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.
Getty ImagesExcept that Epstein delivered on this promise.
During the 2005 season, a hard-throwing kid named Jonathan Papelbon burst upon the scene. Now he's the established Red Sox closer. Lefty Jon Lester, who arrived the next season, pitched the clinching game in the 2007 World Series, threw a no-hitter this season en route to winning 16 games and will be Boston's Game 1 starter against the Angels.
Last year, when Coco Crisp was slumping in the playoffs, the Red Sox said, “You're hurt,” and gave his job in center field to rookie Jacoby Ellsbury. He hit .438 in the World Series.
Justin Masterson, who is 23, has found a place in the bullpen. Jed Lowrie, 24, is filling in for Lugo at shortstop. Clay Buchholz, now 24, landed back in the minors this year but threw a no-hitter last year. And Michael Bowden, still a month shy of his 22nd birthday, was brought up this season for a spot start. And won it.
And then there is Dustin Pedroia. When the Red Sox called him up late in 2006, he didn't hit.
“Be patient,” the minor-league people kept telling Francona via emails, text messages and late-night cell-phone conversations.
In spring training, 2007, Pedroia still wasn't hitting.
“Be patient!” went the chorus.
The Sox gave the kid second base, and, through April he was hitting .182.
“Be patient!”
|
This year, he broke all kinds of offensive records on the Red Sox, closing with a .326 average, 17 home runs, 54 doubles and 83 RBI. He has a good chance to be American League MVP.
He is, in essence, the Red Sox's answer to Derek Jeter: A homegrown product who is going to lead this team for years to come.
It's weird. The Red Sox overpaid for Lugo and Drew, and, before that, for Edgar Renteria and Matt Clement. But give them a clipboard, a stopwatch and a JUGS gun and send them to America's college diamonds, and they will pick out the boys who can play, and the boys who can't.
Just like the Yankees did, the first time they saw Jeter.
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.
 | Special feature |
 |
Breaking down Phillies vs. Rays Position-by-position comparisons, pitching matchups, prediction, more |
HardballTalk headlines |
| Interactive |
 |
 | Slideshow |
 | Unbreakable records in baseball A look at the most unbreakable records in baseball including Nolan Ryan's seven no-hitters. |
| Slideshow |
 | The top tools of baseball You hear a lot about the tools of baseball, but who are the best hitters, fielders and pitchers? We break it down. 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.
NBC Sports TV and livestream listings
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.
