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.
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.
APWilliams added his second homer of the season in the eighth, a drive off former Yankee Randy Keisler, who was called up before the game and made his Oakland debut.
With Matsui sidelined for three months or more and right fielder Gary Sheffield out probably until the end of the month with a wrist injury, Torre said the Yankees will primarily use Bubba Crosby and Melky Cabrera as their corner outfielders. Against the left-handed Zito, Cabrera started in left and Williams in right, and Crosby replaced Cabrera in the eighth inning.
“It’s hard to replace Matsui or Sheffield. It’s almost impossible, those guys mean so much to this team,” Rodriguez said, “but we do have enough in the tank on this team. There’s an abundance of talent in this clubhouse for us to go out and pitch well, and field well and hit well.”
Oakland, which has lost three straight and six of nine, dropped under .500 at 17-18. The A’s were without third baseman Eric Chavez (bacterial infection) and catcher Jason Kendall (serving a suspension) for the fourth straight game, and designated hitter Frank Thomas was out, a day after straining his right quadriceps.
Zito has been victimized by poor run support all season: While he’s been in, the A’s have not scored more than three runs in any of his eight starts, and while he has allowed one run in 20 1-3 innings over his last three starts, he has gone just 1-1 in that span.
He allowed five hits in six innings, struck out four and walked four, losing his seventh straight decision against the Yankees and dropping to 2-9 against them in 15 regular-season starts. Oakland has been shut out in its last three games at Yankee Stadium.
“Unfortunately, just one swing, one pitch, was the difference,” Zito said.
Notes: Yankees RHP Carl Pavano allowed one run and one hit in six innings for Double-A Trenton against Bowie in an Eastern League game, striking out six and walking none. ... There were seven double plays overall. ... It was the Yankees’ most DPs since they turned six against Tampa Bay on June 17, 2003.
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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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.