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.
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“I’ve been worried about her, because I wouldn’t want to see her get hurt or get into trouble that she couldn’t get out of out there,” Della Mae Darst said, sitting in her Blairstown home. “I just tell her ’Be careful.”’
Between now and the 2009 Iditarod, the biggest challenge for Darst may be money. Sled dog racing is not a cheap hobby. St. George, the Iditarod spokesman, estimates it can cost between $50,000 and $100,000 just to get a team qualified to run the race.
The entry fee is $3,000.
Darst estimates she spends about $1,500 a month on food, supplements and veterinary bills. Then there’s the booties, harnesses, sleds and other equipment. Buying a leader — a dog that runs at the front of the pack and is trained to follow commands — can cost as much as $5,000, and even the dogs at the back of the pack can cost hundreds of dollars, Darst said.
Darst has some sponsors but pays most of her expenses with money she makes teaching flying.
Next fall, she plans to train in Michigan, where it will be colder than New Jersey. In January, she’ll head to Alaska to train before the March race.
Some animal rights activists have complained that the Iditarod dogs are driven to the point of exhaustion and sometimes death.
But Darst says the animals would never run so hard if they didn’t enjoy the experience. Before a recent training run, the dogs are generally quiet as they’re put in their harnesses.
But as the dogs are hooked up to the gangline linking them to the ATV on a snowless day, the cacophony of barking builds as the animals pull at the harness to get going.
When Darst lets go of the ATV’s brakes, the animals fall silent as they begin to run. Darst experiences the same peacefulness she enjoys when flying.
“When you’re standing on the runners (of the sled) and seeing (the dogs) enjoy themselves and running down a pretty trail that’s peaceful, and seeing the countryside like nobody else sees it, it’s pretty nice,” she said.
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.
NEW YORK (AP) - As the glow fades from the Giants' Super Bowl triumph, some New York sports fans are tuning in to basketball and hockey, with the Rangers in first place and the Knicks' overnight sensation, Jeremy Lin, sparking "Lin-sanity.''
Robins: This year, six new breeds will be making their debut on the green carpet for the Westminster Dog Show, which begins Monday.
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'Last Great Race' Check out images as the world’s best mushers drive their dog teams on the 2007 1,100-mile Iditarod in Alaska. more photos |
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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.