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.
Reuters
BOSTON - Two games after Manny Ramirez was booed by the hometown fans, all was forgiven.
Ramirez earned a loud standing ovation before and after his pinch-hit single in the eighth inning Sunday lifted the Boston Red Sox to a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins.
After the game, the enigmatic outfielder shrugged off the trade talk that kept him on the bench for most of two days leading up to Sunday’s trade deadline.
“Forget about the trade. This is the place I want to be,” Ramirez said. “They want to win. I want to win, too. I’m back.”
Entering the game 54 minutes after the 4 p.m. deadline passed for trades without waivers, Ramirez bounced a chopper up the middle to score Edgar Renteria and give the Red Sox their fifth consecutive victory. After Renteria crossed the plate, Ramirez took off his batting helmet and pointed both hands at the crowd in a double-barreled salute.
“That’s hard not to get chills when that stuff is happening,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. “That’s about as electric as you’ll see it.”
Mike Timlin (4-1) allowed two hits and an intentional walk in 1 1-3 innings, striking out one. Curt Schilling pitched the ninth for his fifth save, kicking off another “Manny!” chant.
Juan Rincon (4-4) allowed one run on two hits and a walk.
Although he is one of the most productive batters in baseball history, Ramirez has been on the trading block every year as the Red Sox try to unload the remainder of his $160 million, eight-year contract. As the trade deadline approached, the Red Sox discussed a three-team trade with Tampa Bay that would have sent him to the New York Mets, and Francona offered Ramirez the weekend off to clear his head.
But Ramirez told reporters before the game that he wanted to stay. And, when Renteria doubled off the Green Monster with two outs in the eighth, the Twins opted to intentionally walk David Ortiz to face Adam Stern. Before the four pitches could be thrown, the crowd began chanting for Ramirez.
On ball three, Ramirez popped out of the dugout for the on-deck circle, and the sellout crowd rose to its feet. For some fans, it was the first knowledge they had that he wasn’t traded.
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John Olerud’s hamstring injury paved the way for Ramirez’s dramatic entrance. Olerud, who was batting in Ramirez’s customary cleanup slot, left the game in the seventh inning when he “tweaked” a hamstring on the basepaths, according Francona.
When the Twins walked Ortiz, “it was the perfect spot” for Ramirez to enter the game, Francona said.
“Obviously, he was ready to go,” Francona said.
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.
