Rotoworld: Oregon RB LaMichael James and Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon among top 10 players who are being overhyped for the 2012 draft.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
The Detroit Red Wings equaled an NHL record with their 20th straight win at home, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 Sunday night on the strength of Johan Franzen's tiebreaking goal early in the third period.
PBT: Boston's Rajon Rondo continues to be named in trade talks, which is madness. The Celtics guard creates offense and makes everyone around him better, which was evident in Sunday's win over the Bulls.
Arc: Syracuse is among a solid group of No. 1 seeds in our latest tournament projections, but the middle of the pack is much more murky.
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.
Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods greeted their Sunday pairing at Pebble Beach with optimism. But the day would end happily only for one.
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.
Getty ImagesQ. Here in Atlanta, there has been a lot of media discussion about Jeff Francoeur. His first two seasons were productive, but since then, his numbers have dwindled. Do you think the Braves should be patient with Jeff, and let him try to work through his offensive problems, or should they trade him and attempt to make a run this year?
– Anonymous, Marrietta, Ga.
A: Here’s what to like about Francoeur: Great throwing arm, Gold Glove-caliber defense, durability (he’s missed only nine games in the last 3 ½ seasons), and he’s still only 25.
But the bad is outweighing the good — especially now that he has become arbitration-eligible, and his salary has jumped into the $3-million-plus range this season.
Offensively, he’s getting worse, not better. He’s headed for a season very similar to .2008 — when he finished .239-11-71. And in fact, he has only nine doubles as of Wednesday, although he has cut down a bit on his strikeouts.
But it’s unacceptable for an every-day corner outfielder to be putting up this type power numbers, not to mention the sub-.300 on-base percentage.
It’s not like he’s a kid anymore. This is his fifth big-league season. If I were the Braves, I’d move him some place else — maybe a change of scene will do him good, and maybe the Braves can get something in return they can use to stay in the NL East and wildcard races.
The Royals — whose GM Dayton Moore has ties to the Braves organization — are one team that has scouted Francoeur recently.
Q. What are the chances the Yankees try to deal Melky Cabrera for some middle-relief help they desperately need, and possibly bring up Austin Jackson, who is hitting over .300 in Triple-A?
– Travis, Pennsylvania
A: Even with Phil Hughes apparently making a smooth transition from the rotation to a setup role, I won’t be surprised if the Yankees make a move to strengthen their bullpen.
But it was surprising when the Yankees demanded the Pirates pay $400,000 of Eric Hinske’s remaining salary in order to get that deal done earlier this week.
The Yankees quibbling over that relatively small amount of money tells you that actual ticket revenues are falling far short of projections — and that maybe they won’t be making any major move before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.
Cabrera is having his best year power-wise, and I don’t think he would be the one to go, but there is depth at the center field spot with Brett Gardner and Jackson.
I think you’ll see the Yankees give their internal options a chance to succeed over the next few weeks before they feel the need to pull the trigger on a deal.
Q. Blue Jays second baseman Aaron Hill is on pace to finish the season with about 35 homers and is batting over .300, but has a slugging percentage below .500. My question is, has any MLB player finished a season with 30 homers, a .300 batting average and not slugged over .500?
– Larry W., Los Angeles
A: Through Monday, Hill was leading AL second basemen in average, homers and RBI and already had set a Blue Jays’ club record for homers by a second baseman in a season. All that has earned Hill a strong All-Star Game endorsement from Jays manager Cito Gaston.
As for your question, that’s a hard one to track. It is rare indeed that a .300 hitter has more home runs than doubles. You see it regularly with big power hitters, who slug better than .500 and don’t hit .300.
I couldn’t find anyone who fit your criteria over an entire season, and I’ll be very surprised if Hill still fits them by the end of the year.
In fact, here’s how much of an aberration Hill’s current numbers (19 HR, 12 doubles) are: In four big-league seasons prior to this one, Hill had 114 doubles and 28 homers. What’s going on now is one of those freaky things that eventually trends back toward the mean.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
HBT: Prince Fielder is gone and Ryan Braun will likely miss a third of the season because of a failed PED test. Can Milwaukee stay in contention until he gets back?
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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.
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.
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.