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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'Dad would have been real proud' Sept. 24: Padres close Trevor Hoffman is emotional when talking about setting the career saves record. |
Smith piled up 478 saves from 1980-1997. The Padres invited Smith to be in San Diego this weekend, but he had prior commitments.
Manager Bruce Bochy said he reflected back on all the times Hoffman has closed games.
“It was emotional for me,” Bochy said. “He’s such a special guy, great teammate. We all know about his talent, but as a person, they just don’t get any better.”
Hoffman’s first two career saves came as a rookie with Florida before the Padres obtained him on June 24, 1993, in what was then a hugely unpopular deal at the height of San Diego’s salary-shedding “fire sale.” The Padres gave up slugger Gary Sheffield, who won the NL batting title with San Diego the previous season.
And to think that Hoffman was booed in his first few appearances in a Padres uniform.
“I knew it was something I couldn’t change in a day,” he said.
Tracy echoed Bochy’s feelings.
“It’s a credit to him because he’s one of the finest people in the game,” said Tracy, who managed the rival Dodgers the previous five seasons. “It’s a tribute to his resiliency. It’s a tribute to his work ethic. It’s a tribute to his moxie because a not a lot of people can do what he does.”
Clay Hensley, backed by impressive home runs from Russell Branyan and Josh Bard, struck out a career-high nine in winning his third straight start for San Diego, which retained its 1½-game lead over the second-place Los Angeles Dodgers. Hensley (11-11) held the Pirates to one run and seven hits.
The Padres have won nine of 12 overall and 14 of their last 16 home games.
Bard put the Padres ahead 2-1 when he greeted reliever Juan Perez (0-1) by homering into the first row of the second deck in left field on a 1-0 pitch leading off the sixth. It was Bard’s career-high ninth.
Pittsburgh went ahead 1-0 in the first on Doumit’s two-out single.
Pittsburgh’s Marty McLeary, making his first big league start at the age of 32, allowed one run and four hits in five innings.
Notes: McLeary made three appearances with the Padres in 2004, with no decisions and a 14.73 ERA in 3 2-3 innings. ... Branyan left after he was hit on a hand by a pitch from Juan Perez on the first pitch after Bard’s homer in the sixth.
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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 | 'He's a great human being' Sept. 24: Padres catcher Mike Piazza, shortstop Geoff Blum and pitcher Woody Williams rave about Hoffman after his record-setting save. |
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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.