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.
APTheir post defense suffers from a lack of intimidating personnel. When they sent Shaq to Miami, the Lakers got rid of the NBA’s leading paint deterrent. Now that a void has been created down low, someone needs to step up and fill it. But Chris Mihm isn’t Shaq. Neither is Brown or Odom or Brian Cook. None of those fellows has the mindset to challenge attackers to the basket.
As a result, the Lakers get what they got Thursday, when Phoenix scored 66 points at halftime while shooting 54 percent.
“We got caught in a lot of screen and rolls,” Jackson explained. “(Phoenix point guard Steve) Nash is a master at what he does.
“They ended up getting layups. That was a big difference.”
Leave it to the Zen Master to put a happy face on a loss. And in one sense, maybe he has good reason. The Lakers won an overtime game in Denver Wednesday night, then flew home to play a rested Phoenix club. Despite their defensive flaws, they made a game of it, charging back from 17 points down with just over eight minutes remaining to within three points with 2:11 left before the Suns pulled away for good.
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Yet he pointed out that his Lakers are relatively new to each other, and many are new to him. He’s right. But the club will seem eerily similar to the haggard one of a year ago if it doesn’t tighten up its defense.
“We didn’t take them out of their comfort zone,” Devean George said of the Suns. “But it’s no time to panic. You want to win your season opener at home. But we’ll be fine.”
Parker is a quiet, upbeat kid who probably has the best perspective on all this. He has bounced around the basketball planet, with stints in the developmental league and Europe as well as in the NBA with Cleveland, Detroit, Phoenix and now L.A. “We haven’t been together very long,” he said. “It’ll take some time for our offense and defense to come together. But we’re looking good. The future is very promising.”
He’s right. All they have to do is stop the layup line.
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
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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.
