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.
AP
BOSTON - The accolades continue growing and the hits keep coming for Dustin Pedroia.
Pedroia’s two-run single capped a four-run sixth inning, Paul Byrd pitched seven efficient innings and the Boston Red Sox beat the struggling Baltimore Orioles 7-4 on Monday night.
Byrd, Pedroia’s teammate for a little less than three weeks, was gushing with praise for the scrappy second baseman. This coming after White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen continually lauded his play over the weekend.
“I can’t say enough about my second baseman,” Byrd said. “This guy, in my opinion, is the MVP of the league. He’s unbelievable. I didn’t know he was that good when I came over here.”
Pedroia, who hit .374 in August and closed the month going 9-for-12, scored 33 runs last month, the most for the Red Sox since Dom DiMaggio and Billy Goodwin had 35 in 1950, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
“He said that,” Pedroia said, breaking into a smile, when informed of Byrd’s MVP comment. “That’s a great compliment coming from him. I definitely love playing behind him.”
On Monday, he was 2-for-4, scored a run and made a nice backhanded play on Brian Roberts’ seventh-inning grounder.
“A lot of people talk about Manny (Ramirez) leaving. I wish Pedroia was leaving,” Guillen said a few days earlier.
The Red Sox, who had the AL’s second-best record at 18-9 in August but failed to gain ground on AL East-leading Tampa Bay, which went 21-7, pulled to five games behind the idle Rays. Boston increased its lead to three games in the wild card race.
Baltimore, swept in a three-game series at Tampa Bay over the weekend when its pitchers allowed 34 runs, lost for the ninth time in 10 games.
Jason Varitek and Jeff Bailey hit consecutive homers for the Red Sox. Varitek’s tied Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk for a club record with his 157th as a catcher.
Adam Jones, Juan Castro and Kevin Millar had solo home runs for Baltimore. Millar’s was his 20th, the third time — and first since he hit 25 with the Red Sox in 2003 — he’s reached that mark.
Trailing 3-2 in the sixth, Boston grabbed the lead for good against Garrett Olson (8-7). Jason Bay and Jed Lowrie hit consecutive doubles, tying the game. After Bailey walked, Coco Crisp hit an RBI single up the middle. Jacoby Ellsbury reached on an infield hit to load the base before Pedroia lined reliever Dennis Sarfate’s outside pitch to right, making it 6-3.
“We couldn’t get the third out before Pedroia got the big hit,” Baltimore manager Dave Trembley said. “Obviously he’s having a tremendous season and is an exceptional player, so those guys have a knack for coming up with the big hit in those kinds of situations.”
Olson, recalled from Triple-A Norfolk to make the start, felt he went away from his best pitch by trying to fool Boston’s strong fastball hitting lineup.
“You’ve still got to stay with your best stuff,” he said. “My fastball, I thought was my best pitch. I think I got a little defensive.”
Byrd (10-11), making his fourth start for Boston since being acquired for a player to be named or cash from Cleveland on Aug. 12, gave up four runs and seven hits.
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The Orioles jumped ahead 1-0 in the first when Jones, activated from the disabled list before the game, homered on the first pitch he saw, sending a drive over the Green Monster seats.
Notes: Pedroia’s key single was his 184th hit, a record for Red Sox record for second baseman, breaking Del Pratt’s 1922 mark. ... Kevin Youkilis was back in Boston’s lineup after missing two games with flu-like symptoms. ... Red Sox 3B Mike Lowell, on the 15-day DL with a strained right oblique, took grounders and BP before the game and is close to returning. He hopes to be back this weekend. ... Boston manager Terry Francona said RF J.D. Drew, on the DL with a strained lower back, was expected to hit in an indoor cage. ... Trembley said closer George Sherrill, on the DL since Aug. 16 with left shoulder inflammation, played long toss and is scheduled to do so again Wednesday. ... Baltimore 3B Melvin Mora missed his third straight game with a strained left hamstring.
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.
After leading by 18 points in the first half, the Los Angeles Lakers were staring at a four-point deficit with less than two minutes to play.
