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 ImagesYou hear about NASCAR's season? The one with Jimmie Johnson in pole position on the leaderboard when it really mattered? No, I mean this season.
Lame jokes aside, on this last day of the NASCAR calendar, people are beginning to wonder if Johnson's dominance -- he's about to win his fourth straigh Sprint Cup title -- is a good thing, if having a Tiger Woods of racing is helping or hindering the now-struggling sport.
No, it's not the best thing to happen to the sport, but NASCAR has had this crisis of a "vanilla" superstar leading the sport into a reputedly boring stretch of dominance before, and it didn't collapse during Jeff Gordon's reign. Johnson's run is nowhere near the sport's biggest issue, too; his is at least a household name, a status he shares with Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and, well, who else?
Even so, NASCAR rating aren't determined by drivers' Q Scores: They are the products of compelling racing. That style of racing isn't a Johnson hallmark, but you can't blame him for being the best at the sport under current rules. You can, though, blame the rules designed to slow cars, which have taken much of the excitement out of the sport without returning as much safety in return, and the all-year season, which, instead of delivering a number of peaks and valleys, registers a resounding "Meh" from the viewing public.
Why doesn't NASCAR fix its sport instead of fretting about the blankness of its drivers? Do something radical: Shorten races and condense a season to the absolute best tracks, telling sponsors it'll give them better impressions over a more exciting strech, or design cars that are safe and balanced enough to allow drivers to be daring on the track and tell the world the days of thunder are back. NASCAR couldn't cajole enough charisma out of Jimmie Johnson to fill a thimble, but fans aren't watching for his witty rejoinders. They want racin'.
NASCAR should know how to deliver that.
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 | Earning a trip to victory lane Take a look at every NASCAR driver who has claimed a checkered flag this racing season. NBCSports.com |
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 | Revved up for racing Take a look at how some NASCAR fans express their dedication to the drivers and to the sport. NBCSports.com |
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 | NASCAR wives and girlfriends They're fixtures in pit row, but they don't drive on the track or work on the cars. Take a look at some notable NASCAR wives and girlfriends. |
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The Week in Sports Pictures The Giants on top of the football world, getting ready for the London Olympics and more. more photos |
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.
