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
Robinson Cano knows all about his struggles with runners in scoring position.
“You see the statistics up on the board,” he said. “I want to get better.”
Cano did all right in the 10th inning Friday night, hitting a three-run homer with two outs to give the New York Yankees a 5-2 win over the Chicago White Sox.
“I was looking for something right in the middle and thank God I came through in that situation,” he said.
Cano hit a 2-2 pitch from Randy Williams (0-1) into New York’s bullpen in right-center, delighting what was left of a soggy crowd at Yankee Stadium. Williams retired the first two batters he faced before walking Hideki Matsui and Nick Swisher on four pitches apiece to set up Cano’s first game-ending homer.
“I was trying to feel for my pitches a little bit and that’s not the situation where you want to have to do that,” Williams said.
Brian Bruney (4-0) worked a perfect 10th inning for the win. Cano was batting just .176 with two outs and runners in scoring position this season before his clutch hit.
“Robby hit a bullet,” manager Joe Girardi said. “The wind wasn’t going to hold that one up.”
Derek Jeter hit his second leadoff homer this week and Johnny Damon also connected for AL East-leading New York, which won the opener of the three-game set despite leaving nine runners on base.
Mark Buehrle pitched six effective innings for the White Sox but remained winless in seven starts since his perfect game against Tampa Bay on July 23. The All-Star lefty is 0-4 with a 5.77 ERA over the lackluster stretch.
Sliding Chicago has lost five of six to fall five games behind AL Central-leading Detroit, which beat Tampa Bay 6-2.
“There are still a lot of games left,” manager Ozzie Guillen said. “You never know what’s going to happen. But if we keep playing the way we’ve been playing, it’s going to be a long month.”
The White Sox rallied in the seventh against CC Sabathia, who tied a season high with 10 strikeouts and was in line to become the first pitcher in the majors to reach 16 wins before faltering in his last inning. Alex Rios doubled in a run and Gordon Beckham lined a two-out RBI single into right to tie it at 2.
Ramon Castro tried to score on Beckham’s hit but Swisher cut him down at the plate for the final out. Third baseman Alex Rodriguez also made two nice plays in the inning, throwing Carlos Quentin out at home on Castro’s grounder and diving to his right to keep Jayson Nix’s hit in the infield.
“Swish makes a great throw to keep it 2-2 or we don’t win,” Girardi said. “Our defense was very good tonight, on a night it wasn’t so easy to play good defense. It was raining and the wind was blowing.”
Sabathia received a no-decision after winning his previous 11 August starts. The big left-hander still finished up this month with a 5-0 record and a 2.64 ERA.
“Swish came up huge,” Sabathia said. “The guys definitely bailed me out today.”
Jeter hit a 1-2 pitch from Buehrle over the wall in left-center for his 22nd career leadoff homer and first since Sunday’s 8-4 win at Boston. It was his 17th homer this season and career No. 223, passing Don Mattingly for 10th on the club’s list.
Damon started the third with his 23rd homer, roping an 0-1 pitch over the right-field wall. He finished with two hits and is batting .440 (11 for 25) in his last seven games.
|
“I just got in trouble in the first couple innings,” Buehrle said. “I don’t think I fooled anybody that first inning, the way they were hitting the ball. Tried to go deep in the game, as deep as I could.”
NOTES: Guillen said former Yankees RHP Jose Contreras will start Saturday’s game. ... Yankees C Jorge Posada (bruised left ring finger) was out of the lineup but Girardi said he was feeling better and could be available off the bench. Posada hasn’t played since he took a foul ball off his glove hand during a 9-2 victory over the Rangers on Wednesday night. ... Nix finished with a career-high three hits. ... Tennis star and defending U.S. Open singles champion Serena Williams threw out the ceremonial first pitch, working from the rubber and tossing the ball way over the head of catcher Jose Molina. The U.S. Open starts Monday.
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 |
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.
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.
NBC Sports TV and livestream listings
