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.
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When I heard that former NBA player John Amaechi recently announced that he is gay, I wanted to ask him the question that I think is on everyone’s mind:
“What did you think of that Snickers commercial?”
That’s about it.
I know Amaechi has a book to sell and a story to tell, and I applaud him. I’m sure that he has a cornucopia of thoughts, ideas, anecdotes and observations about what it was like to be a gay professional athlete that are worth putting down on paper. I’m sure most of them can be summed up, and/or paraphrased, this way:
“I didn’t want anyone to know, so I kept a low profile.”
This is news?
The recent decision by the company that makes Snickers to pull the ad broadcast during the Super Bowl that shows two men locking lips and then trying to overcome their discomfort over it — a move that was made after pressure was mounted by a prominent gay and lesbian organization, which felt it painted homosexuality in an unflattering light — actually caused more of a stir than the announcement about Amaechi’s book.
And that’s understandable, because the real issue is how the sports world would react if someone like Amaechi came out while he was still playing in the NBA or another major sports league. And I think there’s a good chance we may never know, because it probably will never happen.
Amaechi’s story is still an important one for some. Without having read the book, “Man in the Middle,” which is due out later this month, it sounds like it’s about a man coming to grips with who he is, and that type of realization is always relevant, whether it pertains to sexuality or some other aspect of human existence. In his case, perhaps his experiences will inspire others to confront themselves and reach a similar point of self-discovery.
But it doesn’t change the status quo. It won’t shake the foundation of a male-dominated sports world. It isn’t a pioneering event.
Instead, it’s more about a man chronicling intolerance from the outside, where such an examination will do the least amount of good.
The real news will break when a player currently drawing a paycheck from a major American sports league announces that he is gay. That will tell us a lot about where we are as a society, and how much further we still have to go.
In response to the release of Amaechi’s book, NBA commissioner David Stern had this to say to the Associated Press: “We have a very diverse league. The question at the NBA is always, ‘Have you got game?’ That’s it. End of inquiry.”
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 YORK (AP) - As the glow fades from the Giants' Super Bowl triumph, some New York sports fans are tuning in to basketball and hockey, with the Rangers in first place and the Knicks' overnight sensation, Jeremy Lin, sparking "Lin-sanity.''
Robins: This year, six new breeds will be making their debut on the green carpet for the Westminster Dog Show, which begins Monday.
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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.
