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.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
LAWRENCE, Kan. - Former Kansas football coach Mark Mangino will be paid $3 million as part of a settlement both sides signed last week.
The university announced the payout Wednesday and said the settlement will be paid by Dec. 24 through private funds raised by the athletics department, with no taxpayer money involved.
Mangino resigned earlier this month amid allegations that he mistreated his players. He had four years left on his contract, worth $2.3 million per year, or a total of $9.2 million.
After Mangino went 12-1 and won the Orange Bowl in 2007, he was given a big raise and contract extension through 2012 and honored as national coach of the year.
“We appreciate the eight years that Mark has given to rebuilding our football program,” Kansas Athletics Director Lew Perkins said in a statement. “He and the university have reached a mutually satisfactory agreement that reflects the appreciation we have for his efforts on behalf of Kansas football.”
Mangino will continue to receive health insurance through March 30 and life insurance through June 30.
The settlement says it nullifies an investigation into physical and mental abuse of Kansas players by Mangino. It also negates a termination letter the university had given him on Dec. 3, before he decided to resign.
Mangino was replaced this week by former Buffalo coach Turner Gill, who played quarterback at Nebraska.
Mangino had been defiant to the end, insisting after a last-second loss to Missouri in the season finale that he had done nothing wrong and intended to serve out his contract. He finished with a record of 50-48, two victories shy of A.R. Kennedy’s school record set in the early 1900s.
After winning their first five games this season and rising to No. 16 in the rankings, the Jayhawks were favored by many to win the Big 12 North.
Instead, Kansas failed to win another game, finishing the 5-7 season with a 41-39 loss to Missouri. That defeat kept the Jayhawks from becoming bowl eligible for what would have been a school-record third straight year.
CFT: Jordan Jefferson makes it clear he wasn't happy with LSU's game plan in the Tigers' BCS Championship Game loss to Alabama.
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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.