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.
Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reports that the Orioles maintain interest in trading for Koji Uehara despite their recent acquisitions of Matt Lindstrom and Luis Ayala.
The O's bullpen is suddenly quite crowded, but evidently they're not closing the door on making more additions. Uehara would love to come back to Baltimore, but the idea still sounds like a long shot. The 36-year-old right-hander posted a 2.35 ERA and 85/9 K/BB ratio over 65 innings last season and is owed $4 million in 2012. The A's have also shown interest this offseason.
Buster Olney of ESPN.com reports that the Athletics have talked to the Rangers about a trade for Koji Uehara, but "nothing is close at this point."
Olney says the Rangers are asking for a "good return" for the reliever, which is not surprising after Uehara posted a 2.35 ERA and 85/9 K/BB ratio over 65 innings last season. He also reports that they're still talking to the Orioles about Uehara, as well, though the O's have less of a need now with their recent acquisition of Matt Lindstrom. Uehara is set to make $4 million in 2012.
Rangers signed OF Nelson Cruz to a two-year, $16 million contract extension.
The deal was officially announced by the Rangers on Thursday afternoon. According to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportesLosAngeles.com, Cruz can make an additional $500,000 in performance-based incentives. The new contract covers his final two years of arbitration and allows him to hit free agency following the 2013 season. Cruz, 31, has averaged 28 homers, 80 RBI and 15 stolen bases over the past three seasons.
Rangers and OF Nelson Cruz avoided arbitration by agreeing to a two-year, $16 million contract.
While the Rangers have yet to make an official announcement, Rosenthal reports that Cruz has passed his physical and that the deal includes some incentives. The 31-year-old is obviously a bit of an injury-risk, but this is a favorable outcome for both sides. The new contract buys out his final two years of arbitration and sets him up to hit free agency following the 2013 season.
The Rangers and outfielder Nelson Cruz have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a new contract, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
Andy Slater of 640-AM in South Florida was first to report the news. Terms aren't yet available, but Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reported late last night that the two sides were close to a two-year deal. Cruz, who was arbitration-eligible for the second time this winter, filed for $7.5 million and was offered $5.5 million from the Rangers when arbitration figures were exchanged last month.
According to a major league source, Nelson Cruz is close to signing a two-year deal with the Rangers.
Cruz has been seeking $7.5 million via arbitration, while Texas offered him $5.5 million--nearly $2 million above his 2011 salary. With the hearing scheduled for next week, both sides could benefit from a two-year contract: the Rangers would lock up their starting right fielder for two years, while the oft-injured Cruz would be given a little bit of long-term security.
Rangers signed SS Elvis Andrus to a three-year, $14.4 million contract extension.
The pact covers all three of Andrus' arbitration-eligible seasons at a rate that's both team- and player-friendly. The 23-year-old shortstop batted .279/.347/.361 with 60 RBI and 37 stolen bases in 150 games for the Rangers last season while playing top-notch defense. He should continue to develop as an all-around asset.
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.
