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.
EPA
|
LONDON - Andy Roddick had his quarterfinal match literally on his racket -- he was up by two sets to love and had a service break in the third set.
That was the time that Roddick needed to really bring it home because his opponent Richard Gasquet truly didn’t have any hope at that point in the match.
What happened was a radically different ending than most expected. Roddick failed in his mission to close out the Frenchman and the third-seeded American went home a quarterfinal loser as Gasquet pulled off a stunning 4-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-3), 8-6 victory.
If any player leaves this Wimbledon the victim of a most bitter and disappointing defeat, it's Roddick. Maybe he gets come company in that regard from Justine Henin, the women's top-seed who was stunned by little-known Marion Bartoli in the semifinals, but that's of little consolation to Roddick.
Red, white and very blue
This loss was a real blot for Roddick because of his inability to close out a match from such a winning position. Ostensibly, grass is Roddick's favorite surface. After bowing out of the French Open in the first round he said he couldn’t wait to get on the grass. Given that and his talent when Roddick is facing Gasquet on a lawn he is supposed to leave it the victor. Instead he's gone from the All-England Club carrying on his shoulders the burden of very attainable goal left unrealized.
The two top American men on tour -- Roddick and James Blake, who lost to Juan Carlos Ferrero in a fourth-set tiebreaker in the third-round -- both couldn't put the hammer down and send opponents packing when they had the chance. As discouraging as that is for both players, it's just as discouraging for American tennis fans.
Once Roddick gave the 14th-seeded Gasquet a bit of breathing room, allowing him to win the third-set tiebreaker, the Frenchman started to believe and that was bad news for the American. Even though he was still behind, Gasquet was starting to gain momentum. Roddick didn’t fall apart in the final three sets that were incredibly close, but when a player has two sets in the bag, and is leading in the third set by 4-2, there’s got to be something wrong if he can’t post the win against a lower-ranked player.
There was the potential for disaster and Roddick could do nothing to avoid it. That's not what's expected from a top-10 player. A big spot calls for a big-time response. Big shotmaking, big fight, that gets it done. Roddick didn't have any of that, and that's got to be alarming to the player and his camp.
A ruthless Roddick is required
Roddick and his coach, Jimmy Connors, are going to need to have some conversations about this match. I can tell you one thing without reservation -- this was the kind of match that Jimmy Connors wouldn’t have let get away. Connors now lives and dies with every point Roddick plays. To see his pupil fail to slam the door on Gasquet had to be most upsetting and troubling to him.
Roddick needs to learn how to be ruthless right to the end in matches. Unless he starts to become that he is going to leave himself open to disillusioning losses like the one to Gasquet. Roddick and Connors have been together for nearly a year, and I can’t imagine there's anyone better than Connors at teaching a player how to be ruthless from first point to last point.
Connors is a positive for Roddick and they have done some good things while paired as coach and player. Connors pulled Roddick together nicely after he lost to Andy Murray in the third-round at Wimbledon last year, so much so that Roddick reached the U.S. Open final. Roddick must now again put his game in the hands of Connors. He also may need his confidence rebuilt after the collapse against Gasquet.
Roddick once again leaves a major not having lived up to expectations. That's got to be very frustrating for him and for his coach. It will make for a very interesting summer for this pairing. Can they click to the extent that Roddick will have rid himself of the bad memories from the French Open and Wimbledon in time to be a true top contender at the U.S. Open? Well, for one thing, his season is riding on it.
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.
 | Slideshow |
 |
NBCSports.com |
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.
