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.
PBT: Jeremy Lin wasn't his hot self on Saturday, but he still led the Knicks to victory.
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.
ASSOCIATED PRESSQ: Best under-the-radar offseason move?
— Michael from New Jersey
A: Great question, Michael, and with all the attention that free agency receives these days in the NHL (July 1 might be the most exciting day of the year), there isn't a lot that qualifies as ''under-the-radar.''
Nonetheless, the top three ''low-profile'' moves I liked in the offseason:
1. Erik Cole — The smooth-skating Yank was dealt from Carolina to Edmonton, and he'll add some polish, speed and finish to a young Oilers attack.
2. Glen Metropolit — A role player, for sure, but the journeyman landed a two-year deal in Philly after becoming a versatile and valuable player last season in Boston after winning a job as a walk-on last September.
3. Robert Lang — The Blackhawks needed some cap space and dished the stylish Czech winger to the Habs late in the summer for financial relief. Valuable depth for sometimes-shaky Montreal attack.
Q: Any new rules I need to know about this season? What happened to all the talk about minimizing the goalie’s equipment and/or uniform?
— N. Matthews from Foster City, Calif.
A: Thankfully, no monumental changes in the rulebook to report.
As for the goalies, there were some important tweaks made to their gear, which won't be all that visible to the naked eye. Most notably, the leg pads and catching glove were nipped and tucked, as were goalie sweaters and clavicle protectors. I don't suspect anyone will notice the difference, and I also don't expect to see a sizeable uptick in goal-scoring as a result.
If the league ever really wants to get around to increasing the action around the net, and having more goals scored because of it, then the obvious fix is to have the goalies work without sticks, or with sticks equal in dimension to those used by all skaters. The huge paddle is unnecessary, and it allows goalies to handle the puck too easily, control rebounds, and constantly short-circuit the electricity around the net. Give them their padding, but take away that baton that controls way too much of the orchestra!
Q: Why doesn't the NHL hire women to be penalty timekeepers or goal judges? Are there specific requirements to be off-ice officials?
— Sue from Albany, N.Y.
A: The league, to the best to my knowledge, does not discourage women from applying for these jobs. According to a league spokesperson, there are some 450 off-ice officials employed by the NHL. It's a good bet that less than 10 percent of them are women — none yet in the positions you've mentioned here.
''True, maybe they're not in the jobs that the TV cameras focus on,'' said spokesperson Benny Ercolani. ''But I know we have a few women doing some valuable off-ice work on these crews — helping with scoring, stats, and [recording] time on ice. I know a few around the league who are simply outstanding. And there will be more, partly because of the growing success of women's hockey. You have to know the game, and you have to love it, and those are the qualifications we're looking for.''
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.
Check out highlights from the Rangers 3-2 win over the Capitals.
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 | NHL All-Stars Take a look at the players who competed in Team Chara's 12-9 victory over Team Alfredsson. more photos |
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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.