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' 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.
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
MALMO, Sweden - Israel reached the Davis Cup quarterfinals for the first time since 1987, winning both singles matches Sunday to oust seven-time champion Sweden 3-2 in a series overshadowed by politics and protests.
Harel Levy beat Andreas Vinciguerra 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 3-6, 8-6 to decide the first-round series in the World Group in a nearly empty arena. Dudi Sela evened the score earlier by wearing down Thomas Johansson 3-6, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Vinciguerra saved two match points but botched a forehand to lose his serve, costing his country a chance to play Russia in the quarterfinals. Israel advanced to the quarters once before, losing to India in 1987.
The jubilant Israeli team hoisted Levy in the air as a few dozen guests celebrated in the stands. Only about 300 invitees were allowed to watch the match because city officials said they couldn’t guarantee security at the venue. Critics, including the Israeli team, said Malmo was caving in to threats of violence from anti-Israel groups.
On Saturday, scores of rock-throwing protesters bent on stopping the match clashed with police in an attempt to storm the arena. Police apprehended nearly 100 people and arrested 10 on preliminary charges of rioting and assault. No injuries were reported.
Levy suggested the decision to close the match backfired on the Swedes, depriving them of the raucous crowdds home teams usually enjoy.
“After all, it affected them more than it affected us,” he said. “Hopefully it won’t happen again.”
In the first match, Sela became so upset when he lost the third set he cracked his racket against the indoor carpet. The burst of anger appeared to have energized the Israeli, who broke Johansson’s serve in the first game of the fourth.
Johansson, playing his second match since October following heel surgery, showed signs of fatigue. He struggled with unforced errors and lost the set when his backhand return went wide.
“I knew I had to play long points and keep him on the court as long as possible. I think it paid off,” Sela said.
Johansson admitted he lost steam in the fourth set.
“When your body stops there is not much you can do,” the 2002 Australian Open champion said. “It’s just agony to stay out there. You know that if he doesn’t break his leg there is no chance.”
Simon Aspelin and Robert Lindstedt put Sweden ahead in the doubles Saturday by defeating Andy Ram and Amir Hadad in four sets.
In the opening singles, Johansson beat Levy in five sets before Sela squared the series with a five-set victory over Vinciguerra.
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.
 | Video |
 |
Protesters demonstrate at Davis Cup March 7: Hundreds of anti-Israeli protesters battled authorities in Sweden at the Davis Cup tennis competition where Israeli athletes were participating. |
 | Slideshow |
 |
NBCSports.com |
 | Slideshow |
 |
The Week in Sports Pictures The Giants on top of the football world, getting ready for the London Olympics and more. more photos |
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.
Doron Lamb hit a 3-pointer with 3:18 left to put No. 1 Kentucky ahead to stay, and the Wildcats took a big step toward a Southeastern Conference regular-season title by beating Vanderbilt 69-63 Saturday night for their 17th straight win.
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.
