SAITAMA, Japan -- Canadians Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje captured silver in ice dance at the world figure skating championships Saturday, missing the gold by a mere 0.02 points. "Im just feeling ecstatic right now," Poje said. "This one moment is because of the combination of all the hard work that weve had, especially over these past couple of years, and showing by our grit and determination that we wanted to be up near the top. I feel that we deserve to be up here now, and its an amazing feeling and we want to have more of it." The dancers from Waterloo, Ont., scored 175.45 to finish second behind European champions Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte of Italy. Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat of France were third with 175.37. Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Unionville, Ont finished eighth with 153.86 points, while Alexandra Paul of Midhurst, Ont., and Mitchell Islam of Barrie, Ont,. were 10th with 148.76 points. Mao Asada of Japan topped the free skate in womens singles to capture her third world title. Asada, who held a slim 1.42-point lead after the short program, under-rotated three jumps but finished with 216.69 points, 9.19 ahead 15-year-old Julia Lipnitskaia of Russia. Italys Carolina Kostner, the 2012 world champion, took the bronze with 203.83 points. Kaetlyn Osmond of Marystown, N.L., was 11th, while Gabrielle Daleman of Newmarket, Ont., was 13th. "It wasnt the performance I wanted to have," Osmond said. "I love this program, I have loved skating it and I really wanted to show it off tonight." Weaver and Poje have skated in the shadow of Canadian world and Olympic champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir for several years. But Virtue and Moir, and Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White, gold medallists last month at the Sochi Games, are expected to announce their retirement soon. Neither of the teams competed at the world championships, leaving two spots on the podium up for grabs. "Its an incredible feeling. Im without words," Weaver said. "I cant believe that we performed the free dance today the best we have all year under the pressure of the circumstances of the top teams being so close. Im just so proud of Andrew and I and the work we have done this year and that we just havent given up in our careers and that is what has brought us to this moment." The silver sends the Canadian team home with two medals. Meagan Duhamel of Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford of Balmertown, Ont., won bronze in pairs earlier in the week. Asada, who finished sixth at the Sochi Olympics, also won the world championships in 2008 and 2010 and became the first Japanese three-time champion. Skating to Sergei Rachmaninovs "Piano Concerto No. 2," Asada opened with her trademark triple Axel but under-rotated that one as well as a triple flip and double loop, but she earned high style points after impressing the judges. "I was able to control myself and I have done what I had to do," Asada said. "I was much more nervous than I was for the short program but the cheering from the fans was with me and made me relax." Yuna Kim, the defending champion, has retired and Olympic gold medallist Adelina Sotnikova of Russia wasnt competing at the worlds. Mike Evans Jersey .In the Football Money League compiled by accountancy firm Deloitte, German champion Bayern Munich remained third but Barcelona dropped from second to fourth during its trophyless 2014.In the 2013-2014 financial year, Real generated 549. Caleb Benenoch Jersey . The deals were announced on Friday. Beckham will receive $4.175 million in base salary, while De Aza will receive $4.25 million. Beckham hit .267 with five home runs and 24 RBIs over 103 games last season, his fifth with the White Sox. http://www.officialtampabaybuccaneersfootball.com/authentic-cameron-brate-jersey-womens . - For years William Gay kept quiet. Donovan Smith Jersey . The attacking midfielder arrives on a free transfer from Spains Malaga. The 28-year-old joins Scottish striker Kenny Miller and Argentine midfielder Matias Laba as designated players on the Whitecaps roster. Noah Spence Jersey . It was my fifth straight year attending and, as always, there are many interesting matters discussed as it pertains to the use of statistics in sports.NEW YORK, N.Y. - Michael Sam waited and waited. Hours passed, rounds came and went, and eventually, there were only eight more picks left on the third and final day of the NFL draft. For just a moment, it looked as if his chance of being picked by a pro team and becoming the leagues first openly gay player might take a detour. Or at least be delayed. The call finally came Saturday from the St. Louis Rams, the team right down the road from where Sam played his college ball at the University of Missouri. Sam was selected in the seventh and final round and admitted it was a frustrating wait. He said teams that passed on him chickened out and he should have been drafted sooner. "From last season alone, I shouldve been in the first three rounds. SEC Defensive Player of the Year, All-American," Sam said. He stopped short of directly saying his stock dropped in the draft because he came out. "You know what, who knows? Who knows? Only the people who sit in the war room know," he said. "They saw Michael Sam, day after day they scratched it off the board. That was their loss. But St. Louis kept me on that board. And you know what I feel like Im a (Jadeveon) Clowney, a first draft pick. Im proud of where I am now." Sam came out as gay in media interviews earlier this year. His team and coaches knew his secret and kept it for his final college season. He went on to have the best year of his career: He was the co-defensive player of the year in the NCAAs best football conference and had 11.5 sacks. The pick came after several rounds of suspense. The first round of the day, No. 4 overall, came and went, no Sam. Then the fifth and sixth, and finally, the day was down to just a handful of picks. When Mike Kensil, the NFLs vice-president of game operations, walked to the podium at Radio City Music Hall in the drafts final minutes to announce the Rams second-to-last pick, the crowd got a sense something was up. Very few of the last day picks were announced at the podium. Twitter lit up with suggestions the Rams were about to make news. When Kensil said: "The St. Louis Rams select ... Michael Sam..." the fans gave a hearty cheer, chanting "Yes! Yes! Yes!" and "Michael Sam!" Sam was in San Diego watching with friends and family at the home of his agent, Joe Barkett of Empire Athletes. ESPN and the NFL Network had cameras there and showed Sams reaction. Sam was on the phone bending over, with his boyfriend hugging him and rubbing his left bicep. When Sam got off the phone, the tears started. He gave his boyfriend a big kiss and a long hug as he cried and his eyes reddened. After, they shared cake — and another kiss. "Thank you to the St. Louis Rams and the whole city of St. Louis. Im using every once of this to achieve greatness!!" Sam tweeted with a frenzied typo moments after he was picked, with a picture of himself wearing a Rams cap and a pink polo shirt. The six-foot-two, 255-pound Sam was considered a mid-to-late round pick, far from a sure thing to be drafted.dddddddddddd He played defensive end in college, but hes short for that position in the NFL and slower than most outside linebackers, the position hell need to transition to at the professional level. He was taken with the 249th overall pick out of 256. Players from Marist, Maine and Canadas McGill University — Redmen tackle Laurent Duvernay-Tardif went in the sixth round, 200th overall to Kansas City — were taken ahead of Sam. "In the world of diversity we live in now, Im honoured to be a part of this," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said during an interview on ESPN. The NFL had no comment on Sam being drafted. The impact of Sams selection goes far beyond football. At a time when gay marriage is gaining acceptance among Americans, Sams entry into the NFL is a huge step toward the integration of gay men into professional team sports. Pro sports have in many ways lagged behind the rest of society in acceptance. "Michael Sam wouldnt have been drafted five years ago," said former Viking punter Chris Kluwe, who has accused Minnesota of cutting him in part because of his vocal support for gay rights. In the last year, NBA veteran Jason Collins has come out publicly as gay, and is now playing for the Brooklyn Nets. Collins said before the Nets playoff game against the Heat that he was watching the draft and texted Sam after he was picked. "Its a great day for Michael and his family and for the NFL," Collins said. Publicly, most people in and related to the NFL have been supportive of Sam. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has said Sam would be welcome in the league and judged solely on his ability to play. A few wondered whether teams would be reluctant to draft Sam because of all the media attention that would come with it. Fair or not, the NFL — coming off a season in which a bullying scandal involving players on the Miami Dolphins was one of the biggest stories in sports — was looking at a possible public relations hit if Sam was not drafted. He would likely have been signed as a free agent and given a chance to make a team in training camp, but to many it would have looked as if he was being rejected. Now that hes there, it could be seen as an opportunity for the NFL to show that crass locker room culture is not as prevalent as it might have looked to those who followed the embarrassing Dolphins scandal. But all the reaction to Sams news wasnt positive from the league. Miami safety Don Jones posted a one-word tweet, "Horrible" shortly after Sam was drafted. It was later taken down. The teams general manager said he was aware, and was disappointed. Wade Davis, a gay former NFL player who is now the executive director of the gay rights advocacy group "You Can Play," said Sam only needs to do his job to have an impact beyond the field. "Michael Sam doesnt have to be a vocal advocate (for gay rights)," Davis said. "His visibility is his advocacy." Cheap Buffalo Sabres GearWholesale Calgary Flames JerseysCheap Adidas Colorado Avalanche JerseysMontreal Canadiens Outlet StoreWholesale New Jersey Devils JerseysAdidas Arizona Coyotes JerseysCheap Adidas Boston Bruins JerseysCheap Adidas Carolina Hurricanes JerseysChicago Blackhawks Shop Free ShippingWholesale Columbus Blue Jackets JerseysDallas Stars Shop Free ShippingCheap Adidas Detroit Red Wings JerseysAnaheim Ducks Jerseys ChinaWholesale Edmonton Oilers JerseysFlorida Panthers Shop Free ShippingWholesale Los Angeles Kings JerseysMinnesota Wild Outlet StoreCheap Adidas Nashville Predators JerseysCheap Adidas New York Islanders JerseysNew York Rangers Winter Classic JerseysCheap Adidas Ottawa Senators JerseysCheap Adidas Philadelphia Flyers JerseysWholesale Pittsburgh Penguins JerseysCheap Adidas San Jose Sharks JerseysSt. Louis Blues Winter Classic JerseysWholesale Tampa Bay Lightning JerseysToronto Maple Leafs Outlet StoreVancouver Canucks Outlet StoreCheap Adidas Vegas Golden Knights JerseysCheap Adidas Washington Capitals JerseysCheap Adidas Winnipeg Jets Jerseys ' ' '