Other results Two other Canadians were competing

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Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the world of sports. . This week they discuss the Winter Classic, the value of the BCS, a possible rule change by FIFA and hockey tournament formats. Bruce Arthur, National Post: My thumb is up to the most recent Winter Classic between Toronto and Detroit at Michigan Stadium, despite everything. In the first period there was so much snow that even completing a pass was an accomplishment. The horn blew midway through the third - and midway through overtime, with Henrik Zetterberg breaking in - to switch ends, because of the wind. It was goofy, but with over 105,000 fans, a record, this game was an irresistible spectacle. And really, it was just hockey. Teams simplify their games all the time. The shootout is a gimmick, indoors or outdoors. And somehow, the Winter Classic makes all its imperfections seem small. Eventually the NHL will exhaust this gold mine. But on New Years Day, we got treated to something rare: beautiful ugly hockey. Dave Naylor, TSN: My thumb is up to the Bowl Championship Series - better known as the BCS - which plays out its existence tomorrow night in the National Championship game between Auburn and Florida State. In its 16-year run, the BCS brought up plenty of controversy and debate, but it also brought us a game each year featuring No. 1 versus No. 2. While some may have said it made other bowl games irrelevant, consider this weeks Orange Bowl between Ohio State and Clemson or Sugar Bowl between Alabama and Oklahoma as evidence that the BCS season was never just about one game. Next year the BCS will be replaced with the four-team playoff. But lets remember the BCS fondly as part of the evolution of college football. Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated: My thumb is up to Sepp Blatter, normally the occupationally challenged president of FIFA who, shockingly, has come up with a good idea. Borrowing from hockey, Blatter has proposed a virtual penalty box for those who feign injuries. For decades, a visit to the soccer touchline for an apparently mortally injured player has been like a pilgrimage to Lourdes; the healing powers there are miraculous. Now, rather than sprinting back onto the field, that player would have to stay off for an unspecified spell, obliging his team to play a man down. Given the scourge of soccer fakery, Blatter is right. The time has come to institute a time penalty. Dave Hodge, TSN: My thumb would be up to hockeys tournament format, such as we see at the World Juniors and as were about to see again at the Olympics, if only it could be designed differently. To make the quarter-final round at Malmo, Canada needed to win just one game, against Germany. It was considered important to win the group, as Canada did, but it wasnt essential. The games would have been much more compelling if only four of 10 teams qualified for the so-called playoffs, instead of eight. Its worse at the Olympics. Twelve teams take part in round-robin play and all twelve move on to play outside their groups, some with winless records. So next month, wake me when there are games that will eliminate the losing teams, and when the names of those teams arent so obvious. .The animated reliever finalized a $15 million, two-year contract with the Giants on Monday, keeping a key member of the bullpen who has been part of three championship runs. .C. -- Andrea Petkovic remembered why she started playing tennis and along the way gave everyone else a reminder about how talented she is when shes at her best. . The top-ranked Williams carried her winning momentum from 2013 into the new season, beating No. 2-ranked Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 7-5 on Saturday to defend her title at the Brisbane International and set the tone for the Australian Open.Canadian freestyle skiers and medal hopefuls Alex Bilodeau and World Cup champion Mikaël Kingsbury have qualified for the finals of mens moguls on Monday morning. Bilodeau and Kingsbury finished first and second place in qualifying Monday morning, earning scores of 24.70 and 23.81, respectively. Other results Two other Canadians were competing. Philippe Marquis came in sixth with Marc-Antoine Gagnon just ahead of him in fifth, so both will move on. Russian skier Alexandr Smyshlyaev came in third with a score of 23.52. The top 10 finishers were guaranteed a chance to move on. Anyone outside the top 10 can still qualify by skiing again. The finals are scheduled to happen around 1 p.m. eastern time. Canadian-born Australian skier Dale Begg-Smith, who finished second to Bilodeau in Vancouver, did not crack the top 10 and must ski again to qualify for the finals. Bilodeau and Kingsbury are a big part of why Canada has come to dominate the moguls hill in recent years. Theyve taken turns aatop the World Cup standings for much of the past four years. . The 21-year-old Kingsbury is the reigning world champion, but the 26-year-old Bilodeau comes to Sochi having won each of the last three events. "I feel great. Ive worked hard," Bilodeau said. "The work is done and Im just trying to enjoy the moment. Its my last Olympic experience and its so fun. Each time Im here I feel like I want to be here forever." Worlds best Bilodeau is skiing well but Kingsbury seems to be peaking and isnt shying away from lofty expectations. "I think I can win any event if I ski at my best, so I will focus to do the best run of my life for the job that I need to do," he said. Medals on the mens side would bookend a magical stretch at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park for Canada. Sisters Justine and Chloe Dufour-Lapointe took gold and silver in the womens final on Saturday night, clasping hands and fighting back tears as their parents screamed from the stands. ' ' '