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.
Marlies Schild of Austria won her sixth World Cup slalom of the season Saturday after overall leader Lindsey Vonn and defending champion Maria Hoefl-Riesch crashed out in the opening run on the windy Pyrenees course.
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.
Reuters file
TAMPA, Fla. - Alex Rodriguez says he was exaggerating when he claimed he was given nine or 10 drug tests last year.
Rodriguez made his original statement Wednesday, before the Yankees’ first full-squad workout of the year. If A-Rod had been tested that many times, either he was selected for an unusually high number of random checks or he might have been subjected to additional tests — which would happen, for instance, if a panel decides there was reasonable cause or a player tests positive for a banned stimulant for the first time.
“I know it was more than one,” Rodriguez said after Thursday’s workout. “It’s a few. The lesson is, you’ve got to be very, very specific with what you say because everything then will come back and people are going to ask you. I learned my lesson.”
Under baseball’s drug-testing rules, players are tested at least twice: within five days of arriving at spring training and again at a randomly picked unannounced date. There also are 600 additional random tests, of which as many as 60 may be conducted during the offseason.
“I was simply stating, just for the sake of saying that I felt we have a very good testing system in place,” Rodriguez said. “I think we have an effective system in place. I was commending major league baseball. That was the story, not how many times I got tested.”
Asked whether he tested positive for a stimulant or had been subject to reasonable cause testing, Rodriguez responded: “No.”
Initial positive tests for a stimulant are not announced.
“It’s very frustrating when you hear the general public talking about how relaxed our testing system is,” Rodriguez said. “So I was bringing light to that.”
In other A-Rod news, he said Derek Jeter could wind up as the AL MVP.
“That’s my prediction of the year,” Rodriguez said of Jeter. “And I think Bobby (Abreu) is going to have a monster season”
|
The Yankees will be depending on young players such as Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, Melky Cabrera and Robinson Cano in the attempt to catch the World Series champion Boston Red Sox, who have utilized youth successfully in recent years.
“I think what the Red Sox have done well, I think we’re starting to do the same thing as of late,” Rodriguez said.
Notes: RHP Chien-Ming Wang is considered the front-runner to start the season opener, but new manager Joe Girardi is not ready to make an announcement. “(I have) a pretty good idea,” the manager said. “We’ve got to make sure people are at where they are supposed to be.” ... Jason Giambi is in the mix for significant playing time at first base. “I’ve been very impressed with Jason,” Girardi said. “Jason has done everything we’ve asked. He came in great shape. We’ll watch him everyday.” Giambi made just 16 starts last season at first due to injuries. ... RHP Mike Mussina has a poster of a waterfront scene as seen through a window on a barren cinder block wall next to his locker in an attempt to brighten up the area. ... Pitchers taking part in the first batting practice session Friday include Wang, Chamberlain, Mussina and Kennedy.
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.
 | Slide show |
 |
more photos |
HardballTalk headlines |
 | Interactive |
 |
| Slideshow |
 | Unbreakable records in baseball A look at the most unbreakable records in baseball including Nolan Ryan's seven no-hitters. |
| Slideshow |
 | The top tools of baseball You hear a lot about the tools of baseball, but who are the best hitters, fielders and pitchers? We break it down. more photos |
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.
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.
