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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.
APHelp from high school hoops
Carlson was the starting center for his high school basketball team, and as a senior he was a McDonald's preseason hoops All-American.
He helped his prep team win three state titles, and finished his high school basketball career with over 1,600 points, almost 1,000 rebounds, and over 400 assists. He was also on Notre Dame's basketball team as a freshman.
Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis has said Carlson's basketball background really helps at the tight end position.
Weis pointed out that with his excellent hands, Carlson came into this season with the potential to be a solid receiving tight end, and he's certainly making the most of his opportunity.
I concur with coach Weis that Carlson's high school basketball experience has helped him considerably in becoming such a solid pass catching threat. It has aided him in terms of footwork, and getting his body in the proper position to make catches.
It also helps him use his body to establish position where the defender doesn't have much of a chance to break up the pass. His ability to catch the ball with his hands is just like his ability to snatch a rebound off the rim.
Taking a fifth?
I would say Carlson is a fast Mark Bavaro, although I don't know if he is as tough as Bavaro, who was by far the toughest tight end I ever played with.
Although not definite, it appears Carlson will be among the senior starters applying to play a fifth season. I think his decision will come after he gauges where he stands in the eyes of NFL scouts.
You don't leave early to get drafted in the third round, but if you can get accurate information that if you enter the NFL draft, you'll be picked in the first or second rounds, then you do it.
Even at 256 pounds, Carlson is pretty lean. He could probably carry 270 pounds, but the thing that is most important is not sacrificing speed for strength or bulk.
If you look at Carlson's arms, you'll see that he already has the strength needed to play pro football.
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So at the next level if he can keep his weight around where it is, he'll be a fleet tight end, who is a double threat having the ability to block effectively and also to catch passes, especially in clutch situations.
If Carlson comes back to Notre Dame next season it could very well be as the best tight end in college football. And with the departures of Samardzija and McKnight, and a new quarterback, he will be counted on heavily in the Irish offense.
Weis gave Fasano his blessing to turn pro since he thought the time was right for him to do so. It remains to be seen what will happen with Carlson after this season, but needless to say the Irish would love to have him back in 2007.
It took a while for the light bulb to go on, but when it did, Jonas Gray finally showed the talent many had expected from the blue-chip prospect from Detroit. In a recent interview, Gray, who is rehabbing an ACL injury to get ready for the NFL Scouting Combine, expressed the confidence and support he has for head coach Brian Kelly.
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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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