Super Bowl XLVI
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 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 NASCARHere's a look at the top five drivers in the Sprint Cup Series standings and five drivers to watch in Sunday night's race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. All statistical references are for Sprint Cup races at Atlanta unless otherwise indicated. Driver rating is based on the past 11 races at the track.
Top five drivers in the standings
1. Kevin Harvick, 81.1 driver rating
Two of Harvick's four top fives came here in 2009, and he finished ninth in March. Everything points to another top 10 or even his second win. His first was one of the most famous in NASCAR history—in the No 29 Goodwrench Chevrolet in 2001 in his third Cup start.
2. Jeff Gordon, 101.8
Gordon finished 18th in March for only his second finish outside the top 10 in the past five years. None of those eight top 10s was a win, though, and that continues to be Gordon's problem: Great finishes, no wins. He has four wins at Atlanta, the last in 2003.
3. Kyle Busch, 88.7
In 2008, Busch won and finished fifth. Those are his only top 10s in 12 starts. He finished 25th in March. There are five intermediate tracks in the Chase. A strong finish Sunday sends a strong message. A weak finish casts doubt that the No. 18 team is championship material.
4. Carl Edwards, 99.4
Edwards has three wins but finishes of 37th and 39th in his past two starts. Much of the focus will be on Edwards' feud with Brad Keselowski and what happened in March. But that was five months ago, and in racing time, a lifetime ago. Edwards wasn't competitive early in the season. He is now. His first win since 2008 is a real possibility.
5. Denny Hamlin, 94.5
In his past three starts on intermediate tracks, Hamlin has a win, an eighth and a second. But Hamlin is winless since that win at Michigan in June with three finishes of 34th or worse. That kind of wild inconsistency will sink him in the Chase. He has three top 10s in 10 starts at Atlanta.
Five drivers to watch
12. Clint Bowyer, 81.8
Bowyer has an odd record at Atlanta: four sixth-place finishes and five finishes from 20th to 29th. He leads Jamie McMurray by 100 points and Mark Martin by 101. A fifth sixth-place finish should just about sew up a spot in the Chase.
13. Jamie McMurray, 71.6
McMurray's average finish of 20.9 in 16 starts doesn't bode well. He has four top 10s and no top fives. But as wins at Daytona and Indianapolis prove, McMurray has the car to pull off a top-five finish. If he has any chance of catching Bowyer, he needs a top five while Bowyer stumbles to a finish in the 20s. Say McMurray finishes fifth and Bowyer 25th. That's a 67-point difference (with no laps led by either). If that happens, Richmond becomes very, very interesting.
14. Mark Martin, 85.7
Martin needs that same scenario to play out, but the No. 5 team hasn't shown nearly the punch of the McMurray's No. 1 team. Martin has two wins and 14 top fives in 49 starts, but he also has 15 DNFs, including three for crashes in his past eight starts. One of those crash DNFs was in March. If that happens again, there will be no miracles for Martin in 2010.
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15. Ryan Newman, 71.0
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Newman shares the Atlanta pole record with Buddy Baker (seven), but Newman hasn't done much with the great starting positions. He has one top five in 17 starts and a 17.9 average finish. If ever Newman needed a second top five, it's Sunday. He trails Bowyer by 118 points.
16. Kasey Kahne, 93.3
Kahne is 136 back. He needs everything to fall in place to make the Chase for the second year in a row. History in Atlanta—not in past Races to the Chase—is on his side. He has two wins and six top fives in 13 starts. He won this race last year and finished fourth in March. He must make it three top fives in a row for any chance at making Richmond relevant for his No. 9 team.
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Tough but fun times at Atlanta Sept. 1, 2010: Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards discuss what they're expecting from the upcoming Atlanta race. |
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 | Earning a trip to victory lane Take a look at every NASCAR driver who has claimed a checkered flag this racing season. NBCSports.com |
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 | Revved up for racing Take a look at how some NASCAR fans express their dedication to the drivers and to the sport. NBCSports.com |
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 | 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. |
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.
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.
Adreian Payne scored 15 points, Draymond Green added 12 and defense-minded No. 11 Michigan State beat No. 3 Ohio State 58-48 Saturday night, ending the Buckeyes' 39-game home winning streak.
