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.
Yoenis Cespedes' agent, Adam Katz, told Jayson Stark of ESPN.com that the Cuban outfielder could be headed back to the Dominican Republic on Thursday.
Cespedes flew to Miami on Tuesday after being granted a vistors visa and met with the Marlins on Wednesday. Katz said that the 26-year-old doesn't have meetings scheduled with other teams at this time, but declined to mention whether meetings took place with clubs other than the Marlins during his brief visit. The Cubs, White Sox, Orioles and Tigers are the other teams believed to have shown the most interest.
The Marlins took Yoenis Cespedes out to lunch in Miami Wednesday and gave him a tour of their new ballpark.
It's not clear whether a formal offer was made to the 26-year-old Cuban outfielder, but the Marlins are known to have serious interest in working out a deal and are thought by some to be the current front-runner. Cespedes batted .333/.424/.667 with 33 home runs and 99 RBI in 90 games last year in Cuba. He's also drawing attention from the Cubs, White Sox, Orioles and Tigers.
Marlins president David Samson told Jayson Stark of ESPN.com that they could make an offer to Yoenis Cespedes on Wednesday.
Cespedes traveled to Miami on Tuesday and is expected to meet with the Marlins on Wednesday. "I don't know how tomorrow will go," said Samson. "But it would not surprise me if it ended with an offer." The Cubs, White Sox, Orioles and Tigers are also believed to have serious interest, but it's not known if Cespedes will meet with any other clubs while he's visiting the United States.
Rob Bradford of WEEI.com was told by a major league source that the Red Sox have signed Australian left-hander Daniel McGrath.
McGrath's team, the Doncaster Dragons Baseball Club, originally broke the news via their Twitter account. The Red Sox have since confirmed the signing. We don't have much information on the 17-year-old yet, but he stands at 6-foot-3 and has a fastball clocked at 91 mph. The southpaw is slated to visit Fort Myers during spring training for about a week, but he'll then return to Australia where he won't graduate from high school until December.
According to Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com, Orioles executive director of international recruiting Fred Ferreira is scheduled to travel to the Dominican Republic in about 10 days to scout Cuban outfielders Yoenis Cespedes and Jorge Soler.
Cespedes traveled to Miami on Tuesday after being granted a visitors visa and is expected to meet with the Marlins on Wednesday. Various reports have pegged the Marlins as the early favorites, but this process could drag on for a little while since the 26-year-old can't officially sign a contract until he is unlocked by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Soler, 19, is also highly-regarded, but will likely begin his professional career at the lower levels of the minor leagues.
Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel was told by an American League source that the Marlins are likely to sign Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes.
The Marlins haven't been shy about their interest thus far, so it wouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. Cespedes traveled to Miami on Tuesday and is expected to meet with higher-ups from the Marlins on Wednesday. The Tigers, Cubs, White Sox and Orioles are among the other clubs reported to have the most interest. While Cespedes is free to negotiate with MLB teams, he can't officially sign a contract until he is unlocked by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
MLB.com's Joe Frisaro is hearing the Marlins "definitely have a good shot" at signing Yoenis Cespedes.
Cespedes arrived in Miami on Tuesday afternoon and is expected to have a meeting with Marlins officials Wednesday. The 26-year-old Cuban outfielder is also drawing heavy free agent interest from the Cubs, White Sox, Tigers and Orioles, and has been linked to the Blue Jays and Rangers as well. His asking price is thought to be in the six-year, $60 million range.
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.
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.
The Red Wings have finally started to embrace a record they've been chasing.
