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 three goals as the New York Rangers beat Philadelphia 5-2 on Saturday for their seventh straight win over the Flyers.
Jeremy Lin hit a free throw with 4.9 seconds left to overcome a dreadful second half and lift the New York Knicks to their fifth straight victory, 100-98, over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.
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.
CFT: Jordan Jefferson makes it clear he wasn't happy with LSU's game plan in the Tigers' BCS Championship Game loss to Alabama.
Move over, Hollywood and NFL types, golf's two real A-listers take center stage Sunday at Pebble Beach, both in need of a win.
The United States swept favored Switzerland out of the Davis Cup on Saturday when Mardy Fish and Mike Bryan beat Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.
Luis Suarez's refusal to shake hands with Patrice Evra overshadowed Manchester United's 2-1 win over rival Liverpool that lifted the defending champions to first place in the Premier League on Saturday.
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 - Johan Santana is ready to pitch on short rest Saturday if the New York Mets need him.
Still fighting for a playoff spot, the Mets were undecided on a starter for Saturday against Florida. Injured right-hander John Maine has been sidelined since August, leaving a hole in the rotation, so New York has turned to rookie Jon Niese and journeyman Brandon Knight for crucial starts in September.
But time is running out. The Mets entered Friday night’s game against the Marlins tied with Milwaukee atop the wild-card standings and one game behind first-place Philadelphia in the NL East.
Santana, slated to pitch the season finale Sunday, threw a career-high 125 pitches Tuesday in a win over the Chicago Cubs. He told manager Jerry Manuel on Thursday that he could come back to start Saturday if the team thought it was best.
“If that’s what they want me to do, then I’ll definitely do it,” Santana said. “Whatever it takes.”
Manuel said Thursday that Santana wouldn’t be considered for Saturday, then backtracked Friday and wouldn’t rule out such a scenario. In fact, it sounded as though the Mets were strongly considering going with Santana on Saturday, unless they pulled ahead of the Brewers on Friday night.
Manuel said he would announce Saturday’s starter after Friday night’s game. Santana said he told the training staff to help prepare him to pitch Saturday.
“I just told Jerry, whatever we have to do, I’ll be fine with that. It’s all about winning,” he said.
Santana has never gone only three days between regular-season starts. He did so once for Minnesota in the 2004 AL playoffs, allowing one run in five innings against the New York Yankees.
Acquired from the Twins last February in a blockbuster trade, the two-time AL Cy Young Award winner is in the first season of a $137.5 million, six-year contract. He is 15-7 with a 2.64 ERA in 33 starts and hasn’t lost since June.
One benefit to starting Santana on short rest Saturday is that if the Mets do make the playoffs, he could potentially start Games 2 and 5 in a best-of-five division series on full rest.
If the Mets go with Santana on Saturday, they probably would start Oliver Perez on three days’ rest Sunday, as long as the game matters. Pedro Martinez would likely get the ball Monday on three days’ rest in a potential playoff tiebreaker.
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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Jeremy Lin hit a free throw with 4.9 seconds left to overcome a dreadful second half and lift the New York Knicks to their fifth straight victory, 100-98, over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.
Doron Lamb hit a 3-pointer with 3:18 left to put No. 1 Kentucky ahead to stay, and the Wildcats took a big step toward a Southeastern Conference regular-season title by beating Vanderbilt 69-63 Saturday night for their 17th straight win.
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.