Rotoworld: Oregon RB LaMichael James and Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon among top 10 players who are being overhyped for the 2012 draft.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
The Detroit Red Wings equaled an NHL record with their 20th straight win at home, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 Sunday night on the strength of Johan Franzen's tiebreaking goal early in the third period.
PBT: Boston's Rajon Rondo continues to be named in trade talks, which is madness. The Celtics guard creates offense and makes everyone around him better, which was evident in Sunday's win over the Bulls.
Arc: Syracuse is among a solid group of No. 1 seeds in our latest tournament projections, but the middle of the pack is much more murky.
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.
Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods greeted their Sunday pairing at Pebble Beach with optimism. But the day would end happily only for one.
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.
ReutersMuch is made about Anaheim’s penchant for playing it rough — some might even say dirty — but the Ducks’ ability to play rugged hockey has nothing to do with dropping the gloves and everything to do with dropping the hammer upon the opposition, a tactic that wears out the other team as a series progresses.
"We like to play a north-south game and we play physical, but intimidation to us is you have to win a puck battle," Carlyle said. "It's not always about the fisticuffs and whatnot. It's about the ability to take a check, to make a play and to make the right play and to be physical and to stop progression and play our game."
That’s what brought the Ducks fame and glory a year ago and it’s exactly the formula that will return them to the top. But the key to getting there, according to Carlyle, is for the team to forget what made them famous.
To stop considering themselves to be champions.
"I think when the playoffs start, we're not the Stanley Cup champions anymore," Carlyle said. "We're competing to be.
"I think the mind-set we'd like to have is to remember how difficult it was and remember the things that you had to do and remember the sacrifices that you had to make and remember the bounces that you got.
"It was because of the hard work and the commitment that the team made, not because you're the Stanley Cup champions. People are out there to earn it and there's no easy way. You have to win 16 games to get to that pinnacle and the first one is the most important and every one that goes beyond that will become the most important."
Most significantly for the Ducks, after a rough flight to begin their journey, they look to be themselves again and whether Carlyle likes it or not, they are champions until some other team proves otherwise.
"We turned it around," Schneider said. "We feel like we're playing well. As long as we come together at the right time of year — and this is the time — I think we're right there with any team."
That's the route the 1991-92 Penguins eventually traveled back to glory.
The Ducks appear to be finding their way toward a similar path.
The Detroit Red Wings equaled an NHL record with their 20th straight win at home, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 Sunday night on the strength of Johan Franzen's tiebreaking goal early in the third period.
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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.
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.
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.