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?
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.
Lefty wins his 40th PGA Tour event with his never-ending supply of tricks up his sleeve. What We Learned this week at Pebble Beach.
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.
APAL Rookie of the Year: Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay: There is no shortage of quality candidates, including Jacoby Ellsbury, Joba Chamberlain, David Murphy, Nick Blackburn, Armando Galarraga and Greg Smith. But nobody has had a bigger impact on his team’s improved fortunes than Longoria since his April 12th recall.
Longoria leads the majors’ surprise team in homers, RBI, slugging percentage, doubles and total bases. But that might not even be his biggest area of contribution, as his defense already is drawing raves as Gold Glove-caliber.
NL Rookie of the Year: Geovany Soto, Chicago. If the NL is ever going to narrow the current talent gap that leads to the heavily tilted interleague results, it’s going to come through talent influxes such as the one taking place this season. Everywhere you look — but especially in Chicago and Cincinnati — there is big-time first-year talent on display.
Soto’s All-Star Game start is the result of the Cubs’ popularity, but that shouldn’t take away from his first-half accomplishments. He leads in six offensive categories in a rookie class that also includes Kosuke Fukudome, Jay Bruce, Joey Votto, John Bowker, Blake Dewitt, Edgar Gonzalez, Chase Headley and Gregor Blanco. Meanwhile, Jair Jurrjens is in the top three among rookie pitchers in seven pitching categories, dueling Johnny Cueto in most of them.
AL Manager of the Year: Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay. Most everybody forecasted solid improvement for the Rays, a team filled with on-the-rise young talent. But what’s taken place in the first half has been beyond even Maddon’s expectations. Name an area — starting pitching, bullpen, speed, defense — and the Rays are vastly improved from a year ago.
You can makes cases for others to get consideration — Dave Trembley, Ozzie Guillen, Ron Gardenhire and Bob Geren — but Maddon could be a unanimous choice if the Rays make the playoffs.
NL Manager of the Year: Lou Piniella, Chicago: Things have fallen into place very nicely for the Cubs, and you can point to Piniella’s key spring decisions as a big reason why. The closer controversy was squelched early, and Ryan Dempster has been a revelation in the rotation. Piniella’s calmer demeanor also has set the right tone for a team with long-standing issues.
Tony La Russa has done a masterful job keeping the Cardinals in contention despite several pitching injuries, and if they reach the playoffs, La Russa could be the right choice here. Fredi Gonzalez is keeping the Marlins close, but can that last?
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
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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.
Paul Pierce has been around long enough to know what Rajon Rondo's performance can mean for the aging Boston Celtics.