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.
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.
Reuters
NEW YORK - The uniforms with No. 22 were hanging in the locker, between the stalls of Jason Giambi and Wil Nieves.
A box stamped “Louisville Slugger” and “ash bats” was leaning inside. On a navy sofa a few feet away, the front page of Yankees Magazine already had Roger Clemens on the cover.
Everything was set for the Rocket to make his 2007 major league debut for the New York Yankees Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
When Clemens initially announced his retirement four years ago, the Yankees gave him an expensive rust-colored Hummer. Turned out it wasn’t a goodbye to baseball or even to New York.
“Just a little memento to put in your living room,” Yankees manager Joe Torre said jokingly Friday. “Knowing the size of his house, it probably would fit in the living room.”
Clemens, who spent the last three seasons with his hometown Houston Astros, was nowhere to be seen at Yankee Stadium on Friday. With the Yankees 10½ games back of AL East-leading Boston to start the night, they were counting on the seven-time Cy Young Award winner to provide a boost to a team that has struggled like a beat-up car this year.
“It doesn’t make a difference if Roger Clemens is on the team or if you bring Babe Ruth back and put him on the team. We have to go out there and play,” Yankees captain Derek Jeter said. “Like I said, when we first signed Rocket, you can’t sit around and wait for him to come. It’s not like he’s going to have some magic over us when he gets here. You want him to give us the opportunity to win on the days he pitches.”
Clemens agreed May 6 to a one-year contract worth $28,000,022 — the last two digits matching his uniform number — dramatically announcing his return from owner George Steinbrenner’s box during the seventh-inning stretch of a game against Seattle. He starts earning his salary Saturday and will get $17,442,637 this season — but he also will cost the Yankees $6,977,054 in luxury tax, making the total $24,419,691.
Torre expects Clemens will throw five or six innings and said the Yankees will start to think about removing the 44-year-old right-hander when he reaches 90 pitches.
Clemens is 5-1 against the Pirates, including 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA last season.
“He’s going to be sky high. He’s a very emotional guy. Hopefully it doesn’t affect his command, but he’s certainly going to be a presence for us tomorrow,” Torre said. “He’s going to be over the top. That’s what he’s all about.”
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.
Clemens returns to Yankees |
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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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