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.
Reuters
NEW YORK - Jack Cust sat at his locker while most of his teammates chowed down at a table in the visitors locker room at Yankee Stadium. He sheepishly admitted to being tired after a rare full day in the field.
“Usually I get taken out late in the game for, I guess, defensive purposes,” he said with a grin.
Cust slugged his way to the finish Sunday, hitting a three-run homer in Oakland’s seven-run second inning against Andy Pettitte and finishing with four RBIs in the Athletics’ 11-5 victory over the slumping New York Yankees.
Dan Haren (10-2) pitched 5 1-3 innings to win his career-best 10th straight decision and improve to 4-0 in seven career starts against the Yankees. Oakland’s lone All-Star allowed a season-high five runs in his shortest outing since he lasted only five innings in a no-decision against New York on April 13.
“I just didn’t have my legs under me today,” said Haren, who had a cold for a few days before his start. “I was just battling, just trying to get through it, and I was fortunate obviously to get all the runs I did.”
Oakland was ranked 13th of 14 teams in the AL in runs scored entering play, but roughed up Pettitte (4-6) on its way to finishing 3-7 on its longest road trip of the season.
“It wasn’t the best road trip but it was a great finish,” manager Bob Geren said. “Two out of three against the Yankees in New York, anybody I think would take that.”
Andy Phillips tied a career high with three hits and Melky Cabrera had two hits for the Yankees, who have lost nine of their last 11 games. At 37-41, this is the latest New York has been under .500 in a season since Sept. 5, 1995, when it was 60-61.
“It seems like every team that’s playing us is playing pretty good,” said Derek Jeter, one of three Yankees selected for the All-Star game. “You try to stay positive but, yeah, it gets frustrating.”
Oakland’s first four batters of the second inning singled, with Kurt Suzuki’s base hit driving in Bobby Crosby to make it 2-0. Pettitte got Shannon Stewart to fly out to right but Mark Ellis followed with a sacrifice fly.
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It just got worse for Pettitte from there. Cust hit a three-run drive to right-center for his 14th homer of the season. Eric Chavez reached on a double and Dan Johnson drove a 1-2 pitch out to right for a two-run shot, making it 8-0.
“It happened so quick,” Cust said. “It was just like we had a couple of hits that weren’t exactly crushed and then, you know, we ended up hitting the ball a little harder as we went on. I know the pitch I hit wasn’t where it was supposed to be.”
Johnson’s ninth homer was it for Pettitte, who stood with his hands on his hips and looked at the ground as manager Joe Torre approached the mound. He gave up nine hits and eight runs, seven earned, in his shortest outing since he recorded five outs for the Yankees against the Chicago Cubs on June 8, 2003.
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.
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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.
