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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.
Eleven shots separated Phil and Tiger Sunday at Pebble Beach as Lefty secured his 40th Tour win. Jason Sobel had 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.
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.
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Shortly before the end of the first half of Oklahoma’s loss to BYU, Bradford should have had cause to wonder about the wisdom of his decision to stay in school for another year instead of turning pro. That’s when he got hit shortly after releasing a pass and came off the field with what’s being described as a sprained throwing shoulder.
Just like that, the reasons Bradford thought he had for staying in school evaporated. A second Heisman is no longer possible. A trip to the BCS championship game became an extreme long shot. His position in the 2010 draft is not going to be as good as it was in the 2009 NFL meat market.
On the upside, he still gets to go to fraternity parties.
It’s not that much of an upside, not when you compare it to what Bradford gave up to have it.
Getting on a guy for choosing to play as an amateur in college isn’t an easy thing to do. Despite our fascination with wealth and celebrity and professional athletes, we still have a soft spot for athletes who pass up the money, even if only for a year, to continue playing a game for the same reason they played as kids — because it’s fun.
But there’s no way to get around the fact that Bradford made a really dumb decision when he opted out of the NFL draft and returned to Norman, Okla. It was dumb when he made it, and it’s really dumb now.
The injury isn’t a career-ender, but that’s not the point. All Bradford has to do is tune into the New York Jets’ first game next week to see what he could have been doing this year. If he does, he’ll see Mark Sanchez starting at quarterback for a marquee team.
Sanchez was in the same situation as Bradford at the end of last year’s college season. Like Bradford, the then-USC quarterback was eligible for the draft but also had one more year of college eligibility. Sanchez heard the same pleas from fans to stay in school. His coach, Pete Carroll, went so far as to tell the media that Sanchez wasn’t ready for the pros and was making a big mistake.
Bradford decided to stay in school, where he could maybe win another Heisman in what was supposed to be a great three-way battle with the Longhorns' Colt McCoy and Florida’s Tim Tebow. He could maybe win the BCS’ mythical national championship. He could keep going to those frat parties. And he could do it all without a regular source of income.
Sanchez decided to enter the draft. The Jets took him high and paid him enough money to allow him to buy three or four fraternities. Once in a pro camp, he won the quarterback battle and will lead the Jets into battle — take that, Coach Carroll.
It shouldn’t be hard to see which player made the smarter choice. If Sanchez gets hurt, he’s got his contract and the best medical care in the world. He’s also got a team that’s committed to his future.
All Bradford has is an insurance policy against the prospect of a career-ending injury. It’s a big policy and will pay him handsomely. But it won’t be what he could have earned in the pros.
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.
CFT: Jordan Jefferson makes it clear he wasn't happy with LSU's game plan in the Tigers' BCS Championship Game loss to Alabama.
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Heisman special section In-depth look at Mark Ingram's victory for college football's top individual prize in the closest vote ever. NBCSports.com |
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The Week in Sports Pictures The Giants on top of the football world, getting ready for the London Olympics and more. more photos |
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.
After leading by 18 points in the first half, the Los Angeles Lakers were staring at a four-point deficit with less than two minutes to play.
