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: Syracuse is among a solid group of No. 1 seeds in our latest tournament projections, but the middle of the pack is much more murky.
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.
AP file
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. - Michael Vick looked as though he didn’t have a care in the world when he emerged from the Atlanta Falcons’ locker room. He took a seat on the metal bleachers and broke into a slight grin when he looked up at the horde of reporters and camera crews, who had him pinned in from all sides.
“How y’all doing?” he asked.
Then things turned serious. Wearing a T-shirt that said “Pay The Price,” the NFL’s greatest running quarterback quickly made it clear he wouldn’t be talking about his ties to an alleged dog-fighting ring. This was Vick in full scramble mode, attempting to elude the sordid case much as he might attempt to escape a 300-pound defensive end.
“I know y’all are here to talk about the ongoing investigation back home in Virginia,” he said after the first practice of a mandatory three-day minicamp. “As of right now, that situation is still under investigation. My attorney has advised me not to talk about the situation right now. That’s the best thing.”
He took eight questions in just under 3½ minutes, two of which appeared to be planted by the Falcons public relations department. Team broadcaster David Archer jumped in to ask Vick about the upcoming season and how excited he was to be calling audibles in new coach Bobby Petrino’s system.
Of course, everyone else was there to poke and prod about the latest in a series on embarrassing revelations involving the star quarterback.
He did vow to change his ways, saying he is mindful of how he’s viewed by fans. When asked for specifics, Vick replied, “You’ll have to wait and see. Just don’t plan on talking about me anymore unless it’s about football.”
The only other time he deviated from the “I can’t talk about that” script came when someone queried him on his meeting with team owner Arthur Blank, who said he’s worried that Vick’s latest troubles could bring a suspension from the NFL.
“We had a great conversation,” Vick said. “He told me some things, and he was pretty bold in saying exactly what he needed to say. I heard him out clearly. I know he means business.”
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who has vowed to crack down on misbehaving players, already met with Vick and could suspend him if it’s shown that the quarterback knew about dozens of mistreated dogs allegedly used for fighting. There’s also the chance of criminal charges; dog fighting is a felony in Virginia.
The animals were found at a home owned by Vick in Surry County, Va. He denied any wrongdoing during the NFL draft, saying a cousin lived at the house and he rarely went there. Vick insisted that he didn’t know that a large kennel on the property might be involved in a criminal activity.
Rotoworld: Oregon RB LaMichael James and Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon among top 10 players who are being overhyped for the 2012 draft.
Rotoworld: Texas A&M QB Ryan Tannehill among the 10 players who will slip down draft boards, but probably shouldn't.
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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.