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.
Eleven shots separated Phil and Tiger Sunday at Pebble Beach as Lefty secured his 40th Tour win. Jason Sobel had 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.
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.
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“It's Rickey’s first time going back there (as a Yankee), and Billy Martin is our manager,'' Baylor said. “And Rickey says: 'Two-thirds of the people come to see the Yankees, two-thirds come to see Billy Martin, and two-thirds come to see me.'"
So it should come as no surprise that the baseball world awaits Henderson's Hall of Fame induction speech Sunday in Cooperstown with great anticipation. Even Henderson says he doesn't know exactly what's going to come out of his mouth.
“Speech and me don't even get along sometimes,’’ he said during a media conference call this week. “So me having to try to write a speech, or read a speech like that, it’s kind of like putting a tie too tight on my neck. ... Whatever feels right at the time, is going to happen."
But no matter what the transcript will read, here's what should be inscribed on Henderson’s plaque that will hang with the game's other all-time greats: "Greatest base-stealer, leadoff hitter and run scorer the game has ever seen."
The numbers and accomplishments are mind-boggling; enough to at least make an argument that he was the greatest player of a tainted generation (career span: 1979-2003).
Stolen bases — 1,406. Next on the list: Lou Brock at 938. In fact, Henderson’s lead — 468 steals — would rank 42nd on the all-time list. Yes, when it comes to stealing bases, he really was the greatest — and it wasn’t even close.
Runs scored — 2,295. Next on the list: Ty Cobb (2,246), Barry Bonds (2,227), Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth (2,174), Pete Rose (2,165) and Willie Mays (2,062). Enough said.
“People will think of the stolen bases and remember me as a leadoff hitter, but I am most proud of the runs scored,’’ Henderson said. “My pride and joy is coming across the plate."
And just for good measure: 3,055 hits, 510 doubles, most career home runs as a leadoff hitter, one AL MVP (1990), one ALCS MVP (1989), 10 All-Star games, three Silver Slugger awards, one Gold Glove award, three pennants and two World Series rings.
There really wasn’t anything quite like him in his generation, or any era before his. Not with that combination of legendary speed and base-stealing ability, plus enough power to hit 297 career home runs.
And you certainly don’t see anything quite like him in today’s game, even as it transitions back to its pitching/defense/speed roots, and away from the swagger and slugging of the steroids era.
“Something like that may be in the past,’’ Henderson said.
In fact, Henderson doesn’t really like what he sees in today’s leadoff hitters.
“I don’t think the leadoff hitters really know their job,’’ he said. “When I was playing, the leadoff hitter, he needed to get on. I couldn’t care which way. Not trying to hit home runs; you were trying to scratch and strive to get on base.
“It’s like Tony Gwynn used to say to me: 'I’m hitting .340, .350-something, and you’re hitting .260-something, but you have a .423 on-base percentage, and I’m at .402. How can that happen?' Because I was just trying to get on the best way I can."
For the record, Henderson was a .279 career hitter with seven .300-plus seasons — including a .315 mark at age 40 — and four more of .289 or better.
But with Henderson, it always comes back to the stolen bases. He swiped 130 of them in 1982 — again easily eclipsing Brock’s record of 117. Henderson also went over 100 two other times. Entire teams don’t steal that many in this era.
“At the time, I probably didn’t recognize how many bases (130) was — what it stands for over a long period of time,’’ Henderson said. “Billy Martin was a real big part of it, because he wanted that record. In my mind, I was just there to try.
“He was the one who wanted the record, so he dictated what we were going to do that year. Billy had a strategy, he told me the strategy, and we worked together to achieve it.
“Right now, I don’t see (anybody breaking that record). You’ve got to be able to get on base a lot. You’ve got to have some luck. You’ve got to be able to take the pounding, and you’ve got to be able to want to do it each and every day.’’
And as for all the Rickey-being-Rickey stuff — the bat flipping, the snatch-catching of line drives, the trash talking? All part of a joy for the game that kept him going until age 44 in a swan-song 2003 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers — the ninth team uniform he wore, and 12th team change in his 25-year career.
Stick around too long? No such thing in Henderson’s mind.
“In my heart, I love the game,’’ said Henderson, who was born on Christmas Day in 1958. “I kept trying to come back, and come back, and they kept saying, 'You’ve got to wait five years (after retirement) to get into the Hall of Fame.'
“If I had just got those five years up early, then I’d be a little younger, and I could have come back after I went into the Hall of Fame. But I waited too long.’’
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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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.
After leading by 18 points in the first half, the Los Angeles Lakers were staring at a four-point deficit with less than two minutes to play.
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.
