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.
Mike Stone / Reuters
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - All-American Candace Parker was cleared Thursday by Tennessee team doctors to play against LSU in the Final Four, two days after dislocating her shoulder.
Parker will wear a shoulder brace in the national semifinal game Sunday.
Team trainer Jenny Moshak said Parker has good range of motion and strength. Parker dislocated her shoulder twice during the Lady Vols’ win Tuesday over Texas A&M, a game in which she returned from injury to finish with 26 points.
Parker scored 28 points against LSU (31-5) in the Southeastern Conference championship game. Her defense is also an important element for Tennessee (34-2).
Freshman guard Angie Bjorklund said Thursday that Parker’s blocking ability, guard Alexis Hornbuckle’s stealing prowess and Nicky Anosike’s defensive rebounding will get the team to its second straight title game appearance.
“I think that the offense, it needs to come from our defense and our intensity on defense in getting steals, getting rebounds and easy lay-ups,” Bjorklund said.
Bjorklund is one of several Lady Volunteers struggling from the field, and Hornbuckle said Tennessee cannot rely on its normally excellent shooting skills in the Final Four.
“It always seems to trickle up on us in postseason: Our shooting percentage just seems to go down,” Hornbuckle said.
Coach Pat Summitt said she thought Tennessee’s poor shooting hurt the team mentally in a 74-64 win over Notre Dame in the regional semifinal, a game in which the Lady Vols trailed at halftime and needed Parker’s 34 points and 13 rebounds to win.
She let her players know how disappointed she was after that game, and felt they responded with improved defense against Texas A&M.
Parker isn’t struggling with her shooting, but other starters are. In the past two games, Shannon Bobbitt is 5-of-14, Anosike is 5-of-12 and Alberta Auguste is 3-of-15.
Summitt said every team that’s good enough to make it to the Final Four knows how to turn up the defensive heat on opponents. On top of that, players often are overwhelmed by the pressure of needing to win to advance.
“I don’t think you’re as relaxed offensively,” Summitt said. “You can try to talk them through it and encourage them. I feel like a cheerleader during postseason more than a coach sometimes.”
Summitt said she gave Parker the option to rest Thursday while the rest of her teammates went through a light practice before catching their plane to Tampa. Parker opted to practice to try out the new shoulder brace she’ll be wearing this weekend.
“It felt really good on the floor getting some shots up, getting used to the brace,” she said. “I was going to play, but you know it was a relief to be able to play and get the OK from the doctors.”
Summitt thinks it’s just that kind of determination that will earn the Lady Vols an attempt at their eighth national title and first opportunity for back-to-back titles since 1998.
“It’s her toughness, it’s her focus, it’s her desire to win another championship,” she said. “I marvel at how mentally strong Candace is.”
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.
Beyond the Arc: No. 11 Michigan State ends No. 3 Ohio State's 39-game home winning streak with a 58-48 victory.
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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.
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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.