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.
AP file“The flexibility is still there with the payroll and if all of us get our act together in the front office and acquire those players who will help him toward winning, better than we have, we’ll do that,” Dan Glass said.
Bell has had plenty of experience with struggling teams. In his first year with the Tigers, Detroit lost 109 games. But Bell rebounded the next year to go 78-83, a 26-game improvement that had him second in voting for AL manager of the year.
He was fired by the Rockies in April of 2002 when the team started 6-16.
“Managers change jobs. Managers seemingly don’t manage one team for a long period of time,” David Glass said from his office in Bentonville, Ark. “Each time they’re forced to make a change, they wind up being better the next time. With an experienced manager, you get someone who’s tried it and failed and is a better man because of it in almost all cases.”
Bell said he didn’t mind the challenge of taking over a struggling team.
“Over the years, I have made a lot of friends in this great game of ours, and I don’t necessarily have to manage,” he said. “If I was going to manage again, it was going to be in an organization that I can help thrive.
“This was the best situation for me and the Kansas City Royals, and that was very important to me.”
He said the key to success is not asking players to do more than they’re capable of.
Pena was AL manager of the year when the Royals went a surprising 83-79 in 2003. But the next year, despite adding such high-profile veterans as Juan Gonzalez and Benito Santiago, the club lost a franchise-record 104 games.
“This will be a great loss to our major league team and organization, but we’re ecstatic for Buddy,” Indians general manager Mark Shapiro said. “This is a great opportunity that he wanted and that we are confident he will succeed in.”
Bell and his father, Gus, combined for 4,337 hits — the second-best father-son duo after Barry and Bobby Bonds, who have 4,348. Bell’s son, David, plays for the Philadelphia Phillies.
“We’re very excited to get him,” David Glass said. “He’s a good baseball guy, from a good baseball family. He will be good working with young players. He will buy into the youth movement. He’s tough but fair, and I think he will make a very good manager for the Royals.”
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.
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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.