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 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.
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 fileSearching for the final piece to a revamped middle infield, the St. Louis Cardinals are working on a deal with switch-hitting second baseman Roberto Alomar.
Cardinals spokesman Brian Bartow said Thursday that “certainly there are talks between the two sides” as the NL champions look to replace Tony Womack, who signed this month with the New York Yankees.
Bartow labeled as premature a Newsday report that the Cardinals had signed Alomar, a 10-time Gold Glove winner, to a $500,000, one-year contract.
Alomar turns 37 in February and played in just 56 games last year because of a broken right hand after being hit by a pitch.
Alomar’s agent, Jaime Torres, refused to discuss the Cardinals’ interest in the 12-time All-Star, who is a career .300 hitter. Alomar split last season between Arizona and the Chicago White Sox, batting a combined .263 with four home runs and 24 RBIs in 171 plate appearances.
Over his 17-year major league career, Alomar has 2,724 hits, 210 homers, 1,508 runs and 1,136 RBIs in 2,379 games, with a .371 on-base percentage, .443 slugging percentage and 474 stolen bases.
Last week, former Anaheim shortstop David Eckstein agreed to a $10.25 million, three-year contract with St. Louis. Eckstein, who’ll replace Womack in the leadoff slot, succeeds Edgar Renteria, lured to Boston by a $40 million, four-year contract.
Alomar started his career in San Diego, became a star during five seasons with the Blue Jays when they won two World Series, and went to Baltimore and Cleveland before joining the Mets in 2002.
Alomar won 10 Gold Gloves in the American League in 11 seasons from 1991 through 2001. He hit .336 with Cleveland in 2001, but has struggled at the plate since then, batting just .266, .258 and .263 over the past three seasons.
Alomar would be latest major offseason acquisitions for the Cardinals, who obtained 17-game winner Mark Mulder from Oakland for two pitchers and a minor league catching prospect.
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.