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.
Marlies Schild of Austria won her sixth World Cup slalom of the season Saturday after overall leader Lindsey Vonn and defending champion Maria Hoefl-Riesch crashed out in the opening run on the windy Pyrenees course.
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.
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford is scheduled to have surgery on Sunday to repair torn ligaments in his left thumb.
He better heal quick — he might need that hand to lift the Heisman Trophy.
Bradford enhanced his chances of winning college football’s most prestigious award Saturday night, throwing for a Big 12 Championship-record 384 yards and two touchdowns in a 62-21 rout over Missouri.
The sophomore already had the resume to be among the front-runners for the Heisman: gaudy numbers, Big 12 South title, season-defining moment. Now, he’s got the Sooners headed to the national championship game, pulling off the kind of gritty performance that could sway undecided Heisman voters.
Next up? The Heisman ceremony in New York on Saturday, when Bradford could test the strength of the repaired digit on his non-throwing hand.
“This guy’s playing probably as good as anybody I’ve seen play,” Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said.
Bradford was injured last week against Oklahoma State and stayed in the game, throwing for 370 yards and four touchdowns.
Wearing a brace on his thumb against Missouri, he whipped passes around Arrowhead Stadium on a frigid night, setting a Big 12 record with 34 completions, throwing to nine different receivers. Bradford helped Oklahoma win its third straight Big 12 title — sixth overall — and has the Sooners in the national title game for the fourth time nine years.
Not bad for a guy facing surgery in less than 24 hours.
“You can’t ask for more than he’s done,” said Sooners receiver Juaquin Iglesias, who caught nine of Bradford’s passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns.
Bradford has Heisman-like numbers, throwing for 4,464 yards, 48 touchdowns with just six interceptions in leading the highest-scoring team in NCAA history. He led an offense that at least 600 total yards four times this season, including 627 against Missouri, and the first team in 89 years to score at least 60 points in five straight games.
Bradford had the kind of signature play Heisman voters will remember last week against Oklahoma State, whirling through the air like a copter-on-a-stick toy while trying to score a touchdown — after injuring his hand.
He capped the season with Saturday’s gem, hitting 34 of 49 passes in his fifth consecutive 300-yard game, giving him 1,058 yards and 10 touchdowns the final three games.
With less than a week until the Heisman ceremony, Bradford has to like his chances — not that he wanted to about it.
“I just wanted to win the game,” he said.
He did — and it may just get him the Heisman, too.
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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 Memphis fulfills BCS dream Tigers officials thrilled to announce that school has been accepted to join the Big East Conference in 2013. |
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The Week in Sports Pictures The Giants on top of the football world, getting ready for the London Olympics and more. more photos |
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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.
