Beat

Can You Beat The Experts?

Last year, four of our experts got together at the NBC Sports Studios and competed against eight of our Draft Guide users in the first annual Rotoworld Live MLB Mock Draft. This year, we're going to be ramping things up and are inviting some of our friends at Yahoo to join the party! 

For those not familiar with how the first event went, the Live Mock will pit eight lucky Rotoworld MLB Draft Guide users against four experts - D.J. Short and Ryan Boyer from Rotoworld and Andy Behrens and Scott Pianowski from Yahoo. Using Yahoo Sports' draft platform, we’ll be drafting for a 12-team 5x5 league. At the conclusion of the draft, another Rotoworld writer will blindly grade the draft to determine the winner. 

Matt Stroup and Patrick Daugherty, veterans of the first MLB Mock Draft show, will be on hand to provide commentary, and Ahmed Fareed will be hosting the live event.   

All Draft Guide users will be eligible for the final eight spots in the Live Mock. If you're a subscriber, and you're interested, contact us at draftwithrw@gmail.com.

Plus, the more Rotoworld premium products you purchase, the more chances you have to be selected! If you are a Draft Guide user, you can receive one chance to win. If you are a subscriber to both the Draft Guide and Season Pass products, you can receive three chances to win. And if you're a subscriber to our All-In Package, which includes our MLB DFS Toolkit, you'll receive five chances to win.

But even if you don't win a spot in the Live Mock, Rotoworld users will have the chance to see how the experts go about their draft. Rather than the standard exercise of reading through an expert mock draft, you will get reaction, analysis, strategy advice (and maybe a bit of trash talking) in real time. Plus, it’s going to be a ton of fun to see what our experts think of the “Average Joes’” draft choices!

Live coverage from NBC Sports studios begins Wednesday, March 13 at 1 p.m. ET on Twitch, YouTube Live, Facebook Live, the NBC Sports App and NBCSports.com/Live (time subject to change). 

If you have any questions or comments for our experts during the broadcast, you can participate by commenting on the various platforms throughout the draft. And don’t forget to share amongst your fellow fantasy baseball fans as well. 

Looking for even more draft help? Prepare like the experts do with the Rotoworld Draft Guide: Rankings, projections, mock drafts, over 1,500 player profiles and everything you’ll need to get a leg up on the competition!

Dubious Hernandez goal helps West Ham beat Fulham 3-1

LONDON (AP) -- A controversial goal by Javier Hernandez helped West Ham to a 3-1 come-from-behind victory against relegation-threatened Fulham in the Premier League Friday.

Ryan Babel gave Fulham the lead in the 3rd minute at the Olympic Stadium when he tapped in a cross from Jean Michael Seri.

Hernandez leveled in the 29th when he appeared to use his hand to jab the ball in at the fast post following a corner. Referee Lee Mason and his assistants missed the offense, which should be spotted by video assistant referees when they come to the Premier League next season.

West Ham took the lead in the 40th minute when center back Issa Diop headed in another corner. Michail Antonio made certain of the win in stoppage time at the end of the game after he was set up by Marko Arnautovic.

Manuel Pellegrini's West Ham is ninth in the standings, while Claudio Ranieri's Fulham is eight points from safety with 11 games remaining.

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More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/apf-Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports

Recipes to Beat the Blahs

Hello and welcome to Five Weeknight Dishes, recipes for busy people who still want something good to eat. And don’t we need something good to eat? We’re in blah season, people. So go for brightness and tang, with kimchi, lemon, mint and feta. Or take this moment to embrace richness and depth, deploying lamb and bacon to soothing effect.

As always, I’m at dearemily@nytimes.com if you have kitchen quandaries or just want to say hello. And I also wanted to tell you about our new NYT Cooking Facebook group, where we can all gather to talk recipes and you can ask questions of our wonderful writers and editors.

[Sign up here to receive the Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter in your inbox every Friday.]

Here are five dishes for the week:

1. Chicken Piccata

I am a lover of citrus, especially this time of year, and so this recipe — lemon-optimized as it is, with slices of fruit that caramelize in the pan and then an extra squeeze of juice at the end — speaks right to me. I’d make it with boneless chicken thighs rather than breasts; thighs are inherently more flavorful and don’t need to be halved or pounded to thinness. Serve with green beans and a pot of rice, and make plenty of that rice if you’re intrigued by the kimchi porridge below.

2. Quick Lamb Ragù

By its very nature, a ragù takes its time, gently simmering until the flavors in the pan deepen and meld. So picture my excitement over this smart weeknight version, the heaven that is ragù done in a fraction of the time. The ground lamb used here sounds delicious to me, but I could easily imagine using pork instead. I could also imagine doubling it and freezing some for later, a little treat for our future selves. Serve with garlicky broccoli or broccoli rabe.

View this recipe in your weekly plan.

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3. Farro With Roasted Squash, Feta and Mint

I’m about ready to part ways with winter, and yet it’s still here, and it’s still serving squash. I’m content to keep eating this dish, though, which positively zings with that feta and mint. Save a plate from your sink by serving the salad in the same bowl in which you tossed the farro; it’s also O.K. to omit the cider in the farro and use water instead. Be generous with the mint and arugula to finish: That’s the bright touch that bridges winter and spring.

View this recipe in your weekly plan.

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4. Quick-Braised Greens and Beans With Bacon

There are very few ingredients in this recipe relative to the deep flavor it yields, thanks to the way the bacon is used: both as a component in the pot of greens and as a crisp topping to finish. (A package of bacon is a bundle of flavor dynamite, and excellent for omnivorous weeknight cooking.) This, too, could be served over rice, or you could stir up a pot of polenta, or toast thick pieces of good bread.

View this recipe in your weekly plan.

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5. Kimchi Rice Porridge

I find the word “porridge” a little Dickensian, but it hasn’t put me off this very simple and appealing recipe, a sort of shortcut take on congee (or jook) that relies on kimchi, ginger and scallions for flavor. To make it on a weeknight, you’ll need to start with leftover rice. (Maybe just keep portioned, cooked rice in your freezer? Did you know rice freezes well?) While we’re tinkering, I might heap on sautéed spinach or mustard greens too, and drizzle with chile oil to finish.