Reuters U.S. Sports Schedule at 2:45 PM ET on Thursday, Mar. 9

Mar. 9 (Reuters) - Reuters U.S. sports schedule at 2:45 PM ET on Thursday: - - - - For any coverage questions, please contact us.general-news@thomsonreuters.com - - - - NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE Cash flies as flag drops on free agency Tracking the biggest and best moves in NFL free agency, which officially opens at 4 p.m. ET on Thursday. (FBN-ROUNDUP-FREEAGENCY, expect first version by 7:40 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, by Howard Balzer, 800 words) QB carousel: Glennon goes to Bears, Cutler bounced Tampa Bay Buccaneers free agent quarterback Mike Glennon agreed to a three-year deal with the Chicago Bears. Glennon, a rookie starter in 2013, unseats Jay Cutler in Chicago. Cutler requested his release and could land with the Jets. Is Romo already a Mile High? Where does this leave the beleaguered Browns? (FBN-NEWS-QBCAROUSEL, expect by 8:15 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, 500 words) Cousins reportedly requests trade from Redskins Kirk Cousins reportedly took his trade request to the top, meeting with Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder. But the franchise-tagged quarterback did not get the outcome he desired. (FBN-REDSKINS-NEWS-COUSINS, moved, The Sports Xchange, 415 words) Perry, Packers agree to $60M deal Pass rusher Nick Perry agreed to a five-year, $60 million deal to remain with the Green Bay Packers. (FBN-PACKERS-NEWS-PERRY, moved, The Sports Xchange, 375 words) RB Charles, Seahawks might be a match Former Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles is scheduled to visit the Seattle Seahawks, who are interested in pairing the 29-year-old with another back. (FBN-SEAHAWKS-NEWS-CHARLES, moved, The Sports Xchange, 375 words) Report: Saints, Patriots progress in Cooks-Butler talks The New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots could complete a trade sending cornerback Malcolm Butler to the Saints for wide receiver Brandin Cooks. (FBN-SAINTS-PATRIOTS-NEWS-COOKS-BUTLER, moved, The Sports Xchange, 450 words) Patriots gain: CB Gilmore bolts Bills for New England In a possible precursor to dealing top cover man Malcolm Butler, the New England Patriots agreed to a contract with Stephon Gilmore in free agency and re-signed defensive tackle Alvin Branch. (FBN-PATRIOTS-NEWS-GILMORE, moved, The Sports Xchange, 440 words) Eagles sign Torrey Smith, release DE Barwin Wide receiver Torrey Smith signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, who saved $7.5 million against the 2017 salary cap by releasing pass rusher Connor Barwin. (FBN-EAGLES-NEWS-BARWIN, expect by 5 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, 350 words) Rams cut deal with WR Woods Wide receiver Robert Woods is headed back to southern California after agreeing to a five-year deal with the Los Angeles Rams worth up to $39 million. (FBN-RAMS-NEWS-WOODS, moved, The Sports Xchange, 415 words) NFL notebook News and notes from around the NFL. (FBN-NOTEBOOK, expect by 8 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, 400 words) - - - - NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION MVP candidates face off for Spurs, Thunder OKLAHOMA CITY - When the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder meet Thursday night, it will be a matchup of two MVP candidates going in different directions when it comes to public perception. (BKN-SPURS-THUNDER-PREVIEW, moved, The Sports Xchange, 530 words) THE SPORTS XCHANGE covers all NBA games. Thursday schedule: Cleveland at Detroit 7:30 p.m. San Antonio at Oklahoma City 8:00 p.m. L.A. Clippers at Memphis 8:00 p.m. Philadelphia at Portland 10:00 p.m. L.A. Lakers at Phoenix 10:30 p.m. NBA notebook News and notes from around the NBA. (BKN-NOTEBOOK, expect by 7:30 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, 375 words) - - - - NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE Rangers G Lundqvist, F Nash out vs. Hurricanes New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and forward Rick Nash will sit out Thursday's game against the Carolina Hurricanes due to injuries. (HKN-RANGERS-NEWS-LUNDQVIST-NASH, moved, The Sports Xchange, 400 words) THE SPORTS XCHANGE covers all NHL games. Thursday schedule: N.Y. Rangers at Carolina 7:00 p.m. Philadelphia at Toronto 7:30 p.m. Minnesota at Tampa Bay 7:30 p.m. Anaheim at Chicago 8:30 p.m. Ottawa at Arizona 9:00 p.m. Montreal at Calgary 9:00 p.m. New Jersey at Colorado 9:00 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Vancouver 10:00 p.m. Nashville at Los Angeles 10:30 p.m. Washington at San Jose 10:30 p.m. NHL notebook News and notes from around the league. (HKN-NOTEBOOK, expect first version by 9:45 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, 375 words) - - - - GOLF Thomas eyes season’s four win American Justin Thomas seeks his fourth win of the season when he sets off in the opening round at Palm Harbor in a field that includes world number six Henrik Stenson and defending champion Charl Schwartzel. (GOLF-PGA/, expect by 7:30 PM ET, 400 words) First round, Valspar Championship Coverage of the opening round of the 2017 Valspar Championship on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor, Fla. (GLF-PGA-RECAP-VALSPAR, expect by 8 p.m. ET, The Sports Xchange, 400 words) - - - - BASEBALL Netherlands look to advance in WBC The Netherlands (1-0) and their quartet of Major League Baseball infielders aim to claim a berth in the second round of the World Baseball Classic when they take on Taiwan (0-1) in the four-team Pool A in Seoul, while Japan tries to go to 2-0 in Tokyo when they meet Australia as Cuba (0-1) looks to level their record against China in Pool B. (BASEBALL-CLASSIC/, expect by 10:30 AM ET, 375 words) Dominican Republic begin WBC title defense The defending champions Dominican Republic open defense of their World Baseball Classic title when they play Canada to begin Pool C play in Miami, while Mexico hosts Italy to launch Pool D action in Guadalajara. In Seoul, the Netherlands and Israel, both 2-0 in Pool A, play for seeding in the second round, and Australia and China meet in a pivotal contest in Tokyo’s Pool B. (BASEBALL-CLASSIC/, expect by 12:00 AM ET, 375 words) - - - - MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL MLB notebook News and notes from around the league. (MLB-NOTEBOOK, expect by 8 p.m. ET, by The Sports Xchange, 400 words) MLB roundup Capsule recaps of spring training games Thursday. (MLB-ROUNDUP, expect by 8 p.m. ET, by The Sports Xchange, 400 words) - - - - AUTO RACING NASCAR Rolling Dice on Las Vegas, Road Race in Charlotte Ahead of this weekend's race in Las Vegas, NASCAR and track owner Bruton Smith announced a realignment in 2018 that will bring a second race to Nevada's gambling mecca and add a road race to the play-offs in Charlotte. Will the most significant realignment in nearly a decade move the needle? (CAR-COLUMN, moved, The Sports Xchange, by Jonathan Ingram, 900 words) - - - - COLLEGE BASKETBALL THE SPORTS XCHANGE coverage of championship week includes these Thursday games: ACC: North Carolina vs. Miami noon Big East: Villanova vs. St. John's noon Big 12: Iowa State vs. Oklahoma State 12:30 p.m. ACC: Louisville vs. Duke 2:30 p.m. Big 12: Kansas vs. TCU 3:00 p.m. Pac-12: Oregon vs. Arizona State 3:00 p.m. ACC: Florida State vs. Virginia Tech 7:00 p.m. Big East: Butler vs. Xavier 7:00 p.m. Big 12: West Virginia vs. Texas 7:00 p.m. Pac-12: Arizona vs. Colorado 9:00 p.m. ACC: Notre Dame vs. Virginia 9:30 p.m. Big 12: Baylor vs. Kansas State 9:30 p.m. Pac-12: UCLA vs. USC 11:30 p.m. CBK (recaps) Big Ten: Michigan vs. Illinois noon SEC: Georgia vs. Tennessee 1:00 p.m. Big East: Seton Hall vs. Marquette 2:30 p.m. Big Ten: Michigan State vs. Penn State 2:30 p.m. SEC: Alabama vs. Mississippi State 3:30 p.m. Pac-12: Utah vs. California 5:30 p.m. Big Ten: Iowa vs. Indiana 6:30 p.m. SEC: Vanderbilt vs. Texas A&M 7:00 p.m. Big Ten: Northwestern vs. Rutgers 9:00 p.m. SEC: Ole Miss vs. Missouri 9:30 p.m. Big East: Providence vs. Creighton 9:30 p.m. - - - -