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 both greeted Sunday with unbridled optimism. But the day would end happily only for Mickelson.
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.
AP
INDIANAPOLIS - When victory finally came for Tony Stewart at Indianapolis on Sunday, it was everything he thought it would be.
“This is one of those days, I don’t want it to end,” Stewart said. “I don’t want to see the sun set. It’s definitely the greatest day of my life, professionally and personally up to this point.”
A lifelong quest to win a race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway ended with Stewart finally getting his “Holy Grail,” and he made sure to draw out the celebration as long as he could while the partisan crowd roared with approval.
It wasn’t the native Hoosier’s beloved Indianapolis 500, but the former IndyCar champion, who has longed to win a race at the historic speedway, held off a determined challenge from Kasey Kahne to grab an emotional victory in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.
As the partisan crowd screamed “Tony! Tony! Tony!” a beaming Stewart said, “You dream about something for so long, you become consumed by it. To finally get to see what it was like coming down that main straightaway seeing the checkered flags was just incredible.”
The 34-year-old Stewart, who came to NASCAR in 1999 from the Indy Racing League, where he was a champion, grew up coveting a victory at the historic track on the west side of Indianapolis.
In five tries in the 500, though, he never finished better than fifth. Until Sunday, his NASCAR resume wasn’t any better, with two fifth-place finishes his best efforts in six previous starts.
Stewart dominated the Brickyard race in 2002, starting from the pole and leading 43 laps only to fade to a 12th-place finish. He was so frustrated, NASCAR’s sometimes bad boy snapped and punched a photographer after the race.
Stewart was again the driver to beat in 2003, leading a race-high 60 laps. But two questionable stops for tires late in the race sent him reeling to another 12th-place finish and left him disappointed and frustrated.
Last year, he never led a lap and finished fifth.
His father, Nelson Stewart, has seen his son stress out in each previous try at Indy, saying, “When you do that, then anything can go wrong. It has (in the past), and that’s generally what happens.”
Not this time.
|
He came to the speedway this month hopeful and confident, and is now the winner of four of his last six races and riding a string of seven straight top-10 finishes. Besides fulfilling his dream, Sunday’s victory vaulted Stewart into the lead in the Nextel Cup standings for the first time since he wrapped up his only Cup title in 2002.
 | FREE VIDEO |
 |
 | Slideshow |
 | Earning a trip to victory lane Take a look at every NASCAR driver who has claimed a checkered flag this racing season. NBCSports.com |
| Slideshow |
 | Revved up for racing Take a look at how some NASCAR fans express their dedication to the drivers and to the sport. NBCSports.com |
| Slideshow |
 | more photos |
| Slideshow |
 | NBCSports.com |
| Slideshow |
 | NBCSports.com |
 | INTERACTIVE |
 | NASCAR wives and girlfriends They're fixtures in pit row, but they don't drive on the track or work on the cars. Take a look at some notable NASCAR wives and girlfriends. |
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.
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.
