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.
PBT: Jeremy Lin wasn't his hot self on Saturday, but he still led the Knicks to victory.
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“It was a matter of just not being aggressive enough early in the count,” Maroth said. “I made a lot of pitches that would have been good with two strikes, or when I was ahead in the count but early in the count you’ve got to make them put it in play.
Kelvin Jimenez (2-0) got one out for the win, throwing a called third strike past Jason Bay to end the second with the bases loaded.
Bullington gave up five runs and seven hits over three innings in his second big league outing. He received a $4 million bonus when he signed with the Pirates out of Ball State, then went 34-17 in three minor league seasons, his climb through the minors slowed by a shoulder injury that sidelined him for 2006.
He also singled in his first career plate appearance in the second and scored his first run later in the inning.
“My fastball was a little flat and my slider was a little loopy at times,” said Bullington, who made one relief appearance for Pittsburgh in September 2005. “They took advantage of it, that’s for sure.”
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Davidson worked the sixth and allowed four runs — three earned — and four hits.
Aaron Miles and David Eckstein each had three hits and an RBI for the Cardinals, who split the four-game series. Jose Bautista had two hits and two RBIs for the Pirates.
Maroth escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first, getting Pearce on a called third strike. Bautista and Freddy Sanchez hit consecutive RBI singles in the second tie it at 2.
Notes: The start of the game was delayed 1 hour, 26 minutes because of rain, and there was a mandatory 30-minute delay before the game was called with no outs in the top of the ninth. Wednesday’s game began after a 49-minute rain delay. ... One of the biggest cheers of the day came when the crowd noticed on the jumbo scoreboard that the Dodgers had taken the lead in a four-run ninth against the Cubs in a 7-4 victory. “The crowd goes crazy and you’ve got to look up yourself,” Ankiel said. ... Miles is batting .476 (20-for-42) with six RBIs against the Pirates. ... The Cardinals’ previous seven-RBI game was by Scott Rolen on Sept. 15 last year at home against the Giants. ... Jack Wilson had two hits and was 11-for-16 in the series. He’s batting a major league-best .409 (36-for-88) since Aug. 1.
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.
