Rotoworld: Oregon RB LaMichael James and Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon among top 10 players who are being overhyped for the 2012 draft.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
The Detroit Red Wings equaled an NHL record with their 20th straight win at home, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 Sunday night on the strength of Johan Franzen's tiebreaking goal early in the third period.
PBT: Boston's Rajon Rondo continues to be named in trade talks, which is madness. The Celtics guard creates offense and makes everyone around him better, which was evident in Sunday's win over the Bulls.
Arc: Syracuse is among a solid group of No. 1 seeds in our latest tournament projections, but the middle of the pack is much more murky.
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.
Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods greeted their Sunday pairing at Pebble Beach with optimism. But the day would end happily only for one.
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.
APThe proposed five-player deal between the Yankees and Braves helps both teams, though the Yankees clearly are the short-term winner. Not only do they acquire yet another front-line starting pitcher in Javier Vazquez, they also realistically could replace Melky Cabrera with a premier free agent in left field (assuming, of course, they have a couple of bucks to spend).
The deal: According to several reports, The Yankees will acquire Vazquez and left-hander Boone Logan from the Braves in exchange for Cabrera, left-hander Mike Dunn and minor league right-hander Arodys Vizcaino.
What it means to the Yankees
They will have perhaps the best fourth starter in Major League Baseball. New York's rotation, which only went three deep during the 2009 postseason, adds a pitcher who finished fourth in the majors with 238 strikeouts and ninth with a 2.87 ERA. But this isn't a slam dunk. Vazquez posted a 4.51 ERA in his first stint with the Yankees in 2004, and his career A.L. ERA (4.52) is a half-run higher than in the N.L. (4.02). In the 2004 postseason, Vazquez had a 9.53 ERA in three games (one start).
Either Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain (or both) is headed to the bullpen. The plan had called for Hughes, Chamberlain and Sergio Mitre to compete for the fourth and fifth spots in the rotation. Hughes excelled (1.40 ERA) as a reliever in 2009, stepping into the primary setup role for closer Mariano Rivera. Chamberlain seems better suited for a relief role, given his career splits: 4.18 ERA in 43 starts, 1.50 ERA in 50 relief appearances.
There suddenly is a void in left field. Newcomer Curtis Granderson will man center field, and Nick Swisher is still in right. Brett Gardner is one option, and it is possible that New York could swing a trade for an outfielder or sign one off the free agent pile. Interesting, Johnny Damon remains on that pile. So do Matt Holliday, Jason Bay and Mark DeRosa.
What it means to the Braves
They have filled their outfield void. Cabrera and Nate McLouth are guaranteed starting jobs, while Matt Diaz will compete with uber-prospect Jason Heyward (with Heyward likely to begin the season at Class AAA). Cabrera isn't exactly the big bat the Braves have coveted — his 13 homers this past season were a career high — but he is only 25 and has yet to fully develop. Adding a world champion who has yet to reach his prime seldom is a bad thing. And Atlanta still can add a power bat at first base.
They have lost their best starting pitcher from a season ago. As noted above, Vazquez had the finest season of his 12-year major league career. However, Atlanta made no secret about its desire to deal one of its six starters, and the pitcher they preferred to trade, Derek Lowe, wasn't going anywhere because he still is owed $45 million over the next three seasons. Even without Vazquez, the Braves have one of the best rotations in the majors. And Vazquez, who is in the final year of his contract and had expressed a desire to sign an extension, still could be back in 2011.
Their bullpen just got better. Already boosted by the offseason signings of closer Billy Wagner and setup man Takashi Saito, the relief corps now can add Dunn, a lefthander, to the mix. Between Class AA and AAA in 2009, Dunn posted a 3.31 ERA while striking out 99 batters in 73 1/3 innings.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
HBT: Prince Fielder is gone and Ryan Braun will likely miss a third of the season because of a failed PED test. Can Milwaukee stay in contention until he gets back?
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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.
The Red Wings have finally started to embrace a record they've been chasing.
