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.
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
2005 finish: 88-74, 2nd place in NL East
Manager: Charlie Manuel (2nd season)
Incoming: RHP Tom ‘Flash’ Gordon, CF Aaron Rowand, LHP Arthur Rhodes, RHP Ryan Franklin, IF Abraham Nunez, RHP Julio Santana, C Sal Fasano, IF Alex Gonzalez, RHP Ricardo Rodriguez, RHP Chris Booker
Long gone: 1B/DH Jim Thome, LHP Billy Wagner, RHP Ugueth Urbina, CF Kenny Lofton, RHP Vicente Padilla, RHP Terry Adams, C Todd Pratt, OF Michael Tucker, IF Ramon Martinez
Rotation: RHP Brett Myers, RHP Jon Lieber, RHP Cory Lidle, RHP Ryan Franklin, RHP Ryan Madson, LHP Randy Wolf (DL)
Relievers: Closer: RHP Tom ‘Flash’ Gordon; Setup men: LHP Arthur Rhodes, RHP Geoff Geary, LHP Aaron Fultz, RHP Julio Santana, LHP Rheal Cormier, RHP Ricardo Rodriguez, RHP Robinson Tejada, RHP Chris Booker, LHP Eude Brito
Regulars: SS Jimmy Rollins, CF Aaron Rowand, 2B Chase Utley, RF Bobby Abreu, 1B Ryan Howard, LF Pat Burrell, C Mike Lieberthal, 3B David Bell
Role players: C Sal Fasano, IF Tomas Perez, IF Abraham Nunez, IF Alex Gonzalez, OF Shane Victorino, OF Josh Kroeger
The pressure is on: Charlie Manuel preceded his new boss -- Pat Gillick -- by one season, and his closest ally in the clubhouse – Jim Thome – is gone.
Breakout candidate: Ryan Madson’s killer changeup is suited for the switch to the rotation. He could emerge as a double-figures winner.
Rundown: Ousted general manager Ed Wade never got his team into the post-season in eight years, and in fact, the Phils haven’t been there since Lenny Dykstra was scoring runs in bunches and calling everybody ‘dude’. Wade’s successor, Pat Gillick, doesn’t think it’s going to happen this season, either -- not without a top-flight No. 1 starting pitcher. That’s why he tried to deal Bobby Abreu for someone such as Mark Prior or Freddy Garcia to match up with division-rival aces Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz. Nothing has materialized – at least not yet – and the Phils head into this season with arguably the league’s best offense, but just a decent-at-best staff that will have to learn to live without Billy Wagner and Ugueth Urbina. Considering the cozy (although slightly expanded) dimensions of Citizens Bank Park, that likely will mean plenty of high-scoring home games. The Phils were second in the league in runs scored last season, and even without Jim Thome, they will be at or near the top once again, especially if Ryan Howard’s 107-game Rookie of the Year numbers project into a full season of 35-plus homers and 100-plus RBI. A spring training that has included nine homers says the sky is the limit for him. A first six of Jimmy Rollins, Aaron Rowand, Chase Utley, Abreu, Howard and Pat Burrell could possibly include four 25-homer, 100-RBI producers, four who could score 100 runs, and two of the league’s stolen-base leaders. With Mike Lieberthal and David Bell behind them, another 800-plus-run season is in the works. But unless Brett Myers takes another step and develops into a 240-inning, 18-game-winner at the top of the rotation, it’s hard to project this team as a strong post-season contender. Myers, 25, lowered his ERA nearly two runs per game to 3.70 last year, when he won 13, so there is reason to think he will step up again. Otherwise, solid and dependable Jon Lieber could be miscast in the ace role. He won 17 and threw 216 innings in his second season after missing all of 2003 due to Tommy John surgery, but is 36 and has logged more than 200 innings only once in the last four years. Ryan Madson will get his wish and move from the setup role to the rotation, and should succeed. Cory Lidle and Ryan Franklin will fill the last two spots -- at least until Randy Wolf is ready to return around mid-season. Franklin comes from a pitchers’ park (Safeco Field) where his ERA was 5.10, so don’t expect too much in Philly, although he will have the benefit of changing leagues. Tom ‘Flash’ Gordon’s two-year run as Mariano Rivera’s top setup man was brilliant, but his last full season as a closer was in 1998 with Boston, he is 38, and was slowed in the spring by elbow soreness. The setup crew is nothing special – lefties Arthur Rhodes, Aaron Fultz coming off what appears to be a career year, and a fading Rheal Cormier – and righties Geoff Geary, Julio Santana, Ricardo Rodriguez and Robinson Tejada. The Phillies had the same record (86-76) in 2001, 2003 and 2004, before improving slightly to 88 wins last year. It appears as if they will head in the other direction this time.
Predicted finish: 3rd place, 83-79
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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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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.
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