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.
Kobe Bryant hit a baseline jump shot with 4.2 seconds left and the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up a six-game road trip by holding on to beat the Raptors 94-92 on Sunday, their eighth victory in nine meetings with Toronto
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.
Eleven shots separated Phil and Tiger Sunday at Pebble Beach as Lefty secured his 40th Tour win. Jason Sobel had 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.
Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
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.
Getty Images fileQ. Why don’t the Minnesota Twins try to move Brad Radke and Shannon Stewart? They make up 30 percent of the team payroll as a .500 pitcher and average outfielder.
— Joe Barron, Lackawaxen, Pa.
A. That’s something I think you could see later this summer, Joe, but only if the Twins aren’t in contention for a playoff spot around the July 31 trade deadline — which I don’t believe they will be. You also can put Torii Hunter in that category. All three are in the final years of their contracts, and as you mention, they take up huge chunks of the payroll. Hunter is the highest-paid Twin at $10.75 million, followed by Radke and Johan Santana at $9 million and Stewart at $6.5 million. Those four will make about 60 percent of a projected payroll of $55-60 million — and that’s far too big of a percentage for so few players.
Given the Twins’ financial constraints, and the advancing ages of Radke, 33, and Stewart 32, there is a great likelihood that one or both won’t be in Minnesota by the 2007 season. Hunter’s situation is a bit different because at age 30, he is in his prime production years. But his big salary — and the possibility of earning more on the open market assuming he bounces back strong from that broken ankle — also could push him elsewhere.
Q. Tony, do you think the signing of Johnny Damon was a good move for the Yankees? Wouldn’t they have been better off developing Bubba Crosby for a heckuva lot less money? Was Derek Jeter that bad as the leadoff man?
— Fred Hansen, Galena, Ill.
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A. To answer your question, Fred, I’ll repeat what I wrote in my Yankees’ spring preview, which you can find elsewhere on this site: ‘It’s not hard to make the case that with Johnny Damon hitting first in the Yankees’ lineup — instead of the Red Sox’s — the two teams will flip-flop positions atop the AL runs scored list. With Damon scoring 117 times, the Red Sox totaled 910 runs last season, or 24 more than the runner-up Yankees, whose principal center fielder — Bernie Williams — scored only 54 times. Damon also accounted for 19 of the Red Sox’s measly total of 45 steals, which the Yankees almost doubled with 84, so that gap should widen. When you add in Damon’s increased range in center field in place of Bernie Williams, there really is no immediate downside to the $52 million signing, although they may think differently by the fourth year of the deal.’ It’s not that Jeter wasn’t a good leadoff hitter; it’s just that Damon’s presence makes the lineup better. And Crosby to me is nothing more than a fourth or fifth outfielder. Remember, he’s already 29 years old, so there is no development left in him. He is what he is.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
DeMarco: Plug in a well-heeled ownership group and negotiate one of those mega-bucks TV deals that are going around, and the Dodgers could become the west coast version of the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox.
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Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
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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