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.
Golf's dream pairing - Woods and Mickelson - is on the course in the final round at Pebble Beach. Jason Sobel has 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.
Euro Roundup: First-place Manchester City won 1-0 at Aston Villa on Sunday on Joleon Lescott's goal in the 63rd minute, maintaining its two-point lead over Manchester United in the Premier League.
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.
NEW YORK - These are trying times for Jason Giambi — apparently not even lucky underwear can help his undersized batting average.
The New York Yankees’ first baseman caused a bit of a stir Saturday when the Daily News reported — on the front page, no less — that he often wears a gold thong under his uniform pants when trying to snap out of a slump.
“I was blown away,” Yankees broadcaster and former big league pitcher David Cone said with a smile. “You’ve got to be pretty confident in yourself to let that one out.”
Giambi, batting .193 this season, has kept the shiny thong in his locker since he played for the Oakland Athletics. Several teammates acknowledged they’ve tried wearing it, too, including Yankees captain Derek Jeter and outfielder Johnny Damon.
Before Saturday’s Subway Series game against the New York Mets, a sign on right-hander Mike Mussina’s locker read: “Pitchers need thongs too.”
Giambi hit his team-leading eighth homer in the Yankees’ 7-4 loss, connecting on an 0-2 pitch from two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana.
“Whatever works, man,” Mets right fielder Ryan Church deadpanned before the game.
Strange superstitions are nothing new in baseball. Hall of Famer Wade Boggs ate chicken before every game. Nomar Garciaparra fidgets with his batting gloves after each pitch and sidles down the dugout steps two feet at a time.
“Giambi’s a little freaky,” said Mets manager Willie Randolph, a former Yankees coach. “I wouldn’t go there.”
Church said if any of his Mets teammates have a favorite slump-buster, he doesn’t know about it.
“Most guys keep it to themselves,” he 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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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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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.