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.
AP
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Hank Steinbrenner vented. Joe Girardi held a pregame team meeting. The struggling New York Yankees responded with a win.
Mike Mussina has seen it all before.
“It helps being here eight years, and knowing this stuff happens a lot,” he said after Wednesday night’s 2-1 victory stopped Tampa Bay’s six-game winning streak and lifted New York (20-21) back within one game of .500.
“There’s huge expectations here, and we have our own huge expectations,” Mussina added. “We haven’t played anywhere close to them. Sometimes you just have to get together and talk, that’s all.”
Robinson Cano went 4-for-4, raising his batting average over .200 for the first time since the season opener, and Mussina (6-3) allowed one run and five hits over 6 1-3 innings to win his fifth consecutive start.
The right-hander improved to 18-7 in 31 starts against Tampa Bay, which held on to its slender lead in the AL East.
Girardi held a 35-minute team meeting before the game, however the manager said it had nothing to do with Steinbrenner’s comments earlier in the day — the co-chairman said the team needs to play harder and smarter.
“Nobody is thinking about any words the owner says while you’re playing. We need to win games,” Yankees captain Derek Jeter said. “Whether or not he said anything, or we didn’t have a meeting, we need to win. Everybody realizes that.”
Cano, who’s batting .205, tied a career high with four hits, including a RBI single in the fourth. Bobby Abreu drove in New York’s other run off James Shields (4-3) with a two-out double in the fifth.
Joba Chamberlain struck out the side in the eighth — and didn’t pump his fist. Mariano Rivera bounced back from allowing the winning run in an 11-inning loss the previous night with a perfect ninth for his 11th save in 11 opportunities.
“We have to go out there and fight. Just don’t give it up,” Rivera said. “If you’re going to beat us, you’re going to earn it.”
Tampa Bay’s loss snapped a franchise-best 11-game home winning streak. But the first-place Rays retained a half-game lead over Boston in the division, thanks to Baltimore beating the Red Sox 6-3.
“It’s one game. Expectations are high. I like it. I like that everybody’s upset tonight,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “We played well. We lost. They beat us, but we have a chance to take the series (Thursday), so we’ve got to be ready to go at that point.”
Girardi declined to offer details about the Yankees meeting except to say it came from his “heart.”
“The effort of the club has been good,” he said. “When you don’t score runs, you don’t look good. We bring energy every day, but the bottom line is it has to translate into wins.”
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
HBT: Prince Fielder is gone and Ryan Braun will likely miss a third of the season because of a failed PED test. Can Milwaukee stay in contention until he gets back?
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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.
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