CHICAGO -- Grown men didnt weep.Maybe because anyone old enough to actually remember the last time the Chicago Cubs made it to the World Series would be at least 71 and know enough to stay home instead of parking himself in the middle of the pandemonium that engulfed Wrigley Field late Saturday.Not so 78-year-old Billy Williams, a Hall of Famer and Cubs mainstay through the 1960s and `70s. This was a moment he had to see for himself.I think about the guys I played with who never got to see this, Williams began. Especially Ernie Banks and (Ron) Santo. Man, we tried so hard for so many years and now theyre gone. ... And I cant tell you how long these fans stuck with us or how many times I heard stuff like, `This is the year.But this, he said with a sweep of his arm toward the still-rocking grandstand, is finally the year.After believing their team was cursed by a goat, crossed by a black cat and undone by one of their own, after checking their sanity at the turnstiles for seven decades and counting, fans of the team on the North Side of town no longer needed any excuses . None needed reminding, either, that there was one hill still left to climb, starting Tuesday night in Cleveland.But at the moment, a white flag with a single blue W fluttered in the night sky atop the huge, manually operated scoreboard in center field -- a tradition begun in the 1930s so that riders on the nearby elevated train line would know when the Cubs won -- and their fans basked in its possibilities.They win 100-plus games (in the regular season), they really have no weaknesses, theyve got youth, veteran starting pitching ... they catch the baseball, they can slug, they get on base, and theyre relentless, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said afterward, by way of a scouting report.Thats a very good club over there.You couldnt have said that just seven years ago, when owner Tom Ricketts forked over $875 million of the familys fortune to buy the ballclub and that faith was tested mightily. Normally a level-headed sort, he fell in love with the Cubs soon after moving to the city as an 18-year-old to attend the University of Chicago. The Cubs went 83-78 in Ricketts first year, then posted five losing seasons in a row.In 2011, he shelled out good money to hire onetime Red Sox boy wonder Theo Epstein to rebuild the roster as president of baseball operations; the next year, the Cubs lost 101 games. But with Epstein pulling the strings, they also began collecting youngsters like Anthony Rizzo, Addison Russell and Kris Bryant, occasionally mixing in high-priced veteran pitchers like Jon Lester and John Lackey and turning around Jake Arrietas career.In 2015, Ricketts shelled out good money again to hire manager Joe Maddon; last season, they were swept by the Mets in the NLCS. The cornerstone of Maddons baseball philosophy is focus on the short term; try to win each at-bat, each inning, each game. He pulls stunts to make it fun -- bringing in zoo animals, wearing pajamas on the flight home from road trips and breaking up the monotony of a long season.But even he struggled on this night not to look back.You stand out on that platform afterwards and youre looking at the ballpark and the fans and the W flags everywhere, and truthfully you think about everybody, Maddon said. I think about the fans and their parents and their grandparents and great-grandparents and everything thats been going on here for a while. I think about my wife, Jaye, my kids, my mom back in Pennsylvania, my dad who wasnt here.Its overwhelming, he added finally, and its awesome.The Cubs last won it all in 1908, which means theyve been without a championship 40 years longer than the Indians, holders of the second-longest run without a championship in major North American pro sports. They may be the sentimental favorites, but theyre also savvy, ruthless and blessed with short memories -- basically, anything but your fathers Cubbies.Ditto for the owner. Asked what it would feel like to see that same flag fly at the end of the World Series, Ricketts admitted he already had his eye on a souvenir. It was likely to be more painful than expensive.I may make the `W a tattoo, he said.He wont be alone.---Jim Litke is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke(at)ap.org and https://Twitter.com/JimLitke . MLB Jerseys China . 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. Cheap Baseball Jerseys . Vettel was 0.168 seconds faster than Red Bull teammate Mark Webber around the Suzuka circuit. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg was two tenths of a second off Vettel. "The car balance is decent, but I think we can still improve," Vettel said. http://www.cheapmlbjerseyfreeshipping.com/ . A knee to the thigh might have stung him the most, but his sixth straight double-double made up for the brief burst of pain. Wholesale Baseball Jerseys . Uniteds eighth defeat of a wretched campaign means Liverpool, which currently occupies the fourth and final Champions League place, could go nine points clear of its fierce rival by beating West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. Charlie Adam scored both of Stokes goals at Britannia Stadium either side of Robin van Persies equalizer, with a miserable day for seventh-place United capped by first-half injuries to centre halves Jonny Evans and Phil Jones that forced them off. Cheap Washington Nationals Jerseys . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Kurt Rawlings threw for two touchdowns and ran for 74 yards to lead Yale to a 21-14 victory over Harvard in the 133rd edition of The Game on Saturday, snapping a nine-year losing streak in the rivalry and depriving the Crimson of a fourth straight Ivy League title.Theres been a long streak. We dont like to talk about it, Rawlings said. But its over. Now its our streak.The Bulldogs (3-7, 3-4 Ivy) had little to play for except a chance to spoil Harvards season, and thats exactly what they did.After opening the second half with an onside kick and scoring to take its first lead, Yale went ahead for good with 4:14 left on a 3-yard touchdown pass from Rawlings to Reed Klubnik, who had the ball knocked out of his hands just after he reached across the goal line.Harvard coaches protested along the sideline. There is no replay in the Ivy League.The Crimson (7-3, 5-2) had two possessions in the final minutes, but couldnt score.After one kneel-down, Yale students poured out of the stands to celebrate with the team at midfield. Harvard players walked glumly back to their field house after blowing the chance to become the first class ever to win four straight conference championships.Something we havent experienced in a long time is you can put it all out there, you can work as hard as you can, you can believe. And when you do that you still risk getting your heart broken, Harvard coach Tim Murphy said. Thats certainly what happened today.And Yales seniors know they wont be leaving behind a losing streak.I was overjoyed, obviously, linebacker Darius Manora said, adding wiith a smile: As an alum, Im excited for the future.dddddddddddd.On a sunny day that was warm enough to encourage some Yale students to dance naked on the concrete walls of the century-old stadium (and then get kicked out), the schools renewed one of the oldest rivalries in sports.It took some time for them to get their bearings.After playing 24 scoreless minutes, punting a combined 11 times to start the game, Harvard picked up 28 yards on a pass from Joe Viviano to Adam Scott before Charlie Booker bounced around the right end for a 27-yard touchdown. Yale took advantage of a fourth-down jump pass to move the ball 16 yards to the Harvard 3 and tied it just before the half.To start the second, Yale pulled off an onside kick that led to a 28-yard pass to Klubnik that gave the Bulldogs a 14-7 lead.That proved to be the pivotal play in the game, Murphy said.Harvard tied it, picking up 34 yards to the Yale 2 on a fourth-and-3. Three plays later, Viviano found Ryan Halvorson in the end zone to make it 14-all.THE TAKEAWAYYale: Bulldogs football has had little to celebrate for a decade. But coach Tony Reno improves to 1-4 against Harvard, and that will keep the people in New Haven happy for another offseason.Harvard: The Crimson could have clinched a share of the conference title either last week, against Penn, or in the finale. Instead, they end with two straight losses.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 . Cheap Stitched Jerseys China Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Womens Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Outlet Wholesale Throwback Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys 2019 Jerseys Wholesale Discount NFL Jerseys Stitched NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Throwback Cheap NFL Gear Cheap NFL Jerseys Throwback Wholesale Jerseys 2018 Wholesale NFL White Jerseys ' ' '