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.
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.
MLB Photos via Getty Images file
NEW YORK - The Hall of Fame pitched another shutout.
Ron Santo, Jim Kaat, Marvin Miller and all the other candidates were left out Tuesday when the Veterans Committee admitted no new members for the third straight election.
The blank slate could lead to changes before the next vote in 2009.
“We’re being blamed because something hasn’t happened,” Hall member and vice chairman Joe Morgan said. “If you’re asking me, ’Do we lower our standards to get more people in?’ my answer would be no.”
Santo came the closest to the required 75 percent. A nine-time All-Star, the former Cubs third baseman was picked on 57 of 82 ballots (70 percent). Players needed 62 for election.
Kaat, a 283-game winner and strongly backed by Hall member Mike Schmidt, drew 52 votes. Gil Hodges, who hit 370 home runs, got 50 votes and three-time AL batting champion Tony Oliva had 47.
Umpire Doug Harvey received 52 of the necessary 61 votes on the ballot for managers, umpires and executives. Miller, the union head who led players to free-agent riches, showed a strong increase in getting 51 of the potential 81 votes.
“My guy was Jim Kaat, but understand other members have their guys also,” Schmidt told The Associated Press. “Maybe that is the problem when you are trying to evaluate ’bubble’ players on entrance.
“The same thing happens every year. The current members want to preserve the prestige as much as possible, and are unwilling to open the doors,” he said.
The vets committee was revamped after charges of cronyism when it elected Bill Mazeroski in 2001. That marked the eighth straight year the 15-member panel sent someone to Cooperstown.
After that, the panel was expanded to include all living Hall of Famers. The new committee votes every other year for players and every four years for the others.
“We are disappointed that no one has been elected in the three voting cycles,” Hall chairman Jane Forbes Clark said. “We will be evaluating this process and its trends at our next meeting, which is March 13, and discussing whether there should be any changes.”
|
“The board may decide that the trends are not what we thought they were going to be. Perhaps this hasn’t worked as well as some of the board members thought it would and maybe it needs a little bit of change,” she said.
Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn were elected to the Hall by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America in January. They will stand alone at the induction ceremonies July 29 in Cooperstown.
The 84 eligible voters on the vets committee included 61 Hall members, 14 broadcasters, eight writers and one holdover from the previous panel.
Morgan said he voted for the maximum 10 players.
“I feel there are some guys out there that belong in the Hall of Fame,” he said. “The writers voted on these people for 15 years and they weren’t elected. Why are we being criticized because we haven’t elected someone?”
Maury Wills, Joe Torre, Roger Maris, Luis Tiant and Bobby Bonds were among the 27 candidates on the players ballot.
“Noboby got in? That’s too bad. I’m sorry to hear that,” Torre said. “I’m not exactly sure what process they use. Don’t forget, you’ve got the old guard and the young guard. People with different interests.”
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.
 | FREE VIDEO |
 | Shame on the Hall of Fame Feb. 27: Tuesday’s Worst Persons in the World are The Baseball Hall of Fame Committee on Veteran for electing nobody to the Hall of Fame, with the next election in 2009. |
HardballTalk headlines |
 | Interactive |
 |
 | Slideshow |
 | Unbreakable records in baseball A look at the most unbreakable records in baseball including Nolan Ryan's seven no-hitters. |
| Slideshow |
 | The top tools of baseball You hear a lot about the tools of baseball, but who are the best hitters, fielders and pitchers? We break it down. more photos |
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.
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.
