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
TOWSON, Md. - Michael Phelps was formally welcomed home Saturday with a two-pronged celebration that began with a parade and ended with a fireworks show at historic Fort McHenry.
Phelps was the focal point of the “Parade of Gold”, which served as a homecoming for Maryland’s Olympic heroes, most notably the swimmer who won a record-setting eight gold medals at the Beijing Games this summer.
An estimated 5,000 people lined the streets of Towson for the parade, according to Baltimore County police.
The festivities then moved to Fort McHenry, birthplace of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Wearing a dress shirt, sports jacket and jeans, Phelps walked onto the makeshift stage to cheers from thousands of people, many of whom arrived several hours before the event.
“There’s no better place to be than right here in Baltimore!” he told the crowd.
The “Star-Spangled Salute” started with a recap of Phelps’ performance in China and featured a speeches by Gov. Martin O’Malley and Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon. It also included a visit from Phelps’ mother, Debbie, who received a big hug from her son.
The ceremony concluded with a fireworks above Baltimore’s harbor.
At the parade, Phelps wore sunglasses, jeans, a T-shirt and a brightly colored jacket. He waved to admiring fans from within an open-air military vehicle on a gorgeous autumn afternoon. Those in attendance waited months to pay homage to the Baltimore native, whose haul in China raised to 14 his career gold medals.
Lining the 1½-mile route, many onlookers held red, white, and blue signs. Participants in the parade passed under large American flag strung between the ladders of two fire trucks.
Caroline Dill, 13, was in position with four friends more than three hours before the parade began.
“He’s an amazing person because he won eight gold medals and beat Mark Spitz’s record,” Dill said of Phelps. “Plus, he’s from here.”
The parade also honored swimmer Katie Hoff — who won three medals at Beijing Games — and Special Olympians and Paralympians.
The city staged a parade for Phelps after the 2004 Games. After his amazing performance in Beijing, the city arranged a two-part affair, at a cost estimated to be $300,000, in anticipation of far bigger crowds this time around.
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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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.
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.