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.
APDon't rule out the presence of Captain America in some form with this team. Chelios says he wants to be part of the team. Whether it's as a 48-year-old player or an assistant coach, Chelios has done enough to merit consideration. He played in four Olympics and was Team USA captain in the past three.
So who would be captain? From the standpoint of experience, the Red Wings' Brian Rafalski or Minnesota Wild forward Brian Rolston are obvious choices, as are as New York Rangers centers Chris Drury and Scott Gomez. But for me, the man Americans ought to consider is Mike Komisarek of the Montreal Canadiens. Komisarek is physical and improving rapidly. He'll be 28 for the '10 Games, a perfect age to take on a leadership role with a young, hungry and upset-minded squad.
The U.S. went to the Olympics once too often with players influenced by the Lake Placid miracle, and most of the '06 Turin team will be too old for Vancouver. There are few obvious American superstars — only Gomez is among the NHL's top 25 scorers. But there is an emerging generation of players, forged by the U.S. National Developmental Program, that should be ready. Kane and Phoenix Coyotes rookie Peter Mueller are part of it. I'm also talking about tough and savvy two-way players like the Vancouver Canucks' Ryan Kesler and David Legwand of the Predators. And if the prospect of defensemen Erik Johnson and Jack Johnson playing together again doesn't get you excited, I don't know what will.
Team USA also will need help from Phil Kessel, Paul Stastny, Ryan Suter and Lee Stempniak, all of whom saw significant ice time in the '07 world championships.
If it wanted, USA Hockey could have the youngest team at Vancouver. In a short, intense set of games, a surplus of young legs would be a great advantage.
That leaves one question to answer: Who plays in goal? The list is awfully short, topped by Rick DiPietro of the New York Islanders and Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres. Both have been brilliant at times, but neither rivals Evgeni Nabokov, Roberto Luongo or Martin Brodeur.
In a short series like the Olympic tournament, catching lightning in a bottle can result in a gold medal. Mike Richter proved that in the 1996 World Cup.
Team USA can't afford to go to Vancouver hoping somebody is going to get hot.
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.
Check out highlights from the Rangers 3-2 win over the Capitals.
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Komisarek 'living the dream' Feb. 14: Canadiens' defenseman says there's no other place he'd rather play than Montreal. |
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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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