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.
AP fileNEW ORLEANS - Alex Rodriguez on Thursday said he expected to be back in Texas this season. That statement seems to becoming truer each day.
The Boston Herald reported that the Red Sox and Rangers have broken off talks and Boston has resumed discussions on a contract extension with current shortstop Nomar Garciaparra.
The news comes days after the Red Sox and Garciaparra’s camp exchanged harsh words, each side accusing the other of dishonesty and infidelity.
Garciaparra is signed for next season at a salary of $11.5 million in the final installment of a seven-year, $45.25 million contract. The Herald said there was no indication as to whether the Red Sox were still willing to offer Garciaparra the four-year, $60 million proposal the player rejected in spring training but that both sides were talking again. The Herald said there is still the very real possibility that the Red Sox could trade Garciaparra, but for now it seems as if they are negotiating exclusively for the purpose of keeping him.
Texas Rangers owner Tom Hicks confirmed to the Herald Friday night that he and Boston counterpart John Henry have decided to shelve talks on the blockbuster deal that would lead to the swap of Manny Ramirez for Rodriguez. The owners agreed to explore other options over the weekend at baseball's annual winter meetings and then speak again early next week after the meetings if their respective needs aren't filled, the newspaper said.
If the Red Sox strike out on Garciaparra and Rodriguez, the team also could attempt to sign free agent shortstop Miguel Tejada.
“We're both going to work on other things right now,”' Hicks told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “It's off the front burner. I'll say it again, I think Alex will be our shortstop (in 2004).”
The Herald said the holding pattern appears to signal that the Sox realize A-Rod, while being the best all-around player in the league, is not worth the $186 million that he is owed over the final seven years of his 10-year, $252 million contract. With Hicks insisting that Henry kick in an estimated $5 million annually over the next five years to be used toward the remaining $99.5 million owed Ramirez, the Sox may have decided it made little sense to essentially pay an average of $30.5 million annually for their shortstop, the newspaper said.
The Herald said even if the Sox were to restore their spring training offer to Garciaparra, which was believed to be $60 million over four years, the two-time batting champion would be playing for less than half of what it would cost to have A-Rod on an annual basis. Boston is believed to have reduced its offer to Garciaparra in October to $48 million due to the changing economic climate in baseball. The reaction they got from Garciaparra's agent prompted them to begin searching for alternatives, hence the start of the Rodriguez trade talks, the newspaper said.
The Herald said sources in the Texas and Boston organizations adamantly denied there was any substance to a rumored three-team trade involving the Philadelphia Phillies. That deal, which apparently originated on a Web site run in Philadelphia, supposedly would have seen Garciaparra and Trot Nixon traded to the Phillies for Bobby Abreu and Jimmy Rollins. The Sox then would have traded Rollins and Ramirez to Texas. Everyone involved said the rumor was rubbish.
On Thursday, Rodriguez said he expected to be back with the Rangers next season.
“If I had to guess, if I was a betting man, I would probably say that I probably would be back in Texas,” the AL MVP said. “When you have a lot of smoke and a lot of talks going on, usually nothing gets done.”
Rodriguez hit .298 with 47 home runs and 118 RBIs last season. Ramirez hit .325, second-best in the AL, with 37 home runs and 104 RBIs.
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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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.
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.