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.
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.
Getty ImagesThe Dodgers’ usually solid bullpen couldn’t contain the Phils. George Sherrill, their fourth reliever of the game, gave up Ibanez’s homer on the first pitch, the first homer off him by a left-handed hitter this year. Howard and Jayson Werth drew consecutive walks to open the eighth.
“I was trying not to do too much, stroke a line drive,” Ibanez said. “Fortunately, I got it in the air and it carried out of the park.”
The Dodgers got two runs back in the bottom half on Martin’s RBI single and a sacrifice fly by Rafael Furcal. They had the tying runs at first and third with two outs, but Madson won a showdown when Ramirez grounded to third.
Kershaw retired five of the previous six batters he faced before the Phillies got to him. Ibanez led off with a single and took second on a wild pitch before Kershaw walked Pedro Feliz. Ruiz sent a 2-1 pitch into the “Mannywood” section in left field for a 3-1 lead.
Jimmy Rollins reached on a fielder’s choice, then advanced two bases on consecutive wild pitches. Chase Utley walked and Howard hit a two-run double, extending the Phillies’ lead to 5-1. Howard passed Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt with his 17th postseason RBI, most in Phillies’ history.
The Dodgers closed to 5-4 with three runs in the bottom half. Ramirez hit his first home run since Sept. 18, a drive into the left-field pavilion off Hamels. Martin, who led off with a double, scored on Andre Ethier’s grounder.
Ramirez’s RBIs gave him 78 in the postseason, putting him three away from breaking baseball’s career record of 80 by Bernie Williams.
Los Angeles threatened in the sixth, loading the bases on consecutive singles by Loney and Ronnie Belliard off Hamels and a two-out walk to pinch-hitter Jim Thome by J.A. Happ. But Happ retired Furcal on a grounder to end the inning.
Loney got his first RBI of this postseason when he drove Hamels’ 2-1 pitch just over the right-field fence leading off the second, giving the Dodgers a 1-0 lead.
Notes: The Dodgers have lost Game 1 of the NLCS in each of their last three appearances. ... The last lefty to homer off Sherrill had been Pittsburgh’s Adam LaRoche on June 14, 2008.
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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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.