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.
APHenry, 20, was the 17th overall selection in the 2005 amateur draft. He was hitting .232 with two homers and 33 RBIs in 76 games for Charleston in the South Atlantic League. He’ll be assigned to Class-A Lakewood.
Sanchez, 18, and Monasterios, 20, both were signed in 2004 and played for the Gulf Coast Yankees. Sanchez was hitting .264 in 23 games, and Monasterios was 1-2 with a 2.97 ERA in seven games. Both will be assigned to Philadelphia’s Gulf Coast League team in Clearwater, Fla.
The trade reunites the 32-year-old Abreu with his former manager, Larry Bowa, who is the Yankees’ third-base coach.
“There might be less pressure here than in Philadelphia,” Bowa said. “He felt if he didn’t do it, no one was going to do it.”
One of the most underrated players in the league for years, Abreu made his first trip to the All-Star game in 2004 and thrust himself into the national spotlight with a tremendous power display in the Home Run Derby during All-Star week last year, hitting a record 41 homers.
But the left-handed hitting Abreu left his power stroke in Detroit, site of the 2005 Midsummer Classic. He has just 14 homers since, and hasn’t gone deep since June 13, a span of 132 at-bats.
“We are not looking for him to do anything other than what he has been doing,” Cashman said.
A fan favorite early in his career, Abreu was sometimes vilified in Philadelphia in recent years. Though he won his first Gold Glove last season, Abreu’s defense was heavily criticized, especially because it often appeared he shied away from contact with the wall.
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Some critics say he takes too many pitches, particularly in clutch situations with runners on base. And, Abreu’s preference to bat third when he might have been a perfect fit as a leadoff hitter in Philadelphia’s lineup made him appear selfish.
Abreu has batted at least .300 six times, including a career-best .335 in 1999. He had 30-homer seasons in 2001 and 2004, and stole more than 30 bases in each of those years.
The Yankees have been without Matsui since he broke his left wrist in May, and Sheffield hasn’t played since May 29 because of a wrist injury.
Sheffield is targeting a return in September, while Matsui is hoping to come back next month — though that might be a bit optimistic.
“If we get those guys back, it’s gravy,” Cashman said.
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.
