Rotoworld: Oregon RB LaMichael James and Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon among top 10 players who are being overhyped for the 2012 draft.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
The Detroit Red Wings equaled an NHL record with their 20th straight win at home, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 Sunday night on the strength of Johan Franzen's tiebreaking goal early in the third period.
PBT: Boston's Rajon Rondo continues to be named in trade talks, which is madness. The Celtics guard creates offense and makes everyone around him better, which was evident in Sunday's win over the Bulls.
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.
Lefty wins his 40th PGA Tour event with his never-ending supply of tricks up his sleeve. What We Learned this week at Pebble Beach.
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.
APNorth Carolina will start the season as the top team in the country, but its hold is tenuous.
The Tar Heels top the preseason USA Today/ESPN college basketball coaches poll, released Friday, despite the fact that UCLA garnered more first-place votes.
North Carolina (31-7) received 10 first-place votes — two less than UCLA — and 739 points from a panel of 31 Division I coaches. The Tar Heels are headlined by junior center Tyler Hansbrough and stellar sophomores Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington.
North Carolina will be looking to rebound from a rough finish to last season, in which it gave up a late 11-point lead en route to a overtime loss to Georgetown in the East Regional Final of the NCAA Tournament.
The Bruins (30-6) are close behind with 734 points. UCLA made its second straight Final Four appearance last season before losing to eventual champion Florida for a second consecutive time.
Memphis (33-4) is third, garnering eight first-place votes and 731 points. The Tigers are riding the nation’s longest home winning streak at 32 games.
The only other team to receive a first-place vote was Kansas (33-5), which sits fourth with 669 points. Georgetown (30-7) rounds out the top five.
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One of five Pac-10 Conference teams in the poll, Washington State is 10th coming off a unexpected 26-8 campaign. The Cougars return four starters from a squad that reached the second round of the NCAAs last year.
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Looking to regroup after the departure of National Player of the Year Kevin Durant, Texas (25-10) is 16th.
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Stanford (18-13) heads up the final five in 21st followed by Kentucky (22-12), Southern Illinois (29-7) and North Carolina State (20-16).
Villanova (22-11) rounds out the poll, which does not include either reigning champion Florida or national runner-up Ohio State.
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.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 15 points and Evan Smotrycz added 13, helping No. 22 Michigan remain unbeaten at home with a 70-61 win over Illinois on Sunday.
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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.
Paul Pierce has been around long enough to know what Rajon Rondo's performance can mean for the aging Boston Celtics.
