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"Zero,'' Francona said when asked if he had any concerns about Ramirez continuing to produce at a high level. "He's one of the best hitters I've ever seen and I would think that will continue as long as he wants it to.''
So now Ramirez is effectively entering a free agent year, and history is on his side. In 2000, just before he hit the market and joined the Red Sox, Ramirez played in only 118 games with the Cleveland Indians. He nonetheless batted .351 with 38 home runs and 122 RBI — better than one RBI per game — while establishing career bests in on-base percentage (.457) and slugging percentage (.697). Former Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette subsequently signed Ramirez to a contract that the new Sox administration (headed by owner John Henry, president Larry Lucchino and general manager Theo Epstein) regarded as a pair of cement shoes.
Now here we are, in the spring of 2008, and Ramirez has knocked in more runs over the last seven years than any player but Rodriguez or Albert Pujols. (Ramirez actually has more RBI per game played.) One year after the Red Sox placed Ramirez on waivers (in 2003) and then tried to trade him (for Rodriguez, as it was), he was named Most Valuable Player of the 2004 World Series. Last fall, he backboned the Boston offense in another run to the world title, only supporting the argument that the entire Red Sox offense is built around him.
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Now Ramirez is on the verge of free agency.
It certainly seems as if he has to earn his money.
In 2008, both he and the Red Sox are literally banking on it.
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.
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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.
