Plauderecke » isits runaway leader Bayern Munich on Saturday

BERLIN -- Klaas Jan Huntelaar scored twice as Schalke moved provisionally third in the Bundesliga with a hard-fought 2-1 win at Augsburg on Friday. The home side capitalized on a mistake from Schalkes Tim Hoogland to score in the fifth minute. Tobias Werner ran onto his weak back header, took the ball on his chest and dispatched it inside the far post with his next touch. Huntelaar equalized on a rebound in the 33rd. Augsburg captain Daniel Baier lost the ball and Julian Draxler back-heeled it to Kevin-Prince Boateng, who tried his luck from 22 metres (yards). Alexander Manninger saved but spilled the ball. "The Hunter was there where he should be," Boateng said. Sead Kolasinac crossed for Huntelaars second in the 49th. It was his fifth goal in two Bundesliga games, and a league-leading seventh since the winter break. "It was a difficult game for us," the in-form Dutchman said. "We werent in it in the beginning. Too many individual mistakes. We really had to fight to get into the game. Thankfully we got the goals but we could have conceded at the end too." Augsburg finished the game in the ascendancy but the visitors hung on to move within a point of bitter rival Borussia Dortmund. Schalke moved three points clear of Bayer Leverkusen, which visits runaway leader Bayern Munich on Saturday, while Augsburg stays sixth for now. Schalke visits Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday, faced with the seemingly impossible task of overturning the 6-1 defeat from the sides first-leg of their round-of-16 tie. "Itll be difficult to progress but were not going just for the sightseeing," Boateng said. Swell España . -- Albert Pujols is thrilled to have a reason to forget about his first two disappointing seasons with the Los Angeles Angels. Botellas Swell España . "It was a little weird looking over and seeing all the green uniforms," he said of his first game against the Boston Celtics. http://www.botellasswellespana.com/swell-botella-espana.html . - Olympic champion Marielle Thompson accomplished her mission of defending her skicross World Cup title at Nakiska Ski Area on Saturday. Swell Travelers España . Raymond, 31, started 15 regular-season games for the Stamps in 2013, racking up 51 tackles. He also returned two kickoffs for 79 yards including a 61-yarder. SWell Teakwood . Im very excited about the playoffs, particularly in the Western Conference with amazing match-ups, as well as the wonderful local story in the Toronto Raptors. It should be a blast. Here are my predictions, but based upon my lousy prognostications during the NCAA Tournament, you might be better off going the other way on some of mine - particularly with the Raptors, who I hope and pray are able to win an incredibly difficult match-up.VAL-DOR, Que. -- Allison Ross will be the hometown favourite at the 2014 Scotties Tournament of Hearts next month in Montreal after winning her second consecutive Quebec provincial womens curling championships on Saturday. Ross, who plays out of the Glenmore Curling Club in Dollard-des-Ormeaux -- just west of Montreal -- beat Kim Mastine of Sherbrooke 7-4 in the championship game. With the win, Ross, third Melissa Gannon, second Brittany ORourke and lead Pamela Nugent will wear Quebecs colours at the Tournament of Hearts when the Canadian womens curling championship gets underway on Feb. 1. It will be Rosss fourth trip to the Scottiees; she also represented Ontario in 1999, playing lead for Kim Gellard, and played third for Brenda Nicholls in 2005.dddddddddddd. Last year, she skipped a slightly different Quebec team -- Gannon and Nugent are new to the team -- to a 3-8 record in Kingston, Ont. The rest of the field consists of B.C.s Kesa van Osch, Albertas Val Sweeting, Saskatchewans Stefanie Lawton, Manitobas Chelsea Carey, Ontarios Alli Flaxey, New Brunswicks Andrea Crawford, Nova Scotias Heather Smith, P.E.I.s Kim Dolan, Newfoundland/Labradors Heather Strong, the Territories Sarah Koltun and defending champion Rachel Homan will skip Team Canada. ' ' '