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.
Marlies Schild of Austria won her sixth World Cup slalom of the season Saturday after overall leader Lindsey Vonn and defending champion Maria Hoefl-Riesch crashed out in the opening run on the windy Pyrenees course.
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
PARIS - Justine Henin-Hardenne’s latest ailment failed to slow her down at the French Open on Thursday.
The tournament favorite and 2003 champion required treatment for a back injury that bothered her serve, yet she still advanced to the third round by beating Virginia Ruano Pascual 6-1, 6-4.
After taking a 5-0 lead, Henin-Hardenne requested treatment during the changeover and grimaced as she stretched her back with help from a trainer. Henin-Hardenne said the previously undisclosed injury involves a nerve, dates back at least six weeks and isn’t serious.
“I’m going to be fine for the next few days,” she said. “I just wanted to be sure it wasn’t going to be more serious. That’s why I asked for the trainer. It was bothering me only on my serve.”
Henin-Hardenne hit eight double faults and has 17 in two matches. She made only 45 percent of her first serves and was broken three times in the second set.
The injury is the latest in a series of ailments for Henin-Hardenne, who returned in March from a seven-month layoff due to a blood virus and knee injury. Despite rust, back pain and concerns about her stamina, she’s 22-1 since returning and has won 19 consecutive matches, all on clay.
Two tournaments this month came despite the back injury.
“It’s a pain that I know,” she said. “In the evening it hurts when I have to sit down or drive. This is something I’ve had to live with for a few weeks. At some point I’ll have to take a few days’ rest.”
Henin-Hardenne’s lone loss this year was at Key Biscayne to Maria Sharapova, a potential opponent in the quarterfinals.
Sharapova, seeded second, committed just 13 unforced errors Thursday and beat 18-year-old Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai 6-3, 6-2.
“She had nothing to lose, and she was just going for her shots,” Sharapova said. “I finally started feeling a good rhythm out there and began playing better.”
Third-seeded Amelie Mauresmo of France defeated 15-year-old compatriot Alize Cornet 6-0, 6-2 before a capacity crowd on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
“When it gets filled and people start clapping, it’s very impressive,” Cornet said. “But what impressed me the most was Amelie.”
U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, seeded sixth, swept Sofia Arvidsson 6-3, 6-4.
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.
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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.
