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.
PBT: Jeremy Lin wasn't his hot self on Saturday, but he still led the Knicks to victory.
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.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PHOENIX - Randy Johnson filed for free agency on Thursday after failing to reach a contract agreement to return to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The 45-year-old lefty is five wins shy of 300 and “hopes to find a team where he can continue to pitch at a high level and contribute to another world championship,” agents Barry Meister and Alan Nero said in a statement.
The agents said they met in Phoenix on Monday with Diamondbacks chief executive officer Jeff Moorad and general manager Josh Byrnes “to explore every option for Randy to remain a Diamondback in 2009 and for the remainder of his career.”
“The Diamondbacks have a budget based on their club’s financial situation and obviously viewed Randy’s contract in that context,” the agents said. “Randy considered every reasonable compromise, including offering to take a 50 percent pay cut, all to remain a Diamondback. However, the economic situation did not lend itself to an agreement.”
Johnson made $16 million last year and went 11-10 with a 3.91 ERA. He struck out 173 and walked 44.
Byrnes, who said the sides had conversations through the week into Thursday, would not rule out still signing Johnson but added “something would fundamentally have to change in our position or their position or both.”
The Diamondbacks will not budge on their policy of not giving contracts that include player incentives.
He praised the spirit of the conversations.
“Both sides worked very hard to find an equitable deal,” Byrnes said. “We couldn’t do it.”
Byrnes said the club envisions a rotation of Brandon Webb, Dan Haren, Doug Davis, Max Scherzer and Yusmeiro Petit next season.
“There’s a chance we might try to find another person that would add to our depth,” Byrnes said.
Johnson is a five-time Cy Young Award winner. He won the NL Cy Young from 1999-2002 with Arizona.
The Big Unit was co-MVP with Curt Schilling in the 2001 World Series victory over the New York Yankees. He went 21-6 with a 2.49 ERA and 372 strikeouts that year.
Johnson has 4,789 strikeouts, second to Nolan Ryan on the career list, and pitched a perfect game.
Johnson came back for a second stint with the Diamondbacks in 2007 after a trade with the Yankees. He underwent the third back surgery of his career that year.
In January 2005, the Diamondbacks traded him to the Yankees. Johnson and his family have long made their home in the Phoenix suburb of Paradise Valley.
“Randy will miss the overwhelming support the fans have shown him throughout the years,” his agents said. “He wishes the Diamondbacks great success in 2009 and beyond.”
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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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.
