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.
Getty Images
BOSTON - It took the Boston Red Sox 10 pitches to hit four straight homers and three days to complete a sweep of the New York Yankees.
In another thrilling chapter in a rich rivalry, the Red Sox tied a major league record with the home run streak and got their third consecutive comeback win with a 7-6 victory Sunday night despite Daisuke Matsuzaka’s shaky debut against the Yankees.
“It certainly brought some life back into the ballpark in a hurry,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said of the third-inning homers off rookie Chase Wright that gave Boston a 4-3 lead.
Mike Lowell hit one of those homers, then connected for a go-ahead, three-run shot in the seventh.
“I haven’t been part of anything like that, not even in Little League,” Lowell said. “The dugout was going crazy. It was really a cool feeling.”
Second baseman Dustin Pedroia made a diving catch to preserve the lead in the eighth inning, and Jonathan Papelbon retired Alex Rodriguez on a game-ending grounder with a runner on, finishing Boston’s first sweep of New York in Fenway Park since 1990.
“It speaks to we’re a good team,” Lowell said. “I don’t think it means anything for the next five months.”
|
This time, first-place Boston moved four games ahead of the third-place Yankees.
“We didn’t play well and we lost three games,” Derek Jeter said. “But we’ve got 147 left.”
Manny Ramirez, J.D. Drew, Lowell and Jason Varitek connected against Wright, making his second major league start.
“I tried to stay calm and cool,” Wright said. “I was just thinking: Attack the next hitter.”
Then, with the Yankees leading 5-4 in the seventh, Lowell’s homer off Scott Proctor (0-1) just cleared the Green Monster in left field for a 7-5 lead.
“It’s a concern,” Yankees manager Joe Torre said of his relievers, who squandered a four-run lead in Friday’s 7-6 loss. “We had the first game in hand and we let it get away from us.”
|
Matsuzaka (2-2) had his worst outing in four big league starts, allowing six runs in seven-plus innings. He finally got some offensive support, though. In his previous two starts, the Red Sox totaled just one run.
“There’s no way I can be satisfied,” he said through a translator. “What I wanted most of all was to hold that lead and I couldn’t do that.”
The right-hander left after giving up a leadoff single in the eighth to Rodriguez, who has hit safely in all 17 games this season. Rodriguez scored on a force play at second, but Pedroia made a backhand grab on a liner by pinch-hitter Josh Phelps, stranding Robinson Cano at third.
“I kind of cheated up the middle, and he hit it really hard,” Pedroia said. “Anytime you sweep the Yankees, you’re doing something right.”
Papelbon pitched the ninth for his sixth save in as many chances, and second in two days.
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.
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.
