Rotoworld: Oregon RB LaMichael James and Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon among top 10 players who are being overhyped for the 2012 draft.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
The Detroit Red Wings equaled an NHL record with their 20th straight win at home, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 Sunday night on the strength of Johan Franzen's tiebreaking goal early in the third period.
PBT: Boston's Rajon Rondo continues to be named in trade talks, which is madness. The Celtics guard creates offense and makes everyone around him better, which was evident in Sunday's win over the Bulls.
Arc: Syracuse is among a solid group of No. 1 seeds in our latest tournament projections, but the middle of the pack is much more murky.
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.
Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods greeted their Sunday pairing at Pebble Beach with optimism. But the day would end happily only for one.
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.
AP4. Same as it ever was.
Look, I'm a bowl guy. Love their tradition and what they mean to the fabric of the game.
But this Las Vegas Bowl is the perfect example of why the bowl system needs a little tweaking here and there. If a team has appeared in the same city the three previous seasons — and it's not a BCS bowl — why not allow them to go outside the preset conference affiliations and find another bowl game?
It makes no sense for BYU to make yet another trip to the Las Vegas Bowl — for a fourth straight year — as a reward to the players for a 10-win season. If the WAC can find a way to get Boise State in the Poinsettia Bowl, can't the Mountain West find a way to place the Cougars in a comparable bowl with a similar payout?
BYU-Arizona will be one of the better games this bowl seasons, but those BYU players have gone to Las Vegas — granted, not a bad place to be — and seen enough of Elvis. This isn't brain surgery. How about the Sun Bowl and Las Vegas Bowl making a switch: BYU for Pitt. That leaves us with Pitt vs. Arizona and BYU vs. Oregon State.
Was that so painful?
5. The Big Catch.
We're all infatuated with freshmen wideouts Julio Jones of Alabama and A.J. Green of Georgia, and with good reason. But if you watch the New Orleans Bowl for no other reason, watch it for Southern Miss freshman wideout DeAndre Brown.
As good as Jones and Green are, Brown could be better.
A look at the numbers:
Jones: 51 catches, 847 yards, 16.6 ypc., 4 TD
Green: 55 catches, 951 yards, 17.3 apc., 8 TD
Brown: 66 catches, 1,108 yards, 16.8 ypc., 12 TD
Who's the best? It doesn't matter — all three will be top 15 picks (or higher) in the 2011 NFL draft. Enjoy them while you can.
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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The Week in Sports Pictures The Giants on top of the football world, getting ready for the London Olympics and more. more photos |
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.
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.
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.