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.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MILWAUKEE - Doug Melvin will get a 3-year contract extension as the general manager of the Milwaukee Brewers, but the team also said Friday that Dale Sveum is no longer under consideration to become manager.
Sveum was promoted from his coaching position and served as interim manager after Ned Yost was fired with 12 games left in the regular season.
The Brewers reached the postseason for the first time since 1982, but lost to Philadelphia in four games in the opening round of the playoffs.
Brewers owner Mark Attanasio said the team reached a “significant milestone” by getting to the postseason, “and this could not have been accomplished without the efforts of Doug Melvin and his staff.”
Among the major moves this season was the July trade that brought pitcher CC Sabathia from Cleveland to Milwaukee, where he became the most dependable member of the rotation, going 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA in 17 starts.
The Brewers went 7-5 under Sveum, clinching the wild-card berth on the final day of the regular season with Sabathia’s 3-1 complete game win over the Chicago Cubs.
Melvin, whose deal now runs through 2012, said he would recommend to the next manager that Sveum stay on the coaching staff. He was the third base coach before the late-season promotion.
Ruling out Sveum “allows us to widen our search to experienced managerial candidates,” Melvin said.
Sveum told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel by phone from his Scottsdale, Ariz., home that he was shocked when Melvin told him the team decided to look for someone with more experience.
“Basically, my heart was ripped out of my chest,” he said, adding the odds are against his returning to coach under a new manager.
“The most disappointing part of it all is that I’m no longer going to wear a Brewers uniform,” he said. “That hurts more than anything. I loved the Brewers and the organization.”
The team said hitting coach Jim Skaalen won’t be offered a contract for next year. He held that job the last two seasons.
The Brewers plan more announcements about the coaching staff in coming days.
Among the team’s big challenges is trying to keep Sabathia, who like starter Ben Sheets is eligible for free agency.
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.
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.