Rotoworld: Oregon RB LaMichael James and Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon among top 10 players who are being overhyped for the 2012 draft.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
The Detroit Red Wings equaled an NHL record with their 20th straight win at home, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 Sunday night on the strength of Johan Franzen's tiebreaking goal early in the third period.
PBT: Boston's Rajon Rondo continues to be named in trade talks, which is madness. The Celtics guard creates offense and makes everyone around him better, which was evident in Sunday's win over the Bulls.
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.
Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods greeted their Sunday pairing at Pebble Beach with optimism. But the day would end happily only for one.
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.
NEW ORLEANS - Notre Dame is looking to go into the offseason feeling good for the first time in a while.
Not only have the Fighting Irish lost eight straight bowl games, they’ve lost their last game all but one season since 1994 — and that lone victory over Purdue came in 2001 on the day before coach Bob Davie was fired.
So as the 11th-ranked Fighting Irish were greeted Thursday by a five-piece jazz band at the team hotel in their official welcome to the Sugar Bowl, Notre Dame was focused on trying to beat fourth-ranked LSU (10-2) and finishing the season on a positive note.
“To get a win in the Sugar Bowl would be an amazing way to cap off the year,” quarterback Brady Quinn said.
The Irish (10-2) have not only lost their final games in recent years, they’ve been on the receiving end of some embarrassing beatings. They lost 41-24 to Colorado in the Fiesta Bowl to finish the 1994 season, 41-9 to Oregon State at the end of the 2000 season, 28-6 to North Carolina State in the Gator Bowl to finish 2002 and 34-20 against Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl last season when the Irish defense gave up 617 yards.
The Irish are also looking for their first win against a highly ranked team in several years. The Irish beat then-No. 3 Michigan 17-10 last season, but the Wolverines finished the season 7-5 and unranked and the victory didn’t look nearly as impressive in hindsight.
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Coach Charlie Weis, who tries to treat all games the same, doesn’t like the term “signature victory” because it goes against his philosophy. He concedes, though, the Irish are eager for a big win — especially the underclassmen who want to send this year’s seniors out with a victory.
“It would just be a way to kind of validate their careers. We know how great LSU is, don’t get me wrong, but it would just be a great way to finish off their careers,” Weis said.
Irish players, though, weren’t as hesitant as Weis to put extra emphasis on the game.
“I think it would be a signature win this year. I wouldn’t say that in the past,” Quinn said. “A win would mean a lot for us this year.”
Linebacker Travis Thomas said a win would send a statement: “Showing that we can play with the big boys and cap off the season on a positive note after losing the two big games we had this year.”
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LSU appears to stack up well with Michigan and USC. The Tigers rank second in total defense and have won six straight.
Safety Tom Zbikowski said it’s been a disappointing season despite the Bowl Championship Series berth.
“Starting the season seeded No. 2 and you don’t finish that way, it’s tough to be satisfied,” he said.
A win against LSU, though, would go a long way in making the Irish feel better.
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.
The Red Wings have finally started to embrace a record they've been chasing.
