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“The Car of Tomorrow will eventually create the most dynamic change in racing in the long history of Nextel Cup,” he said. “As drivers and crews continue to adapt, the racing will be more competitive and we will see a significant increase in side-by-side racing.”
NASCAR has been pleased with the car through its first five events and cites an average margin of victory of .505 seconds — compared with 1.286 seconds in the same five races last season — as proof the car has improved racing.
It also says there have been six fewer did-not-finish results through the same race sequence, and 13 teams have used the same chassis for three of the five races.
NASCAR recognizes the car is a work in progress. Series officials had hoped teams would want to use the COT full time in 2008 because more use produces more information on how to make improvements.
“We feel like making this decision now gives teams an idea of what is coming and lets them put more resources into the new car,” Pemberton said. “Teams can work on program for next year and everyone will be able to get a better grasp on the entire project.”
The Toyota teams have been the loudest proponents for going strictly to the COT because focusing on one program could alleviate many of the manufacturer’s struggles. Toyota’s teams have struggled to make races this season, the automaker’s first in the Nextel Cup.
“It will help us tremendously because we’re a startup organization and it would help us streamline our efforts,” said Michael Waltrip, who is running a three-car team. “It will save everybody money. It will be more competitive going forward and I look forward to it being all-in right away.”
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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.
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.
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.