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 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.
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.
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 fileSAN FRANCISCO - And they say Barry Bonds is hard to get along with.
Well it looks like catcher A.J. Pierzynski is getting that label with the San Francisco Giants now.
Pierzynski, acquired from the Twins during the offseason, is not only struggling at the plate, he reportedly has developed a poor relationship with his teammates.
Pierzynski is hitting just .236, with the Giants in last place in the NL West.
"He's the cancer in here," one Giant, who requested anonymity, told the Oakland Tribune. "The pitchers aren't happy with him. If they can trade him, that would be fine with me. We all know Yorvie (Yorvit Torrealba) can catch this staff."
Pierzynski denies he wants out of San Francisco, and said he has worked hard to develop a good relationship with Giant pitchers.
His teammates disagree.
The latest incident reportedly occurred before Wednesday's game against the Atlanta Braves, when two players confirmed to the Tribune that Pierzynski ignored starting pitcher Brett Tomko's request to go over opposing hitters. Instead, the players said, Pierzynski resumed playing cards for another 20 minutes.
"I've never in all my years seen a catcher who didn't watch video before games," one pitcher told the newspaper. "He doesn't watch hitters -- other than the Twins games when they're on TV."
Also, according to two Giants players, the Padres' Phil Nevin said Pierzynski was criticizing Giants pitchers while Nevin was at the plate.
"That did it for me," one Giants pitcher told the Tribune. "If a pitching staff doesn't have the respect of their catcher, that's it. That's what it's all about.
"I can understand if you're a veteran who's been here six years, somebody like Benito (Santiago). That's one thing. You're entitled to do things your way. But when you're coming into a new situation, you're the one that has to earn respect. This is an established pitching staff."
Added another pitcher: "He's my catcher. I've got to work with the guy. But if they make a change, that would be fine by me."
Pierzynski told the Tribune he has a good work ethic.
"My job is to help this staff," Pierzynski told the newspaper. "Hitting is a bonus. I take pride in not taking my at-bats into the field. Defensively, I think I've been pretty good, and I feel it's getting better.
"It's always a work in progress when they get a new guy. I'm working to get better, and the guys have been great to me. I talked to Woody (Kirk Rueter) after his start, I talked to Tomko today. It's all about getting a feel for what they need to do to get better. We talk about pitch selection between innings all the time."
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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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.
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.