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 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.
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.
Getty ImagesMaybe Joe Torre could have closed the deal with CC Sabathia. After all, he has a great reputation with players.
Perhaps he could have convinced Sabathia that pitching for the Yankees would be a wonderful experience. If Torre could change Mike Mussina's mind about the Yankees, he might be able to change Sabathia's.
Mussina never thought of himself as being Yankee material. He wanted to play someplace where it was all about the baseball.
He'd always laughed about the tabloids and the constant off-the-field drama around the Bombers.
It was Torre who convinced him to come to New York, check out the New Jersey suburbs and see how normal life with the Yankees could be. As for the clubhouse environment, well, Torre would take care of that.
Now, as the Yankees nervously await an answer from Sabathia, as they debate whether to throw still more money at him, it's one of those times where Hank Steinbrenner's decision to show Torre the door looks more foolish than ever.
The Yankees have millions to throw at free agents this winter, but so far no player has jumped at the money. There's a sense among some agents that a lot of players don't want to play for the Yankees.
That gossip could be a bargaining tool, or it could reflect how much less appealing the Yankees have become in the post-Torre era.
The nation's economic crisis could squeeze free agents in the middle and lower parts of the market, while those at the top likely will get the same money.
If the money's the same, the players may go where they feel the most comfortable. Mike Scioscia, Charlie Manuel, Terry Francona, Bobby Cox and Torre all offer a level of comfort that Joe Girardi might not.
Let's not rush to judgment. The Yankees are likely to sign two premier starting pitchers. If Derek Lowe doesn't prefer Boston. If A.J. Burnett doesn't tire of waiting and sign with the Phillies. Gulp.
Manny Ramirez will sign with the team that offers the most money. How does Manny sound to you, Brian Cashman?
OK, never mind. You don't have to get snippy. I know you need pitching. I keep up.
It's just that Sabathia apparently prefers the West Coast, and even if the Yankees blow the Angels out of the water financially, they may not get him in pinstripes.
Cashman would then begin scrambling for a fallback plan. For instance, Lowe.
There's a problem with Lowe, too. He's represented by Scott Boras, who does things at his own pace.
He's likely to play things out for a while. Cashman simply can't put all his chips on Lowe.
Then there's Burnett. Suddenly, those 10 trips to the disabled list seem like less of a risk.
Free agency seemed simpler back in the old days when players went to the highest bidder, which usually was George Steinbrenner.
That's how it may work out again. The Yankees appear to have offered Sabathia a six-year deal worth around $140 million.
If the Angels match that offer and if Sabathia prefers the West Coast, what do the Yankees do?
Will $150 million over six years do it? Will it take a seventh year? Is there even a number that would compel Sabathia to spurn Southern California for the Bronx?
Agents — and players — know the Yankees are desperate. Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy didn't develop the way Cashman thought they would, so he's willing to spend his franchise back into contention.
If I were Cashman, I'd focus on Burnett, get him under contract, then offer Andy Pettitte a one-year deal at a pay cut.
He'd then have some insurance even as he played things out with Sabathia and Lowe. He's in a tougher spot with the offense since Boras represents both Teixeira and Ramirez.
Boras almost always follows the money, and Manny has said he'll go to the highest bidder.
It would be fun to have Manny back in the American League East. He surely would be motivated in those games against the Red Sox.
If nothing else, he'd make life around the Yankees interesting. If things break the wrong way over the next few weeks, that would be important.
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.
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.
