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.
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.
Getty Images for NASCARWhat a great way for Denny Hamlin to end his season.
I'm not talking about Denny getting his fourth win of the year—tying him for third-most in the Cup Series—in the 2009 finale at Homestead. I'm not talking about his moving up to fifth in the final points standings despite three DNFs in the Chase. I'm talking about living up to his promise to pay back Brad Keselowski in the Nationwide Series race on Saturday. He spun the 88 around -- rather gently, I thought -- on the frontstretch. A lot of fans tuned in to see "The Big Payback," and Denny didn't disappoint.
Afterward, Hamlin didn't exactly express remorse, telling our buddy Jeff Gluck of SceneDaily.com, among others, "I feel great right now," despite NASCAR imposing a one-lap penalty for the move. He also made it clear that it wasn't just Keselowski's actions that prompted retaliation: "What I've said with Brad is all he had to say is that he was sorry – be remorseful, say you made a mistake. That's all you've got to do – say you made a mistake, and we're even."
Those sentiments were echoed by the notoriously thoughtful Jeff Burton, who said, "When you constantly get spun out by the same car, there comes a time where you've got to put your foot down and not take it," and then added, "It should never get that far. You should be able to sit back and have a conversation."
But despite more provocative words following the event (Keselowski: Hamlin has "a lot of problems on and off the racetrack." Hamlin: "It's tough to have a rivalry with a mid-pack driver."), it seems like Keselowski, who clearly is smart, understands that it's not really worth having an ongoing feud with Hamlin: "I don't hold any grudges and I'm ready to move on."
On Sunday we got another dose of payback, between Juan Pablo Montoya and Tony Stewart. After getting a big run off the corner, Juan hit Tony in the rear. Smoke gave him a pretty typical "Hey, I'm here!" body slam immediately afterward, but in the process JP's tire went down, so after spending 28 laps in the garage, the 42 paid back the 14.
Payback equals passion, which is why we love to see it on the racetrack, but it also has a very practical purpose: setting boundaries. If you let people take cheap shots with impunity, they'll keep taking them. If, on the other hand, their head hurts whenever they take a cheap shot at you (which is how former Cup driver Rick Mast has always explained it to me), they'll know it's best not to mess with you.
So now Brad knows not to mess with Denny ... unless he thinks Denny has one coming.
Bass Masters is a co-host of Rowdy.com For the best NASCAR community on the internet go to Rowdy.com.
 | Slideshow |
 |
NBCSports.com |
| Slideshow |
 | Earning a trip to victory lane Take a look at every NASCAR driver who has claimed a checkered flag this racing season. NBCSports.com |
| Slideshow |
 | Revved up for racing Take a look at how some NASCAR fans express their dedication to the drivers and to the sport. NBCSports.com |
| Slideshow |
 | more photos |
| Slideshow |
 | NBCSports.com |
| Slideshow |
 | NBCSports.com |
 | INTERACTIVE |
 | NASCAR wives and girlfriends They're fixtures in pit row, but they don't drive on the track or work on the cars. Take a look at some notable NASCAR wives and girlfriends. |
 | Slideshow |
 |
The Week in Sports Pictures The Giants on top of the football world, getting ready for the London Olympics and more. more photos |
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.
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.
