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 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.
AP
NEW YORK - Alex Ovechkin finally got his All-Star invitation.
Less than a week after Washington Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau called Ovechkin’s omission from the Eastern Conference’s starting lineup “dumb,” the reigning NHL MVP was among 15 players picked Thursday to fill out the roster for the All-Star game on Jan. 25 in Montreal.
“I know it’s going to be a sick atmosphere,” Ovechkin, a three-time All-Star, said after practice in Arlington, Va.
Boudreau was not too happy that his Southeast Division-leading club, second in the East with 67 points (27-11-3), will be represented by only Ovechkin. He mentioned center Nicklas Backstrom, defenseman Mike Green and left wing Alexander Semin as other Capitals who deserved consideration.
The starting lineup, determined by fan balloting online and via text messaging, featured four members of the host Montreal Canadiens and two from the Pittsburgh Penguins. All 30 teams must be represented in the game, leaving little room for multiple picks from clubs.
“I don’t agree with the process,” Boudreau said. “People would much rather see the best players in the world, rather than one representative of every team.”
The rebuilt Boston Bruins (29-7-4) — the owners of the second best record in the NHL behind San Jose — had three players chosen by the NHL’s hockey operations department, after consultation with general managers. The West roster was announced Wednesday.
The Bruins, off to their best start since the 1929-30 season, were rewarded with the selections of goalie Tim Thomas, defenseman Zdeno Chara and center Marc Savard. In last year’s 8-7 victory by the East in Atlanta, Savard scored the winning goal in the final minute, Thomas stopped 14 of 18 shots in the third period, and Chara had an assist and a plus-3 rating.
Joining Savard on the forward lines are first-time All-Stars Thomas Vanek of the Buffalo Sabres and Philadelphia’s Jeff Carter. Ovechkin, Vanek and Carter entered play Thursday in a three-way tie with an NHL-leading 27 goals.
“I still want to get better, but at the same time, it’s rewarding to go there and represent my teammates,” said Vanek, the first All-Star from Austria. “There’s a few other guys that deserved to go, but a couple of more goals is probably the reason I got picked.”
Other first-timers picked Thursday include goalie Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers, a three-time Vezina Trophy finalist, defenseman Mark Streit of the New York Islanders and forward Zach Parise of the New Jersey Devils.
“I didn’t feel that well this morning after a tough game, but things like this always cheer you up,” said Lundqvist (20-12-3), who allowed five goals in a 6-3 loss to Montreal on Wednesday. “Even though I didn’t feel like an All-Star last night, I’ve had some pretty good games this season. I need to be a little more consistent.”
Streit who joined the Islanders during the summer after spending his first three seasons in the NHL with Montreal, is the first Swiss All-Star.
“This is an unbelievable honor,” said Streit, who was given an All-Star jersey Thursday at the Islanders’ morning skate in Calgary, Alberta. “It’s going to be a great experience to go back to Montreal and it will be a lot of fun.”
Tampa Bay Lightning center Vincent Lecavalier, chosen as an All-Star for the fourth time, was born and raised in nearby Ile-Bizard, Quebec, and wears No. 4 in honor of Canadiens Hall of Famer Jean Beliveau — a player he portrayed in the 2005 movie, “The Rocket.”
Ottawa Senators left wing Dany Heatley and Carolina Hurricanes center Eric Staal, both previous All-Star MVP winners, will be making return trips. Staal took the honors last year with three points, including an assist on Savard’s winning goal. Heatley tied an All-Star game record with four goals in the East’s 6-5 loss in 2003.
Rounding out the forwards is Atlanta’s Ilya Kovalchuk, a three-time All-Star.
On defense, Tomas Kaberle of the Toronto Maple Leafs will be making his fourth All-Star appearance, and Florida’s Jay Bouwmeester will take part in his second game.
The starting lineup, announced last weekend, consists of forwards Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin of the Penguins, and goalie Carey Price, defensemen Andrei Markov and Mike Komisarek, and forward Alex Kovalev of the Canadiens.
Ryan Callahan scored three goals as the New York Rangers beat Philadelphia 5-2 on Saturday for their seventh straight win over the Flyers.
Mike Smith stopped 38 shots for his third shutout this season and the Phoenix Coyotes beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-0 Saturday night.
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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.
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.
Jeremy Lin had the most astounding performance of his remarkable week, scoring a career-high 38 points and outdueling Kobe Bryant as the New York Knicks held off the Los Angeles Lakers 92-85 on Friday night.