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?
The Detroit Red Wings equaled an NHL record with their 20th straight win at home, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 Sunday night on the strength of Johan Franzen's tiebreaking goal early in the third period.
PBT: Boston's Rajon Rondo continues to be named in trade talks, which is madness. The Celtics guard creates offense and makes everyone around him better, which was evident in Sunday's win over the Bulls.
Arc: Syracuse is among a solid group of No. 1 seeds in our latest tournament projections, but the middle of the pack is much more murky.
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.
Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods greeted their Sunday pairing at Pebble Beach with optimism. But the day would end happily only for one.
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.
Getty ImagesLackey won Game 7 of the 2002 World Series as a rookie, but the Angels’ recent playoff history hasn’t been as good. They were swept by Boston in the first round in 2004 and ’07 — both times the Red Sox went on to win the World Series.
The Angels are 7-1 with seven straight wins this year against Boston, which fell two games behind first-place Tampa Bay in the AL East.
“We’re a different team than in years past,” said Angels reliever Scot Shields, who has been with the club since 2001. “We have the total package.”
Lackey hadn’t had much luck against the Red Sox. He was 2-6 with a 6.01 ERA against them in his career, including a 1-4 record and 7.46 ERA at Fenway.
Buchholz (2-6) gave up five earned runs on six hits and three walks, striking out five in 6 1-3 innings. He loaded the bases in the third before Figgins singled and Maicer Izturis walked in a run, then Garret Anderson hit a two-run homer in the fourth to make it 4-0.
Los Angeles took a 6-0 lead in the seventh when Quinlan hit a leadoff triple and scored on Howie Kendrick’s sacrifice fly.
Notes: The Angels are 14-0-2 in their last 16 series against AL teams. ... Buchholz hasn’t won in six starts since May 2. ... Quinlan was added to the lineup after Kotchman was traded to Atlanta.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
HBT: Prince Fielder is gone and Ryan Braun will likely miss a third of the season because of a failed PED test. Can Milwaukee stay in contention until he gets back?
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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.
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.
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.