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
LATROBE, Pa. - Ben Roethlisberger’s first two seasons are unmatched by any quarterback in NFL history. Not many have had a worse season than he did last year.
From his scary motorcycle crash to an appendectomy, the multiple concussions and the many interceptions, it was a forgettable and, in part, regrettable season for Roethlisberger. He didn’t resemble the quarterback who was 13-0 during the regular season as a rookie in 2004 or, the season after that, the one who became the youngest to win the Super Bowl.
“It was a bad year,” Roethlisberger said.
That’s why he was so eager to distance himself from a season that couldn’t have started much worse, with him on the sidelines after having his appendix removed four days before the opener. He also sustained two concussions, threw a league-high 23 interceptions and was sacked 46 times, twice as many as the season before.
Roethlisberger also lacked the we’ll-get-it-done-somehow confidence of his first two seasons and, at times, it seemed he was also missing the trust of former coach Bill Cowher.
Any wonder Roethlisberger began working out for this new season in mid-January, only a couple of weeks after the Steelers’ 8-8 season ended and much earlier than in the past?
“He has behaved like a franchise quarterback,” new coach Mike Tomlin said. “I know he is very motivated and very competitive. I know on a personal note he has some critics to answer to, which is great.”
Roethlisberger, sweat still dripping off his face moments after his first full practice under Tomlin ended Tuesday, said the only critic he must satisfy is the one in his mirror.
“I’ve got to prove it to myself,” Roethlisberger said. “You can say all you want, that you’ve got to prove it to the fans, the media, to people, I’m just trying to go out and prove to myself that I can do it, that my career’s not over and last year was just a fluke.”
Roethlisberger’s comedown was a steep one — he was greatly responsible for the Steelers’ 2-6 start — partly because his ascension was so remarkably fast. Only four months after leading the Steelers to three consecutive road playoff victories and their first Super Bowl title in 26 years, he nearly died of head and chest injuries in a crash made worse because he lacked the protective helmet Cowher all but begged him to wear.
Roethlisberger recovered faster than expected from the accident, missing no time during training camp, only to have the appendix attack. He returned for the Steelers’ second game, a 9-0 loss in Jacksonville, but played poorly to set the tone for his season and his team’s.
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