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
CHICAGO - Break out the sunscreen and come hungry for a hot dog or two.
Because of the struggling economy, seats on one of those cool rooftops across the street from Wrigley Field can now be yours for a dozen or more Cubs games this season.
The recession has forced companies to scale back-back-back on corporate outings and entertainment, so the owners of one rooftop are getting creative in their efforts to keep people coming by. And they're going old school to do it, using that tried-and-true method of season ticket deals and inviting regular Joes back up for the fun.
Skybox on Sheffield last week began offering 12- and 18-game packages. The packages, which range from $1,740 per person up to $3,150, include admission to the rooftop overlooking right field, plus food and drinks.
"A lot of companies are trying to tighten up on their budgets, so we wanted to develop something that would appeal to individuals as well as corporations,'' said Rich Zasiebida, one of Skybox's managing partners.
"We've got our facility no matter what, so what we need to do is try to put people in our facility to see what we had to offer.''
The Cubs haven't won a World Series in 101 years and, for much of the time since then, they've earned every bit of their "Lovable Losers'' moniker. Yet they're one of the most popular teams in all of sports, with Wrigley Field a large part of that folksy charm.
Built in 1914, Wrigley is the second-oldest ballpark in the majors (Fenway Park is older by two years) and a monument to the national pastime. Tucked in the middle of a residential neighborhood, ivy covers the brick outfield walls, and the massive scoreboard is still changed by hand.
The brownstones and apartment buildings that surround Wrigley add to its homey feel.
The rooftop phenomenon started a few decades ago, when neighborhood residents would tote grills and coolers up to their roofs to watch the Cubs with friends. It brought back memories of an era when fans could peek through knotholes in fences or watch games at the Polo Grounds from behind ropes across the outfield.
Then someone realized there was money on those roofs. Small, friendly get-togethers gave way to corporate bigwigs and bachelor parties shelling out as much as $200 per person for the view, food and drinks. Ratty lawn chairs were replaced with bleachers - two and three decks of them, in places.
"It's a whole different experience being on the rooftop,'' said Terie Kata, community liaison for the Wrigley Rooftop Association, a group of 12 rooftop owners. "There's usually more of a camaraderie, party atmosphere on the rooftops than in the ballpark.''
The Cubs are a happy partner with the rooftops. And no wonder: The team gets 17 percent of the rooftop owners' gross revenues.
Views vary from roof to roof.
At Skybox, which is just to the centerfield side of the first base foul pole, the view is better than it would be inside some other ballparks. There's a clear view of home plate, and only deep right and the deepest part of center are obstructed.
There are two outdoor levels (no bathroom lines here; each level has its own set); a beer garden; two bars; a grilling area; and a state-of-the-art sound system. The third floor features an 1,800-square-foot "clubhouse'' with a pool table, game room, hardwood floors and another bar.
"It's like an extension of the bleachers, since we're pretty much right on top of the field,'' Zasiebida said.
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.
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.
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.