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.
A source told ESPN's Jayson Stark that the Angels would trade Bobby Abreu for a "middling prospect."
There isn't going to be much playing time available to Abreu in Anaheim this year, especially with Kendrys Morales looking healthy in his early workouts. Which is why the Halos are prepared to move the 37-year-old outfielder and DH in a straight salary dump. Abreu is owed $9 million in 2012. He'll be a free agent in the fall.
Mark Trumbo (foot) was cleared for baseball activities after a visit with a doctor early last week.
"I'm very happy with the news that I got," said Trumbo, who suffered a stress fracture in his right foot near the end of the 2011 season. "Everything feels fine, and I'm able to do everything I hoped I would be able to." The 26-year-old no longer has a starting job, but he's on track to be at 100 percent health by Opening Day and should be a very active utilityman for the Angels in 2012.
Horacio Ramirez plans to throw for major league scouts on Thursday morning in Tempe, Arizona.
Ramirez has struggled to attract free agent interest this winter after spending a majority of the 2011 season at the Triple-A level. The 32-year-old left-hander owns a 4.65 career ERA and 1.49 career WHIP in 688 1/3 innings.
Angels signed LHP Greg Smith to a minor league contract.
It's not clear whether he's been given a spring training invite. Smith spent all of 2011 at Triple-A in the Yankees and Red Sox organizations, posting a 4.52 ERA over 17 games -- 14 starts. The 28-year-old was once a decent prospect but is organizational filler at this point.
Albert Pujols told Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes that he plans to show up at Angels' camp a week before the report date for position players.
"I believe it's important [to arrive early], not just because I'm on a new team, but because for the last 12 years I've lived in St. Louis, where it's cold," said Pujols, who will play his first spring training in Arizona. "I'm going to try to show up a week early to get used to the weather, to get to know my teammates and to avoid getting there a day early and having a lot of problems." Pitchers, catchers and injured players are scheduled to report on February 19 while position players are scheduled to arrive on February 26. The Angels will begin their exhibition schedule on March 5 against the Athletics.
Angels' minor league right-hander Daniel Reynolds was suspended 50 games for testing positive for a drug of abuse.
No specifics were released regarding the actual substance, but this is not a PED-related suspension. Reynolds, a sixth-round pick of the Angels in 2009, has a 3.93 ERA and 28/6 K/BB ratio over 34 1/3 relief innings in rookie ball. The 20-year-old will get a late start on his 2012 campaign.
Angels re-signed RHP Francisco Rodriguez to a minor league contract.
Rodriguez can earn a $481,000 salary if he makes the big league roster this spring. The 28-year-old had a 4.61 ERA in 10 relief appearances for the Angels last season.
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.
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.
