Rotoworld: Oregon RB LaMichael James and Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon among top 10 players who are being overhyped for the 2012 draft.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
The Detroit Red Wings equaled an NHL record with their 20th straight win at home, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 Sunday night on the strength of Johan Franzen's tiebreaking goal early in the third period.
PBT: Boston's Rajon Rondo continues to be named in trade talks, which is madness. The Celtics guard creates offense and makes everyone around him better, which was evident in Sunday's win over the Bulls.
Arc: Syracuse is among a solid group of No. 1 seeds in our latest tournament projections, but the middle of the pack is much more murky.
Miami coach Al Golden says the worst is behind him, but his headaches figure to continue now that former booster Nevin Shapiro, now in jail, says his involvement with the Hurricanes program will result in stiff penalties.
Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods greeted their Sunday pairing at Pebble Beach with optimism. But the day would end happily only for one.
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.
Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
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.
AP fileThe power play has not been good for the Penguins this season, ranking in the bottom third of the league. But of late, it’s starting to show signs of life. Sergei Gonchar, who missed the first 56 games of the season after September shoulder surgery, is looking good, and Crosby is the prime beneficiary of that.
With Gonchar on the power play, more creative play occurs from the blue line, and more shots get through to the net. Also, Gonchar is another tremendous option in the passing sequence. Something creative, good, and productive usually happens when Gonchar is involved in the play. The play doesn’t die on his stick. It comes alive on his stick.
What I see in Pittsburgh is a happy team under Bylsma. The Penguins are enjoying playing hockey given the much-different approach of Bylsma to that of Therrien.
It’s no secret Therrien lived by the whip, and Bylsma is far more new school than old school in the sense he’s a communicator, and he’s very specific about everything he requires of his players, but he doesn’t necessarily lead with the whip and the caustic tongue.
The expectations for the Penguins this season are to win the Stanley Cup because they went to the finals and failed last year. Players are smart. They know when they have a chance to win it all. And the Penguins knew that for most of this season they were farther from their goal than they were last year. Now that’s changed.
Pittsburgh has its sights clearly set on the fourth seed in the East, but that’s not indicative of how good the Penguins are. Had they had Kunitz and Guerin all season, had they not lost Gonchar for so long, and had they had goalie Marc-Andre Fleury playing at the level he is now, winning their division and grabbing a top three seed would have been well within reach.
But don’t confuse Pittsburgh’s seeding with the power of the Penguins to make a deep playoff run, possibly getting back to the finals and winning the Stanley Cup. Staying healthy will be the biggest key in capturing a wide-open Eastern Conference.
The Detroit Red Wings equaled an NHL record with their 20th straight win at home, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 Sunday night on the strength of Johan Franzen's tiebreaking goal early in the third period.
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Crosby getting lift from new linemates March 22: New Penguin additions Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin seem to be a good fit on the line with Sidney Crosby. |
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Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
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.
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.