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.
APThis Game 5 loss was on a dispirited bunch of players who didn't appear to want to endure another cross-country flight back to Philadelphia. But Torre's Game 4 pitching decisions left plenty of room for questioning — even if he wouldn't admit it after the fact.
But Derek Lowe said he was ready to pitch the sixth inning after only 70-plus pitches, and wouldn't you want your veteran horse on the mound, rather than a 20-year-old rookie left-hander who calls the manager, 'Mr. Torre'?
It took Clayton Kershaw, Chan Ho Park and Joe Beimel to get through that inning, leaving Hong-Chi Kuo as the lone remaining lefty. And after a quick and brilliant top of the seventh, Kuo was yanked after Ryan Howard's leadoff single in the top of the eighth that barely made it through the infield.
You know what happened after that: Shane Victorino's two-run homer off Cory Wade to tie it, and Matt Stairs' two-run homer to win it off closer Jonathan Broxton to seal a pivotal 7-5 victory.
Still, two days later, Torre stuck to his line that he wouldn't want anything to be different except the results.
So now the Dodgers face a winter of upheaval. Yes, they do have a quality core group of young stars, and this experience will serve them well.
|
But there are the pending free agencies of Ramirez, Lowe and Furcal. There are the up-in-the-air injury statuses of Takashi Saito, Brad Penny and Jason Schmidt. And the unknown futures of displaced veterans Juan Pierre, Nomar Garciaparra and Andruw Jones, plus the likely retirement of Kent.
If this was the best the National League had to put in the Phillies' way, Manuel's team better be anticipating a whole new level of competition next week, when it will run into the American League champions.
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.
 | Video |
 |
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.
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.
NBC Sports TV and livestream listings
