Super Bowl XLVI
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.
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.
Pavel Datsyuk and Todd Bertuzzi scored shootout goals to give Detroit a 2-1 win over Anaheim on Friday. The victory was the Red Wings' 19th consecutive at home, one shy of the NHL record.
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.
Arc's weekend preview: The way you beat Kentucky is by getting physical with their big guys, and the Wildcats don’t have much depth up front.
CFT: Jordan Jefferson makes it clear he wasn't happy with LSU's game plan in the Tigers' BCS Championship Game loss to Alabama.
Despite an injury scare and a few missed opportunities at Monterey Peninsula CC, Tiger Woods remains in contention at the AT&T.
John Isner jolted Roger Federer with his big serve and booming groundstrokes Friday, winning 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-2 to give the United States a 2-0 lead against Switzerland in the first round of the Davis Cup.
Manchester City will find at least three highly motivated players in its way Sunday when it tries to improve upon its flagging away form in the Premier League at Aston Villa.
All that stuff about the Olympic ideal, how it's all about taking part, not winning, can often seem like so much hot air, rendered hopelessly quaint and outdated by the ultra-competitive and mercenary world of modern sport. Until, that is, you speak to Kieran Behan.
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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PHOENIX - The Los Angeles Dodgers have pulled their $45 million, two-year offer to Manny Ramirez, and owner Frank McCourt said Sunday that negotiations will have to start again from scratch.
The Dodgers announced last week that Ramirez had declined the team’s latest offer, a $25 million, one-year contract with a $20 million player option for 2010. McCourt said no talks with Ramirez’s representatives were scheduled for Sunday.
“We’re in what I call a transition phase,” McCourt said before the Dodgers lost 3-2 to the Chicago White Sox in their first game at their new spring training facility at Camelback Ranch. “We had an almost four-month negotiation which terminated on Thursday. Now we’re in a quiet period. At some point we’ll pick up negotiations, but with a fresh start.”
The issue separating the two sides appears to be how much the contract is worth in present-day dollars.
General manager Ned Colletti and the Dodgers wanted to defer payment of $10 million until 2011, $10 million more to 2012 and $5 million to 2013.
Ramirez’s agent, Scott Boras, said Sunday in an e-mail to reporters that his most recent offer Saturday was for two years with “some deferred compensation” for a “net present value” of $43.5 million, a compromise that Ramirez requested.
“We have continued to work with Ned and the Dodgers to do away with the artificial barriers and attempt (to) get a deal completed,” Boras said. “There is no issue with deferral money being part of any contract; just want to make sure the value is stated accurately and appropriately.”
According to Boras, the team’s last offer had a net present value of $42 million. Boras’ previous proposal was for $45 million without any deferred money. So he said he met the Dodgers at the midpoint of those offers because that’s what Ramirez directed him to do.
“However, we have yet to hear from them on our last three offers,” Boras said.
Also in the e-mail was a quote from Ramirez saying that he’s been included throughout the process.
“I would not allow negotiations to take place without being involved and talk to Scott nearly every day,” Ramirez was quoted as saying. “I have given Scott offers that he has given to the Dodgers and he has given me all offers from the team.”
McCourt said Boras’ proposal of $45 million for two years with no deferred payments only came after Boras responded to the team’s $45 million offer with a proposal of $55 million for two years. He said the Dodgers rejected that proposal.
“You can’t get a no and then when the other side says, ’OK, we’re going to start fresh,’ you say, ’I meant yes,”’ McCourt said. “That’s not how it works. It’s too little, too late. It wasn’t multiple choice.”
The owner also said Boras had encouraged deferred money to be part of the offers from the beginning.
Despite the sometimes acrimonious exchanges between the two camps, McCourt said he expects negotiations to resume soon.
“We want to see Manny a Dodger this year,” he said.
Los Angeles carried a 2-0 lead into the ninth inning against Chicago but Gordon Beckham led off with a long home run off Victor Garate. The White Sox then loaded the bases, and Brandon Allen and Michael Restovich each drove in a run with a fielder’s choice.
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Mark Buehrle worked two scoreless innings for the White Sox. He struck out two, walked one and allowed one hit.
Notes: Dodgers manager Joe Torre said there was nothing physically wrong with reliever Ramon Trancoso “unless he’s hiding something from us.” Toncosco, who has a 13.50 ERA this spring, walked two of the three batters he faced Sunday.
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 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.
Chris Paul had 24 points, including the game-winning 17-footer with 3.2 seconds left, Blake Griffin added 16 points and 11 rebounds and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 78-77 on Friday.
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.
