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.
Getty ImagesPEORIA, Ariz. - The Los Angeles Dodgers spoke to the agent for Manny Ramirez on Friday, and still no sign the sides are any closer to a deal.
The Dodgers announced Thursday night that agent Scott Boras had declined the team’s latest offer to the star outfielder — a $25 million, one-year contract with a $20 million player option for 2010.
“I talked to Scott a couple of hours ago,” Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said, adding with a shrug of his shoulders, “Nothing new.”
Asked during the Dodgers’ game against Seattle if he remained at a stalemate with Boras, Colletti chuckled and said, “Yeah, whatever.”
The issue separating the sides now appears to be how it will be paid out — either the total over the next two years, or spread out through 2013.
“Deferred compensation was part of the deal from the very beginning,” Colletti said.
“I have asked Scott many times to tell us where we are at, what we are bidding against, to tell us what we have to meet. We have yet to be told what the parameters are,” Colletti said.
Boras did not immediately return a call from The Associated Press to his offices in Newport Beach, Calif.
The San Francisco Giants are monitoring the negotiations, although managing partner Bill Neukom said there have been no new conversations with Boras.
The Giants didn’t have a single player hit more than 16 home runs last year and hit just 94 all season.
“We can’t control what is going on, but we are watching it closely,” Neukom said. “Nobody knows how it’s going to play out. It’s mostly up to the player and his agent at this point.”
Meanwhile, the Dodgers are trying to complete a deal.
“It’s obviously been the longest negotiation, thought process I’ve ever been a part of,” Colletti said. “I’m frustrated because we’re here for spring training, too, to evaluate the club and try to make the club as good as we can.
“I missed the first (spring game) to fly back because I thought it was a serious enough meeting that we wanted to try to bring something to a head. This is important, certainly, Manny is someone we really want on this club. There is a lot to do in the course of a day, and the vast majority of it is spent on this subject.”
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Dodgers manager Joe Torre obviously was tired of talking about the situation, saying he wasn’t going to answer any more questions about Ramirez.
“You’re got about all the Manny stuff that I have,” he said. “Until it’s determined where he’s going to wind up. I’m not angry or anything, but with all the back and forth, I’d just as soon not respond.”
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.
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.
