Winnipeg Free Press Newspaper Archives Mar 24 2015, Page 29

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - March 24, 2015, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE D5 winnipegfreepress. com SPORTS WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015 D 5 T HE narrative that once told us Michael Sam was not being given a serious shot in pro football because he was the first openly gay player in the NFL, is now being changed to whether his unique status is affording him more chances than his skills have warranted. After going through his second NFL testing combine in as many years — this time at the “ NFL veteran combine” on Sunday — not only is he still generating unimpressive numbers, but it appears he may be getting slower as well. Let Sam’s skill set be deciding factor To get you up to speed — or the possible lack thereof — Sam was taken in the last round of the 2014 NFL draft by the St Louis Rams. In spite of his collegiate accolades and accomplishments, he did not test or show well at the 2014 combine and therefore fell in the draft rankings. Not unlike many seventh- round draft picks, Sam was cut in training camp by the St. Louis Rams and spent some time on the Dallas Cowboys practice squad before being released yet again. He then applied to attend the NFL veteran combine, and was given another opportunity to demonstrate the ascension of his skills and tools. Unfortunately, the problems and limitations that plagued Sam in the past don’t appear to be going away any time soon. When he posted a 4.91- second 40- yard dash time as a 261- pound defensive end at the 2014 combine, it was not good for the position that he plays. In fact, it is outright pedestrian for a defensive end to run a 4.9 40. A year later, he did not manage to even break the five- second barrier, though there are grumblings going around that the electronic timing slowed things down. Either way, if there is one thing NFL coaches universally hate, it’s regression in young players. As a former defensive lineman I can attest speedy 40- yard dashes aren’t the only requirement of an edge player’s arsenal, but it isn’t something you gloss over either. There are positions in football where speed isn’t overly critical — like maybe the offensive line or at quarterback — but that’s about it. There are many elements to being a successful defensive end, so if you are weak in one area, it helps to be above average in another. The problem with Sam, though, is he also only put up 17 repetitions in the 225- pound bench press test, which is also far below average. While many have promoted Sam’s statistics from the 2014 pre- season, where he had three sacks and 11 tackles, training camp stats are often as much of a byproduct of who you are competing against and when you are competing — like in the fourth quarter — as much as they are representative of ability. While I have not spent a minute watching tape of Sam playing football, I can tell you I wouldn’t have been overly enthused about playing on a line with a pairing of defensive ends that were both slower and weaker than some of the offensive tackles they were competing against. To no one’s surprise, Jim Popp — the GM of the Montreal Alouettes in the CFL — is once again angling for a player that will most likely bring his team more headlines than actual onfield production. As much as he gushed over the abilities of Chad Johnson last year, according to their own website he actually only caught seven passes and scored one touchdown. While Sam may have a better shot than Johnson did at making an impact in the CFL — simply because of his age — it’s now starting to look like pro football is overextending itself to afford him opportunities his skill set may not warrant. Sam is a compelling story about courage and coming face to face with what is, most likely, a billion- dollar community with many homophobic segments. Unfortunately, though, it is becoming harder to ignore this great story may not actually come with the benefit of a great player. Doug Brown, once a hard- hitting defensive lineman and frequently a hard- hitting columnist, appears Tuesdays in the Free Press. Twitter: @ DougBrown97 DOUG BROWN Pro football providing opportunities gay player may not warrant SPORTS RECORD Television 10 a. m. ( 144) ( 182) [ 416] 116 ST Golf Investec Cup. Round 3. ( Taped) 11 a. m. ( 13) ( 22) [ 400] 111 WPT Poker ( Taped) 12 p. m. ( 13) ( 22) [ 400] 111 MLB Baseball Spring Training. Philadelphia Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves 3 p. m. ( 2) ( 5) ( 2) [ 226] 32 ISU Figure Skating World Championship. ( Taped) ( 47) ( 171) [ 408] 119 WPT Poker Bay 101 Shooting Star. 4 p. m. ( 159) ( 187) [ 418] 110 Darts World Championship. 5 p. m. ( 159) ( 187) [ 418] 110 WPT Poker L. A. Classic. 6 p. m. ( 47) ( 171) [ 408] 119 NHL Hockey Los Angeles Kings at New York Rangers. ( 159) ( 187) [ 418] 110 MLB Baseball Spring Training. Detroit Tigers vs. New York Yankees. 6: 30 p. m. ( 13) ( 22) [ 400] 111 NBA Basketball Toronto Raptors at Detroit Pistons. 7 p. m. ( 2) ( 5) ( 2) [ 226] 32 ISU Figure Skating World Championship. ( Taped) 9 p. m. ( 47) ( 171) [ 408] 119 NHL Hockey Winnipeg Jets at Vancouver Canucks. Radio 9 p. m. TSN 1290 National Hockey League Winnipeg Jets at Vancouver Canucks TODAY’S TV/ RADIO LISTINGS HOCKEY Manitoba Major Junior — St. Boniface Riels vs. Charleswood Hawks, Southdale, 7: 30 p. m. ON TAP... TODAY HOCKEY BASEBALL TRANSACTIONS SPORTS TRIVIA GOLF AUTO RACING BASKETBALL SOCCER NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE W L Pct GB y- Atlanta 53 17 .757 — x- Cleveland 46 26 .639 8 d- Toronto 42 28 .600 11 Chicago 43 29 .597 11 Washington 40 30 .571 13 Milwaukee 34 36 .486 19 Miami 32 37 .464 20.5 Boston 31 39 .443 22 Charlotte 30 39 .435 22.5 Indiana 30 40 .429 23 Brooklyn 29 40 .420 23.5 Detroit 26 44 .371 27 Orlando 22 50 .306 32 Philadelphia 17 53 .243 36 New York 14 57 .197 39.5 WESTERN CONFERENCE W L Pct GB x- Golden State 56 13 .812 — x- Memphis 50 21 .704 7 Houston 47 23 .671 9.5 d- Portland 44 24 .647 11.5 L. A. Clippers 46 25 .648 11 San Antonio 44 25 .638 12 Dallas 44 27 .620 13 Oklahoma City 40 30 .571 16.5 Phoenix 38 33 .535 19 New Orleans 37 33 .529 19.5 Utah 31 38 .449 25 Denver 27 44 .380 30 Sacramento 24 45 .348 32 L. A. Lakers 18 50 .265 37.5 Minnesota 15 54 .217 41 d- division leader; x- clinched playoff berth; y- clinched division Monday’s Results Boston 110 Brooklyn 91 Chicago 98 Charlotte 86 Houston 110 Indiana 100 Memphis 103 New York 82 Minnesota at Utah Washington at Golden State Sunday’s Results Toronto 106 New York 89 Charlotte 109 Minnesota 98 Cleveland 108 Milwaukee 90 Detroit 105 Boston 97 OT Denver 119 Orlando 100 L. A. Clippers 107 New Orleans 100 L. A. Lakers 101 Philadelphia 87 Oklahoma City 93 Miami 75 Phoenix 98 Dallas 92 Sacramento 109 Washington 86 San Antonio 114 Atlanta 95 Tuesday’s Games Toronto at Detroit, 6: 30 p. m. L. A. Lakers at Oklahoma City, 7 p. m. San Antonio at Dallas, 7 p. m. Miami at Milwaukee, 7 p. m. Philadelphia at Sacramento, 9 p. m. Golden State at Portland, 9: 30 p. m. Wednesday’s Games Indiana at Washington, 6 p. m. Chicago at Toronto, 6 p. m. Atlanta at Orlando, 6 p. m. Brooklyn at Charlotte, 6 p. m. L. A. Clippers at New York, 6 p. m. Miami at Boston, 6: 30 p. m. Houston at New Orleans, 7 p. m. Cleveland at Memphis, 7 p. m. L. A. Lakers at Minnesota, 7 p. m. Philadelphia at Denver, 8 p. m. Portland at Utah, 8 p. m. Oklahoma City at San Antonio, 8: 30 p. m. Sacramento at Phoenix, 9 p. m. NBA LEADERS THROUGH SUNDAY Scoring G FG FT Pts Avg Westbrook, OKC 55 501 448 1513 27.5 Harden, HOU 68 538 585 1831 26.9 James, CLE 61 564 345 1580 25.9 Davis, NOR 56 537 304 1379 24.6 Cousins, SAC 53 432 385 1251 23.6 Aldridge, POR 61 567 267 1432 23.5 Curry, GOL 67 534 270 1561 23.3 Griffin, LAC 56 487 261 1243 22.2 Thompson, GOL 64 506 193 1404 21.9 Irving, CLE 67 520 284 1463 21.8 Wade, MIA 51 426 231 1104 21.6 Lillard, POR 68 491 300 1445 21.3 Gay, SAC 63 473 303 1322 21.0 Rebounds G Off Def Tot Avg Jordan, LAC 71 341 712 1053 14.8 Drummond, DET 70 371 562 933 13.3 Cousins, SAC 53 156 490 646 12.2 Gasol, CHI 67 189 611 800 11.9 Chandler, DAL 65 261 482 743 11.4 Vucevic, ORL 64 208 502 710 11.1 Assists G Ast Avg Paul, LAC 71 716 10.1 Wall, WAS 70 696 9.9 Lawson, DEN 66 643 9.7 Westbrook, OKC 55 478 8.7 Rondo, DAL 58 467 8.1 Curry, GOL 67 528 7.9 James, CLE 61 446 7.3 Teague, ATL 64 448 7.0 Harden, HOU 68 474 7.0 NCAA MEN’S TOURNAMENT SWEET SIXTEEN Thursday’s Games Midwest Regional ( 1) Kentucky vs. ( 5) West Virginia, 8: 45 p. m. ( 3) Notre Dame vs. ( 7) Wichita State, 6: 15 p. m. West Regional ( 1) Wisconsin vs. ( 4) North Carolina, 6: 47 p. m. ( 2) Arizona vs. ( 6) Xavier, 9: 17 p. m. Friday, March 27 East Regional ( 3) Oklahoma vs. ( 7) Michigan State, 9: 07 p. m. ( 4) Louisville vs. ( 8) N. C. State, 6: 37 p. m. South Regional ( 1) Duke vs. ( 5) Utah, 8: 45 p. m. ( 2) Gonzaga vs. ( 5) UCLA, 6: 15 p. m. ELITE EIGHT Saturday, March 28 Midwest Regional Kentucky/ West Virginia vs. Notre Dame/ Wichita State West Regional Wisconsin/ North Carolina vs. Arizona/ Xavier Sunday, March 29 East Region Oklahoma/ Michigan State vs. Louisville/ N. C. State South Region Duke/ Utah vs. Gonzaga/ UCLA WHL EASTERN CONFERENCE East G W L OL SL F A P y- Brandon 72 53 11 5 3 340 219 114 x- Regina 72 37 24 5 6 263 238 85 x- Swift Curr. 72 34 33 1 4 221 246 73 Central G W L OL SL F A P y- Calgary 72 45 22 1 4 289 203 95 x- Med. Hat 72 45 23 2 2 268 213 94 x- Red Deer 72 38 23 5 6 240 227 87 Wild Card G W L OL SL F A P x- Kootenay 72 37 31 1 3 245 248 78 x- Edmonton 72 34 31 4 3 217 204 75 Moose Jaw 72 32 35 4 1 221 266 69 Pr. Albert 72 31 37 2 2 215 257 66 Lethbridge 72 20 44 5 3 202 304 48 Saskatoon 72 19 49 2 2 195 308 42 WESTERN CONFERENCE B. C. G W L OL SL F A P y- Kelowna 72 53 13 5 1 305 183 112 x- Victoria 72 39 29 3 1 244 219 82 x- Pr. George 72 31 36 2 3 222 295 67 U. S. G W L OL SL F A P y- Everett 72 43 20 3 6 242 199 95 x- Portland 72 43 23 2 4 287 237 92 x- Seattle 72 38 25 4 5 218 201 85 Wild Card G W L OL SL F A P x- Spokane 72 34 34 3 1 219 229 72 x- Tri- City 72 31 38 0 3 190 242 65 Kamloops 72 28 37 4 3 214 258 63 Vancouver 72 27 41 2 2 189 251 58 x- clinched playoff berth; y- division Sunday’s Results Calgary 3 Kootenay 2 Portland 5 Tri- City 3 Everett 5 Spokane 4 End of Regular Season WHL Playoffs FIRST ROUND Thursday’s Game Edmonton at Brandon, 7 p. m. Friday’s Games Kootenay at Calgary, 7 p. m. Swift Current at Regina, 7 p. m. Prince George at Victoria, 7: 05 p. m. Tri- City at Kelowna, 7: 05 p. m. Edmonton at Brandon, 7: 30 p. m. Spokane at Everett, 7: 35 p. m. Saturday’s Games Seattle at Portland, 6 p. m. Swift Current at Regina, 7 p. m. Spokane at Everett, 7: 05 p. m. Prince George at Victoria, 7: 05 p. m. Tri- City at Kelowna, 7: 05 p. m. Red Deer at Medicine Hat, 7: 30 p. m. Note: Series are best of seven. All Times Local SCORING LEADERS Final 2014- 15 GP G A Pts Oliver Bjorkstrand, POR 59 63 55 118 Trevor Cox, MH 69 29 80 109 Tim McGauley, BDN 72 42 63 105 Cole Sanford, MH 72 50 45 95 Cole Ully, KAM 69 34 60 94 Nick Merkley, KEL 72 20 70 90 Nicolas Petan, POR 54 15 74 89 Adam Helewka, SPO 69 44 43 87 Brayden Point, MJ 60 38 49 87 Adam Tambellini, CGY 71 47 39 86 Jack Rodewald, MJ 71 35 50 85 Chase De Leo, POR 67 39 45 84 Dryden Hunt, MH 71 33 50 83 Rourke Chartier, KEL 58 48 34 82 Luke Philp, KTY 71 30 52 82 Nikita Scherbak, EVE 65 27 55 82 Jake DeBrusk, SC 72 42 39 81 Jaedon Descheneau, KTY 70 34 47 81 Morgan Klimchuk, BDN 60 34 46 80 Connor Rankin, CGY 72 32 47 79 AHL CONFERENCE STANDINGS East G W L OL SL F A P d- Manchester 64 41 15 6 2 202 145 90 d- Hershey 65 40 18 5 2 188 149 87 d- Syracuse 64 38 18 8 0 186 178 84 WB/ Scranton 65 37 21 3 4 178 139 81 Providence 66 35 22 7 2 178 160 79 Hartford 65 34 22 5 4 183 193 77 Portland 64 35 23 5 1 169 151 76 Springfield 66 34 25 7 0 169 179 75 Worcester 63 34 23 4 2 188 162 74 Albany 65 29 25 5 6 165 180 69 St. John’s 67 30 28 7 2 159 201 69 Lehigh Valley 63 29 27 6 1 170 196 65 Binghamton 65 28 29 7 1 206 222 64 Bridgeport 64 24 33 6 1 182 212 55 Norfolk 65 23 34 5 3 137 189 54 East G W L OL SL F A P d- Utica 65 39 19 6 1 183 157 85 d- Gr. Rapids 65 38 19 6 2 208 156 84 d- San Antonio 65 39 20 5 1 217 194 84 Oklahoma 65 37 20 5 3 197 179 82 Rockford 63 37 19 5 2 172 147 81 Texas 64 31 19 13 1 195 182 76 Milwaukee 65 32 24 5 4 180 174 73 Adirondack 63 31 24 6 2 190 186 70 Hamilton 65 30 25 10 0 175 172 70 Chicago 63 31 25 6 1 167 160 69 Toronto 63 30 24 9 0 161 171 69 Lake Erie 63 28 25 6 4 167 199 66 Charlotte 66 27 33 5 1 149 202 60 Rochester 64 25 33 5 1 184 207 56 Iowa 64 21 40 1 2 145 209 45 d- division leaders seeded 1- 2- 3. Monday No games scheduled. Sunday’s Results Bridgeport 7 Binghamton 1 Albany 5 Hartford 3 Manchester 3 Portland 1 St. John’s 3 Providence 2 Utica 4 Rochester 1 Adirondack 4 Gr. Rapids 1 Charlotte 4 Iowa 2 Chicago 4 Oklahoma 1 Syracuse 4 Springfield 1 Rockford 4 Texas 3 WB/ Scranton 3 Lehigh Valley 0 San Antonio 3 Hamilton 2 ( OT) Tuesday’s Game Texas at Iowa, 7 p. m. Wednesday’s Games Oklahoma City at Toronto, 10 a. m. Hamilton at Adirondack, 6 p. m. St. John’s at Portland, 6 p. m. Syracuse at Lehigh Valley, 6: 05 p. m. Charlotte at Norfolk, 6: 15 p. m. San Antonio at Milwaukee, 7 p. m. Lake Erie at Rockford, 7 p. m. SCORING LEADERS Through Sunday GP G A Pts Brian O’Neill, MAN 60 22 48 70 Teemu Pulkkinen, GR 46 34 27 61 Jordan Weal, MAN 64 17 44 61 Andy Miele, GR 60 20 40 60 Andrew Miller, OKC 58 25 31 56 Bobby Butler, SA 62 25 30 55 Nick Cousins, LV 60 21 34 55 Tim Kennedy, HER 64 10 45 55 Shane Prince, BGN 61 23 31 54 Chris Bourque, HFD 62 24 29 53 Jon Marchessault, SYR 57 19 34 53 Travis Morin, TEX 53 18 35 53 Dustin Jeffrey, BRI 57 21 31 52 Viktor Arvidsson, MIL 63 20 31 51 Connor Brown, TOR 63 17 34 51 Charles Hudon, HAM 65 14 37 51 Yanni Gourde, SYR 64 26 24 50 T. J. Hensick, HAM 64 16 34 50 Chris Wideman, BGN 64 16 34 50 Cal O’Reilly, UTI 65 7 42 49 MJHL Playoffs SECOND ROUND Monday- Tuesday No Games Scheduled Wednesday’s Games Virden at Portage, 7: 30 p. m. Winnipeg at Steinbach, 7: 30 p. m. Friday’s Games Portage at Virden, 7: 30 p. m. Steinbach at Winnipeg, 7: 30 p. m. Sunday, March 29 Virden at Portage, 6: 30 p. m. Winnipeg at Steinbach, 7: 30 p. m. Tuesday, March 31 Portage at Virden, 7: 30 p. m. Wednesday, April 1 Steinbach at Winnipeg, 7: 30 p. m. Note: Series are best of seven. All Times Local MMJHL Playoffs SEMIFINALS Monday No Games Scheduled Sunday’s Results Raiders 4 River East 1 ( Series tied 1- 1) Charleswood 2 St. Boniface 1 ( OT) ( Charleswood leads series 2- 0) Tuesday’s Game Charleswood at St. Boniface, 7: 30 p. m. Wednesday’s Game River East at Raiders, 7: 30 p. m. Note: Series are best of seven. All Times Local PRO- LINE ODDS POINTSPREAD # SPT VIS HOME V T H OV O/ U LN UN NBA Tuesday 1 BKT TOR DET 2.15 2.45 3.25 - - - 2 BKT MIA MIL 2.40 2.35 2.80 1.70 194.5 1.70 3 BKT LAL OKC 6.75 4.00 1.20 1.70 210.5 1.70 4 BKT SA DAL 2.40 2.35 2.80 1.70 205.5 1.70 5 BKT PHI SAC 6.00 3.25 1.40 1.70 205.5 1.70 6 BKT GS POR 2.00 2.50 3.50 - - - NHL Tuesday 62 HKY MIN NYI 2.25 5.70 1.80 1.90 5.5 1.55 63 HKY LA NYR 2.40 5.90 1.70 1.50 4.5 1.95 64 HKY STL PIT 2.20 5.60 1.85 1.90 5.5 1.55 65 HKY ANA CLB 1.60 6.10 2.60 1.80 5.5 1.60 66 HKY ARZ DET 4.40 6.50 1.25 1.90 5.5 1.55 67 HKY FLA TB 3.00 6.40 1.45 1.90 5.5 1.55 68 HKY MTL NSH 2.15 5.50 1.90 1.55 4.5 1.90 69 HKY WPG VAN 2.40 5.90 1.70 1.90 5.5 1.55 # SPT VIS HOME V H NBA Tuesday 1 BKT TOR DET - 3.5 2 BKT MIA MIL - 1.5 3 BKT LAL OKC - 10.5 4 BKT SA DAL - 1.5 5 BKT PHI SAC - 8.5 6 BKT GS POR - 4.5 NHL Tuesday 62 HKY MIN NYI - 0.5 63 HKY LA NYR - 0.5 64 HKY STL PIT - 0.5 65 HKY ANA CLB - 0.5 66 HKY ARZ DET - 1.5 67 HKY FLA TB - 1.5 68 HKY MTL NSH - 0.5 69 HKY WPG VAN - 0.5 MLB SPRING TRAINING American League W L Pct Kansas City 13 8 .619 Los Angeles 11 7 .611 Toronto 12 8 .600 Oakland 13 9 .591 New York 12 9 .571 Boston 10 8 .556 Houston 8 8 .500 Seattle 9 9 .500 Tampa Bay 9 9 .500 Cleveland 9 11 .450 Minnesota 8 10 .444 Chicago 7 10 .412 Texas 7 10 .412 Baltimore 8 13 .381 Detroit 7 14 .333 National League W L Pct Los Angeles 11 6 .647 Arizona 12 9 .571 New York 12 9 .571 St. Louis 9 7 .563 Pittsburgh 10 8 .556 Colorado 10 9 .526 Miami 10 9 .526 Cincinnati 9 9 .500 Philadelphia 10 10 .500 San Diego 10 10 .500 Washington 9 9 .500 Chicago 9 11 .450 Milwaukee 8 10 .444 Atlanta 9 12 .429 San Francisco 6 16 .273 Monday’s Results Washington 7 N. Y. Yankees 6 Philadelphia 3 Minnesota 0 Atlanta 14 Houston 10 Pittsburgh 7 Tampa Bay 6 N. Y. Mets 12 Miami 3 L. A. Dodgers 7 Arizona 4 Cleveland 8 Oakland 3 San Francisco 8 Kansas City 3 San Diego 10 Chicago Sox 4 L. A. Angels 5 Seattle 0 Colorado 5 Milwaukee 1 Cincinnati vs. Texas Tuesday’s Games Philadelphia vs. Atlanta, 12: 05 p. m. Baltimore vs. Pittsburgh, 12: 05 p. m. Toronto vs. Minnesota 12: 05 p. m. Boston vs. Miami, 12: 05 p. m. Houston vs. N. Y. Mets, 12: 10 p. m. Chicago Cubs vs. Oakland, 3: 05 p. m. Colorado vs. Chicago Sox, 3: 05 p. m. L. A. Angels vs. Texas, 3: 05 p. m. Seattle vs. San Diego, 3: 05 p. m. Detroit vs. N. Y. Yankees, 6: 05 p. m. Milwaukee vs. Arizona, 8: 40 p. m. San Francisco vs. Cleveland, 9: 05 p. m. UEFA EURO 2016 QUALIFYING GROUP STAGE GroupA G W D L F A P Czech Rep, 4 4 0 0 10 5 12 Iceland 4 3 0 1 9 2 9 Netherlands 4 2 0 2 10 5 6 Turkey 4 1 1 2 5 7 4 Latvia 4 0 2 2 1 10 2 Kazakhstan 4 0 1 3 4 10 1 GroupB G W D L F A P Israel 3 3 0 0 9 2 9 Wales 4 2 2 0 4 2 8 Cyprus 4 2 0 2 9 5 6 Belgium 3 1 2 0 7 1 5 Bosnia- Herzeg. 4 0 2 2 2 6 2 Andorra 4 0 0 4 2 17 0 GroupC G W D L F A P Slovakia 4 4 0 0 8 2 12 Spain 4 3 0 1 13 3 9 Ukraine 4 3 0 1 6 1 9 FYR Macedonia 4 1 0 3 4 10 3 Belarus 4 0 1 3 2 9 1 Luxembourg 4 0 1 3 3 11 1 GroupD G W D L F A P Poland 4 3 1 0 15 2 10 Germany 4 2 1 1 7 4 7 Scotland 4 2 1 1 5 4 7 Rep. of Ireland 4 2 1 1 10 3 7 Georgia 4 1 0 3 4 7 3 Gibraltar 4 0 0 4 0 21 0 GroupE G W D L F A P England 4 4 0 0 11 1 12 Slovenia 4 2 0 2 4 4 6 Switzerland 4 2 0 2 8 3 6 Lithuania 4 2 0 2 3 6 6 Estonia 4 1 1 2 1 2 4 San Marino 4 0 1 3 0 11 1 GroupF G W D L F A P Romania 4 3 1 0 6 1 10 North. Ireland 4 3 0 1 6 3 9 Hungary 4 2 1 1 4 3 7 Finland 4 1 1 2 4 5 4 Faroe Islands 4 1 0 3 2 6 3 Greece 4 0 1 3 1 5 1 GroupG G W D L F A P Austria 4 3 1 0 5 2 10 Sweden 4 1 3 0 5 3 6 Russia 4 1 2 1 6 3 5 Montenegro 4 1 2 1 3 2 5 Liechtenstein 4 1 1 2 1 6 4 Moldova 4 0 1 3 2 6 1 GroupH G W D L F A P Croatia 4 3 1 0 10 1 10 Italy 4 3 1 0 6 2 10 Norway 4 3 0 1 6 3 9 Bulgaria 4 1 1 2 4 5 4 Malta 4 0 1 3 1 7 1 Azerbaijan 4 0 0 4 2 11 0 GroupI G W D L F A P Denmark 4 2 1 1 6 4 7 Portugal 3 2 0 1 2 1 6 Albania 3 1 1 1 2 4 4 x- Serbia 3 1 1 1 5 4 1 Armenia 3 0 1 2 2 4 1 x- deducted three points MATCHDAY FIVE Friday’s Games Group C: Spain vs. Ukraine, 2: 45 p. m. FYR Macedonia vs. Belarus, 2: 45 p. m. Slovakia vs. Luxembourg, 2: 45 p. m. Group E: England vs. Lithuania, 2: 45 p. m. Slovenia vs. San Marino, 2: 45 p. m. Switzerland vs. Estonia, 2: 45 p. m. Group G: Moldova vs. Sweden, 2: 45 p. m. Liechtenstein vs. Austria, 2: 45 p. m. Montenegro vs. Russia, 2: 45 p. m. Saturday, March 28 Group A: Kazakhstan vs. Iceland, 10 a. m. Czech Rep. vs. Latvia, 12 p. m. Netherlands vs. Turkey, 2: 45 p. m. Group B: Israel vs. Wales, 12 p. m. Andorra vs. Bosnia- Herzegovina, 2: 45 p. m. Belgium vs. Cyprus, 2: 45 p. m. Group H: Croatia vs. Norway, 12 p. m. Azerbaijan vs. Malta, 12 p. m. Bulgaria vs. Italy, 2: 45 p. m. Sunday, March 29 Group D: Georgia vs. Germany, 11 a. m. Scotland vs. Gibraltar, 11 a. m. Rep. of Ireland vs. Poland, 1: 45 p. m. Group F: N. Ireland vs. Finland, 11 a. m. Romania vs. Faroe Islands, 11 a. m. Hungary vs. Greece, 1: 45 p. m. Group I: Albania vs. Armenia, 11 a. m. Portugal vs. Serbia, 1: 45 p. m. Tuesday, March 31 Group B: Israel vs. Belgium, 1: 45 p. m. Note: Play resumes with Matchday Six from June 12- 14. EURO QUALIFYING LEADERS Thru Matchday4 GP MINS G A Omer Damari, ISR 3 244 5 1 Danny Welbeck, ENG 4 326 5 0 Gylfi Sigurdsson, ICE 4 349 4 1 R. Lewandowski, POL 4 360 4 3 Thomas Muller, GER 4 360 4 0 Major League Soccer East G W L T F A P N. Y. City 3 1 0 2 3 1 5 N. Y. Red Bulls 2 1 0 1 3 1 4 Orlando 3 1 1 1 2 2 4 Columbus 2 1 1 0 2 1 3 Toronto 2 1 1 0 3 3 3 D. C. United 2 1 1 0 1 2 3 Philadelphia 3 0 1 2 3 5 2 Montreal 2 0 1 1 0 1 1 New England 3 0 2 1 0 5 1 Chicago 3 0 3 0 1 5 0 West G W L T F A P Dallas 3 3 0 0 6 1 9 San Jose 3 2 1 0 5 4 6 Vancouver 3 2 1 0 3 3 6 Los Angeles 3 1 0 2 5 3 5 Houston 3 1 1 1 2 2 4 Seattle 2 1 1 0 5 3 3 Portland 3 0 0 3 2 2 3 Salt Lake 2 0 0 2 3 3 2 Colorado 2 0 0 2 0 0 2 Kansas City 3 0 1 2 2 4 2 Monday- Friday No games scheduled. Sunday’s Results N. Y. Red Bulls 2 D. C. United 0 San Jose 2 Chicago 1 Saturday, March 28 San Jose at New England, 2 p. m. Orlando at Montreal, 3 p. m. Los Angeles at D. C. United, 6 p. m. Kansas City at N. Y. City, 6 p. m. N. Y. Red Bulls at Columbus, 6: 30 p. m. Portland at Vancouver, 7 p. m. Colorado at Houston, 7: 30 p. m. Seattle at Dallas, 7: 30 p. m. International FRIENDLIES Wednesday’s Games Indonesia vs. Cameroon, 5 a. m. Ghana vs. Namibia, 6 a. m. Georgia vs. Malta, 12 p. m. Nigeria vs. Uganda, 12 p. m. Swaziland vs. South Africa, 12 p. m. Mali vs. Gabon, 1 p. m. Denmark vs. United States, 2: 15 p. m. Germany vs. Australia, 2: 30 p. m. Scotland vs. Northern Ireland, 2: 45 p. m. Thursday’s Games Oman vs. Malaysia, 9: 30 a. m. Jordan vs. Syria, 10: 30 a. m. Qatar vs. Algeria, 11 a. m. Bahrain vs. Colombia, 12 p. m. Ivory Coast vs. Angola, 12 p. m. Iran vs. Chile, 2 p. m. France vs. Brazil, 3 p. m. Costa Rica vs. Paraguay, 9 p. m. Friday, March 27 Japan vs. Tunisia, 5: 30 a. m. South Korea vs. Uzbekistan, 6 a. m. Canada vs. Guatemala, 3: 30 p. m. Jamaica vs. Venezuela, 8 p. m. HOCKEY NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE ARIZONA COYOTES — Recalled F Jordan Szwarz from Portland ( AHL). Assigned F Justin Hodgman to Portland. COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS — Reassigned F Sonny Milano from Plymouth ( OHL) to Springfield ( AHL). Recalled C William Karlsson from Springfield. Signed F Matthew Zay, D Rick Pinkston and D Steve Weinstein to amateur tryout contracts. FOOTBALL NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE ARIZONA CARDINALS — Signed WR Nathan Slaughter. CANADIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE B. C. LIONS — Agreed to terms with DB Ryan Phillips on a contract extension. HAMILTON TIGER- CATS — Re- signed WR Bakari Grant. PGA Tour MONEY LEADERS Through March 22 Trn Money 1. Bubba Watson ( 1) 5 $ 2,680,950 2. Dustin Johnson ( 1) 5 $ 2,440,666 3. Jimmy Walker ( 1) 9 $ 2,353,350 4. Patrick Reed ( 1) 9 $ 2,168,233 5. Brandt Snedeker ( 1) 11 $ 1,986,006 6. Jason Day ( 1) 6 $ 1,979,527 7. Ryan Moore ( 1) 9 $ 1,961,126 8. Jordan Spieth ( 1) 7 $ 1,907,796 9. Sang- Moon Bae ( 1) 12 $ 1,863,411 10. Robert Streb ( 1) 12 $ 1,791,266 11. Hideki Matsuyama 11 $ 1,756,046 12. J. B. Holmes 10 $ 1,754,521 13. Brooks Koepka ( 1) 7 $ 1,693,981 14. Charley Hoffman ( 1) 11 $ 1,686,707 15. Ben Martin ( 1) 12 $ 1,682,452 16. James Hahn ( 1) 11 $ 1,490,639 17. Bill Haas ( 1) 7 $ 1,425,386 18. Henrik Stenson 4 $ 1,402,100 19. Daniel Berger 13 $ 1,306,529 20. Matt Every ( 1) 10 $ 1,299,641 21. Nick Watney 11 $ 1,240,359 22. Kevin Na 11 $ 1,194,855 23. Shawn Stefani 12 $ 1,167,073 24. Harris English 12 $ 1,151,022 25. Padraig Harrington ( 1) 11 $ 1,147,675 38. Nick Taylor ( 1) 13 $ 913,506 82. Graham DeLaet 10 $ 468,372 83. David Hearn 12 $ 467,399 111. Adam Hadwin 13 $ 337,192 Note: Tournament wins in parentheses. LPGA Tour MONEY LEADERS Through March 22 Trn Money 1. Lydia Ko ( 1) 5 $ 487,485 2. Amy Yang ( 1) 6 $ 439,341 3. Stacy Lewis 5 $ 394,356 4. Inbee Park ( 1) 4 $ 318,148 5. Sei Young Kim ( 1) 5 $ 310,422 6. Na Yeon Choi ( 1) 6 $ 295,845 7. Hyo Joo Kim ( 1) 3 $ 256,372 8. Ariya Jutanugarn 5 $ 229,024 9. Ilhee Lee 6 $ 191,055 10. Jessica Korda 6 $ 175,724 73. Alena Sharp 4 $ 21,653 Note: Tournament wins in parentheses. Champions Tour MONEY LEADERS Through March 22 Trn Money 1. Bart Bryant 4 $ 389,800 2. Paul Goydos ( 1) 4 $ 327,935 3. Mark O’Meara 4 $ 325,892 4. Marco Dawson ( 1) 3 $ 320,134 5. Miguel A. Jimenez ( 1) 1 $ 309,000 6. Lee Janzen ( 1) 3 $ 254,280 7. Gene Sauers 3 $ 201,988 8. Colin Montgomerie 4 $ 196,610 9. Wes Short, Jr. 4 $ 191,204 10. Rocco Mediate 4 $ 189,357 30. Rod Spittle 3 $ 78,791 43. Stephen Ames 3 $ 39,744 85. Jim Rutledge 3 $ 9,075 Note: Tournament wins in parentheses. MARCH 24 1973 — Kansas City- Omaha’s Nate Archibald becomes the first player in NBA history to lead the NBA in scoring ( 34.0 ppg.) and assists ( 11.4 apg.) in the same season. 1979 — Indiana State, led by Larry Bird, advances to the NCAA Championship game by squeezing past DePaul 76- 74. Bird has 35 points, 16 rebounds and 9 assists. 1996 — Vancouver loses its 18th consecutive game, 90- 85 to Cleveland. The Grizzlies, with losing streaks of 18 and 19 games in 1995- 96, are the first team in NBA history to have two losing streaks of 18 or more games in the same season. NASCAR Sprint Cup STANDINGS Through March 22 Points 1. Kevin Harvick 225 2. Joey Logano 197 3. Martin Truex Jr. 192 4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 164 5. Brad Keselowski 163 6. Ryan Newman 162 7. Jimmie Johnson 159 8. Kasey Kahne 159 9. Paul Menard 152 10. Aric Almirola 138 MONEY LEADERS Through March 22 Earnings 1. Kevin Harvick $ 2,451,860 2. Joey Logano $ 2,293,285 3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. $ 1,456,080 4. Jimmie Johnson $ 1,378,666 5. Jeff Gordon $ 1,199,545 6. Denny Hamlin $ 1,178,758 7. Brad Keselowski $ 1,174,730 8. Martin Truex Jr. $ 1,165,458 9. Matt Kenseth $ 1,130,335 10. Ryan Newman $ 1,049,048 NASCAR Xfinity STANDINGS Through March 21 Points 1. Ty Dillon 187 2. Chris Buescher 182 3. Chase Elliott 172 4. Ryan Reed 168 5. Darrell Wallace Jr. 165 6. Brendan Gaughan 164 7. Regan Smith 157 8. Elliott Sadler 148 9. David Starr 136 10. Brian Scott 134 MONEY LEADERS Through March 21 Earnings 1. Ryan Reed $ 234,704 2. Austin Dillon $ 225,219 3. Ty Dillon $ 211,286 4. Chris Buescher $ 211,271 5. Brendan Gaughan $ 207,312 6. Chase Elliott $ 201,635 7. Erik Jones $ 201,272 8. Regan Smith $ 193,875 9. Darrell Wallace Jr. $ 176,479 10. Kevin Harvick $ 172,845 scores@ freepress. mb. ca No email attachments please winnipegfreepress. com In the event of any discrepancy between this information and the official information from Western Canada Lottery Corporation ( WCLC), the latter shall prevail. D_ 05_ Mar- 24- 15_ FP_ 01. indd D5 3/ 23/ 15 10: 39: 20 PM