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.
Golf's dream pairing - Woods and Mickelson - is on the course in the final round at Pebble Beach. Jason Sobel has 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.
Euro Roundup: First-place Manchester City won 1-0 at Aston Villa on Sunday on Joleon Lescott's goal in the 63rd minute, maintaining its two-point lead over Manchester United in the Premier League.
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.
AP
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. - Luke Ramirez slugged two long homers, and Chula Vista, Calif., went deep five more times in a 15-0 rout Saturday night of Russellville, Ky., at the Little League World Series.
The seven homers were the most for one team in a World Series game since the tournament expanded from eight to 16 squads in 2001.
Bradley Roberto’s two-run triple in the top of the first was all the support ace pitcher Kiko Garcia needed on the mound. Roberto and Garcia also homered.
California pounded Kentucky pitching all night, including three straight homers to lead off the fifth. The game ended after five innings because of the 10-run rule.
Kentucky’s only hit came on a single by Ian Woodell.
Georgia 6, New York 3
Georgia’s 12-year-old infielder Trey Maddox starts flailing his arms and making faces when his manager gets stressed in the dugout.
Two years after the Warner Robins American league won the Little League World Series, a squad from that same league is back again in South Williamsport. The expectations are high, and manager Randy Jones can get tense in tight situations.
As for his players? No sweat.
Jones’ son, Justin, homered for the second straight day and two more teammates went deep Saturday as the slugging Southerners beat Staten Island, N.Y.
Georgia has now won two straight after waiting around the Little League complex for nearly a week. They’re in good shape to move on to the next round.
“The stress was from sitting around and not playing” for a week, the skipper said about the wait for the first game. “The stress today was the respect for” New York.
Staten Island’s fans didn’t give up down 4-1 in the third as chants of “Let’s Go New York!” thundered through Lamade Stadium. Vincent Quinn homered with two outs in the sixth to get to 6-3 before Justin Jones, who also started, got a groundout to complete his three-hitter.
“I do feel better now. Having done the math, 2-0, it feels pretty good,” Randy Jones said. “I can enjoy myself a little more this evening.”
In other early games Saturday, Willemstad, Curacao, defeated Maracaibo, Venezuela, 2-1; and Reynosa, Mexico, edged Vancouver, British Columbia, by the same score, but in seven innings.
Georgia had a little more breathing room in victory.
Justin Jones’ two-run shot gave Georgia a 4-0 lead in the second. His three homers led the tourney heading into Saturday night’s games.
“I didn’t think I was going to hit any home runs” in South Williamsport, he said with a smile as his proud father looked on.
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Not much need Saturday for Maddox’s dance, which Justin Jones calls “goofy.” The jig has been captured on a video that’s been posted on YouTube.
Maddox said Friday he made up the dance, which started during Georgia’s regional tournament title win because he was happy he got a hit on national television.
“I didn’t know what I was doing,” Maddox said, flush with embarrassment.
The skipper doesn’t mind.
“If I get tight, Trey will come to my rescue and start dancing in the dugout,” Randy Jones said. “Trey helps me stay loose and it works.”
Mexico 2, Canada 1, 7 inn.
Oscar Noguera scored from third on a throwing error by pitcher Anthony Cusati to end a tense game.
Cusati fielded a bunt by Mario Cardenas cleanly but threw to first with no one covering, allowing the ball to bounce into foul territory. Noguera jogged home easily for the win, sending Mexico’s vocal fans into a frenzy.
Mexico had a good chance to win in the sixth after loading the bases with one out. But Cusati caught another bunt attempt on the fly by lunging off the mound, then threw to second to double off runner Marcelo Martinez, who was halfway to third. It was the most dramatic play of the tournament so far.
“I saw that double play and I didn’t know what to think,” said Raul Rojas, the 12-year-old pitcher who tossed two-plus innings of scoreless relief for the win. “Fortunately, we got the win later.”
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.
NEW YORK (AP) - As the glow fades from the Giants' Super Bowl triumph, some New York sports fans are tuning in to basketball and hockey, with the Rangers in first place and the Knicks' overnight sensation, Jeremy Lin, sparking "Lin-sanity.''
Robins: This year, six new breeds will be making their debut on the green carpet for the Westminster Dog Show, which begins Monday.
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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.
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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.
