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.
Golf's dream pairing - Woods and Mickelson - is on the course in the final round at Pebble Beach. Jason Sobel has 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.
Euro Roundup: First-place Manchester City won 1-0 at Aston Villa on Sunday on Joleon Lescott's goal in the 63rd minute, maintaining its two-point lead over Manchester United in the Premier League.
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.
CHICAGO CUBS
2005 finish: 79-83, 4th place in NL Central
Manager: Dusty Baker (4th season)
Incoming: CF Juan Pierre, RF Jacque Jones, LHP Scott Eyre, RHP Bobby Howry
Long gone: IF Nomar Garciaparra, OF Corey Patterson, RHP Sergio Mitre, RHP Jon Leicester, LHP Reynel Pinto, RHP Ricky Nolasco
Rotation: RHP Carlos Zambrano, RHP Greg Maddux, LHP Glendon Rusch, RHP Jerome Williams, RHP Angel Guzman, RHP Mark Prior (DL), RHP Kerry Wood (DL), RHP Wade Miller (DL)
Relievers: Closer: RHP Ryan Dempster; Setup men: LHP Scott Eyre, RHP Bobby Howry, RHP Michael Wuertz, LHP Wil Ohman, RHP Roberto Novoa, RHP Todd Wellemeyer, RHP Scott Williamson
Regulars: CF Juan Pierre, 2B Jerry Hairston, 1B Derrek Lee, 3B Aramis Ramirez, RF Jacque Jones, LF Matt Merton, C Michael Barrett, SS Ronny Cedeno
Role players: C Henry Blanco, 1B/3B/OF John Mabry, 1B/2B Todd Walker, 2B/SS Neifi Perez, OF Angel Pagan, OF Felix Pie
Rundown: It was a mixed bag of a winter for GM Jim Hendry – and not one that would lend much reason for optimism about the Cubs being in the NL Central or wildcard races. Especially not with the spring arm problems of Mark Prior and Kerry Wood. On the plus side, the bullpen has been upgraded – always a good place to start in trying to turn around a disappointing 79-83 finish. After giving closer Ryan Dempster a three-year, $15.5-million contract, Hendry struck early on the free-agent market with similar three-year deals to left-hander Scott Eyre and right-hander Bob Howry for a combined $23 million. Eyre was signed away from San Francisco, where he put up three consecutive quality seasons, and will be reunited with Dusty Baker. Howry came from Cleveland following a big year that came two years removed from elbow surgery. Since that point, he has posted a 2.56 ERA. Add in Will Ohman and Michael Wuertz as a middle-innings lefty-righty combination, and this could be a good bullpen. But until Prior and Wood are taking regular turns and putting up quality numbers, you can only call for a worse rotation than last year -- which makes you wonder why Hendry even considered putting one of his top starters in talked-about deals for Bobby Abreu and Miguel Tejada. Wood is trying to rebound from off-season shoulder surgery and a spring arthroscope on his knee. There is no exact timetable for his return, but May appears likely barring another setback. Prior continues to downplay a strained muscle in his right shoulder that has idled him since March 14. But best-case scenario is that he is only a little behind pace, and can be back in the rotation shortly after the season starts. But for now, following Carlos Zambrano, there is Greg Maddux, who turns 40 and is one year closer to the end of his Hall of Fame career, and Jerome Williams and Glendon Rusch, with Angel Guzman a possibility. They also took an inexpensive flier on Wade Miller, but he is about a month or so behind Wood as far as rehab goes, and probably can’t be counted on until June. Let’s look at the position-player shuffling as a whole. Gone are Corey Patterson (a move that had to happen), Nomar Garciaparra and Jeromy Burnitz. In are Juan Pierre and Jacque Jones, with at this point, Baker saying he will play 23-year-old Ronny Cedeno at shortstop, as well as 24-year-old Matt Murton in left field – two players who have a combined total of 220 big-league at-bats. Pierre will bring a quality leadoff hitter, speed and the right attitude for a team still trying to change its image and mentality. Wrigley will cut down on his defensive shortcomings, but will all but take away his triples dimension. The price paid for him could be steep down the road – Sergio Mitre and pitching prospects Renyel Pinto and Ricky Nolasco. Jones is seven years younger than Burnitz, but their 2005 numbers were a virtual wash, and the Cubs had to give him a three-year deal. He doesn’t help the on-base percentage need – one that is worsened when Neifi Perez is in the lineup. Marquis Grissom and John Mabry are veteran role players who could help, and Derrek Lee should get more than 123 games of protection from Aramis Ramirez, who didn’t play after Aug. 26 due to a strained left quadriceps muscle. But projecting significant improvement from an offense that was ninth in runs despite being second in home runs and tied for second in batting average last season is a stretch. Fortunately for the Cubs, the Cardinals or Astros didn’t have good off-seasons either. But then again, the Cubs finished 21 games behind the former and 10 behind the latter (not to mention two behind Milwaukee), and they haven’t made up that kind of ground this off-season. Given the lame-duck status of both Hendry and Baker, the need to get off to a good start could be vital.
Predicted finish: 4th place, 81-81
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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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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.
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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.
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