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.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK - On most days, Billy Wagner leaves a wake of laughter as he crosses the Mets clubhouse, teasing teammates, poking fun at the music, prodding the media. At other times, he has been known to cause a wave of controversy with his blunt candor.
Neither personality was on display Tuesday as Wagner made a silent, final walk to his locker this season — the brim of a blue 2008 All-Star cap pulled low shielding his eyes — knowing that the recovery from Tommy John surgery on Wednesday will be the greatest test of his 14-year career.
Wagner said he was “still shocked” by the news that he would need reconstructive elbow surgery during a tearful press conference. But he asserted that with the support of his family and with several career goals still on his mind — 420 saves and a World Series title — that he would be back — with the Mets or another team — after a rehabilitation that would likely keep him sidelined for at least a year.
“There’s no other way to face this but as a challenge. I have to go out there and challenge to get back. And it will be a challenge to go out there and compete.” Wagner said. “This whole thing. My age, everything’s a challenge.
“What else do I do? My kids want me to play. My wife wants me to play. I want to play.”
The Mets entered Tuesday’s game against the Washington Nationals with a 1½-game lead over the Phillies in the NL East. Manager Jerry Manuel knows the team faces it’s own challenge over the final three weeks without its closer, even though New York was 22-11 in Wagner’s absence.
“With him coming back would have been a tremendous boost for us coming down the stretch because we had some people pitch in tough, tough situations. And to have him back, whether he was a hundred percent or not would have probably solidified us,” Manuel said. “So to lose him for the rest of the year is a big blow for us.”
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The 37-year-old Wagner was 0-1 with a 2.30 ERA and 27 saves in 34 chances.
In the third year of a four-year, $43 million contract, Wagner has not pitched since Aug. 2. Mets general manager Omar Minaya said Monday that an MRI on Aug. 5 showed a small tear, but the Mets described the injury as a strained left forearm.
During his rehab the arm got worse despite two weeks of mostly rest, and elbow swelling forced the team to put off activating Wagner during a trip to Pittsburgh in mid-August.
Wagner tested the arm Sunday at Shea Stadium by facing teammate Gustavo Molina, and he walked off the field after hitting the reserve catcher on the left foot with his 13th pitch. It was then that Wagner knew he was done — an MRI on Monday showed the torn medial collateral ligament had worsened to the point of requiring surgery.
“That one pitch took care of everything,” Wagner said.
Stunned by the news, Wagner talked about his options with his wife Sarah and four children. Recalling the reaction of his oldest son, 10-year-old William James, brought Wagner to tears.
“Will, he was upset,” said Wagner, who then took a long pause, wiping tears from his eyes. “He’s not ready. He’s not ready for it to be over.”
The six-time All-Star with 385 career saves knows that he will not be the power pitcher that he was before the injury, but he is determined to return at a level that will allow him to surpass 400 saves and help a team win a World Series title.
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And Wagner isn’t certain it will be with the Mets, who hold an $8 million option for 2010. He sure doesn’t expect the team to wait for him when they could sign a top closer such as the Angels’ Francisco Rodriguez, a free agent after the season.
“If they didn’t they would be stupid,” Wagner said. “I’m not going to pitch next year. We’re trying to win. I think trying to play the ego thing is stupid.”
For this season, though, the Mets will have to continue using their makeshift bullpen. Manuel said Luis Ayala, who is 5-of-6 in save chances since being acquired last month, will be the closer.
I will follow the same routine as I did before ... Every player on this team is trying to do the best job. We have a great bullpen,” said Ayala of the relief corps that went 23 innings without allowing a run before Ayala gave up an unearned run Sunday night.
Ayala had Tommy John surgery in 2006 and is confident that Wagner, an extreme competitor, will make it back.
“The most important thing — if you are focused on the future you can do it,” Ayala said.
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.
Rotoworld's Fantasy impact |
Newsday said that Wagner would tendon surgery, but has since altered the report to say ligament instead. This is the worst-case scenario for Wagner, but perhaps not for the Mets. With Wagner set to miss most of the final season of his four-year deal, tbey could enter the chase for Francisco Rodriguez this winter. Given that Wagner is 37 and a reliever, he'll probably attempt to rush back from surgery. The All-Star break could be a target. |
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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.
