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 ImagesThen, after he was banned from the game in 1990 for hiring a professional slimeball to dig up dirt on his best player, Dave Winfield, Steinbrenner began to change. When he came back in the mid-90s to a new team that had been carefully built by then-G.M. Gene Michael, the world’s most notorious owner started to step back and let his professionals see what they could do with what had become a dysfunctional team.
When the Yankees won their four championships in five seasons, Steinbrenner was less the madman and more the cheerleader. He still repeated that line about any year that didn’t end in a title being a failure, but he stopped switching managers and publicly bashing his players.
In recent years, his health has deteriorated — and maybe his mental acuity along with it. As it has, Steinbrenner has become increasingly isolated in his Tampa home. He no longer speaks to the media; a spokesman issues statements that purport to be his words. Prominently among them are how proud he is to provide a winner to New York and how great is the tradition of which he is custodian.
As he has become more distant from the team and from life itself, he has become more beloved. Derek Jeter, who came up as a full-time player in 1996, calls him Mr. Steinbrenner, and there’s an enormous amount of respect in that. Jeter and the other modern Yankees, never knew the irascible Steinbrenner. The man they know is worthy of the love they profess for him.
One thing is certain: There will never be another like him. He’s an all-timer, just like Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth. As such, even the media has found itself not just willing, but even eager, to forget his flaws and remember his greatness.
He’s never missed a championship. It’s not clear he’ll be around to witness another. Back in the day when he was the Mad Shipbuilder, I never understood what a sad prospect for the Yankees and for baseball that would be.
I do now.
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.
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.
The Red Wings have finally started to embrace a record they've been chasing.