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
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - With little else to play for on the final weekend of the regular season, the New York Yankees were hoping to make CC Sabathia a 20-game winner and build momentum toward the playoffs.
The AL East champions didn’t do either Friday night, losing 13-4 to Tampa Bay, with B.J. Upton going 5 for 5 while hitting for the cycle and driving in a career-high six runs for the Rays to ruin Sabathia’s quest for a personal milestone.
“It’s tough to go out there and pitch for individual things,” Sabathia said. “I just wanted to go out, have a good outing, and keep the run going to the playoffs. It was just one of those tough nights.”
Sabathia (19-8) failed to get through the third inning, matching a personal worst by allowing nine runs — five earned — in 2 2-3 innings and losing for the first time in more than two months.
Upton hit a three-run triple in the first inning, then doubled off the Yankees ace in the third. After hitting a two-run homer off Jonathan Albaladejo in the fourth, he completed the cycle with a run-scoring single off David Robertson in the fifth.
“It’s disappointing because we really wanted to get him 20,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.
“It didn’t happen. But his next start obviously is a big start, and we look forward to it,” Girardi added, eyeing Game 1 of the playoffs. “CC has talked about the real prize, and that starts next week.”
Upton, who’s hitting .243, became the first player in Tampa Bay’s 12-season history to hit for the cycle. He became the fourth to have five hits in a game when he singled off Phil Hughes in the eighth.
“It was an incredible night for him,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said.
The speedy center fielder’s six RBIs helped the Rays to a 12-1 lead and overshadowed an impressive pitching performance by rookie David Price (10-7), who allowed one run and two hits in seven innings.
The 24-year-old left-hander retired the last 12 batters he faced and limited the Yankees to one base runner after the second inning, when he gave up a leadoff walk and singles to Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera, the later driving in New York’s first run.
Juan Miranda’s first career homer, a two-run, eighth-inning shot off Dale Thayer, enabled the Yankees to tie a franchise record for homers in a season. The AL East champions also hit 242 in 2004.
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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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.
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