Super Bowl XLVI
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?
PHT: Some purists might try to poke holes in Detroit’s 19 straight wins at Joe Louis Arena, but it’s an impressive run nonetheless.
Chandler: Even in eighth grade, Jeremy Lin stood out as a singular talent. So his success with the Knicks is no surprise.
Arc: With 38 teams projected to be on the NCAA Tournament bubble, this is a big weekend to boost a tournament profile.
CFT: Jordan Jefferson makes it clear he wasn't happy with LSU's game plan in the Tigers' BCS Championship Game loss to Alabama.
Charlie Wi holds a three-shot lead at the midway point of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and Tiger Woods sits six back.
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.
Wayne Rooney scored twice as Manchester United beat Liverpool 2-1 in an ill-tempered match Saturday to provisionally move to the top of the Premier League.
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.
AP
PHILADELPHIA - The Minnesota Twins arrived in Detroit for this week’s four-game series hoping to make a strong push for the AL Central title.
They certainly don’t want to leave town after watching the Tigers celebrate the end of that quest.
A win over the second-place Twins on Thursday afternoon would give Detroit its first division crown since 1987, but the Tigers will have to beat Minnesota’s Scott Baker for the second time in two weeks.
Minnesota’s 3-2 win in the opener of the series and Tuesday’s doubleheader -its 12th win in 14 games - pulled the Twins (82-76) within one game of the Tigers.
But Detroit (85-73) bounced back with a 6-5 win in the nightcap, and it lowered its magic number to two with Wednesday’s 7-2 victory. Nearing the end of a frustrating season, Magglio Ordonez broke open the game with a three-run double, while right-hander Eddie Bonine earned his first victory of the season in his fourth start of the year.
“You need everyone on your team to step up right now, and that’s what happened tonight,” manager Jim Leyland said Wednesday.
If the Tigers, who reached the 2006 World Series as a wild card, lose this game, they could need to win two of three games against the Chicago White Sox to secure the division depending on what the Twins do against Kansas City.
“We’re trying to look at (Thursday’s) game like we would any other game,” Detroit’s Brandon Inge said. “But it is human nature to realize what we can do tomorrow. Even if you don’t want to think about it, you do.”
They’ll have to overcome what seems like a disadvantage in the pitching matchup, with Baker facing off against Detroit’s Nate Robertson, but the Tigers won 6-2 with those two on the mound Sept. 20.
Baker (14-9, 4.48 ERA) gave up four runs and eight hits in 4 2-3 innings in the loss, one of just two defeats for the right-hander in his last 15 starts. He is 8-2 with a 3.64 ERA over that span, but is 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in three starts against the Tigers this year.
Ordonez is 16 for 36 (.444) in his career against Baker.
“Whatever their numbers are, if you make good pitches you can get those guys out,” Baker said of the Tigers.
Robertson (2-2, 5.56) has spent most of the year in the bullpen or on the disabled list, but the left-hander turned in five strong innings against the Twins. He wasn’t as good in his most recent start, allowing five runs in 3 1-3 innings against the White Sox on Saturday, although the Tigers won 12-5.
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The absence of former AL MVP Justin Morneau (back) may finally be catching up to the Twins, who have totaled 11 runs in losing three of four.
They probably need to win their final four games - one of which will be against Kansas City starter Zack Greinke - and get some help from the White Sox this weekend in order to force a one-game playoff at the Metrodome.
“It doesn’t look very good right now, but it isn’t over yet,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “I’m not a math guy, but I believe that (Thursday) is a must-win situation.”
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.
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Jeremy Lin had the most astounding performance of his remarkable week, scoring a career-high 38 points and outdueling Kobe Bryant as the New York Knicks held off the Los Angeles Lakers 92-85 on Friday night.
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.
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