At long, long last, its true: Either the Chicago Cubs or Cleveland Indians will win the World Series.The matchup between teams that forever waited till next year -- next century, really -- is finally here.A classic Fall Classic, for sure.Do-it-all Javier Baez, flashy Francisco Lindor, MVP caliber Kris Bryant and a bevy of young stars. Lights-out relievers Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman, and wily skippers Joe Maddon and Terry Francona.Plus, intrigue if injured All-Star starter Danny Salazar and slugger Kyle Schwarber can play.Oh, and did someone mention something about a drought?Game 1 is at Progressive Field on Tuesday night, with the Cubs opening as a heavy favorite to win their first crown since 1908.In the Cubs last visit to Cleveland, back in August 2015, they posted a 17-0 rout for the most-lopsided shutout ever in interleague play. It got so out of hand that two Indians outfielders wound up pitching.But thats ancient history.For the Cubbies, this is their first World Series trip since 1945. They clinched their spot Saturday night at rollicking Wrigley Field as big league ERA leader Kyle Hendricks outpitched Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw for a 5-0 win in Game 6 of the NL Championship Series.Favorites since opening day, Anthony Rizzo, Addison Russell and past October aces Jon Lester and John Lackey helped the Cubs cruise to a major league-leading 103 victories.Now, theyre ready to sweep aside the Curse of the Billy Goat and the specter of Steve Bartman. And make up for the near-misses by Cubs greats such as Ernie Banks, Ron Santo and Billy Williams.Obviously we know that its something thats going to be talked about with the history of the organization, pitcher Jake Arrieta said. But its really not something we focus on at all. So we just kind of disregard it and go out and play.The Indians also have a past full of failure and frustration. Their title drought dates to Bob Feller, Lou Boudreau, Larry Doby and 1948, trailing only the Cubs for the longest wait in the majors.In 1997, Cleveland was three outs from winning the championship when closer Jose Mesa blew a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7 at Florida. An error by sure-handed second baseman Tony Fernandez doomed them in the 11th.Earlier this year, LeBron James and the Cavaliers turned Cleveland into Believeland by rallying to win the NBA title. James has been loudly cheering for the Indians to bring another championship to the city.Steady Jason Kipnis, jolly Mike Napoli and likely Game 1 starter Corey Kluber starred as the surprising Indians won the AL Central, then breezed by Boston and Toronto in the playoffs.The Indians did it despite a thinning rotation. Salazar hasnt pitched since early September because of a forearm problem, Carlos Carrascos hand was broken by a line drive and Trevor Bauer cut his pinkie playing with a drone.Like the Cubs with Bartman, the spectator who infamously deflected a foul ball at Wrigley during the 2003 NL playoffs, the Indians also have a prominent fan. Its John Adams, the man who has been beating a drum at most every home game for more than four decades.Even though the clubs hold spring training about 30 miles apart in Arizona, they dont overlap a lot.Theyve never played in the postseason and are just 9-9 against each other in interleague action.Miller and Chapman, however, were teammates this season in the New York Yankees bullpen before they both got traded in late July.Francona and current Cubs architect Theo Epstein spent even more time together. In 2004, they teamed up as the Red Sox ended a World Series championship drought dating to 1918 -- when Boston beat the Cubs, by the way.Soon, another city will be celebrating. Maybe next week, maybe next month, with Game 7 scheduled for Nov. 2.A pair of big cities, one on Lake Michigan, the other on Lake Erie, waiting ... and hoping to end the wait.On deck: Great Lakes, great stakes.Vapormax Herre Danmark . The head of USA Boxing came out swinging Tuesday with an open letter to Tyson -- a former Olympic hopeful himself -- that accuses the former heavyweight champion of trying to poach fighters who might be candidates for the U. Vapormax Tilbud Danmark . Ouellette, from Montreal, already has three Olympic gold medals since joining the team in 1999. http://www.vapormaxdanmark.com/vapormax-herre-sko-danmark.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 Vapormax Tilbud Danmark . Rob Manfred, baseballs chief operating officer, testified last week during the grievance filed by the players union to overturn Rodriguezs 211-game suspension. A person familiar with the hearing, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press on Saturday that Manfred testified the sport wasnt concerned whether Bosch distributed performance-enhancing drugs to minors because MLBs interest was his relationship with players under investigation. Vapormax Dame Dk . Any real chance at payback wont come until the playoff. Still, Pittsburgh knows its taut 3-2 win over the Bruins on Wednesday night is a pretty good place to start laying the groundwork. "They are a very good defensive team," Penguins forward Brandon Sutter said.After last weeks chaotic and unexpected results, the top?College Football Playoff contenders mostly held serve on Saturday. (No. 5 Louisville was another matter on Thursday night.)Heading into the final week of the regular season, we have a pretty good idea how most of the Power 5 conference races are going to shake out. Three of them look a lot like they did last season.No. 1 Alabama will play No. 23 Florida in the SEC championship game for the second straight season and the ninth time overall. No. 4 Clemson will be the favorite in the ACC championship game and will play Virginia Tech -- as long as the Hokies defeat rival Virginia in next weeks regular-season finale. No. 9 Oklahoma continues to sweep through the Big 12 -- the Sooners demolished No. 14 West Virginia 56-28 on the road -- and will win a second straight Big 12 title with a victory over No. 11 Oklahoma State in the Dec. 3 Bedlam game.The Big Ten might yet prove to be a wild card. All eyes have turned to No. 2 Ohio State versus No. 3 Michigan next week, but its not a foregone conclusion that the Buckeyes and Wolverines are playing for a place in Indianapolis. If Ohio State beats Michigan and No. 8 Penn State beats Michigan State at home, the Nittany Lions will win the Big Ten East.?Theres plenty of intrigue out West, where the Pac-12 is set up for a dramatic final weekend.Its winner take all in the North, where No. 6 Washington and No. 22 Washington State will play for a place in the championship game in Fridays Apple Cup. The Huskies bounced back after last weeks loss to USC with a comfortable win over Arizona State and remain in the CFP hunt. The Cougars had their eight-game winning streak snapped in a loss at Colorado, but theyve looked the part of a Pac-12 contender during league play.The Pac-12 South will be contested by one of the hottest teams in the country, No. 13 USC, and this seasons feel-good story, No. 10 Colorado. The Trojans were left for dead after a 1-3 start but have reeled off seven straight wins after beating UCLA 36-14. They end the regular season against Notre Dame and can only hope Colorado loses to Utah next Saturday. USC owns the tiebreaker over Colorado, so the Trojans would win the South if the Utes beat the Buffaloes.?It means the world to go out there and win, keep our hopes alive, Colorado quarterback Sefo Liufau said. Its more fun than anything. Weve been in close games for a long time now.Time might be up for Charlie Strong, Ed OrgeronAccording to industry sources, there isnt expected to be a tremendous amount of turnover among FBS coaches this offseason. But two very big dominoes -- LSU and Texas -- are much closer to falling after Saturdays results.?Texas coach Charlie Strong is probably finished, after the Longhorns were stunned 24-21 in overtime at Kansas. When asked during an uncomfortable postgame news conference how the loss to the Jayhawks would affect his future, Strong said, I have no idea.Truth be told, its probably the best outcome for both sides. Even if Strong had led the Longhorns to a winning record and a bowl game, he would have entered next season under the same pressure he faced the past two seasons. Thats no way to try to build a winning program. The Longhorns are expected to target Houston coach Tom Herman. What isnt known is whether the Longhorns will swing big again to try to lure a top candidate to Austin, namely Alabamas Nick Saban or Florida States Jimbo Fisher, before they settle on hiring Herman.Fisher and Herman also figure to be top candidates at LSU, where the Tigers have probably reached the point where they cant retain interim coach Ed Orgeron next season. LSU won three straight games under Orgeron after former coach Les Miles was fired on Sept. 25. But now the Tigers have dropped two of their past three games, including an ugly 16-10 loss to No. 23 Florida at home on Saturday, when the Tigers committed several of the same mistakes that led to Miles demise.?Were not going to lie, Orgeron said. We thought we were going to win the football game. We didnt execute right, and they got to take it away from us; it would have been a great victory for all of them.Fisher is believed to be LSUs No. 1 target, but its unclear whether he would be willing to leave the Seminoles, who might be built to be a playoff contender the next few seasons. If Fisher isnt interested, Herman, Colorados Mike MacIntyre and North Carolinas Larry Fedora might be considered at LSU.Speaking of Miles, he has emerged as a potential candidate at Baylor, which lost its fourth consecutive game under interim coach Jim Grobe on Saturday -- a 42-21 final against Kansas State at home. Fedora, SMUs Chad Morris and ex-San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Singletary, a former Baylor All-America linebacker, are also being considered, according to sources close to the search.Elsewhere, Oregons Mark Helfrich guided the Ducks to a 30-28 upset at No. 12 Utah, scoring the winning touchdown on Justin Herberts 17-yard pass to Darren Carrington II with two seconds left.Is it too little too late for Helfrich? Even if the Ducks win at Oregon State in next weeks Civil War, they will finish only 5-7 and miss the postseason for the first time since 2004. Or does the upset of the Utes give Oregon decision-makers enough hope that Helfrich can turn things around? He would be owed an $11.7 million buyout if hes fired.Thats the nature of the beast, Helfrich told reporters. Ten percent love you regardless, 10 percent hate you regardless and 80 percent swing vote.Playoff teams after Week 121. Alabama: The Crimson Tide rolled to a 31-3 victory over FCS foe Chattanooga, but coach Nick Saban said he was embarrassed by his teams performance in the first half. Freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts completed 15 of 21 passes for 136 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 68 yards.2. Michigan: The Wolverines trailed Indiana in the third quarter but scored the final 14 points in a 20-10 win at the snow-covered Big House. Michigan was playing without injured quarterback Wilton Speight for the first time and relied heavily on tailback DeVeon Smith, who ran 233 times for 158 yards and two scores.dddddddddddd Michigan can win the Big Ten East by knocking off rival Ohio State on the road next week.3. Clemson: After suffering their first defeat of the season last week, the Tigers bounced back with an impressive 35-13 win over Wake Forest to claim the ACC Atlantic Division title. Tailback Wayne Gallman ran 22 times for 161 yards and one touchdown. The Tigers host rival South Carolina in next weeks regular-season finale.4. Ohio State: It wasnt pretty, but the Buckeyes survived at Michigan State, 17-16. The Spartans had derailed Ohio States national championship hopes in two of the past three seasons, beating the Buckeyes in the 2013 Big Ten title game and then late in the 2015 regular season. The Buckeyes can remain in the CFP hunt by beating Michigan at the Horseshoe next week, but they still need Penn State to lose in order to win the Big Ten East.Next four in contention1. Washington: The Huskies rebounded from their ugly loss against USC last week by routing Arizona State 44-18. Quarterback Jake Browning passed for 338 yards and two touchdowns, while tailback Myles Gaskin ran for 127 yards and a score. The winner of next weeks Apple Cup at Washington State will claim the Pac-12 North.2. Wisconsin: The Badgers beat Purdue 49-20 on the road, securing their fourth consecutive nine-win season for the second time in school history. Wisconsin can win the Big Ten West by beating Minnesota next week -- or if Nebraska loses at Iowa. The Cornhuskers will win the division if they beat the Hawkeyes and the Badgers lose to the Gophers.3. Penn State: After a very slow start, the Nittany Lions scored 30 points in the second half to shut out Rutgers 39-0 on the road. Penn State outgained the Scarlet Knights 549 yards to 87 in total offense. The Nittany Lions will win the Big Ten East if they defeat Michigan State at home and Ohio State beats Michigan next week.4. Oklahoma: Left for dead after two early-season losses, the Sooners are trying to find a backdoor way into the playoff again. Oklahoma blasted West Virginia 56-28 on the road in the snow. Tailbacks Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon combined for 307 rushing yards and three touchdowns. The Sooners host No. 11 Oklahoma State on Dec. 3 with the Big 12 title at stake.Heisman candidates1. Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville: Jackson might have cracked the door for other contenders after the No. 5 Cardinals dismal performance in a 36-10 loss at Houston on Thursday night. Jackson was sacked 11 times and completed 20 of 43 passes for 211 yards and one touchdown. He ran 25 times for 33 yards, but he would have finished with 116 yards if not for the sacks.2. Dede Westbrook, WR, Oklahoma: Oklahoma didnt throw the ball much in the snow at West Virginia, but Westbrook scored a touchdown for the eighth straight game on a 75-yard catch. He had two catches for 100 yards, the seventh time in eight games that he reached 100.3. DOnta Foreman, RB, Texas: Foreman carried a school-record 51 times for 250 yards and two touchdowns, but he also lost two costly fumbles in the Longhorns 24-21 defeat at Kansas. It was Foremans 12th consecutive 100-yard rushing game, breaking Earl Campbells school record of 11.4. Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson: Watson bounced back from a so-so performance in the loss to Pittsburgh by completing 23 of 33 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown against Wake Forest. He also ran seven times for 47 yards and two scores. Watson is now 28-3 as a starter, posting the best winning percentage by a Clemson quarterback.Best momentsTweets of the nightBest playsWorst playsQuotes of the night1. All week long Id said that, hey, if we get close at the end of the game, were going for two, and were going to take an aggressive approach and play to win the football game rather than to tie. They had us covered up on that particular play, so good job by them. -- Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio, on his teams failed two-point try with 4:41 left in a 17-16 loss to Ohio State.2. Oh man! Big-time players make big-time plays, and it was definitely time to make a big-time play, so I just had to come through in the clutch for my boys. I just turned and saw the ball in the air and went and got it. I had no idea the ball was coming until it was up in the air. -- Oregon receiver Darren Carrington II, on his winning touchdown catch to beat No. 12 Utah.3. Im at a loss for words, really, as to what to tell them. -- Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly, after the Fighting Irish blew a 17-point lead in a 34-31 loss to Virginia Tech. The Irish are 4-7.4. The mood of the team is we just have to rally together. Right now, the easiest thing to do is to abandon ship, play the blame game, point fingers. Right now, we have two regular-season games and we have a bowl game that we need to prepare for. -- Baylor defensive back Travon Blanchard, after the Bears lost their fourth straight game, 42-21 to Kansas State, to fall to 6-4.Stats that matter4,166: Florida States Dalvin Cook ran for 225 yards with four touchdowns in a 45-14 rout at Syracuse, passing Warrick Dunn to become the schools all-time leading rusher with 4,166 yards. Cook is the sixth ACC player to run for 4,000 yards and the first to do it in three seasons.4?: Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett had 4? sacks in a 23-10 victory over Texas-San Antonio, giving him 8? this season. Garrett now has 32? sacks in his career, making him the eighth player in SEC history to have at least 30.400: Tennessee allowed 420 rushing yards yet still beat Missouri 63-37. The Volunteers have allowed 400 rushing yards in back-to-back games and have won both of them. They beat Kentucky last week while allowing 443 rushing yards.?1,046: Detroit native Mike Weber ran for 111 yards in Ohio States 17-16 win at Michigan State, giving him 1,046 in 11 games this season. Weber joins Robert Smith (1990) and Maurice Clarett (2002) as the only freshmen in Ohio State history to run for at least 1,000 yards in a season. ' ' '
