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?
LIVE VIDEO: NBCSports.com shows Washington-New York, with alternate camera angles, HD views and more.
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.
CFT: Jordan Jefferson makes it clear he wasn't happy with LSU's game plan in the Tigers' BCS Championship Game loss to Alabama.
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.
BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) -England defender Joleon Lescott preserved Manchester City's two-point lead in the Premier League by scoring a second-half winner in a 1-0 victory at Aston Villa on Sunday.
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.
International flavor
The other interesting development on the road to the Triple Crown this week came in the form of a reminder that Churchill Downs is actively courting European contenders this year in an effort to season America’s most famous race with some international flavor.
Numerous British newspapers reported that there is keen interest among trainers on that side of the pond in participating in the inaugural Kentucky Derby Challenge Stakes on Wednesday, March 18, at the Kempton racecourse. Victory in the 9-furlong race, to be run over the track’s all-weather racing surface, will be worth the winner’s share of the $150,000 purse and a $100,000 bonus if the winner competes in the Kentucky Derby.
John Gosden has nominated four 3-year-olds to the race – Nawaadi, Close Alliance, Maffaz and Red Spider and Aidan O’Brien named a trio – Born to be King, Chief Lone Eagle and Great Wisdom.
Also apparently revving up for another try at the Derby is Dubai’s powerful Godolphin operation.
The stable’s racing manager, Simon Crisford, told HRTV last week that three Godolphin runners are under consideration for a Derby run: U.A.E. 2000 Guineas (Gr. 3) winner Desert Party, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner and Eclipse Award winner Midshipman and the highly regarded Vineyard Haven, who apparently didn’t handle the artificial surface at Dubai’s Naad al Sheba race course in the U.A.E. 2000 Guineas.
Midshipman has yet to start in 2009 and, if he runs in the Derby, apparently will do so off a single prep.
Coming attractions
Triple Crown prep action heats up again this weekend with the 1-mile Fountain of Youth Stakes (Gr. 2) at Gulfstream Park, the 1 1/8-mile Sham Stakes (Gr. 3) at Santa Anita and the 1 1/16 mile Battaglia Memorial Stakes at Turfway Park.
On paper the Fountain of Youth looks like the best of the trio, with Hutchison winner Capt. Candyman Can, Sunshine Millions Sprint winner This Ones for Phil, Spectacular Bid victor Notonthesamepage, the undefeated Taqarub and the wise-guy horse Beethoven.
The field for the Fountain of Youth is also expected to include Break Water Edison, Jack Spratt, Salo Jak and Quality Road.
The Sham will feature San Rafael Stakes winner The Pamplemousse, the Baffert-trained Ventana, the Pletcher shipper Take the Points, winner of an allowance race at Gulfstream in his most recent start, and three or four other 3-year-olds who will be hoping to make a statement.
I haven’t seen anything on the probables for the Battaglia Stakes yet.
The first of three pools of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager begins its three-day run on Friday and the bet's opening scenario is very similar to each of its opening pools since the wager was created in 1999.
It's first time that Classic will be broadcast in primetime on Nov. 3.
 | INTERACTIVE |
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 | Slideshow |
 | Derby celebs Plenty of stars from the entertainment and sports world attend the 136th Kentucky Derby. more photos |
| INTERACTIVE |
 | Triple Crown winners The horses that have won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont in the same year. |
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.
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