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.
Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
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.
AP
CHICAGO - Mark Prior was a success in his season debut, while Kerry Wood struggled again.
Prior pitched six shutout innings in his first game of the season and Derrek Lee had five RBIs, leading the Chicago Cubs over the San Diego Padres 8-3 Wednesday for a doubleheader split.
Wood gave up three home runs in the opener, including one to Geoff Blum leading off the game, as the Padres won 8-3.
Prior (1-0) made just one start in spring training and went on the disabled list due to right elbow inflammation. He got hit hard last week in a minor league rehabilitation start but, backed by a quick 7-0 lead Wednesday, he allowed four hits, struck out six and walked one, throwing 92 pitches.
“I wanted to go out there and throw strikes,” Prior said. “I had good down angle on the ball, throwing my fastballs down in the zone pretty good. I was happy with the command I did have on my fastball. Even the first three or four pitches of the game, I threw it right where I wanted.”
Fans, some of whom booed Wood in the opener, cheered loudly for Prior, whose start was delayed a day by Tuesday’s rainout.
“It was kind of a nice, little welcome back to the season,” Prior said. “It was pretty cool.”
Prior also started the four-run second with a single up the middle, scoring off Corey Patterson’s RBI single. He added another single in the third inning.
While Cubs manager Dusty Baker said he was grateful for his offensive contributions, he was mostly glad to see Prior on the mound.
“You’re always concerned when a guy hasn’t pitched very much,” Baker said. “He had good command, good tempo. His mechanics looked good.”
Brian Lawrence (0-2) gave up seven runs and nine hits in 2 2-3 innings.
Lee hit a three-run homer in the first inning, and Chicago’s runs in the second came on Patterson’s RBI single, Lee’s sacrifice fly, a run-scoring wild pitch and Jeromy Burnitz’s run-scoring single.
“I hit it pretty good,” Lee said of his homer. “The key to that was to keep it low because the wind was blowing in pretty hard.”
Neifi Perez went 6-for-9 in the doubleheader, all singles. Perez started at second base in the first game and at shortstop in the second.
Prior said endurance was only a factor when he zipped around from first to third on Jerry Hairston’s double in the third.
“I got a little winded out there running first to third,” he said. “I haven’t done that since college.”
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.
After leading by 18 points in the first half, the Los Angeles Lakers were staring at a four-point deficit with less than two minutes to play.
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.