Hello again, and welcome to another edition of “J-Hill’s Two Minute Drill”. As the hours of 2011 continue to wane, I feel that it’s my responsibility as a sportswriter to prepare fans across the nation for some of the crazy events that just might happen in the year 2012.Five shocking occurrences in sports that we just may witness in the upcoming year include:

Dooley Out, Manning In -Following another disappointing season in which the Tennessee Vols went 6-6 with losses to the likes of Georgia, Florida, and Missouri, the Tennessee athletic department decides to pull the plug on the Derek Dooley era, firing the son of the former Georgia legend after just three seasons on the job. Looking to make a huge splash, the school goes out and lures former quarterback Peyton Manning to take over the program. Only thirty-six years old at the time he is hired (just one year younger than former UT head coach Lane Kiffin), Manning’s experience on the football field can not be questioned, leading to the first real excitement concerning the Volunteer football program since Phillip Fulmer roamed the sidelines.

Mayhem at the NFL Draft -The NFL Lockout in 2011 meant that no trades dealing with players currently on a team’s roster could be executed, leading to a lack of big maneuvers. The 2012 Draft will make up for this almost immediately, as the second pick of the draft is traded by the St. Louis Rams, who are looking to build around Sam Bradford. The Rams trade away the second pick to the Washington Redskins for Santana Moss and Washington’s first round draft pick, ensuring that the Redskins get the man they wanted: Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III. Some of the other interesting trades that will be executed will include the Titans moving up to select Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon, the Falcons moving up in the second round to pick up Florida State offensive tackle Zebrie Sanders, and the Eagles dealing backup Vince Young to the Jacksonville Jaguars for some later round picks.

The Wonder Boy Returns – At one point Jeff Gordon was the hottest NASCAR driver around, winning four championships and 68 races in only ten seasons in the Cup Series. However, the last decade hasn’t seen Gordon duplicate the success of his first decade racing among the best stock car racers around, as his best championship finish under the current Chase format came five years ago. However, 2012 will see Gordon return to his former dominance, as the 40-year-old wins five races and the Chase championship, his first championship since 2001.

NBA Playoffs: Clippers Out, Lakers In – The NBA Lockout left many teams in limbo regarding bringing in new talent for their aging rosters, and one such team is the Los Angeles Lakers. Now without Phil Jackson, the Lakers are no longer shoe-ins to make the playoffs, and a bad start to 2012 in which the team endures a ten-game losing streak leads to a 30-36 finish in the abbreviated season, which results in the Lakers missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2004-2005 season. While Jack Nicholson and a good portion of Los Angeles will be devastated by the struggles of Kobe and Company, the Staples Center will not be without a playoff team in 2012, as the upstart Clippers, led by Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, will play in the post season for the first time since 2006 thanks to a 40-26 record.

Captain Clutch Calls it a Career – Major League Baseball hasn’t had very many stars that haven’t fallen from grace over the last few years, which makes Derek Jeter’s retirement at the All-Star Break of 2012 even tougher. Jeter, who won the World Series five times in his career, will see his playing time dwindle at the beginning of the season thanks in part to nagging injuries and the emergence of some of the young hitters that the Yankees’ farm system has to offer. In order to make the situation better for all parties involved, Jeter announces that he will start at shortstop in the All-Star Game for the thirteenth time in his career and then retire as a player, instead becoming a consultant with the team, a job that will eventually lead to a coaching position with the team.