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.
APRed Sox slugger Manny Ramirez was hit three times, tying the major league record, and the teams combined for seven hit batsmen total, matching a modern big league mark, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
The Yankees, who have scored two runs or fewer in five of their past seven games, took the lead in the second inning. With two outs and Jason Giambi on first, Robinson Cano lined a single into center field and Cabrera grounded Masterson’s next pitch into right.
J.D. Drew came up throwing but Giambi got his left hand on the back edge of the plate with a nifty slide past Varitek.
New York loaded the bases in the third but Masterson struck out Giambi and Pedroia made a nice play on Wilson Betemit’s grounder to end the inning. Kevin Youkilis also snared Giambi’s liner up the first-base line with two outs and a runner on third in the fifth.
Mussina got some help from his defense, too. Gardner threw out Pedroia trying to stretch a first-inning single to left, and Cabrera made a diving catch in center to take a hit away from Lowell with a runner on first and no outs in the fourth.
Jose Molina, who threw out three Red Sox baserunners trying to steal second in Boston’s 6-4 win Friday, cut down speedy Jacoby Ellsbury trying to swipe second in the fifth.
New York played without outfielder Johnny Damon, who injured his left shoulder trying to haul in Youkilis’ triple in Saturday’s loss. Damon lost Youkilis’ drive when he crashed into the left-field fence, and the ball rested on the fence briefly before rolling back onto the field.
Damon said he felt better and would know more Sunday about whether he can avoid going on the disabled list for the first time in his 14-season major league career.
Notes: Francona on picking the team for the All-Star game: “I think we owe it to the players for it to be agonizing, and it has been.” ... Yankees C Jorge Posada got the day off. Girardi said Posada wasn’t feeling well, hampered by a cold that’s going around the team. ... Girardi said OF Hideki Matsui (left knee) probably will be evaluated on Tuesday. ... Seen in the crowd: Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash and talk show host Jerry Springer.
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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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.
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