Rotoworld: Oregon RB LaMichael James and Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon among top 10 players who are being overhyped for the 2012 draft.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
The Detroit Red Wings equaled an NHL record with their 20th straight win at home, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 Sunday night on the strength of Johan Franzen's tiebreaking goal early in the third period.
PBT: Boston's Rajon Rondo continues to be named in trade talks, which is madness. The Celtics guard creates offense and makes everyone around him better, which was evident in Sunday's win over the Bulls.
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.
Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods greeted their Sunday pairing at Pebble Beach with optimism. But the day would end happily only for one.
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.
Reuters
NEW YORK - It had been four long years between wins as a starter for John Smoltz — so long ago that he couldn’t recall the last one, June 3, 2001, against Pittsburgh.
So Tuesday night’s 4-3 victory over the New York Mets was special for the man who has returned to the Braves rotation this season after posting 154 saves out of the bullpen.
“It’s a big part of the process,” Smoltz said. “You need a game like this. It means there’s a lot of life left.”
Smoltz, who will be 38 on May 15, returned from the bullpen to the rotation as the Braves shuffled their pitching staff this season. He had struggled with little run support in his first four starts and went into the seventh inning on a cold, windy night at Shea Stadium when he didn’t have his best stuff.
“It was a battle,” he said. “I was grinding out there. I didn’t have a good splitter or curve. The ball felt like a cueball. I abandoned a pitch or two. I didn’t have a good feel of the ball. Patience paid off. The last three games were a grind, just like this one.”
The difference was this time Smoltz (1-3) had some runs to work with. The Braves pushed across three in the first inning against Pedro Martinez, matching the total they had scored for Smoltz in his first four starts this season.
“It felt nice and kind of weird,” Smoltz said. “It was the first time I’ve had a lead out of the gate. I wanted to make sure I kept it.”
He did, taking the Braves into the seventh inning and leaving with a 4-1 lead.
“He didn’t have his best stuff but he’s a competitor,” said catcher Johnny Estrada, who drove in three runs with a pair of doubles. “He knew what he had to do to get through seven innings.”
Smoltz mixed a four-seam fastball, a two-seamer and some changeups for the first time all year.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
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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.
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The Red Wings have finally started to embrace a record they've been chasing.