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.
Golf's dream pairing - Woods and Mickelson - is on the course in the final round at Pebble Beach. Jason Sobel has 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.
Euro Roundup: First-place Manchester City won 1-0 at Aston Villa on Sunday on Joleon Lescott's goal in the 63rd minute, maintaining its two-point lead over Manchester United in the Premier League.
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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Serena Williams on big win Sept. 8: TODAY hosts talk to tennis star Serena Williams about winning the 2008 Women’s U.S. Open tournament. |
NEW YORK - No player had gone so long between stints at No. 1 in women’s tennis.
More than five years after she last held the top ranking, Serena Williams officially regained the distinction Monday hours after winning the U.S. Open for the third time.
It had been even longer since her last Open championship — six years. And though it was her ninth Grand Slam title, it was just her second since capturing the Australian Open in early 2005.
Williams beat Jelena Jankovic 6-4, 7-5 in the final and didn’t drop a set the entire tournament. She figures many doubted that she’d ever climb back on top of the tennis world as her ranking plummeted all the way to No. 139.
“Oh, yeah,” she said Monday. “I think a lot of people, probably everyone thought (that). I always felt that I can be No. 1 if I really put in the effort.”
Williams looked relaxed during interviews at the ESPN Zone in Times Square, dressed in a red dress with a pink shawl. She couldn’t wait to get some sleep — she’d managed only about an hour over the previous 24.
After making the finals at two straight majors — she lost to sister Venus at Wimbledon — she likes the consistency she’s finally showing.
“I enjoyed the journey because it wasn’t overnight,” she said. “It wasn’t like it just happened.”
Venus, who gave Serena her toughest test of the tournament in the quarterfinals, cheered from the stands Sunday. Afterward, Serena said, her older sister told her, “I’m so happy that you won. You deserved it. No one deserved it more than you, and that’s why you won.”
Serena replaced Ana Ivanovic atop the rankings. Ivanovic dropped to No. 3 after losing in the second round, while Jankovic remained at No. 2.
It’s been almost a decade since Serena won her first Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open in 1999. Her goals at the time, she recalled, were to win the other three majors and to ascend to No. 1.
She accomplished all of them, but there was no doubt as she hopped up and down in celebration Sunday that she still finds joy in achieving even more.
“Back then, I really was just going for broke,” Williams said, referring to her first major championship. “I had absolutely nothing to lose, which is a good feeling. I don’t know — I don’t think there’s much that’s changed. I was always mentally tough. I was always really strong. I think the only difference is I have eight more.”
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.
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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 |
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.
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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.
