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 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.
Getty Images
NEW YORK - The Blue Jays parted ways with popular teammate Alex Rios in the visitor’s clubhouse just before the first pitch Monday night, their task of slowing down the streaking New York Yankees made that much more difficult.
The Yankees had won seven straight, and were fresh off their first four-game home sweep of bitter rival Boston in 24 years. Their pitching had been dominant, their offense explosive.
Leave it to the Toronto bullpen, of all things, to turn the game upside down.
Lyle Overbay and Aaron Hill hit solo homers, and the Blue Jays’ gritty relief corps made a meager lead stand up in a 5-4 victory that gave Toronto its first three-game winning streak since the last week of June.
“We did a good job, got their starter out of there, but their bullpen came in and did a real solid job,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “They shut us down.”
And they did it without Rios, a two-time All-Star who was claimed off waivers by the Chicago White Sox just before the first pitch.
It was cost-saving moving on the part of the Blue Jays, who shed the outfielder’s hefty salary and now have some financial flexibility for the offseason.
“As I told him, it’s not like someone didn’t want him,” Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston said. “There was a team over there that really wanted him and I’m sure that he will do well.”
Shawn Camp (1-5) picked up the win in relief of ineffective starter Marc Rzepczynski, who allowed three homers and didn’t make it out of the fourth inning. The Blue Jays bullpen allowed four hits over 5 2-3 innings, helping Toronto win for just the third time in 10 tries against the Yankees this season.
Jason Frasor worked around a single in the ninth by Hideki Matsui for his fifth save.
“Pitching did a great job,” Hill said. “Frasor’s doing his thing. It’s always nice to come out with a win, not we have to come out here and do it again tomorrow.”
The Yankees, who had their lead in the AL East trimmed to 5½ games over Boston, looked for a while as if they would keep rolling.
Derek Jeter hit a leadoff homer on the third pitch he saw, and Robinson Cano and Jerry Hairston added back-to-back homers in the fourth, before the bats finally went quiet.
Yankees starter Sergio Mitre (1-1), who could be fighting for his spot in the rotation, committed a costly error that led to two runs and wound up allowing five total in five innings.
He got into trouble in the third, when Hill homered off the top of the wall in left field for the first run allowed by a New York starter in more than 24 innings.
Before the Blue Jays took the field again, plate umpire Paul Schrieber quietly ejected Gaston — keeping him from watching the fireworks in person.
The Yankees regained the lead on a sacrifice fly by Nick Swisher, before Toronto scored three times in the fourth inning. Overbay walked and Vernon Wells singled before Jose Bautista hit a hot shot at Mitre, who made a nice backhanded snare but threw wide to second. Cano could not gather it in, the ball trickled away and Overbay scored easily.
“I made three mistakes, two home runs and the bad throw to second base,” Mitre said. “The ball was hit hard, so it got to me quick, so I double-pumped trying to get a grip. If we make that double play, the game is 4-2.”
Instead, Edwin Encarnacion added a sacrifice fly and Joe Inglett an RBI triple.
“A miscue cost us the game,” Girardi said flatly.
The homers by Cano and Hairston were the 12th back-to-back for the Yankees this season, and second in as many games, after Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira did it in the eighth inning of a 5-2 victory over the Red Sox on Sunday night.
|
Overbay’s go-ahead homer in the fifth came on a 3-2 count with two outs, and soared over the Yankees bullpen before bouncing just below the first row of seats in deep right field.
Rzepczynski, who was charged with the loss against the Yankees last week, allowed four runs on seven hits in 3 1-3 innings. Even though he was long gone, the Blue Jays managed to win for only the second time in the seven games he’s started.
Notes: The Blue Jays did not get a player for Rios. Rather, the White Sox assume his entire contract. ... Yankees INF Cody Ransom, who was designated for assignment, signed a minor league contract and will go to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
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.
HardballTalk headlines |
 | Interactive |
 |
 | Slideshow |
 | Unbreakable records in baseball A look at the most unbreakable records in baseball including Nolan Ryan's seven no-hitters. |
| Slideshow |
 | The top tools of baseball You hear a lot about the tools of baseball, but who are the best hitters, fielders and pitchers? We break it down. more photos |
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.
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.
Adreian Payne scored 15 points, Draymond Green added 12 and defense-minded No. 11 Michigan State beat No. 3 Ohio State 58-48 Saturday night, ending the Buckeyes' 39-game home winning streak.
