t of fun.The Cubs rolled to a major league-best 103 win

Moeen Ali hit a brilliant unbeaten 155 as England assumed complete control of the second Investec Test against Sri Lanka on day two in Durham. Having been dropped on 36 early in the morning session, the No 7 took full advantage and piled on the runs as England eventually declared on 498-9 in the afternoon session.From there the bowlers took over and reduced Sri Lanka to 91-8, still 407 behind, at stumps, with Chris Woakes taking 3-9 in seven overs.Moeen Ali celebrates his 150 at Durham Having started the day on 310-6, England had some good fortune as both Ali and Woakes were given early lifelines.First, Ali sent a thick edge to Dimuth Karunaratne at gully off the bowling of Nuwan Pradeep before a regulation edge from Woakes was completely missed by Dinesh Chandimal behind the stumps - Shaminda Eranga the disbelieving bowler.The pair made Sri Lanka pay for their slackness in the field and had put 92 for seventh wicket, Ali going past 50, before Suranga Lakmal had Woakes (39) caught behind.Broad (7) followed - nicking Pradeep through to the keeper - but with Ali going well, England reached lunch at 408-8 and kicked on again after the interval.Having nurdled his way through the nineties, Ali brought up his second Test century with a lofted drive over mid-off for four and continued in much the same vein thereafter. Steven Finn (10) provided steady support from the other end before topping edging a Rangana Herath delivery straight up; the left-arm spinner took the return catch to claim his 300th Test wicket but was brought back down to earth as No 11 James Anderson promptly reverse swept him for four.Ali launched Lakmal for six over midwicket to bring up his 150 and the declaration came soon after with England two shy of 500.Sri Lankas openers were left with half an hour to navigate before tea but they were unable to see it through; Anderson bowling Karunaratne behind his legs.Kaushal Silva and Kusal Mendis kept the runs flowing at a decent rate after tea but a fine low catch from Jonny Bairstow broke their 34-run stand after Broad had found Silvas edge.Chris Woakes enjoyed an excellent spell, taking 3-9 Anderson (2-31) then nicked out Chandimal - Alastair Cook taking the catch at first slip - and a superb spell from Woakes left Sri Lanka in the mire at 67-6.The Warwickshire all-rounder hit his areas and had Angelo Mathews and Milinda Siriwardana caught behind with Mendis edging a rising delivery to Anderson at gully in between.Lahiru Thirimanne and Herath dug in for a spell but Broad (3-35) returned to dismiss the latter; Anderson taking another sharp catch at gully and a brilliant one-handed catch from Joe Root - reacting after James Vince was unable to hold on at full stretch - later in the same over did for Eranga, rounding off a near-perfect day for England.Watch day three of the second Investec Test from 10.30am, Sunday, Sky Sports 2. Before then, you can catch highlights of day two (9.30pm), plus The Verdict (10.30pm) on Sky Sports 2 on Saturday night.Cheap Shoes Online Australia . Burris threw two TD passes, including a key 15-yard fourth-quarter strike to Bakari Grant that effectively countered a Toronto comeback bid and led Hamilton to a 33-19 victory. Wholesale Shoes Australia . The Celtics closed out their first preseason under Stevens on Wednesday night with a 101-97 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, who rested a lot of their lineup including former Celtics Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. http://www.australiashoescheap.com/ . The 29-year-old Baines has established himself as one of the top attacking full backs in the country and was the subject of two bids from United during the last off-season. 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When the Cardinals jumped all over the Pirates, Washington told the story, column by column on the hand-operated scoreboard at Wrigley Field.Springs turned into summers and mostly empty Octobers, and Washingtons most important numbers changed. And he realized its time to go home.I think as you get older your body speaks to you and tells you the things that youre able to do, he said. Also, theres certain things around here that you cant do, and one of those is, you spend an awful lot of time here and at 66, I think I want to spend some time with my family because I dont have very much time to spend with my family here.So when the Cubs play their last home game of the year, thatll be it for Washington, too. Hell climb down the ladder at the bottom of the classic green scoreboard and stroll off to retirement.No one will notice, probably. There likely wont be any fuss. The Cubs honored Washington before a September game, and that was more than enough for the easygoing Chicago native.It was all a gift, anyway. More than Washington ever expected.You never realize that youre going to meet so many good people, Washington said, so many people that had such a bearing on your life. Its very rewarding.Washington had jobs with the Chicago Police Department, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and in railroads before he was hired by the Cubs in 1984 for a security position.He moved to the grounds crew two years later, and then joined the scoreboard crew in 1990.This particular job, its kind of next man up, he said. People retire, they move on, and somebody has to replace them, and you cant just walk up like youve lived here all your life. Its like anything else. Its a learning process.Washingtons home away from home these past 26 years was built in 1937. There are three levels in the scoreboard, and as many as four people fill in the numbers for a full slate of games in the summer.Washington and his partner work on the first floor for the Cubs linescore and National and American League games on the bottom level. Darryl Wilson , another longtime scoreboard operator, takes care of the second and third floors along with another colleague. Wilson calls down updates that he gets from a computer.We spend an awful lot of time together, and the camaraderie is such that, were almost related, Washington said.dddddddddddd I mean we get along, we get along very well. Its kind of like were brothers up here.Its a lot of laughter. Its a lot of joy up here, he continued, except when the Cubs lose.Washington also has a rapport with the fans who sit in Wrigleys famed bleachers. He sees it all from his perch above the stands, and he hears it from the crowd if someone feels there is a miscue with the scoreboard.Theres a human element up here, Washington said, sitting in a chair in the scoreboard while the Cubs were in Los Angeles this week for the NL Championship Series. I mean nobodys perfect, and theyll scream up here and try to point out something to me if they believe its a mistake.Wrigley also is where Washington met his wife, Darla. She was friends with one of Washingtons co-workers. They got married in 1989, and the couples daughter, Alisha, 21, goes to Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. While Darla likes the Cubs because of Washingtons job, he said she isnt a baseball fan.To her, its like how can I come home tired from watching a ballgame, he said. But shes under the impression that like when I come to work I just walk up in the scoreboard and sit down and everythings cool until I get off. But I have other chores.Alisha visited Wrigley for the first time when her father was recognized last month.A 21-year-olds mind, you dont hear things like `Im proud of you because their mind just dont work like that, Washington said. But when a 21-year-old tells you that theyre proud of you, its something to pay attention to and it kind of made my heart kind of skip a beat.Washington has seen a lot of bad teams over the years. But his final season has been a lot of fun.The Cubs rolled to a major league-best 103 wins and the NL Central title this year. Game 6 against the Dodgers is Saturday night at Wrigley.It has been 71 years since Chicagos last NL pennant, and 108 years since the franchise last won the World Series in 1908. A title would be quite a send-off for the soft-spoken Washington, who sounds as if he is coaching himself for whatever way it comes to an end.For them to be in the position that theyre in now, I really never thought that they would get this far, he said. A World Series ring would be, just for them to compete would be a lifelong dream of mine.---Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap ' ' '