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.
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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.
Euro Roundup: First-place Manchester City won 1-0 at Aston Villa on Sunday on Joleon Lescott's goal in the 63rd minute, maintaining its two-point lead over Manchester United in the Premier League.
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
DENVER - Brad Penny just wanted a minute to catch his breath. The next thing he knew he was being escorted out of the game by trainers.
“I could’ve stayed in,” Penny said after the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 5-4 win over the Colorado Rockies on Thursday night. “I’m like, ’I’m fine.’ They’re like, ’No.”’
Manager Grady Little held his breath after Penny hurt himself in the seventh inning as he beat out an infield single. Penny hunched over after he reached first base and the trainers sprinted out to examine him.
Turns out it was only an abdominal cramp. But Los Angeles didn’t want to take any chances. Not with their ace.
“I was hoping it wasn’t too bad,” Little said. “Anytime you see someone fold over like that, it’s scary.”
Especially after watching Derek Lowe leave the game Wednesday with a groin injury.
The good news kept coming for Little. After the game, Lowe said he wasn’t in much pain and thought he might be in line to make his next start.
“I’m doing good, doing good,” said Lowe, who spent nearly four hours getting an MRI exam Thursday afternoon as the equipment broke down. “I can’t see it lingering on for a long time.”
When Lowe saw Penny doubled over down the first-base line, one thought instantly popped into his mind.
“That we’re not very good athletes,” Lowe said with a grin.
Penny blamed the altitude.
“I’ve never really had a cramp like that in a game,” he said.
Penny (13-1) joined Josh Beckett of Boston, Cleveland’s Fausto Carmona and C.C. Sabathia and Carlos Zambrano of the Chicago Cubs for the major league lead in wins with 13. He also became the first Los Angeles pitcher to begin a season 13-1 since Phil Regan went 14-1 in 1966.
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Yet he was disappointed about leaving the game early.
“I was fine,” said Penny, who’s now 12-0 this season against the National League. “It was a little cramp.”
Takashi Saito pitched the ninth for his 26th save in 29 chances, striking out Matt Holliday with a runner on to end the game. Saito had missed the previous seven games because of a sore right shoulder.
“We miss him when he’s gone. We miss him terribly,” Little said. “It affects us a lot. He looked good out there.”
The Rockies continue to struggle against Los Angeles. The team is 91-128 all-time against the Dodgers, including 2-4 this season. With the loss, Colorado fell 5½ games behind Los Angeles in the NL West.
“We have to beat them,” Holliday said. “They are in first place and we have to beat them when we play them.”
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.
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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.
