acteristically porous against the run last season, and was burned several times by d

Hours later, it still hasnt sunk in.The Chicago Cubs won the World Series.Far from the crazy crowds of Wrigleyville, much less Progressive Field in Cleveland, Rich and I watched the game on his bridge-of-the-Enterprise-sized TV.Beer and pizza, pretzels, chips and salsa, family coming and going, the dogs begging for scraps. Like hundreds of other Bears or Cubs games over the years.Except the stakes were so much higher. Down three games to one, the Cubs fought back to even the series, and this one game was bigger than any other in our lifetimes. Or our parents lifetimes. Or our grandparents lifetimes.Comparisons to the Super Bowl dont cut it. The World Series is so much longer, so much more drawn out, so full of dramas large and small, internal to the particular moment (Schwarber!) and connected to all the teams history (108 years since Tinker and Evers and Chance won it all).This final contest of 2016 showed why baseball is such a maddening -- or perhaps in this case, Maddoning -- game.Two runs score on a single wild pitch?An unhittable closer blows a three-run lead ... and gets the win?A rookie pinch-runner tags up and goes to second on a fly ball to right-center and later scores the go-ahead run in extra innings? The Cubs have four catchers on their roster; one starts at DH and gets three hits, and each of the others has a hit and an RBI?The mind reels. After Rajai Davis brought the Tribe back to tie the game at 6, every Cubs fan in the world shared a single thought:Here we go again.We prepared to dissect, if not eviscerate, Maddons every mad move. Taking Hendricks out when every baserunner hed allowed had been on an error by Gold Glove-worthy Javy Baez? Bringing Lester in with a man on base? Then taking Lester out when he too seemed dominant, and bringing Chapman into a dirty inning?Dirty didnt begin to describe the language we were using as the tarp was brought out for the 17-minute rain delay.Unbeknownst to us, Jason Heyward was earning some of his free-agent millions with a weight-room pep talk, focusing his teammates on being what they were: the best team in baseball all year.But an entire baseball season can come down to a single inning, a single at-bat, a single pitch, and sometimes the better team doesnt win.This time, it did.Kris Bryant grinned as he scooped up Michael Martinezs soft ground ball -- the kind of dinky, weak ball in play that the Indians had repeatedly gotten on base or driven in runs with in this series.And as quickly as you can say, 5-3 putout, the Cubs won the World Series.We were really too stunned to smile. The torture of that blown three-run lead still dominated our emotions. Instead of the five-outs-from-the-World-Series moment of the 2003 NLCS, this turning point came four outs away from a world championship. No scapegoats out there for nonsense curse narratives, just the strongest arm in baseball serving up a homer to a guy who hadnt hit one in months.Cubs fans, wed all been there before, and we anticipated the pain of losing after such a great season, and of hearing about it forever.Then the worst somehow didnt happen.The Chicago Cubs are World Series champions.What now? A huge rally, probably Friday, will fill the streets of Chicago with blue-clad fans, long-suffering and bandwagon jumpers alike.Me? Im already looking ahead.In 150 days, the Cubs open the 2017 campaign at St. Louis to begin their quest to defend their title. Time to repeat, just like in 1907 and 08.A week later, well return to Section 416 for the home opener against the Dodgers, and watch the Cubs hoist their World Series pennant over Wrigley Field.By then, it will have sunk in. The Cubs are World Series champions.Nike Dunk Sb Cheap . Calgary scored on the first shift, and Michael Cammalleri scored twice as the Flames cruised to a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday. Cheap Nike Dunk Shoes . The formidable trio of Canadian receivers -- individually known as Chris Getzlaf, Rob Bagg and Andy Fantuz -- will share the field at Mosaic Stadium one more time on Sunday. http://www.nikedunkscheap.com/nike-dunk-high-shoes.html . Traditional contenders Brazil, Greece and Turkey drew the other three spots to complete the 24-team field for this summers tournament in Spain, basketball governing body FIBA announced Saturday at its meeting in Barcelona. Nike Dunk High Mens . Bryzgalov stopped 25 shots on Saturday in the Oklahoma City Barons 4-1 victory over the Abbotsford Heat. The Oilers signed Bryzgalov to a one-year $2 million contract last Friday after shedding payroll by dealing defenceman Ladislav Smid to the Flames. Nike Dunk Low Cheap . 1, meaning problems for the doping controls at both major international sports events next year. The World Anti-Doping Agency provisionally suspended the Moscow Antidoping Center on Sunday, saying its operations must improve or a six-month ban on the facilitys accreditation will be imposed.Virginia Tech wont be the only team with a new look on offense when it opens the Justin Fuente era against Liberty on Saturday.The Flames are moving to a no-huddle attack led by dual-threat quarterback Stephon Masha.Transfer Jerod Evans will start at quarterback for the Hokies, becoming perhaps the immediate face of what Virginia Tech fans hope will be a high powered offense. Evans threw for nearly 400 yards per game with 38 touchdowns and just three interceptions in eight games last season at Trinity Valley Community College in Texas.Fuente, replacing retired Hall of Famer Frank Beamer, is eager to get started.Weve got a big challenge this week, he said. ... Theyve got a talented team. Theyve got good players on both sides of the ball. Were playing a program that has had very good success in the last couple years, with an athletic quarterback. A sound physical defense. Plus, its the first game.The latter, Fuente said, can be tricky, because teams arent always as sharp as coaches would like in Week One.Its one thing to go play the season opener. Its another thing to go play the season opener with a new coach, he said. And theres no substitute for being on the sideline with your team and seeing how they respond and react to adversity and the good and the bad that comes through games. So theres a little bit of anxiousness that comes with that. Im optimistic and Im excited to go through those emotions with the team to help them kind of tunnel those emotions and focus on trying to win ballgames.Liberty, of the Football Championship Subdivision, has played a Bowl Subdivision team to start the season four times in the last five seasons. Its the fifth season for coach Turner Gill, who has guided them to three Big South regular seasons titles and, in 2014, their first FCS playoff berth and a first-round victory at James Madison.Gill this season will hand the offensive reigns to Masha, aa junior who started twice two years ago and led the Flames to a road victory at top-ranked Coastal Carolina, completing 20 of 33 passes for 285 yards and a touchdown.ddddddddddddHes played in big bag games, Gill said. Its his turn. Hes ready for it and hes excited.---Here are other things to watch when Liberty plays Virginia Tech:PACE OF PLAY: Fuente wants the Hokies to play fast, and he plans to shuttle players in and out constantly to keep them fresh. With Liberty also using a no-huddle scheme, the team in the best shape will have an edge.STOPPING THE RUN: Virginia Tech was uncharacteristically porous against the run last season, and was burned several times by dual-threat quarterbacks. Shoring up the line play has been a focus for Bud Foster and his defense, while Mashas running ability helped inspire Libertys move to the faster-paced no-huddle attack.EVANS DEBUT: Virginia Tech will get a quick look at how Evans gaudy numbers from a year ago translate to higher level football, and in wide receivers Isaiah Ford and Cam Phillips, tight end Bucky Hodges and tailback Sam Rogers, hell have plenty of proven pass catchers to try to find in space.BIG STAGE: The Hokies are excited for Fuente to have his first home game experience, from their traditional entrance to Enter Sandman to the atmosphere in 61,233-seat Lane Stadium. The largest crowd the Flames have ever played in front of was 57,950 at West Virginia on Sept. 5, 2009.HONORING BEAMER: The Hokies special teams player of the week will wear Frank Beamers retired jersey No. 25 each week going forward this season to honor the former coach. Fuente tabbed Steven People to wear it this week.---The APs college football page: http://collegefootball.ap.org---Follow Hank on Twitter: www.twitter.com/hankkurzjr ' ' '