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.
Getty ImagesFisher has been especially important in bringing a championship glow to this assemblage, because he reflects a time earlier this century when Phil Jackson and the Lakers ruled the NBA for three straight seasons. He has been a calming influence on the once-frustrated Bryant, and he has mentored the kids.
All of that is nice, of course. But there is nothing like doing it on the court entering the playoffs.
The Lakers have been a curiosity on the NBA scene this year. Their rags-to-riches tale has been a popular topic among pundits, who can’t recall anything quite like it — except, of course, for what the Celtics did in the offseason by getting Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.
But in the Lakers’ case, it all goes back to Kobe and his rounds of interviews last year. He is the best player in the game (and he might even win the MVP). He is also the most spoiled. He wants what he wants, without regard to whose feathers he ruffles.
He declared most emphatically that he wanted to win a championship. Nothing else would do. And he wanted out because he knew he couldn’t win one with the team he had last season.
Now there are no excuses. Sure, it would be nice to have Bynum, and even Trevor Ariza. Still, with this team the Lakers smoked both their chief rivals at the top of the Western Conference last week, the Hornets on Friday and the Spurs on Sunday (although San Antonio was without Manu Ginobili). Bryant looks around him now and realizes that he has the reinforcements he needed.
Bryant is the kind of player who can will a team to victory, so long as he has a complete team. He has no peer in the NBA in that department. For all his faults, nobody can put a club on his back the way Bryant can and lead them to victory.
These are the Finals he belongs in. These are the Finals he will come out of looking like a hero.
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
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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.
After leading by 18 points in the first half, the Los Angeles Lakers were staring at a four-point deficit with less than two minutes to play.