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.
Getty ImagesHenin-Hardenne, playing her first tournament in seven months, staged a gallant comeback but lost to Sharapova.
“She has been a top player,” Sharapova said. “I was expecting a really tough match. It came out to be really tough.”
Sharapova, seeded second, failed to convert three match points in the second set but finally closed out the victory an hour later with a backhand winner accompanied by her trademark shriek.
The Wimbledon champion, who said she has been winning lately despite a sore back, will play a Williams sister in the semifinals Thursday. Serena and Venus, both three-time champions at Key Biscayne, were scheduled for their first meeting since July 2003 on Tuesday night.
Henin-Hardenne, coming back from a virus and knee injury, was pleased to win three matches and give Sharapova a battle.
“It’s pretty amazing,” the three-time Grand Slam champion said. “I couldn’t imagine before coming to Miami that I would play at this level. I did a good job, so it’s good for my confidence.”
Against Sharapova, Henin-Hardenne dug in after a poor start. She shanked several shots early, and even her picturesque backhand malfunctioned on a mis-hit that sailed 10 feet long on break point. She blew an overhead and lost that game, too, and hit a drop shot that didn’t even reach the net.
Sharapova, meanwhile, repeatedly placed shots inches inside the lines to keep Henin-Hardenne on the defensive.
“She was playing unbelievable tennis,” Henin-Hardenne said. “She’s tall and she’s powerful. She’s a great player.”
But with Sharapova on the verge of victory at 5-4, 40-love in the second set, Henin-Hardenne saved three match points. Sharapova then double-faulted to lose the game.
With Henin-Hardenne hitting her groundstrokes more aggressively, Sharapova saved three set points to hold for 6-6, then saved three more in the tiebreaker before dumping a backhand in the net on the final point of the set.
“You just keep fighting and keep being positive,” Sharapova said. “Easy to say, hard to do.”
She quickly regrouped in the final set, taking a 3-0 lead against a tiring Henin-Hardenne and improved to 5-0 in quarterfinals this year. She has rebounded from a 6-0, 6-0 loss to Lindsay Davenport at Indian Wells earlier this month.
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.
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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.
