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 three goals as the New York Rangers beat Philadelphia 5-2 on Saturday for their seventh straight win over the Flyers.
Jeremy Lin hit a free throw with 4.9 seconds left to overcome a dreadful second half and lift the New York Knicks to their fifth straight victory, 100-98, over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.
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.
CFT: Jordan Jefferson makes it clear he wasn't happy with LSU's game plan in the Tigers' BCS Championship Game loss to Alabama.
Move over, Hollywood and NFL types, golf's two real A-listers take center stage Sunday at Pebble Beach, both in need of a win.
The United States swept favored Switzerland out of the Davis Cup on Saturday when Mardy Fish and Mike Bryan beat Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.
Luis Suarez's refusal to shake hands with Patrice Evra overshadowed Manchester United's 2-1 win over rival Liverpool that lifted the defending champions to first place in the Premier League on Saturday.
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
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. - Chad Johnson winced when he got up from his locker Monday and walked stiffly into the trainer’s room, showing the effects of a strained neck suffered during the Cincinnati Bengals’ latest loss.
Coach Marvin Lewis said the Pro Bowl receiver could play Sunday in Baltimore, assuming the neck continues to heal.
“He’s fine,” Lewis said.
Sure didn’t look it. Or sound like it.
Johnson was hit by Buffalo’s Donte Whitner while he tried to make a diving catch during the closing minutes of a 33-21 loss that left the Bengals stranded at 2-6. Johnson lay on his chest for several minutes, and was carted off the field as a precaution.
A test at a Buffalo hospital found no serious injury, and Johnson flew back to Cincinnati with the team. He was in the locker room on Monday, but declined to talk to reporters, shaking his head before getting up with that wince and slowly walking away.
The silence had more to do with bruised feelings. Johnson has declined interviews for the past two weeks, miffed by suggestions that his antics have become a distraction to his sinking team.
Receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, one of Johnson’s closest friends on the team, accompanied him to the hospital after the game Sunday. Houshmandzadeh said Johnson made jokes during the trip, reassuring him that the injury wasn’t serious.
“When we were in the ambulance, I kind of assumed he was going to be all right because of the way he was talking and stuff,” Houshmandzadeh said Monday. “He was just joking around. Nothing in particular, just saying little dumb, corny jokes. But just for him to say that kind of stuff at that moment, I knew he was going to be all right.”
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.
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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Jeremy Lin hit a free throw with 4.9 seconds left to overcome a dreadful second half and lift the New York Knicks to their fifth straight victory, 100-98, over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.
Doron Lamb hit a 3-pointer with 3:18 left to put No. 1 Kentucky ahead to stay, and the Wildcats took a big step toward a Southeastern Conference regular-season title by beating Vanderbilt 69-63 Saturday night for their 17th straight win.
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.