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 three goals as the New York Rangers beat Philadelphia 5-2 on Saturday for their seventh straight win over the Flyers.
Jeremy Lin hit a free throw with 4.9 seconds left to overcome a dreadful second half and lift the New York Knicks to their fifth straight victory, 100-98, over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.
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.
CFT: Jordan Jefferson makes it clear he wasn't happy with LSU's game plan in the Tigers' BCS Championship Game loss to Alabama.
Move over, Hollywood and NFL types, golf's two real A-listers take center stage Sunday at Pebble Beach, both in need of a win.
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.
Luis Suarez's refusal to shake hands with Patrice Evra overshadowed Manchester United's 2-1 win over rival Liverpool that lifted the defending champions to first place in the Premier League on Saturday.
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.
MLB free agency officially opens next week. At that point, teams will be free to talk money with not only their own free agents but all free agents. This isn't a great free-agent class, but there are several impact players who will have the big-market franchises throwing plenty of money their way.
For once, all eyes won't be on the Yankees. Sure, they have decisions to make on Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui and Andy Pettitte, among others, but they don't have to spend nearly a half a billion dollars this offseason. Instead, these teams will be the ones that will shape the market:
Mets
After a disastrous fourth-place finish that coincided with their crosstown rivals winning their 27th World Series, the Mets need an overhaul. Injuries played a big part in their 2009 struggles, but this team can't afford to go into the season with Daniel Murphy at first base, Luis Castillo at second base and some revolving platoon in the corner outfield spots. In addition, there are holes in the rotation. But a big bat is the No. 1 priority. The Mets finished last in the majors with only 95 homers — 27 fewer than the Giants, who were the team directly above them. If David Wright isn't going to go deep anymore, New York needs someone who can. And that means either Matt Holliday or Jason Bay, if the Mets are willing to spend and are serious about a turnaround.
Red Sox
Last offseason, they shopped at the bargain bin, signing guys such as John Smoltz, Brad Penny, Rocco Baldelli and Takashi Saito to very affordable one-year deals. Meanwhile, the Yankees were throwing $423 million at CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and A.J. Burnett. It is obvious which approach paid off more, just as it is obvious that Boston can't gamble on low-priced reclamation projects again. Re-signing Bay is the focus, but if he leaves, the Red Sox must go all-in on Holliday and hope the Yankees don't get involved. And Bay/Holliday still won't be enough. This team is aging at third base and DH and must address that problem as well.
Dodgers
You can lump the Rangers in here as well. Both franchises have uncertain ownership situations, meaning they might have to corral spending. Rangers owner Tom Hicks is having financial problems, while Dodgers owners Frank and Jamie McCourt are having marital problems (as in, the marriage is over and they have to decide who gets the dog, the house, the toaster and the team). Los Angeles stands to shed a lot of players (and payroll) in the next few weeks. But it remains to be seen whether it reinvest those savings. John Lackey would fill the team's immediate need of an ace, but a more prudent financial approach would be to deal for Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay.
Giants
We know they can pitch, but we also know they can't hit (last in MLB in OPS, 29th in homers, 26 in runs). San Francisco added second baseman Freddy Sanchez and first baseman Ryan Garko before the trading deadline this season, but they were hardly enough to propel it to the N.L. wild card. The Giants need an impact bat, and there are two on the market: left fielders Holliday and Bay. Add one of those bats to a rotation that features Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, and we could have a shift in power in the N.L. West, especially if the Dodgers don't go on a spending spree.
Brewers
General manager Doug Melvin is talking with conservative tones. While he would love to sign Lackey to shore up a rotation that finished with an MLB-worst 5.37 ERA, he isn't confident in his ability to meet Lackey's asking price. But remember that this was a franchise that was willing to offer $100 million to retain CC Sabathia last offseason. Sabathia's impact in 2008 showed Milwaukee the value of an ace, and the Brewers could opt to pursue Lackey in hopes that he will be the piece that solidifies the starting five. Another option would be to divide that money up among two or three second-tier free-agent starters.
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 hit a free throw with 4.9 seconds left to overcome a dreadful second half and lift the New York Knicks to their fifth straight victory, 100-98, over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.
Doron Lamb hit a 3-pointer with 3:18 left to put No. 1 Kentucky ahead to stay, and the Wildcats took a big step toward a Southeastern Conference regular-season title by beating Vanderbilt 69-63 Saturday night for their 17th straight win.
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.
