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.
APQ. The Astros are playing like champions, yet I do not see the national coverage for them like other teams. I’m not complaining. I think it is wonderful they are staying out of the spotlight and playing their best baseball in years! My question is: If Roger Clemens decides to come back with the Astros, and do his ‘summer training’ in Double-A with his son, can we talk about a second appearance in the World Series?
— Richard Stairs, Houston
A. You’re right, Richard, it’s better to stay under the radar. Let the Mets and Cardinals grab all the attention. Meanwhile, the Astros jumped out to the best record in the league, a dramatic difference from last season, when they went 15-30 through 45 games. I’ll admit I picked the Cardinals to win the Central, and the Mets and Braves to make the playoffs, leaving the Astros out. My concerns were that the back of the rotation and the bullpen won’t strong enough to make up for an average offense. But so far, the rotation has the best ERA in the majors, and if Clemens does return, they will have an excellent chance to reach the postseason again and advance. But that’s anything but a certainty, with the Yankees and Red Sox set to offer big money to the Rocket.
Q. Does Mark Prior have anything left for the Cubs? He is such a talent, and so young. I hope he can recover and get back on the mound soon.
— Richard Kagan, Astoria, N.Y.
A. You said it — Prior is a great talent, and young (25). So, yes, I think he has a lot left. A couple of his injuries weren’t arm-related, and the one benefit of not pitching much in the last two seasons (287.1 innings combined in 2004-05) is that his arm has been spared wear-and-tear. He may have been abused in 2003, when his pitch-count totals were too high. But that was three seasons ago, and his disabled-list stints keep mounting at an alarming rate. But I wouldn’t give up on him. He still has plenty of time to put together an excellent career, although his current path more resembles that of Curt Schilling than Greg Maddux. Schilling, 39, made his debut in 1988 with Baltimore, didn’t pitch a full season in the majors until 1992 with Houston, and after 14- and 16-win seasons in 1992-93, suffered through three more injury-shortened, ineffective seasons before beginning his run of excellence with Philadelphia in 1997. That’s why he is approaching his 200th career win only now. Contrast that to Maddux, 40, who made his debut in 1986, went 8-18 his first two seasons, then began his record stretch of 15-win seasons (including four consecutive Cy Young Awards), and is at 322 victories and counting.
Q. Why do teams rush into long-term contracts with players such as Derrek Lee and David Ortiz? I’m not saying these guys aren’t good, but I don’t expect them to put up the same numbers for the next 4-6 years. When Albert Pujols signed the long-term deal, it made sense.
— Sang Woo, British Columbia
A. The Cubs and Red Sox didn’t really rush in. Lee and Ortiz could have become free agents after this season if their teams didn’t pick up 2007 options. So, rather than let the sluggers test the market, both teams locked them up. They did what they had to do, because if they weren’t willing to hand out those types of contracts, somebody else would have. But I get your point. What you can question in both cases is the length of the guaranteed deals. Personally, I think a five-year deal is too long for a player who already has reached his 30th birthday. Lee will get $65 million, and will be in Chicago through 2010, when he will turn 35. Ortiz will get $52 million, and will be in Boston through 2010, when he will turn 35. As we have already seen with Lee, there always is the risk of injury, especially with players over 30 — although in this case, the injury was freakish. But Lee has been one of the game’s most durable players, averaging 159 games per season since 2000, and Ortiz as a designated hitter shouldn’t lose too much time to injury, either.
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A. I mentioned Miller in my preseason preview of the Cubs, and I don’t think he’s a mystery to anybody. Everybody knows what he can do when healthy, but it has been awhile since that was the case. His two best years were 16-8, 3.40 in 2001 and 15-4, 3.28 in 2002, and his last full season was 14-13, 4.13 in 2003. Since then, he’s made only 31 starts over the last two seasons, and coming off surgery, he has just begun to face hitters in batting practice sessions. He could be back in the Cubs’ rotation in a month or so, but you can’t expect him too much from him for awhile. That said, I think Miller (still only 29) was an excellent low-risk pickup by the Cubs, one that could pay off nicely later this season, but more likely, in 2007.
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.
After leading by 18 points in the first half, the Los Angeles Lakers were staring at a four-point deficit with less than two minutes to play.
