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.
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 ImagesOne thing realignment has unquestionably changed over the years is the approach mediocre teams take at the trading deadline. With eight playoff spots up for grabs, teams that can hang around .500 at the All-Star break are still considered postseason contenders. At the end of June, then, few teams are firmly in the trading deadline "seller" category.
The Mariners, having cleaned house in the front office and on the coaching staff and sitting nearly 20 games out of a playoff spot, were the first team to fall into the mix of sure sellers. That became obvious last week when the Mariners let it be known to all teams that their big offseason acquisition -- lefty Erik Bedard -- is readily available in exchange for young players.
The Mariners can't expect to get much in return for Bedard, certainly not as much as they gave the Orioles (outfielder Adam Jones, reliever George Sherrill and prospects) this winter. Bedard has done little to help his value, starting the season on the disabled list and going 4-4 with a 3.97 ERA. Ousted general manager Bill Bavasi didn't help his successor boost Bedard's trade value, either. When asked why Bedard had continually failed to reach 100 pitches in his starts, Bavasi told the Seattle Times, "You have to ask him. And he's going to have some stupid answer, some dumbass answer."
That leads to the broader issue with the Mariners -- the clubhouse is dysfunctional, and though the often-sullen Bedard is part of that problem, dumping him won't solve it altogether. Much of the internal strife centers on star center fielder Ichiro Suzuki, who, one executive says, gets preferential treatment from the team. Though he did not name names, Ichiro was a logical target when pitcher Carlos Silva said early this month, "There's a lot of people here who play for themselves. They get two hits, that's my day. I made my day. If we lose, who cares?"
So, yes, Bedard is very publicly on the trading block now. But don't be surprised to see Ichiro — just starting a five-year, $90 million deal -- right behind him.
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.
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.
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.
