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 Images for NASCARAnd the next current Sprint Cup driver to win a fifth series championship will be ... Jeff Gordon. Yep, The Gut's talking again.
Conventional wisdom these days is that Gordon's Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jimmie Johnson, will win the drive to five. And truth be told, there is no way I would bet real money against Johnson.
He does, after all, have all the momentum going for him. Juggernaut-ish, four-in-a-row type momentum. And, he has blasted out of the blocks this year, winning two of the first three races.
And Gordon, well, he's been sitting at four since 2001. Yes, his last championship came with Robbie Loomis as crew chief, but Gordon has not really dominated Cup since he and Ray Evernham split in 1999.
Steve Letarte has been Gordon's crew chief for the last four years and three races. There have been seven victories with Letarte atop the box, but those are not Gordon-like numbers.
But Gordon stands by Letarte – stood by him last week at Las Vegas after a decision on somebody's part to take two tires instead of four on the race-deciding pit stop may have cost Gordon the victory. Instead, Johnson took four and got the victory.
I simply cannot tell if Gordon stands by Letarte out of loyalty or because he really thinks they can become a championship-winning combo.
Last season an incident occurred that, at the time, convinced me Gordon would never get to championship No. 5. It was an incident that caused me to think Gordon might not even return to racing this season to pursue No. 5.
The incident occurred on the road course at Watkins Glen. Gordon, a new father, wrecked hard. His car slammed the Armco. As he was led to the ambulance afterward, he seemed to have a look on his face that said, "Enough is enough."
This season, however, that look has been replaced by one of, "I want one more."
Earlier this week, Gordon emphatically insisted he not only wants to win a fifth championship, but that he has a timetable for doing it – before Johnson.
Gordon has clearly found a compelling source of motivation. Perhaps his pride has even been wounded as No. 24 becomes No. 2 at Hendrick. But Gordon quite obviously now craves No. 5.
Logic, numbers and common sense say he's crazy to think he can get it this season.
The Gut, however, says he does it. It's either saying that or that cheese for breakfast was a bad idea.
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NASCAR champions Take a look at the drivers who have raced their ways to series titles since the circuit's inception. NBCSports.com |
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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.
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.
