, and Hazel Wightman was 37 when she won th | Forum
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Feb 5 '18
CHICAGO -- The T-shirt in the window of a shop on Damen Avenue elicited plenty of nervous laughs from Cubs fans before Game 4. Cheap Air Max 2017 .It read: If We Lose, Its Rigged.While its unlikely that line from GOP candidate Donald Trumps stump speech will catch on in a deep-blue, Democratic stronghold like Chicago, Clevelands 7-2 win Saturday night left more than a few of those fans were grasping at straws.How could a team that had five starters picked and seven players total at the All-Star game find itself on the brink of elimination? How could a team that won a major league-leading 103 times in the regular season turn around and hit .204 -- 50 points lower -- in the biggest games?Heres how: Third baseman Kris Bryant, last seasons Rookie of the Year and the front-runner for the NLs Most Valuable Player Award this season, is batting just .071. Shortstop Addison Russell, who collected 21 home runs and 95 RBI in the regular season, has two total bases in the four games. Javier Baez, who tore through the Giants and Dodgers pitching staffs in both the division and championship series, is at .118.Small wonder the Indians have won as many World Series games in two nights at Wrigley as the Cubs have in total since the ballpark opened more than a century ago.Its just been abnormal in some ways, Chicago manager Joe Maddon said afterward. But theyve been pitching great. ...We just need that offensive epiphany somehow to get us pushing in the right direction. And if we do that, he added a moment later, based on what they have left pitching-wise, I kind of like our chances.Try telling that to fans whove waited 71 years just to see a World Series game in their hometown, never mind the 108 years since their beloved Cubbies actually won it all. Then again, plenty of them believe they saw it coming.Behind the old ballpark on Waveland Avenue, the limousines and town cars were lined up and idling in the bottom of the eighth. It didnt help that Cub fans were again done in by one of their own. Just an inning earlier, Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis, who grew up in suburban Northbrook -- and went to the same high school as Steve Bartman -- put the game out of reach with a three-run home run, then pointed to his family in the stands.I did, I knew where they were sitting and I saw the red towel, Kipnis said, nearly blushing, so I knew where to look.Vendors, meanwhile, were fast changing their pitch. One selling Cubs-themed floppy hats had already begin hawking them as warm-weather gear instead of historic souvenirs. Stay warm, look cool, wear them for Halloween, he yelled.If you want to scare Cubs fans, sure.Anne Riecken, 92, was being wheeled out of the park by her daughter trying to beat the rush. She stopped long enough to register her displeasure.I dont know why I though this year was going to be different, she said. But I guess its enough we finally made it back.She thought about it, then added quickly, Last night I was so mad about the way they were hitting I would have kicked some of them in the shins.Considering the lack of success most of the moves Maddon has made have registered in that department, it might have been as good a suggestion as any. As she headed for a waiting gold cart to shuttle her back to the familys car, Riecken was asked whether shed lost faith in the teams unofficial motto, Wait `Til Next Year.I dont think Im going to be around next year, she replied with smile and a rueful laugh.But John Hurley, with his 5-year-old son in tow, vowed to return if the Cubs made it back. Both wore Cubs caps and matching oversized, black-rimmed glasses, a style made popular around town by the late Harry Caray, the teams legendary announcer. John Hurley grew up here, but lives in California now.Just another year of being a Cub fan, I guess, Hurley said. But dont call me `disappointed. This is progress and its historic. And if they get back, and this team is more than good enough to do it, well definitely come back.Of course, he starts kindergarten next year so Im not sure well be able to do this for a whole week again. Or maybe well just pull him out of school, he laughed. I guess well cross that bridge when we get there.Right now, he said, brightening, were just concentrating on tomorrow night.Theyre not alone.---Jim Litke is a sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke(at)ap.org and https://Twitter.com/JimLitke . Nike Air Max 95 Clearance . It just didnt show when he hit the ice. Berra made 42 saves and Kris Russell scored at 1:32 of overtime, lifting the Calgary Flames to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night. Nike Air Max Outlet . - Connor McDavid scored 53 seconds into overtime as the Erie Otters came from behind to defeat the visiting Guelph Storm 4-3 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. http://www.airmaxclearance.us/ . Its the second straight game Bell has scored in extra time for Kelowna, which beat the Brandon Wheat Kings 6-5 on Friday, and he now has four game-winning goals on the season. The Big 4 of mens tennis is enthusiastic about their sports place in the Olympics, unlike their counterparts in golf.Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal all have participated in the Summer Games in the past, all own a medal, and all talk about that events importance to tennis every four years -- even if it already has four Grand Slam tournaments every year.And while Federer wont be in Rio, its only because he is sitting out the rest of the season entirely to protect his surgically repaired left knee.To get a sense of how these guys think, consider what Britains Murray said when he was asked about Brazil the day after winning Wimbledon for the second time.Ive loved being in the two Olympics that Ive been at, said the No. 2-ranked Murray, who won a gold in singles at the 2012 London Games. Rio is obviously a big, big goal of mine, and hopefully I can perform well there.The No. 1-ranked Djokovic won a singles bronze for Serbia at the 2008 Beijing Games, then came up just short of a medal four years ago.No. 3 Federer won gold for Switzerland in doubles with Stan Wawrinka eight years ago, and a silver in singles four years ago.No. 4 Nadal won a singles gold for Spain in Beijing, missed London because he was hurt, and appealed to the International Tennis Federation to allow him to compete in Rio after he failed to fulfill Davis Cup commitments because of injuries.Even if this quartet owns a combined 46 Grand Slam titles, the Olympics still matter to them. Much will be made of the contrast between this groups interest in the Summer Games and what happened in golf, which will be missing Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy in Rio.Olympic Games are the most renowned and most prominent sports event in the history of sport. No question about it. There is no bigger sports event than Olympic Games, Djokovic said. For me, as a professional athlete, its a huge honor to be part of it.Here are some things to know about tennis at the Rio Olympics:WHOS MISSINGThere are some noteworthy players in addition to Federer who wont be there: Bob and Mike Bryan, the American twins who won goldd in doubles four years ago, plus nine of the top 22 men in the July 25 ATP singles rankings. Air Max Sneaker 2017. That includes Wimbledon runner-up Milos Raonic of Canada; Wimbledon semifinalist Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic; the top American man, John Isner; Australias best two tennis players, Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic; and Dominic Thiem, who would have given Austria a chance at a medal. Four of the top 20 women are missing, as is five-time major champion Maria Sharapova, who is serving a doping ban.MIXING IT UPNo one will know exactly who is competing in mixed doubles until everyone is in Rio. Thats because the sign-in happens there. Its limited to 16 teams, and the possibilities are intriguing. The expectation is that, if hes healthy, Nadal will team with French Open champion Garbine Muguruza. The bad news: It sounds as if the Williams sisters will not enter that event.AGE IS JUST A NUMBERIf 34-year-old Serena Williams or 36-year-old Venus Williams wins a gold medal, either would be the third-oldest woman to collect an Olympic title in tennis. Winifred McNair was 43 when she won womens doubles for Britain all the way back in 1920, and Hazel Wightman was 37 when she won the same event for the U.S. four years later. Each Williams already owns four medals (all gold), so adding two more -- theyre both entered in singles and doubles -- would put either in first place for most tennis medals in Olympic history. Kathleen McKane won five medals (one gold) in the 1920s.MOST APPEARANCESIndias Leander Paes will be appearing in his record-extending seventh Olympic tennis competition, pairing in mens doubles with Rohan Bopanna. Paes owns one medal, a bronze in singles at the 1996 Atlanta Games. In Grand Slam action, he has won eight titles in mens doubles, and another 10 in mixed doubles.BACK-TO-BACK?No player has won two consecutive gold medals in singles. Murray and Serena Williams will try to change that this time.---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich ;Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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