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.
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SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Jack Swarbrick graduated from Notre Dame the same year as the university president, yet the Rev. John Jenkins never heard of him until a few weeks ago.
On Wednesday, Jenkins stood in a room atop the Hesburgh Library with a view over Notre Dame Stadium and introduced his fellow 1976 classmate as the university’s new athletic director.
“I am confident that in Jack Swarbrick we have found a superb athletic director for the University of Notre Dame,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins said because Notre Dame is a Catholic university with high academic standards and a storied football program, “Notre Dame athletics is unconventional, and its leader must bring an unconventional set of skills and experiences to the job.”
Jenkins said Swarbrick has shown he has the necessary skills through his work bringing numerous sporting events to the city of Indianapolis, including attracting the Super Bowl in 2012, NCAA Final Fours and Big Ten men’s and women’s basketball tournaments and his work as an adviser to the NCAA on various issues.
“He has a breadth of vision of the landscape of college athletics that in my experience is unsurpassed. Jack is widely respected for his insight and integrity,” Jenkins said.
Swarbrick predicted massive changes in college athletics in the next 10 years.
“We must participate in leading that change. Notre Dame cannot have that dictated to it,” he said.
There had been much speculation about exactly how much power the athletic director at Notre Dame has, especially after his predecessor, Kevin White, implied at a news conference following the firing of football coach Tyrone Willingham in 2004 that he was against the move.
Swarbrick said that issue was one of the first things he asked Jenkins and Richard C. Notebaert, chairman of the university’s board of trustees, about.
“I came away absolutely convinced I have all the authority I need and have to have to do this job right. I look forward to consulting with Father on the decisions a university president ought to be consulted on and to keep the trustees fully informed,” Swarbrick said.
Swarbrick said he understands that he will have to consult with Jenkins on major decisions, including the hiring and firing of coaches in “key” sports.
On other issues, Swarbrick believes Notre Dame should remain independent in football, saying “it’s a critical part of who we are as a school.” But he also said the upcoming changes in college athletics, particularly in the Bowl Championship Series, need to be monitored.
“If the BCS gets reformed in some way, if there’s a reshaping of the conferences, we have to navigate those waters,” he said. “But yes, my strong interest is maintaining independence.”
Swarbrick does not favor a playoff system, saying he believes the bowl system works well.
Some Notre Dame football fans had criticized White, saying he was softening the schedule too much. Swarbrick said he needs to study the issue.
Jenkins said he went into the search process after White resigned May 31 expecting to hire an experienced athletic director, but came away impressed with Swarbrick’s understanding of college athletics and Notre Dame. The choice surprised many.
“I was surprised by the choice, but I understand it,” said former Gov. Joe Kernan, a Notre Dame graduate who knew about Swarbrick’s work in Indianapolis. “I think he’ll do a good job.”
Women’s basketball coach Muffet McGraw said when she first heard Swarbrick’s name she and her staff began searching the Internet to learn more about him. She and some other coaches on campus attended a 30-minute meeting with Swarbrick on Wednesday.
“He made a great first impression. I think we all came out of the meeting very excited with this energy and this enthusiasm,” she said.
Football coach Charlie Weis did not attend the meeting because he went to the All-Star game at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night and had a fundraiser Wednesday night in New Jersey for a charity named after his daughter, who is mentally disabled.
Swarbrick, who grew up in Yonkers, N.Y., said he is happy with the coaching staff at Notre Dame.
“I feel very good about the state of the sports across the board,” he said.
It took a while for the light bulb to go on, but when it did, Jonas Gray finally showed the talent many had expected from the blue-chip prospect from Detroit. In a recent interview, Gray, who is rehabbing an ACL injury to get ready for the NFL Scouting Combine, expressed the confidence and support he has for head coach Brian Kelly.
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 | Notre Dame 2011 schedule See when all the big matchups will take place with Notre Dame's 2011 schedule. NBCSports.com |
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The Week in Sports Pictures The Giants on top of the football world, getting ready for the London Olympics and more. more photos |
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.