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.
WASHINGTON - Goalie Jose Theodore was benched for Game 2 of the Washington Capitals’ first-round playoff series against the New York Rangers on Saturday, with rookie Simeon Varlamov making his NHL postseason debut. The Caps still lost, 1-0.
The 20-year-old Varlamov made only six appearances for Washington in the regular season, with five starts. His record was 4-0-1.
Theodore signed a $9 million, two-year contract as a free agent last offseason and went 32-17-5. He was the NHL’s MVP in 2002.
When Varlamov was the last member of the Capitals lineup introduced before Saturday’s game, the crowd responded with the loudest roars it delivered for any of the team’s starters.
Also Saturday, Rangers captain Chris Drury returned after missing Game 1 with an undisclosed injury. Capitals defenseman Jeff Schultz sat out with an upper body injury, while Brian Pothier was back in the lineup after sitting out the first game of the playoffs.
Theodore took the blame for Washington’s 4-3 loss to New York in Game 1 on Wednesday, when he allowed four goals on only 21 shots.
Immediately after that game, Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau wouldn’t rule out the possibility of making a goalie switch.
Asked that night whether he considered going with Varlamov in the third period after Theodore gave up three goals in the second, Boudreau said: “You never want to look like you’re panicking, and that’s what that would have looked like.”
In the days between Games 1 and 2, the NHL’s reigning coach of the year was coy about who he would put in the net, refusing to come out and say which goalie would get the start. He did note, however, that “Theo’s our No. 1 goalie.”
He informed the two players of his decision after practice Friday, but it wasn’t until Varlamov took more of the work during pregame warmups Saturday that it seemed clear to everyone else.
Shortly before the opening face-off, Varlamov skated over to the Capitals bench, where Theodore was sitting, wearing a baseball cap instead of a mask. They chatted briefly, then Theodore stayed put, and Varlamov took his place in front of the goal.
Ryan Callahan scored three goals as the New York Rangers beat Philadelphia 5-2 on Saturday for their seventh straight win over the Flyers.
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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.
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.