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.
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Universities of Houston
College baseball has become a productive farm system for the Astros.
Twenty of the 25 players on Houston’s World Series roster played in college. The other five — Ezequiel Astacio, Raul Chavez, Wandy Rodriguez, Willie Taveras and Jose Vizcaino — were born outside the United States.
“I think it’s certainly been a philosophy of our organization to draft primarily college players,” general manager Tim Purpura said. “So far, we’re doing OK.”
Morgan Ensberg and Jason Lane were Southern California teammates in the 1998 College World Series. The Trojans beat Arizona State 21-14 in the championship game.
Lance Berkman played at Rice, which is in Houston, and Roger Clemens played at Texas. Andy Pettitte and Brandon Backe, both Texas natives, attended junior colleges in the state.
One home, two homers
Two postseason heroes lived in the same house in Houston.
White Sox infielder Geoff Blum, a former Astro, is leasing his old house to former teammate Chris Burke, whose home run ended the 18-inning NL division series clincher against Atlanta.
Blum hit the game-winning homer in Game 3 of the World Series, giving the Sox a 3-0 series lead.
“He can keep it now,” Blum said Wednesday. “As long as we keep going like this, we’ll be all right. If we’d lost the first two games, I would’ve kicked him out.”
Blum played for the Astros in 2002 and 2003. Burke had mixed feelings as he watched Blum round the bases after his 14th-inning blast.
“Obviously, I was sick to my stomach,” Burke said Wednesday. “But he’s a super nice guy. It’s a situation where, if it was going to be one of those guys hitting the homer, I guess I’d like it to be him.”
Astros infielder Adam Everett leased the house from Blum in 2004. Burke said Blum should consider selling it.
“Maybe he can up the price, now that he’s hit a World Series home run,” he said.
Once he left the ballpark, Blum spent a lot of time getting congratulatory calls and e-mails, and watching highlights of his big swing. Former teammates Phil Nevin and Mark Sweeney were among those who phoned.
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“Oddly enough, they did,” he said. “Actually, there were plenty of congratulations. There were some Astros fans, but they weren’t too angry with what happened last night.”
Extra bases
Astronauts Bill MacArthur and Valery Tokarev greeted fans on a giant video screen from the international space station before Game 4. ... The White Sox were the seventh straight team to win Game 4 after taking a 3-0 World Series lead. ... The Hall of Fame will display the bat Blum used to hit the game-winning homer in Game 3. Blum’s bat will join the bat Scott Podsednik used for his winning homer in Game 2. The Hall of Fame also collected dirt from the pitcher’s mound because it was the first Series game in Texas history. Pitcher Freddy Garcia’s cap and third baseman Joe Crede’s glove also are headed to the shrine.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
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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.
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