TOKYO -- Local favourite Daisuke Takahashi produced a solid free skate on Saturday to win his fifth NHK Trophy. Takahashi, who had a 10-point lead after the short program, received 268.31 points after the free skate to finish 15 points ahead of second-place Nobunari Oda. Three-time U.S. champion Jeremy Abbott, who was seventh after the short program, had a strong free skate and finished third with 237.41 points. Takahashi, who was a disappointing fourth at Skate America, hit his opening quad toeloop. He had a shaky landing on a triple axel and was downgraded on a combination jump but was solid otherwise. "I didnt do well at Skate America so I was determined to get my confidence back," Takahashi said. "I wasnt perfect today but little by little was able to gain momentum." Two-time world champion Mao Asada completed a successful day for the host nation by winning the free skate to capture her fourth NHK Trophy. Asada, who was first after the short program, under-rotated her opening triple axel but finished with a total of 207.59 points. Coupled with her win at Skate America, Asada secured a berth at the Grand Prix final next month in the Fukuoka, Japan. "I was a bit disappointed not to do the triple axel cleanly," Asada said. "Its something I want to be able to do well but Im happy with the overall result." Russian Elena Radionova was second with 191.81 points while Japans Akiko Suzuki finished third with 179.32. Gracie Gold of the United States was third in the free skate but finished fourth overall with 177.81 points. Russias Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov won the pairs by an overwhelming margin of more than 50 points. The defending world champions totalled 236.49 in their victory, while second-place Peng Cheng and Zhang Hao of China received just 182.18. Volosozhar and Trankov extended their impressive streak of victories with the triumph and qualified for the GP final. Two-time world champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the United States lead the ice dance after the short dance. Davis and White (73.70) are more than nine points ahead of Italys Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte (64.58) heading into Sundays free dance. The NHK Trophy is the fourth of six events in the International Skating Unions Grand Prix series. The next event is the Trophee Bompard in Paris Nov.15-17. Cal Clutterbuck Jersey . Interestingly, the culprits were not rookies, but well paid, experienced pros. The first gaffe came in the 24th minute of arguably the biggest early season MLS game in history between Seattle and Toronto. Sounder newcomer Marco Pappa, (with over 100 MLS games, and 39 Guatemalan Caps to his name) attempted a back pass to one of his central defenders. Valtteri Filppula Jersey .Y. -- Syracuse guard Trevor Cooney was mired in a shooting slump, and his woes coincided with a late-season swoon by the Orange. http://www.authenticnyislanderspro.com/T...ers-jersey/.com) - Jimmie Johnson won Sundays AAA Texas 500 while championship contenders Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski as well as their teams were involved in a post-race fight on pit road after the two clashed in the closing laps at Texas Motor Speedway. Josh Bailey Jersey . Lupul injured the hand in a fall at practice on Thursday. He will wear a cast for a minimum of 10 days before he can put a glove back on it and get some mobility back, said Carlyle, who added the winger wont go on the teams upcoming road trip. Casey Cizikas Jersey .The result meant Juventus will spend the winter break three points clear of Roma after the league leader beat Cagliari 3-1 on Thursday.Milan remained seventh ahead of the rest of the weekends fixtures, but was provisionally two points behind third-place Napoli in their duel for the final Champions League spot.SURREY, B.C. - B.C. Lions coach Mike Benevides had plenty to smile about Monday after his team returned from a big win in Toronto. But some of his players wont share his mood next weekend. Even after strong performances against the Argonauts, some Lions are in danger of losing their starting or roster spots when B.C. (5-3) hosts the Saskatchewan Roughriders at home on Sunday. Kick returner/running back Tim Brown appears to be a likely casualty after he racked up 168 return yards as the Lions posted their third straight win. With starting tailback Andrew Harris expected to return from an ankle injury, Benevides said Brown only has a "50-50" chance of staying in the lineup due to the balancing act required under the CFLs Canadian and import player ratio. "Id love to keep him on, but its a challenge from a roster-number point of view," said Benevides. Brown, a 26-year-old Stockton, Calif., native who is in his fourth CFL season, returned one punt for 70 yards and another for 69, setting up a touchdown and a field goal, against the Argos. He played only his second game of the season after spending most of the campaign on the practice roster. Benevides said he has struggled to keep Brown on the active roster, but its too difficult to sacrifice an import elsewhere on offence or defence to keep him in the mix. The coach says he hopes Harris, sidelined in a victory over Hamilton on Aug. 8, will return after showing signs of progress in his recovery early last week before taking time off to mend. "With running backs, you never want to risk (a premature return), because (the ankle) is so important to what they do," said Benevides. Veteran running back Stefan Logan, who rushed for 145 yards on 19 carries and gained another 49 on receptions against Toronto, will also be affected by the return of Harris. Logan appears headed back to a back-up role behind Harris, who leads the league in combined yards with 781 and ranks second in rushing (410). Changes also loom on the B.C. defence as cornerback Dante Marsh gets ready to return to the starting lineup after missing the game in Toronto due to a hamstring injury. "Its pretty good," said Marsh. "I feel like I should be able to play this week." Marsh, a 33-year-old Oakland, Calif., native who is in his 11th season with the Lions, missed his first game in four years. The one-time CFL all-star and four-time West Division all-star said he wanted to be smart and give his body a chance to rest. Rookie Ronnie Yell returned an interception for a touchdown in Maarshs place in the short-side cornerback spot.dddddddddddd If Marsh returns, Yell is likely to move back to his wide-side cornerback spot. Rookie T.J. Lee, who played his first CFL game in Yells usual wide-side spot, faces a return to the practice roster. Marsh said the play of the rookies against Toronto speak well of B.C.s roster depth, but their development is more about the future than the present. "Right now, thats my time," said Marsh. According to Benevides, this is also the time for Kevin Glenn to remain the starting quarterback. Although nominal No. 1 Travis Lulay, recuperating from off-season shoulder surgery, saw his first game action at various times against the Argos, Glenn will start against Saskatchewan — provided that he is healthy. Glenn, who played against Toronto despite a thigh contusion suffered a week earlier, was limping as the team returned to its Surrey practice facility. "Hes winning games for us right now, and hes the one thats healthy, so hes the one thats played the most," said Benevides. "Its unfair to put all that play time on (Lulay) right now." Benevides slotted Lulay in during the first quarter, second quarter and at the end of the game in Toronto as part of his recovery process and plans to do the same against Saskatchewan. "I dont care what peoples ideas or ideals are — we have to get him in," said Benevides. However, Benevides will feel less urgency about getting other injured players back in the lineup if he feels that a return could hamper their long-term recovery hopes. "With the bye coming a week after, Im not going to push it," he said. Notes — The Lions cancelled a rundown Monday and will have a day off Tuesday before returning to practice on Wednesday. ... Defensive back Josh Johnson remains out with a knee injury. … Import offensive tackle Andre Ramsey, who suffered an ankle injury in the first game of the season that caused considerable lineup juggling, is eligible to return from the six-game injured list, but he is also caught in the ratio crunch. Ramsey has actually over-stayed his time on the six-game injured list, but he is allowed to do so under league rules. … Offensive lineman Jovan Oliafoye said he and line mate Hunter Steward, who both stand six-foot-six and weigh more than 300 pounds, had to "slide through" a relatively narrow opening after they were stuck in a Toronto hotel elevator on game day. "It wasnt the best of room, but there was enough room," said Oliafoye. ' ' '