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
CLEVELAND - Over the fence, over the bushes and into the trees. Manny Ramirez’s homer was something to behold.
Ramirez hit the third-longest home run at Jacobs Field, a tree-clearing solo shot into a monument area, and added a two-run homer as the Boston Red Sox outslugged the Cleveland Indians 14-9 on Thursday night.
Ramirez’s tape-measure rocket in the second inning off Cliff Lee (5-8), conservatively estimated at 481 feet, set the tone for the Red Sox, who won three of the four games against one of the AL’s other premier teams.
“It was a bomb,” said Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis. “I don’t know how they measure it, but he crushed it.”
After the Indians closed to 12-9, Ramirez connected again with an eighth-inning drive that barely cleared the wall in center. It was his 49th multihomer game, tying Hall of Famers Mel Ott and Eddie Mathews for 12th on the career list.
Following the game, Ramirez declined an interview request as he dressed in the corner of Boston’s clubhouse.
Wily Mo Pena hit a three-run homer and had four RBIs, and Jason Varitek and Mike Lowell drove in two runs apiece as the Red Sox and Indians combined for 23 runs after consecutive 1-0 games.
Ryan Garko hit a three-run shot and Franklin Gutierrez homered for the Indians.
Julian Tavarez (6-8) relieved starter Kason Gabbard in the fifth, working out of a bases-loaded jam. He pitched 2 1-3 innings.
The Red Sox opened a 9-1 lead with a five-run fifth, putting Gabbard in position to improve to 5-0.
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Travis Hafner was hit with a pitch to force in a run and Boston manager Terry Francona pulled Gabbard before things got any worse. Tavarez came on and got Ryan Garko to line out to center.
“It’s kind of embarrassing to have a 9-l lead and have that happen,” Gabbard said. “I’m just looking forward to my next start.”
Pena’s fifth homer, a laser shot off reliever Tom Mastny’s first pitch in the seventh, gave Boston a 12-5 lead.
“That was one of the hardest balls I’ve seen go out,” Francona said. “I thought it might go through (the wall).”
Down by seven, the Indians chipped away and closed to 12-9 in the seventh when Hafner snapped an 0-for-21 skid with an RBI single and Garko connected for his 13th homer.
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.
