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.
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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.
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Rick Pitino signed a three-year contract extension with the Louisville Cardinals on Thursday that could keep him at the school through 2013, long enough for a highly anticipated downtown arena to open.
“I’m a very lucky, I was going to say young man, but I’m a very lucky old man,” the 54-year-old Pitino said with a laugh.
The new deal increases Pitino’s annual salary from $1.65 million to $2.25 million beginning next season, and will pay him $2.5 million a year if he stays until the end of the contract. The contract also boosted a loyalty bonus due Pitino on July 1 from $1 million to $1.75 million. He’ll receive loyalty bonuses of $3.6 million in 2010 and 2013 if he remains with the school.
“He’s worth every penny of it, probably double it,” said Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich.
Pitino is 142-58 in six seasons at Louisville and led the Cardinals to the 2005 Final Four. Louisville went 24-10 last year, losing to Texas A&M in the second round of the NCAA tournament. He is 494-182 in 21 seasons overall, and won a national championship at Kentucky in 1996.
The deal comes a month after the Wildcats signed Billy Gillispie to a seven-year contract that will pay him $2.3 million a season.
Pitino said he isn’t thinking about retirement yet, but plans to finish his career with the Cardinals.
“You can never say never, but as long as Tom Jurich is here as the athletic director, I will always be here,” Pitino said. “This is where I want to live. This is where I want to coach.”
Pitino has been part of a drive by the school to update its athletic facilities to compete in the Big East. Louisville is opening up a sparkling new practice gym in the fall, and a 20,000-seat downtown arena is scheduled to open its doors in 2010.
The new buildings, plus a team that returns eight of its top nine players next season, have rejuvenated Pitino, who hired his son Richard as an assistant coach last month.
“When the day comes where I can’t do every individual instruction, can’t do practice, can’t break down the film, can’t live on the road recruiting-wise, that’s the time to retire and I’m a long way from that,” Pitino said. “I’m more energetic today than I was 20 years ago.”
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.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 15 points and Evan Smotrycz added 13, helping No. 22 Michigan remain unbeaten at home with a 70-61 win over Illinois on Sunday.
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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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