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.
Eleven shots separated Phil and Tiger Sunday at Pebble Beach as Lefty secured his 40th Tour win. Jason Sobel had 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.
Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
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 PRESS6. Jacked up
So I'm talking to Minnesota coach Tim Brewster earlier this week, and seriously, the way Touchdown Timmy talks, I don't know how any recruit can say no.
To say he's overly optimistic would be an understatement the size of Red Lake. Dude is optimism on overdrive. I mean a-few-pots-of-coffee-before-noon optimistic.
He's quick to announce that Minnesota has won six national championships (really, look it up) and 18 Big Ten championships — and sonofagun, it can happen again.
Laugh all you want, then watch what kind of recruiting class Brewster pulls in with a new on-campus stadium being built and a 1-11 to 11-1 turnaround. Northwestern, without tailback Tyrell Sutton and quarterback C.J. Bacher, can't stop the Gopher train.
7. The week before
Couldn't blame Utah and TCU if their collective minds are elsewhere this weekend. The Utes travel to New Mexico; the Frogs to UNLV — and both better be very, very careful to not look ahead to the game of the year in the Mountain West Conference.
If Utah wins out, it's a lock for a BCS bowl. If TCU wins out, it could jump unbeaten Boise State and play in a BCS game.
Heaven knows we don't need New Mexico and UNLV gumming up the works for next week's big Thursday night game in Salt Lake City. The scary part: Both UNLV and New Mexico are incredibly erratic; playing well one week and tanking the next.
UNLV has wins over two BCS teams (Arizona State, Iowa State) but has lost four straight. New Mexico beat Arizona and hung 70 on San Diego State, and three times this fall has scored three points or less in a game.
Tighten up, everyone. These two will be much closer than you think.
8. Little Big Man
Remember the upset of the season, when little Quizz Rodgers ran wild on the big, bad Trojans in September?
Well, Quizz is chasing down the unthinkable again: No freshman has ever led the Pac-10 in rushing. Rodgers, who gave us the line of the year after the USC win — "I'm a little guy, I'm only 5-feet-6. I hide behind the offensive line." — leads the Pac-10 in rushing and this week gets a shot at a truly awful Arizona State run defense that has allowed:
Frank Summers, UNLV: 103 yards
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia: 149 yards
Joe McKnight, USC: 143 yards
Oregon team: 304 yards
The Little Man is going to have a huge game.
9. The Deep Ball
In the spirit of the greatest moment in the world every four years (no, not the Olympics), we give you our nod to Lloyd Bentsen.
To the Pitt defense: I know Mike Teel, and Mike Teel is no Jimmy Clausen.
Let's hope the Pitt secondary practiced really, really hard this week.
10. Gad-zooks!
First Ron Zook says players have to be held more accountable. They have to start playing better. A few days later, the Illinois coach says this team is better than last year's Rose Bowl team.
I ask you, who knows how to motivate a team better?
And you know what? I still think Illinois beats Iowa in Champaign because, seriously, this uber-talented team can't keep losing, can it?
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.
CFT: Jordan Jefferson makes it clear he wasn't happy with LSU's game plan in the Tigers' BCS Championship Game loss to Alabama.
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Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
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.
After leading by 18 points in the first half, the Los Angeles Lakers were staring at a four-point deficit with less than two minutes to play.