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.
Eleven shots separated Phil and Tiger Sunday at Pebble Beach as Lefty secured his 40th Tour win. Jason Sobel had 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.
APLoney tore up the Padres in the series, going 9-for-13 with eight RBIs, raising his batting average to .329. The 23-year-old rookie has five of his 11 homers and 12 of his 52 RBIs in his last seven games. He has played in 80 games this season.
“I’m having fun right now,” he said. “I don’t put too much pressure on myself. They put me in there to produce.”
Said Maddux: “I knew he was good, I played with him last year. He’s not sneaking up on anybody.”
The Dodgers took a 1-0 lead in the first on Loney’s one-out RBI double. Jeff Kent followed with an infield hit that glanced off Maddux to put runners at first and third, but Maddux speared Luis Gonzalez’s hot shot up the middle and started an inning-ending double play.
The Dodgers made it 4-0 in the fourth, scoring on a two-run single by Loney and an RBI single by Gonzalez before Kent tried to score from third on Russell Martin’s fly to center and was thrown out by Mike Cameron for another inning-ending double play.
Maddux was relieved by Kevin Cameron after Wells’ second hit of the game, putting runners at the corners with one out in the fourth. Rafael Furcal’s squeeze bunt made it 5-0, and Loney hit a run-scoring single later in the inning.
Josh Bard singled to start the San Diego sixth and pinch-hitter Morgan Ensberg followed with his 12th homer. Mike Cameron hit his 20th homer two outs later to complete the scoring.
Notes: Furcal scored three runs and had three stolen bases. ... San Diego’s Kevin Kouzmanoff reached base safely in his 10th consecutive at-bat with a second-inning single before grounding to third in the fifth. He had eight hits and two walks during the streak, with the eight consecutive hits tying a franchise record. ... Wells doubled in the third and singled in the fourth, giving him 22 hits in 172 lifetime at-bats (.128). He has 20 singles and two doubles. ... Maddux and Wells matched up for just the second time — their previous meeting was last Sept. 15, when Maddux and the Dodgers beat Wells and the Padres 3-1.
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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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.
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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