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 for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
Kobe Bryant hit a baseline jump shot with 4.2 seconds left and the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up a six-game road trip by holding on to beat the Raptors 94-92 on Sunday, their eighth victory in nine meetings with Toronto
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.
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.
Golf's dream pairing - Woods and Mickelson - is on the course in the final round at Pebble Beach. Jason Sobel has hole-by-hole reports.
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.
Euro Roundup: First-place Manchester City won 1-0 at Aston Villa on Sunday on Joleon Lescott's goal in the 63rd minute, maintaining its two-point lead over Manchester United in the Premier League.
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.
APBrian Shaw was a member of those three Laker championship teams earlier this decade, and is now an assistant coach under Jackson. Although he said his boss has remained steady and resolute over the years, he confirmed that people do change with age, and that Jackson is one of those people.
“I joke with him all the time that he’s gotten soft with these young new guys,” Shaw said. “When I played for him, he was more of a disciplinarian. Not necessarily a dictator, but he allows a lot more input from the guys now as opposed to how he did when we played.
“I think that’s just natural because 10 years later he’s in his young 60s now and doesn’t probably have the same amount of energy now in terms of getting after them for some of the things they do. But other than that, he’s pretty much the same.”
Jackson is under contract through next season, but that doesn’t mean much. He can walk, er, hobble away whenever he wants. He could probably also stay on for as long as he wants. He said Tuesday after practice that over the last 20 to 30 games he began experiencing pain and swelling in his lower right leg, a result of plantar fasciitis. He missed a preseason game in Anaheim in October because of the problem, and in April skipped a flight to Portland.
If the condition worsens, he could become a former coach, perhaps as early as this summer. “After the year, I’ll have the medical staff check that out,” he said. “As of now, I’m feeling pretty good.”
So these Finals magnify in importance for Jackson. The Pistons were hot and determined in ’04 and the Lakers were somewhat dysfunctional. Last year the Celtics were an overpowering defensive team led by three superstars, and the Lakers were clearly second best. But now, the Lakers are favored. They’re coming off two masterful victories over the feisty Denver Nuggets. They’re playing their best basketball at the right time.
No. 10 has never looked as attainable as it does right now.
“He’s pretty calm about it,” Bryant said. “He stresses execution and playing the right way. I’m sure it’s important to him, but Phil has never coached for the accolades. He has never coached for anything materialistic.”
As the 2009 Finals unfold, Jackson deals with the prospect of No. 10 by not dealing with it. When asked what it would mean to him, he held up his hands and replied:
“One for each finger. That’s about it. And two thumbs.”
Kobe Bryant hit a baseline jump shot with 4.2 seconds left and the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up a six-game road trip by holding on to beat the Raptors 94-92 on Sunday, their eighth victory in nine meetings with Toronto
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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.
Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
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