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.
AP
NEW YORK - Her match slipping away, Svetlana Kuznetsova screamed at herself after one errant shot. She scowled after another.
And when the 2004 U.S. Open champion and 2007 runner-up was finished losing in the third round of this year’s hard-court Grand Slam tournament, she threw a white towel over her head while walking off the court, the better to hide her disappointment.
What was considered a wide-open women’s Open at the outset grew even more so Friday, when the third-seeded Kuznetsova joined No. 1 Ana Ivanovic on the sideline.
Kuznetsova’s 6-3, 6-7 (1), 6-3 upset loss to No. 28 Katarina Srebotnik came a day after Ivanovic lost in the second round. Another past major champion bowed out Friday night, when Lindsay Davenport was beaten by Marion Bartoli 6-1, 7-6 (3).
Kuznetsova and Ivanovic were among six women who entered the U.S. Open with a chance to lead the rankings afterward; Kuznetsova no longer is in the mix.
“It’s getting so much messed up,” Kuznetsova said, referring to the rankings. “I don’t get anything (about) who’s going to be No. 1.”
It certainly is complicated, so leave it at this: Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic, Serena Williams, Dinara Safina and Elena Dementieva all could be atop the WTA rankings Sept. 8, the day after the year’s last major championship wraps up.
Jankovic and Dementieva both reached the fourth round by winning Friday. The No. 2-seeded Jankovic beat Zheng Jie 7-5, 7-5, while No. 5 Dementieva defeated Anne Keothavong 6-3, 6-4. Williams meets No. 30 Ai Sugiyama in the third round Saturday, when Safina plays Timea Bacsinszky.
With Justine Henin retired, Maria Sharapova out with a shoulder injury, and Davenport and Kuznetsova now gone, the only past U.S. Open champions still around were Williams and her older sister Venus — whose third-round match against Alona Bondarenko is Saturday.
Kuznetsova was done in by Srebotnik’s strong play at the net, a product of the Slovenian’s more-distinguished doubles career. Srebotnik now will try to reach the fourth round of singles for only the third time in 37 career Grand Slam tournaments — but also for the second time this year: She did it at the French Open by knocking off Serena Williams.
Against Kuznetsova, Srebotnik won the point 22 of 32 times she went to the net.
“She played her top game,” Kuznetsova said. “For me, like, she played unbelievable.”
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.
 | Slideshow |
 |
NBCSports.com |
 | Slideshow |
 |
The Week in Sports Pictures The Giants on top of the football world, getting ready for the London Olympics and more. more photos |
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.
