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.
APLowry retired his first seven batters before Mike Lieberthal lined a single to left. The Phillies loaded the bases in the seventh with no outs, but Lowry struck out Chase Utley on a curveball and got David Bell to ground into an inning-ending double play.
“With the bases loaded, he turned it up,” Felipe Alou said. “He threw a curveball to Utley and struck him out that I think was the best curveball I’ve ever seen him throw.”
Lieber (12-11), trying to win his fourth start in a row, allowed baserunners in each of the first six innings. The right-hander beat the Giants 6-5 on June 2, but didn’t have his best stuff in his first August defeat after going 1-2 in six July starts.
He allowed five runs and nine hits in seven innings, struck out four and walked one.
“From the beginning I just didn’t have it,” Lieber said. “I was out of control.”
Philadelphia has been the best in baseball against the NL West, going 19-7 with a home sweep of the Giants for the first time in 10 years May 31-June 2.
The Phillies, facing a left-handed starter for the third straight game, got two hits apiece from Abreu and Jason Michaels but little else.
“He shut us out, basically,” Bell said of Lowry. “He pitched with a lot of confidence.”
Monday marked the 40th anniversary of the wild day at Candlestick Park when Giants Hall of Fame pitcher Juan Marichal hit Dodgers catcher John Rosboro over the head with a bat in a third-inning scuffle. The altercation caused a 14-minute delay and Willie Mays hit a three-run homer to beat Sandy Koufax 4-3. Marichal was suspended 11 days and fined $1,750.
Notes: San Francisco SS Omar Vizquel stole his 20th base in the fifth, becoming the first Giants player with more than 19 steals since Marvin Benard had 22 in 2000. ... The Giants held a moment of silence for Thomas Herrion, the 49ers’ offensive lineman who collapsed and died after Saturday’s exhibition game at Denver. His photo was shown on the main center-field scoreboard. ... It was 58 degrees at first pitch, compared to 84 for the Giants in their final game at St. Louis on Sunday afternoon. ... Lowry’s RBI was his seventh of the season, tying him for second most by major league pitchers behind Jason Marquis of the Cardinals (10). Lowry’s RBIs are the most by a San Francisco pitcher since Russ Ortiz drove in nine runs in 1992.
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.