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.
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'I am troubled' March 30: Commissioner Bud Selig announces Major League Baseball's investigation into possible steroid use, says all evidence will be pursued. |
“Should Sen. Mitchell uncover material suggesting that the scope of this investigation needs to be broader, he has my permission to expand the investigation and to follow the evidence wherever it may lead,” Selig said.
DuPuy said baseball considered Mitchell’s potential conflicts of interest.
“Given Sen. Mitchell’s integrity, given his background, he was absolutely considered to be the perfect choice for this job,” he said.
DuPuy said baseball had the power to force players to cooperate.
“My hope is that others will see it as we do, that it’s in the best interests of baseball and the individuals to be forthcoming, but I can’t predict,” Mitchell said.
However, Bonds does not plan to cooperate with the investigation, the New York Daily News reported.
New York Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi, who like Bonds testified before a federal grand jury in 2003, said he’d have “no problems” an inquiry. Giambi reportedly admitted to the grand jury that he had used steroids.
“I did the things I needed to do, took care of it and played last year and have just gone forward. I’m not really worried about it,” he said.
Teammate Gary Sheffield also testified and said of his cooperation: “If I have to, I will. I’m going to do whatever the law expects me to do, but other than that it’s a waste of my time.”
In a 1980 case involving pitcher Ferguson Jenkins, arbitrator Ray Goetz curtailed the commissioner’s power to order cooperation.
“Arbitrators have been reluctant to allow compelled, potentially self-incriminating testimony,” Selig said. “The investigatory authority of Major League Baseball, therefore, is particularly limited when the allegations relate to conduct that can create or has created a risk of criminal prosecution for the player.”
Selig would not address possible discipline that could result from the investigation,
“When this investigation is over ... that will be the time for me to make those kind of judgments,” he said.
Bonds enters the season with 708 homers, trailing only Babe Ruth (714) and Hank Aaron (755) on the career list.
“I assume physical constraints notwithstanding, Bonds will play the whole year,” DuPuy said.
Selig would not discuss whether baseball would commemorate Bonds’ pursuit of the home-run record.
“We’ll work those out in the coming weeks,” he said.
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Earlier Thursday, Victor Conte — founder of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative — was released from a California prison. He spent four months there after pleading guilty to orchestrating an illegal steroids distribution scheme that allegedly involved many high-profile athletes.
Asked whether he gave Bonds steroids, Conte said: “No, I did not.”
“I plan to provide evidence in the near future to prove that much of what is written in the book is untrue,” Conte told the AP. He declined to list specific inaccuracies or what evidence he would provide, but said, “It’s about the character assassination of Barry Bonds and myself.”
Union head Donald Fehr and chief operating officer Gene Orza did not respond to e-mails seeking comment.
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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 MSNBC TV Torre speaks Mar. 30: Yankees manager Joe Torre talks with Keith Olbermann about the impending Major League Baseball steroid investigation on Countdown. |
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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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