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.
Eleven shots separated Phil and Tiger Sunday at Pebble Beach as Lefty secured his 40th Tour win. Jason Sobel had 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.
Getty ImagesThere could be a new problem with Brandon Backe going on the disabled list with a strained muscle in his side. That has forced rookie Ezequiel Astacio back into the rotation along with another rookie, Wandy Rodriguez, and Astacio was 1-4 with an 8.24 ERA in six starts earlier this season. Clemens also suffered through some back spasms in a seven-inning victory over Philadelphia on Wednesday.
The Astros also could use another bat in the outfield and a left-handed reliever. Seattle seemed to be a likely trade partner, but nothing has materialized as yet. With the market clearly leaning to sellers, the Astros probably won’t be adding anything major.
That means if they are going to get any Beltran-like performances down the stretch, they will have to come from within. Not that they don’t have enough in-house candidates, starting at the top of their rotation.
Q: Hey Tony, do you think the A’s pitching holds up enough to make a legitimate run at the Angels?
— Joel LeSage, Concord, Calif.
A: Yes I do, Joel. The A’s and Astros are the two hottest teams in the game right now, and as most people know, the A’s have been the best second-half team in the majors in this decade (251-130 after the All-Star break since 2000). Everything — not just pitching — has turned around in their season, which started so miserably in part due to injuries to Rich Harden, Octavio Dotel and Bobby Crosby.
Take those three vital components off any team, and it’s going to struggle, as the A’s did to the tune of being 15 games under .500 on May 29. But Harden is back and many consider him to be the best pitcher in the league right now. Crosby has hit .313 in June and July. Huston Street has been an upgrade in the closer role. Justin Duchscherer was an unlikely but deserving All-Star. Barry Zito (5-0, 1.75 in July) has stepped up and is pitching about as well as he has since his 2002 Cy Young Award season. And Billy Beane helped a reconfigured pen with Jay Witasick and Joe Kennedy, as well as Jay Payton in the outfield.
And make no mistake, the pitching has been helped by an awakened offense, as the A’s have hit 56 homers since June 1. I’m not definitely going to say that the A’s will overtake the Angels, but they do have an excellent chance, as the two teams will meet 10 more times in the final two months. And at this point, the A’s have an even better shot to win the wildcard, especially if the aging Yankees and Red Sox roster continue to be beset by injuries.
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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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.
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.