Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
PBT: Jeremy Lin wasn't his hot self on Saturday, but he still led the Knicks to victory.
Arc's five up, five down: After No. 11 Michigan State's 58-48 upset of No. 3 Ohio State, you'd be a fool to discount the Spartans' national title chances now.
Miami coach Al Golden says the worst is behind him, but his headaches figure to continue now that former booster Nevin Shapiro, now in jail, says his involvement with the Hurricanes program will result in stiff penalties.
Golf's dream pairing - Woods and Mickelson - is on the course in the final round at Pebble Beach. Jason Sobel has hole-by-hole reports.
The United States completed a 5-0 rout of Switzerland in the Davis Cup on Sunday, with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and John Isner winning closing singles matches.
Euro Roundup: First-place Manchester City won 1-0 at Aston Villa on Sunday on Joleon Lescott's goal in the 63rd minute, maintaining its two-point lead over Manchester United in the Premier League.
Tessa Worley of France fought off gusting winds to win a second consecutive World Cup giant slalom Sunday in the Andorran Pyrenees. Overall leader Lindsey Vonn was more than a second behind and finished eighth.
Robins: It’s the Year of the Dragon on the Lunar calendar, and this Chinese influence could extend to it also being the year of the Pekingese on the green carpet at the 136th Westminster Dog Show on Tuesday.
APRoddick and other U.S. hopes
The way the Australians feel about Hewitt is much the same way a lot of Americans feel about Andy Roddick, semifinal loser to Hewitt in 2005 Down Under, and first-round loser to Gilles Muller at the U.S. Open five months back.
But packing the heat of a high-caliber serve and forehand, and armed with confident memories of his U.S. Open title of 2003, Roddick must have a shot in Melbourne. After all he's only 23, and he does get a lift to the second seed with Nadal sidelined.
Revived Americans No. 23 James Blake, No. 16 Robby Ginepri and No. 30 Taylor Dent, heartened by late- season rescuing of their careers, could cause trouble. But it's a stretch to imagine them in the winner's circle.
Other players to watch
Dangerous will be the clever Argentine, David Nalbandian (the Federer-wrecker in the November Masters final) and Chilean Fernando Gonzalez, who hits a ton. Another champ lurks in the wings in Thomas Johansson, but 2002 (when he won here) was once in a Swedish lifetime.
If you like another long shot, it's Tommy Haas, who might have won in 2002 if he had paid closer attention to his semifinal with Safin. At least keep an eye on two French kids: Richard Gasquet, and Gael Monfils, both 19.
Also stick in as potential troublemakers Davis Cup winning hero, 6-foot-5 Croatian Mario Ancic, whose volleying wingspan is intimidating, and the world's greatest player inch-for-inch player: 5-foot-4 speed demon Olli Rochus from Belgium.
But unless Federer is leveled in an ambush, the chase for the mysterious and elusive Grand Slam will be on. Since Don Budge Slammed in 1938, only four have crashed the select society: Maureen Connolly, 1953; Laver, 1962, '69; Margaret Court, 1970; and Steffi Graf, 1988.
Is it time for lightning to strike again, a bolt aka Roger Federer?
The United States completed a 5-0 rout of Switzerland in the Davis Cup on Sunday, with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and John Isner winning closing singles matches.
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Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.
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Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.
