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.
APHurdle didn’t have to worry about burning his bullpen because Game 5 wouldn’t have been until Wednesday night. So he sent up rookie Seth Smith, who had only eight career at-bats when he was placed on the playoff roster.
Smith fell behind 0-2 in the count against rookie Micah Owings, then blooped a 1-2 pitch down the left-field line. Like everything else this October for the Rockies, it fell in the perfect place and ended Owings’ streak of 19 scoreless innings.
“In the box score it’ll look like it rattled the wall,” said Smith, whose two-run double put Colorado ahead 2-1.
The Rockies caught another break when Arizona first baseman Conor Jackson couldn’t catch Willy Taveras’ easy grounder. The error set up Kaz Matsui’s run-scoring single — the eighth RBI of the postseason for a player once cast off by the New York Mets.
Holliday sent the sellout crowd of 50,213 into a frenzy when he drove Owings’ slider over the center-field wall to make it 6-1.
Morales allowed one earned run on five hits in four innings. Though he didn’t get the win, the Rockies improved to 8-2 in his 10 major league starts.
Owings, the first pitcher since Whitey Ford in 1953 to have two four-hit games in a season, lived up to his .333 batting average by legging out a single in the first and coming around to score on Jackson’s two-out single in the third.
The Rockies went 2-1 against Boston this season, outscoring the Red Sox 20-5 in a June series at Fenway Park. Colorado last played Cleveland in 2005, getting swept in a three-game set at Jacobs Field.
As the Rockies celebrated on the field and the white NL pennant was raised up the flag pole, their delirious fans rocked the stadium.
“I’ve sat through a lot of miserable Rockies seasons. But this? I’m dreaming,” said Jim Hartman of Denver, a season ticket holder since the team’s inception. “I can’t tell you how many pinch me moments I’ve had in the last month.”
And none of them beat this unbelievable night.
“Can you believe this?” Helton asked. “We’re going to the World Series!”
Notes: Arizona hadn’t lost four straight game since a five-game slide July 4-8. ... The D-backs went 4-for-27 with runners in scoring position in the series. ... The Rockies trailed in just two of the 38 innings. ... Holliday leads all players in the postseason with four home runs. ... Colorado’s starters posted a 1.66 ERA. ... Corpas leads all closers in the playoffs with five saves.
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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