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.
When it came time to choose an official mascot, the Chancellor proposed for the sea lion, while the student body pushed for the banana slug. According to UCSC’s official website: "After five years of dealing with the two-mascot problem, an overwhelming proslug straw vote by students in 1986 convinced the chancellor to make the lowly but beloved Banana Slug UCSC's official mascot. By the time the chancellor had left office, he was won over to the proslug camp, even to the point of featuring the Slug on his personal holiday card."
Otto the Orange — Syracuse University
Syracuse is known for its severe winters. They average nearly 120 inches of snow per year, and it’s not uncommon for it to snow on Graduation Day, in May. So, their mascot should be a Yeti or a Blizzard or even a snowflake, but instead it’s a giant Orange with arms and legs, despite the fact that there is no way an orange could grow in such a harsh climate.
Otto the Orange hasn’t always been Syracuse’s mascot. For years, they were known as the Saltine Warriors, until the Native American student organization protested against the mascot in 1978. Syracuse was without a mascot while many rogue wanna-bes vied for the students’ affection.
From Sports Illustrated, 1984:
"These free-lance mascots include the Dome Ranger, an insurance agent in an orange cowboy outfit and blue mask who reads dome poems over a local radio station before games; Dome Eddie, a gnatlike figure in orange sweats, Elton John glasses and an incandescent fright wig; and the Beast from the East, an electric-green cross between the Loch Ness monster and Klinger. Finally, there's The Orange, a juiced-up, bumbling citrus fruit from which two legs encased in furry brown booties protrude. It's known on campus as 'the official embarrassment.'"
But now Otto is embraced by all. In fact, in 1995, Chancellor Shaw appointed a committee to recommend a new mascot and the student body was outraged, signing petitions and dawning signs of support for Otto at athletic events.
Check out Otto's signature roll and subsequent dance moves! If that doesn't strike fear in the hearts of opponents I don't know what will.
Stanford Tree — Stanford University
This one might be a bit controversial, because the Stanford Tree is NOT the official mascot of Stanford. And no, the official mascot isn’t a Cardinal, either. The “Cardinal” refers to the color, and not the bird. But we couldn’t leave the Tree off this list.
The Tree was introduced by the band in 1975 and received so much attention that it became the unofficial mascot. When you think about a tree as a mascot it seems weird, but not completely bizarre. But then you look at that costume. Those big doe eyes, that huge grin, and what might be the only mascot without arms.
The other unique part of this mascot is the one who dons the costume is responsible for making the Tree for the next season.
The main thing that is bothersome about the Stanford Tree is now it seems like a more fitting mascot for rival Cal-Berkeley.
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.
NEW YORK (AP) - As the glow fades from the Giants' Super Bowl triumph, some New York sports fans are tuning in to basketball and hockey, with the Rangers in first place and the Knicks' overnight sensation, Jeremy Lin, sparking "Lin-sanity.''
Robins: This year, six new breeds will be making their debut on the green carpet for the Westminster Dog Show, which begins Monday.
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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.