disorder is at least partially responsible for both his personal and legal problems. "I've watched contracts go out the window, endorsements disappear, court fees, lawyer fees, divorce fees," he told the Morning News. "You watch the saving account just shoop ... shoop ... shoop ... shoop -- slowly disappear."

Unquestionably, Danica Patrick's full-time transition to NASCAR will be the No. 1 motor sports story of the year, yet don't expect her to give you many details on social media.

Patrick has set up to golden rules for her massively popular @DanicaPatrick Twitter account. She doesn't spend much time talking shop, and she won't ever let fans know her whereabouts. Her profile states "If you want to get to know me away from the track, you're in the right place."

"If I talk about somewhere I've been, it's because I'm already gone," Patrick told the USA Today's Nate Ryan. "I do it afterward because of safety insecurity, and I don't want people following. I don't want any trouble. I don't think you can ever be too safe. … "Nothing might ever happen, but you have to be careful. I'm not going to talk about the restaurants I go to because I want to keep going there. I'm not going to talk about where I am or where I live or what I'm doing because it's dangerous. Privacy is already hard enough. I don't need to self-inflict any more problems on myself."

Racing's golden girl has over 466,000 followers, second highest total in NASCAR. Only Juan Pablo Montoya, (@JPMontoyawith almost 469,000 followers has more fan support. Dale Earnhardt Jr. would most likely blow away everyone in NASCAR but he's yet to send a tweet from his page @DaleJr.

As the old saying goes, giving your son a skill is better than giving him one thousand pieces of gold. 

Hall of Famer Bob Knight's son has not only picked up his old man's coaching talents, but more importantly, his ability to boil over with the reporters.

Pat Knight, the head basketball coach at Lamar University, went off on the sorry state of his basketball program following a 62-52 loss to Stephen F. Austin on Wednesday night. In more than eight minutes of magic, Knight began by ripping his senior players' bad attitude on the court and in the classroom. The Cardinals have a winning record at 17-11 on the season, but they aren't very good in their coaches eyes.