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 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.
AP
NEW YORK - Alex Rodriguez is back and Joba Chamberlain will join the starting rotation. The New York Yankees plan to look much different down the road than they have early this season.
Rodriguez hit two balls over the fence but was credited with only one home run, and New York began the process of making Chamberlain a starter during Wednesday night’s 8-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
“We have a good offense. We’re very confident. Our goal is to dominate every night,” Rodriguez said.
Darrell Rasner won his third straight start since he was called up from the minors and New York banged out 13 hits while snapping a four-game skid with its third shutout this year. The Yankees had lost six of seven, scoring only 14 runs during that span.
Chamberlain tossed two innings to complete the six-hitter, beginning the club’s process of stretching him out so he can become a starting pitcher sometime this season.
“I’m excited,” said the 22-year-old Chamberlain, a stellar setup man since he was called up from the minors last August. “I have zero question marks.”
General manager Brian Cashman wouldn’t divulge many details about the plan, such as how often Chamberlain will pitch, when he will join the rotation and whether he could be sent to the minors for a few starts first.
But Cashman did say he asked Chamberlain what role he preferred, and the right-hander said he’d like an opportunity to start this season. Cashman said the Yankees targeted a particular portion of their schedule when they want Chamberlain in the rotation, and to achieve that he needs to begin the transformation now.
“We’re going back to the purpose that we drafted him and the projection that we had for him,” Cashman said. “This was a road we planned on taking. Now it’s time to take it.”
On offense, Rodriguez’s return from the disabled list has provided an immediate boost. He homered in his first game back Tuesday night, a 12-2 loss, and finished with a home run and two doubles in this one.
“I feel fresh. I feel like opening day,” Rodriguez said.
The three-time MVP connected off Garrett Olson (3-1) to start the third, then hit another ball over the wall in the sixth that was incorrectly called an RBI double.
It was the latest in a string of home run calls that have been blown by big league umpires lately, including one at Yankee Stadium on Sunday night. That’s left some calling for instant replay in baseball.
This ruling didn’t end up costing the Yankees, it just left A-Rod flipping his helmet at second base and shaking his head in disbelief.
“We made a mistake,” second base umpire and crew chief Tim Welke said after seeing the television replay. “We want to be perfect. We weren’t perfect tonight.”
Working on 10 days’ rest, Rasner (3-0) pitched five-hit ball while setting career highs for innings (seven) and strikeouts (six). He walked one and lowered his ERA to 1.89.
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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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.
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.
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.