November 3, 2016

Cubs.com, Holy now! 108 years later, Cubs best in World http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/207995060/cubs-win-world-series-after-108-years-waiting/

Cubs.com, Cubs are heavy wait champions! http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/207938228/chicago-cubs-win-2016-world-series/

Cubs.com, Zobrist's heroics net Series MVP honors http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/207951690/ben-zobrist-named-world-series-mvp/

Cubs.com, Epstein pads Hall of Fame resume in Chicago http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/207989640/theo-epstein-adds-to-hall-of-fame-resume/

Cubs.com, Cubs, Indians play classic World Series Game 7 http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/207623656/cubs-indians-world-series-game-7-is-classic/

Cubs.com, Maddon delivers on his promise to Cubs http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/207982738/cubs-dont-win-without-joe-maddons-leadership/

Cubs.com, Going out on top: Ross carried off as champ http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/207949008/cubs-david-ross-oldest-to-homer-in-game-7/

Cubs.com, 108 is enough: Cubs hoist trophy http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/207969654/cubs-tom-ricketts-raises-world-series-trophy/

Cubs.com, Young Cubs team built to be a dynasty http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/207998962/cubs-built-to-win-more-than-just-this-year/

Cubs.com, Rain break may have been break Cubs needed http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/207986402/cubs-connect-for-winning-hits-after-rain-delay/

Cubs.com, Edwards, Montgomery seal historic final frame http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/207969482/edwards-montgomery-seal-cubs-world-series-win/

Cubs.com, Go, Cubs fans, go! Party in Wrigleyville http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/207990218/cubs-fans-celebrate-world-series-at-wrigley/

ESPNChicago.com, The Cubs aren't going away, and that's good news for baseball http://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/42838/the-cubs-arent-going-away-and-thats-good-news-for-baseball

ESPNChicago.com, Zo Cubs Zo! MVP Zobrist leads Chicago to promised land http://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/42853/world-series-mvp-ben-zobrist-sets-the-example-for-champion-cubs

ESPNChicago.com, The rain-delay meeting that changed Cubs history http://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/42846/the-rain-delay-meeting-that-changed-cubs-history

ESPNChicago.com, The clutch moments that won the Cubs the World Series http://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/42794/the-clutch-moments-that-won-the-cubs-the-world-series

ESPNChicago.com, Cubs win! Cubs win! Epic Game 7 victory ends Series curse http://www.espn.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/76261/cubs-win-cubs-win-epic-game-7-victory-ends-series-curse

CSNChicago.com, Joy To The World: Cubs Finally End 108-Year Series Drought http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/joy-world-cubs-finally-end-108-year-series-drought

CSNChicago.com, Big Surprise: Kyle Schwarber Plays The Role Of Hero Again For Cubs In World Series Game 7 http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/big-surprise-kyle-schwarber-plays-role-hero-again-cubs-world-series-game-7

CSNChicago.com, ‘F--- Yeah!’ Theo Epstein Builds Another World Series Winner In What’s Already A Hall Of Fame Career http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/f-yeah-theo-epstein-builds-another-world-series-winner-whats-already-hall-fame-career

CSNChicago.com, Ben Zobrist Delivers Exactly What The Cubs Expected With Massive World Series http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/ben-zobrist-delivers-exactly-what-cubs-expected-massive-world-series

CSNChicago.com, Jed Hoyer: Rain Delay Was 'Divine Intervention' For Cubs http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/jed-hoyer-rain-delay-was-divine-intervention-cubs

Chicago Tribune, Cubs' drought-ending World Series title has no peer in Chicago sports history http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-cubs-world-series-historic-haugh-spt-1103-20161102-column.html

Chicago Tribune, Chicago Cubs win World Series championship with 8-7 victory over Cleveland Indians http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-win-world-series-sullivan-spt-1103-20161102-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Cubs' David Ross makes some history in final major-league game http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-kuc-davis-ross-cubs-side-spt-1103-20161102-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Ben Zobrist named World Series MVP after go-ahead double in Game 7 http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-ben-zobrist-world-series-mvp-spt-1103-20161102-story.html

Chicago Tribune, It had to end this way: Cubs champions in thrilling, unforgettable Game 7 http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-sullivan-cubs-win-world-series-spt-1103-20161102-column.html

Chicago Tribune, An 'otherworldly' win for the world champion Cubs http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-an-otherworldy-win-for-the-world-champion-cubs-20161103-column.html

Chicago Tribune, Tom Ricketts amazed by Cubs' transformation to World Series champions http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-chairman-tom-ricketts-transformation-20161103-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Cubs face free-agent decisions on Dexter Fowler, Jason Hammel http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-dexter-fowler-jason-hammel-free-agents-20161103-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Short offseason and demands of rest and preparation await Cubs http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-short-offseason-bits-cubs-spt-1103-20161102-story.html

Chicago Sun-Times, 108 years and 10 innings later, it’s over: Cubs win World Series! http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/108-years-and-10-innings-later-its-over-cubs-win-world-series/

Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs’ David Ross goes out with a bomb — and a World Series title http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cubs-david-ross-goes-out-with-a-bomb-and-a-world-series-title/

Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs win the World Series, and Charlie Brown kicks the football http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cubs-win-the-world-series-and-charlie-brown-kicks-the-football/

Chicago Sun-Times, The ultimate Chicago Cubs victory, blue and soaring and beautiful http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/the-ultimate-chicago-cubs-victory-blue-and-soaring-and-beautiful/

Chicago Sun-Times, In the end, Maddon’s moves worked out for Cubs http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/in-the-end-maddons-moves-worked-out-for-cubs/

Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs’ curse-busting World Series win loaded with drama http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/cubs-curse-busting-world-series-win-loaded-with-drama/

Daily Herald, BLUE HEAVEN! Cubs win World Series http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20161102/sports/161109623/

Daily Herald, Rozner: The magic number will forever be 2016 http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20161102/sports/161109621/

-- Cubs.com Holy now! 108 years later, Cubs best in World By Carrie Muskat CLEVELAND -- Maybe when Addison Russell is 24, or Anthony Rizzo's nephew is old enough to watch videos, or Kris Bryant gets a gray hair, the young Cubs players will understand what they did this year. What Russell, Rizzo, Bryant, pitcher Jon Lester and the rest of their teammates did was end a century-plus of heartbreak and give Cubs fans around the world a reason to celebrate. Ben Zobrist smacked a tiebreaking RBI double in the 10th inning and Dexter Fowler, Javier Baez and David Ross homered to power the Cubs to an 8-7 victory over the Indians in Game 7 of the World Series on Wednesday night. For the first time since 1908, the Cubs are World Series champions. Believe it. "Nothing's been easy, nothing's been given to us," Lester said. "Every series has been a battle and been a grind for us. We played three really good opponents to get here, and here we stand. It's an unbelievable feeling to be a part of this. You wouldn't expect it any other way." The Cubs were the preseason favorites to win it all, and they won 103 games to claim the National League Central. They then ousted the Giants in the NL Division Series and beat the Dodgers in the NL Championship Series to reach

the World Series against the Indians, who opened a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. With their win, the Cubs are the first team to come back from a 3-1 deficit and win Games 6 and 7 on the road since the 1979 Pirates. The Indians made it tough, erasing a 5-1 lead in Game 7 and tying it on Rajai Davis' eighth-inning home run. A 17-minute rain delay before the 10th inning saved the day. Outfielder Jason Heyward called the Cubs hitters into the weight room, and general manager Jed Hoyer watched as the players regrouped. "I think the rain delay was the best thing that ever happened to us, to be honest," Hoyer said. "We went down to the rain room, talked a little bit. [Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein] and I saw all the hitters were huddled in the weight room during the delay and kind of getting pumped up. I felt great and thought, 'We were going to win this inning and we're world champions.' Maybe after 108 years, you get some divine intervention?" Heyward tried to downplay what he did, saying he just needed to vent and remind his teammates that they needed one more win. The Cubs' motto is "We never quit," something they say after each win. They were chanting that after receiving the trophy as well. "Theo and I were laughing about that -- it had to be super hard," Hoyer said of winning the Series. "We're down three games to one, we have a big lead in the game, 6-3. You don't feel good, but things were lined up pretty well for us. ... It was a roller coaster. We'll be talking about that game for decades. It was incredible." And when Michael Martinez grounded out to Bryant, who threw the ball to Rizzo at first, the celebration began. Rizzo, by the way, was able to stash the ball from the final out away for safekeeping. "It was a little surreal," Hoyer said. "You're biting your nails the entire time. It was a great release, a great feeling. I think it will all sink in when we get home. "I know so many people who are thinking of their grandfathers and fathers now in Chicago and that's what it's all about. It's bigger than these 25 guys, it's bigger than this organization. It's about this city and the fans who have stuck by this team forever." But Russell, Bryant and Rizzo weren't thinking about that. "I think that's why they did it," Ross said. "I don't think they know [about the history] -- they know to go out there and play baseball. They know they're really, really good. You have a lot of successful young talented players who have been successful their whole careers, and they expect to succeed. There's not a whole lot of guys talking about what's happened in the past. They're looking to the future, and the future is bright for that group." Ross is right. The young Cubs weren't thinking about the 1945 team that lost the World Series to the Tigers, or the 1984 team that lost the NLCS to the Padres, or any other squad that didn't win it all. "There was no weight on our shoulders," Russell said. "It's either we do it or we don't. We go out there and compete and try our best. If we don't, we'll feel really bad, but we gave it all we had. "This is in the history books, we made our mark," the 22-year-old shortstop said. "It's such a young core -- we're just getting started." Hoyer understands what winning a championship means for the Cubs, and had a message for Chicagoans. "Enjoy it -- just enjoy it," he said. "There's no curses -- there never was a curse. It's about having the best team and playing well over seven games in a World Series, and we did that. Enjoy it. The Cubs are no different than any other team. When we're the best team, we can win, and we were the best team." -- Cubs.com Cubs are heavy wait champions!

By Jordan Bastian and Carrie Muskat CLEVELAND -- After a 108-year wait for a World Series championship, the Cubs had to wait just a little longer and the brief rain delay came at exactly the right time for Jason Heyward to give the players a pep talk. A 17-minute delay followed the ninth inning, then Ben Zobrist smacked a tiebreaking RBI double in a two-run 10th that lifted the Cubs to an 8-7 victory over the Indians on Wednesday night in Game 7. "It was like a heavyweight fight, man," said Zobrist, who was named World Series MVP. "Just blow for blow, everybody playing their heart out. The Indians never gave up either, and I can't believe we're finally standing, after 108 years, finally able to hoist the trophy." Game 7 of a series in any sport is significant, but this was more than a baseball game to Cubs fans. This win ended more than a century of frustration as the Cubs won their first championship since 1908, ending the longest drought in professional sports. This was for Ernie and Ronnie and Billy and many more. "It's really great for our entire Cub-dom to get beyond that moment and continue to move forward," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said, "because now, based on the young players we have in this organization, we have an opportunity to be good for a long time, and without any constraints, without any of the negative dialogue." Dexter Fowler, Javier Baez and David Ross each homered, and the Cubs had leads of 5-1 and 6-3, but the Indians rallied against Aroldis Chapman in the eighth, tying the game at 6 on Rajai Davis' two-run homer. The Cubs are the first team to come back from a three-games-to-one deficit and win Games 6 and 7 on the road since the 1979 Pirates. The rain delay gave both teams and the sellout crowd a chance to regroup -- and breathe. It also prompted Heyward to gather the players in the weight room. "That moment, I felt like I had to vent a little bit and we had a big chance to win the game or take the lead in the game and we got thrown a curveball," Heyward said. "It's about the whole team, and I just had to let them know I loved them, and I had to let them know we won 103 games because we overcame every bit of adversity that we had thrown at us to this point. We needed 114 wins and I told them everybody in this room could go out and get that 114th win." Said Addison Russell: "We came out with that win, and whether it was the speech that did it or our athletic ability, I honestly think it's our camaraderie. It's been there since Day 1. There are no strangers on this team." Kyle Schwarber singled to open the 10th against Bryan Shaw, and was lifted for pinch-runner Albert Almora Jr., who advanced on Kris Bryant's flyout to the wall in right-center. Anthony Rizzo was intentionally walked to set up Zobrist, who lined a double down the left-field line past a diving Jose Ramirez. "It's unbelievable," Zobrist said. "I can't even put it into words. What this team has battled through all year long, believing we're the best team, but the ups and the downs and having to fight through things. ... It's an unbelievable team to be a part of." Miguel Montero added an RBI single and rookie Carl Edwards Jr. got the first two outs of the 10th before walking Brandon Guyer and giving up an RBI single to Davis. Mike Montgomery took over for Edwards and got Michael Martinez to ground to Bryant at third for the most important 5-3 in Cubs history. Back at Wrigley Field, Cubs fans flocked to the corner of Clark and Addison and were anticipating their own celebration, considering the commanding lead Chicago had until the eighth. They also were well-represented in the stands in the Tribe's home, making it sound like a neutral site at times. The Cubs, who won 103 games, are the third team in Wild Card era (since 1995) to have baseball's best outright regular-season record and win the World Series. They join the 1998 and 2009 Yankees.

"I want to congratulate Cleveland Indians and [manager Terry Francona]," Maddon said. "It's a difficult moment for them, but they are outstanding. I think on the surface looking at it from my perspective, really evenly matched teams that play the game the same way -- a lot of passion about it, a lot of respect for the game itself." This was the third time the Cubs faced Indians ace Corey Kluber in the Series, and the first time in his career that the right-hander did not strike out a batter. Kluber was charged with four runs over four-plus innings, including two home runs, which bookended his outing. Fowler led off the game with home run to straightaway center, and Baez closed Kluber's outing with a leadoff blast in the fifth. The Indians tied the game in the third on Carlos Santana's RBI single, but the Cubs tacked on runs in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Game 6 hero Russell and an RBI double by rookie Willson Contreras. Baez's homer not only made up for two errors he made early in the game but chased Kluber, and Andrew Miller took over. Bryant and Rizzo combined for another run as Bryant walked and then scored on Rizzo's hit-and-run single to right that made it 5-1. Since Sunday's Game 5 win, Rizzo has been playing the music from the movie "Rocky." As he stood on second base following his hit, he raised his arms in the air, just like Rocky Balboa, and did a little shadow boxing. Who could blame Rizzo, either? Cleveland looked to be on the verge of a knockout. Kyle Hendricks started for the Cubs and held the Indians to two runs over 4 2/3 innings, but he was lifted with two outs in the fifth after walking Santana. Jon Lester, making his first relief appearance since the 2007 American League Championship Series, entered along with veteran catcher Ross. It was a little messy, as a Ross throwing error and a wild pitch by Lester allowed two runs to score. But Ross made up for that in the sixth when his solo shot gave the Cubs a 6-3 lead, a great way to cap this storybook season as he heads into retirement. The Indians were trying to write their own ending, though. "We never feel like we're out of anything," said Trevor Bauer, who got two clutch outs in relief of Shaw in the 10th, "whether it be a Series, a game, an inning. I thought we did that same thing tonight." With a runner on first and two out in the eighth, Maddon handed the ball to Chapman, who promptly allowed a run-scoring double to Guyer, trimming Chicago's lead to 6-4. That set the stage for Davis, who ripped a 98-mph fastball to left field, where it cleared the 19-foot wall, eliciting a riotous roar from the crowd. "I remember half the team out of the dugout, celebrating already before I got to home plate," Davis said. "They're out of the dugout, the fans are going crazy. You could just look at the Cubs and see their heads kind of drop a little bit. You think in that moment, it's like a momentum change. "But they obviously were able to keep enough composure to score a couple of runs and go up." Davis struck again in the 10th with a two-out RBI single that made it 8-7, but he was stranded when Martinez grounded out to end the game one batter later. "I think it's appropriate to congratulate the Chicago Cubs," Francona said, naming Maddon, club president Theo Epstein, GM Jed Hoyer and club chairman Tom Ricketts. "... That was quite a Series, and you knew somebody was going to go home happy, but they deserve a lot of congratulations." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED You go, we go: Fowler gave the Chicago contingent of fans something to cheer about when he hit the first homer in history to open a winner-take-all World Series game. Fowler, who had seven leadoff homers during the regular season, launched a 2-1 sinker from Kluber a Statcast™-projected 406 feet to straightaway center. What also was encouraging was Schwarber on the bases, as he followed Fowler with an infield single, then stole second. Schwarber, playing on a surgically repaired left knee, was limited to being the designated hitter during the Series.

Davis' heroics: The stadium was shaking in the eighth inning, when Davis delivered his game-tying shot off Chapman. The veteran shot an arm high in the air as he rounded first and his teammates could not help but pour from the dugout in celebration. Up in a suite, NBA star LeBron James flexed and shouted with approval, while the crowd erupted in a riotous roar. Davis' blast pulled the game into a 6-6 deadlock, giving Cleveland a slice of hope before the Cubs' final push. "I was just thinking, 'This is me against him. We're going to see who wins this battle,'" Davis said. "That's been our year. Just fighting back. I don't know how many come-from-behind wins we've had, how many walk-offs we've had, just to do that. We've got that kind of players here in this clubhouse to make it really fun." Breaking through: The Indians pulled the game into a 1-1 deadlock in the third inning, when veteran Coco Crisp led off by slicing a pitch from Hendricks down the left-field line. Crisp showed that there is still life in his legs by hustling around first and diving headfirst into second with a double. Crisp then moved up 90 feet on a sacrifice bunt by Roberto Perez, and then jogged home when Santana sent a line drive over a leaping Rizzo and into right for an RBI single. No way, Jose: Ramirez opened the home half of the second with a chopper up the middle, where it ricocheted off Hendricks and rolled into no-man's land between short and third. After Ramirez reached with the infield single, the Progressive Field crowd roared and chanted his first name. A moment later, though, Hendricks caught Ramirez leaning at first and used a quick move to pick him off. Lonnie Chisenhall followed with a single but was erased by an inning-ending double play off the bat of Davis. So, the Indians had two hits, but Hendricks faced the minimum. Add-on runs: With the game tied at 1 in the fourth, Bryant singled to left, threading the ball between two defenders, and moved up when Rizzo was hit by a pitch. Rizzo was forced at second on Zobrist's fielder's choice, but Bryant advanced to third and scored on Russell's sacrifice fly to center. Davis threw home, but Bryant safely slid in under Perez's tag. Contreras followed with an RBI double off the center-field wall that Davis misjudged and had to chase. Zobrist scored on the hit to open a 3-1 lead. Wild turn of events: Ross took over behind the plate when Lester entered in relief with one on and two out in the fifth. After Ross made a throwing error on Jason Kipnis' swinging bunt, the Indians had runners on second and third. Then a wild pitch by Lester caromed off Ross' face mask to the backstop. He stumbled initially when he went to to give chase, allowing both runners to score. Ross then redeemed himself in the Chicago sixth, hitting a solo home run off Miller to open a 6-3 lead. It's a nice way to head off into retirement. At 39 years 228 days, Ross is the oldest player to homer in Game 7 of a World Series. "I'd just come into the game and gave up two runs, and I felt like I let the team down," Ross said. "I hit [the home run] pretty good." QUOTABLE "I'm just so happy for Cubs fans over the last 108 years, generations, some still here, some not. They were all here tonight. Everybody who's ever put on a Cub uniform, this is for you. It took a group of unbelievable men, connected with each other, never quitting. Everyone's prone to hyperbole, but tonight, it was kind of epic, right? It was the way it had to happen." -- Epstein, looking up into the rain "We overcame every single thing they could throw at us. We had injuries. We had you name it, and not once did we use it as an excuse. All we did was put our noses to the ground and kept fighting. We took a very good ballclub to extra innings of Game 7 of the World Series, so I don't think I'll be hanging my head for too long. I'm very proud of what we've done." -- Kipnis "I couldn't be more proud of every guy in this room. We were so close to winning that whole thing, but we just ran into a buzz saw. You look at the arms they were running out there, their lineup top to bottom, that is a really, really good team. That's probably going to go down as one of the better teams in baseball history. They won 103 games in a really tough division. We were on the losing end of it, but that's going to probably be looked at as one of the greatest World Series of all-time." -- Indians closer Cody Allen, who threw two scoreless innings in Game 7

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS The Cubs are fitting champions, as they had eight more victories than any other club. They outscored their opponents by 252 runs, which was the best run differential since the 2001 Mariners, who won 116 games and outscored foes by 300. In building the team that ended the Cubs' 108-year title drought, Epstein now occupies a special place in baseball lore, as he was the general manager of the Red Sox when they won the World Series in 2004, their first in 86 years. The Indians and Cubs ended with 27 runs apiece over their seven games. The last time both World Series teams scored the same number of runs was 1948, when Cleveland beat the Boston Braves in the city's last World Series triumph. AFTER FURTHER REVIEW The Indians caught a break in the third inning, when Kipnis sent a grounder to shortstop Russell, who gloved the ball after it hit the lip of the grass and took an odd last bounce. Russell quickly flipped the ball to Baez, but the second baseman botched a barehanded grab. Santana was ruled out at second, but Cleveland challenged. After viewing all relevant angles, the replay official definitively determined that Baez did not demonstrate complete control and firm and secure possession of the ball. The call was overturned and what looked like a possible double play instead turned into the Tribe having two runners on with one out. Chicago escaped when Francisco Lindor flied out to left and Mike Napoli sent a 103-mph liner into the glove of Bryant at third base. After Baez's homer chased Kluber, Fowler greeted Miller with a single and the Cubs had one on and nobody out in the fifth, but Schwarber grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. The Cubs challenged the out call at first, saying Schwarber beat the throw from second baseman Kipnis, but the replay official definitively determined that the ball contacted the interior of Napoli's glove prior to Schwarber's foot touching first base and the call was confirmed. The Cubs still mounted a two-out rally, with Bryant walking and scoring on Rizzo's hit-and-run single to make it 5-1. With the game caught in a 6-6 tie in the ninth, Heyward hit a grounder to Kipnis, who fired it to Lindor at short to retire pinch-runner Chris Coghlan. The Indians challenged that Coghlan's slide interfered with Cleveland's shot at a double play, but the replay official definitively determined that Coghlan engaged in a bona-fide slide and Heyward remained at first base. Heyward ended up on third with one out after a stolen base and an error on the throw from Perez, but the game remained tied after a Baez strikeout on an attempted two-strike bunt attempt and a Fowler groundout that took an impressive play by Lindor. -- Cubs.com Zobrist's heroics net Series MVP honors By Anthony DiComo CLEVELAND -- Ben Zobrist planted his right foot as he extended his bat to the outer edge of the strike zone, knifing the ball past Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez into left field. He punched the air with his right fist, then threw both arms in the air and screamed. Anthony Rizzo watched from third base, hands on his helmet in apparent disbelief. The Cubs were back on top in the 10th inning with the club's first World Series title in 108 years back within reach. In the moments following the Cubs' 8-7, 10-inning World Series Game 7 win over the Tribe on Wednesday night, general manager Jed Hoyer noted how there was no outrageous individual achievement, no obvious MVP, no one player who carried Chicago to a title. But it was Zobrist whose consistency made everything easier, and so it was Zobrist who stood on a makeshift stage, lifting the World Series Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet.

"Who sets a better example of how to work an at-bat?" Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "And who sets a better example of just being a professional than he does?" To a man, members of Chicago's front office insisted after Game 7 that a significant reason why the team acquired Zobrist last offseason on a four-year, $56 million deal was because of his clubhouse professionalism. But that's hard to measure, particularly for those outside the clubhouse. Easier to quantify are Zobrist's contributions on the field, including his .357 average and .919 OPS in seven World Series games. Even easier to measure is the impact of Zobrist's final hit, an opposite-field, RBI double on a 96-mph Bryan Shaw cutter on the outside corner. That plated Albert Almora Jr. with the go-ahead run, after Kyle Schwarber singled and Almora pinch-ran for him. And it moved Rizzo to third base, from where he would later score a critical insurance run on a Miguel Montero single. "We did what we wanted," Shaw said of his pitch to Zobrist. "He's a professional hitter. He's going to take good at-bats." If Zobrist's at-bat epitomized the Cubs' winning rally, then the rally epitomized what they've been about all year -- lengthy plate appearances, contact hitting, relying on more than home runs. When the Indians tied the game at 6 in the bottom of the eighth, the Cubs did not panic. They simply grinded. "To be a championship team, you have to be able to come back from moments like we had in the bottom of the eighth," Zobrist said. "I don't know if there's any other team that I've ever been on that would have been able to come back from that. "I couldn't imagine it. I feel like I'm in a dream right now." Upon receiving a World Series MVP trophy that conceivably could have gone to Kris Bryant or Jake Arrieta or any number of deserving candidates, Zobrist made his way back to the field, where he and wife Julianna soaked in the adulation. Maddon, who has known Zobrist since 2006 with the Rays, called his work ethic "incredible to watch." Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts called Zobrist "invaluable" and "a very special dude." Zobrist simply grinned, posed for pictures, admired the trophy, grinned some more. "He's just a different cat," Maddon said. "Everybody would like to have one of those on their team. We're just very fortunate to have him. He probably exemplifies exactly how we want to play the game." -- Cubs.com Epstein pads Hall of Fame resume in Chicago By Phil Rogers CLEVELAND -- So how old does an executive have to be to be in the Hall of Fame? Is 42 too young? Theo Epstein may no longer be viewed as a boy genius, as he was when the Red Sox won the 2004 World Series less than two years after he'd taken over as their general manager, but his work in Chicago suggests he is exactly what Tom Ricketts felt he was when the owner hired Epstein five years ago -- a difference-maker of the highest order. Epstein added the latest item on his list of bonafides for Cooperstown with the Cubs' roller-coaster 8-7, 10-inning victory in Game 7 of the World Series. The same guy who oversaw the end of the Red Sox's 86-year drought has done himself one better, building a team that ended the Cubs' 108-year wait. "He's always had a plan in place," said Ryan Dempster, the former Cubs pitcher who now serves as a special advisor. "He set it up for success and it happened. It's amazing. He's going to the Hall of Fame. He can do whatever he wants. What he's done in two different cities, turned around two curses, is something legendary."

Epstein was drawn to the Cubs in part because of the chance to restore glory to a franchise that hadn't won a World Series since 1908. His teams have now won three championships, and Dempster is right about Cooperstown. There's no denying Epstein's place in history. The only question is how long will it take before his plaque is being designed. But that was the last thing on Epstein's mind at about 2 a.m. on Thursday morning. He stood on the pitcher's mound at Progressive Field, flanked by his two main men, Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod, and posed for photos as rain fell on them. Once they were done, the Cubs' brass had a group hug. They swaddled themselves in one of the hundreds -- maybe even thousands -- of W flags that made the trip from Chicago for the deciding games of a World Series in which the Cubs won the last three to erase a 3-1 deficit that had spread depression across the North Side. As highly as he is regarded, Epstein still has moments when he can't believe that a guy who fought for playing time on the Brookline (Mass.) High baseball team is a part of history like this back-and-forth Game 7. "I'm truly just honored to be part of Major League Baseball," Epstein said after the hug broke up. "I grew up a fan, loving the game, and not being good enough to play, so to be part of a Major League Baseball is incredible. To have the privilege of working with two organizations like this is something I never thought I'd have, and to be a part of winning World Series in both places is something I will always treasure and won't take for granted. It means the world to me." Baseball seasons can swing quickly, which Epstein learned in his first year as the Red Sox's general manager. Boston led the Yankees, 5-2, in the eighth inning of Game 7 of the 2003 American League Championship Series, but wound up losing, 6-5, on Aaron Boone's home run in the 11th inning. Epstein may have looked relaxed when television cameras showed him in the eighth inning Wednesday night, his son Jack wrapping his arms around his neck, but inside he was churning. He hated that some of his friends felt the Cubs had the World Series locked up because they were leading 6-3, with Aroldis Chapman on the mound. "People were texting me congrats," Epstein said. "I'm like, '[Bleep] you, this is baseball, anything can happen.'" In the end, Rajai Davis' game-tying home run and a 17-minute rain delay after the ninth only made the outcome a little more hard-earned for the Cubs. Epstein will never forget the scene he saw in the team's clubhouse when he left his seat to meet with Major League Baseball officials during the rain delay. "I went downstairs and walked past our weight room," he said. "I saw all our players. I got a little concerned about what was going on. I popped the door open a little bit and they were all saying, 'This is only going to make it sweeter. Let's grind, boys. Let's go.'" This was exactly the cohesiveness and determination that Epstein, Joe Maddon and other executives and coaches have tried to build. "Sure enough, they went out and scored two runs," Epstein said. "That was so appropriate for that group of guys, the year we had, the organization we have. ... To bounce back after that -- with intent, with connectedness, the way they were meeting in the weight room -- I knew we were going to win as soon as I saw that." Epstein is known for long days and short weekends. He sets the tone for a front office that prides itself on never being outworked. "What makes a great organization is a thousand little sacrifices that you make when no one's looking," Epstein said. "That's been happening here for five years and probably longer. I got the privilege to see it for five years, and that's what makes it so rewarding to see this happen tonight."

Epstein grew up rooting for the Red Sox, but he has made himself a part of the Cubs' community, past and present. He was beaming about the happiness that he helped create for people in Chicago and a long list of those who have given their heart to the franchise. "The effect on so many people and generations, bringing families together ... I'm thinking of people who didn't make it," Epstein said. "I'm thinking of Ernie [Banks]; thinking of Ronnie [Santo]; thinking of Billy Williams, who will be celebrating with us; the '69 team, the '84 team, [and] the 2003 team -- all these teams that were great and could have gotten it done, but just didn't have the bounces on their side. Now we got it done, and everyone's going to sleep happy tonight." Including the architect of it all. -- Cubs.com Cubs, Indians play classic World Series Game 7 By Richard Justice CLEVELAND -- We may have just watched the greatest World Series game ever played, and that may be the thing the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians can agree on weeks from now when there's time to reflect on things. The Cubs and Indians can take enormous pride in this 4-hour, 28-minute thriller that delivered on virtually every level. When it ended, the Cubs had won, 8-7, in 10 innings to capture their first World Series title in 108 years. Considering the stakes -- a winner-take-all baseball game, for heaven's sake, featuring two iconic franchises -- this was set up to be an instant classic. As it unfolded -- with the Cubs taking control and the Indians clawing back -- as both teams seemed determined to write their own ending and as the whole thing became a war of wills, it was exactly that. "Look, I think we just saw the end of one of the great World Series of all-time," Commissioner Rob Manfred said. The Cubs will be the enduring storyline because this World Series, as wonderful as it was, ended a seven-year quest by Cubs owner Tom Ricketts to construct a model franchise. In hiring two brilliant men -- Theo Epstein, the baseball architect, and Joe Maddon, the manager -- Ricketts has so transformed the Cubs that they'll never be looked at the same way by anyone inside or outside baseball. No matter how we elevate the Cubs -- and they deserve every last ounce of praise -- we simply cannot allow ourselves to overlook these Indians. This has been a magical baseball summer in Northeast Ohio, and not just because the Indians got to the World Series for the first time in 19 years. This club showed so much heart and determination during a season that could have been crushed by injuries. Instead, those injuries brought out the best in the franchise, thanks to one of baseball's best managers, Terry Francona, who pushed all the right buttons in a clubhouse with more talent and character than anyone could have known. "That was an incredible game to be a part of," Francona said. "It is an honor. And I just told [my players] that. It's going to hurt. It hurts because we care, but they need to walk with their head held high, because they left nothing on the field. And that's all the things we ever ask them to do. They tried until there was nothing left." The 112th World Series was a heavyweight fight from the beginning. The Indians won three of the first four games. The Cubs won the next two to force a Game 7 that began Wednesday night, was interrupted by a 17-minute rain delay, and finished in the wee hours of Thursday morning. How good was it? It had no singular defining moment. Instead, there were dozens of them, which only made it better, more compelling.

"It's got to be a top three game of all time," Epstein said. "Everyone's prone to hyperbole at moments like this, but I think it really was. It felt like it. I died like six times. It was pretty remarkable.'' There would be Cubs center fielder Dexter Fowler hitting Indians starter Corey Kluber's fourth pitch of the game over the fence for a 1-0 lead. There would be the Cubs breaking out to leads of 5-1 and 6-3. And there would be the Indians fighting back, with Rajai Davis tagging Cubs closer Aroldis Chapman for a game-tying two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning. As Cubs fans went silent, Indians fans rocked the ballpark to its bones. The Cubs stranded runners in scoring position in three of the first five innings. They were robbed of another on a breathtaking defensive play by Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor in the ninth. There were four errors. There were 36 players used, including eight relievers. The Cubs finally took the lead for good in the top of the 10th, when World Series Most Valuable Player Award winner Ben Zobrist drove in a run with a double down the left-field line. Miguel Montero followed with another run-scoring hit. "This one about made me pass out," Zobrist said. "It was just an epic battle. We've been listening to Rocky's soundtrack the last three games. We've got our own Italian Stallion, Anthony Rizzo, that's been putting that on. It was like a heavyweight fight, man. Just blow for blow, everybody playing their heart out." The Indians punched back in the bottom of the 10th to score a run and leave a runner on base when Maddon's fourth reliever, Mike Montgomery, got Michael Martinez to ground out to third to end it. "It could not have been a more entertaining, difficult series to win," Maddon said. "I believe this is good for our game moving forward, that we're attempting to seize young fans and not just to play the game, but to be fans of the game. You cannot be more entertained than you were over these last seven games." -- Cubs.com Maddon delivers on his promise to Cubs By Anthony DiComo CLEVELAND -- It had been 108 years since the Cubs won a World Series, but it was the past 14 that most interested Joe Maddon. The now-beloved Cubs manager lost his father in 2002, shortly before winning a World Series as bench coach of the Angels. Since that time, Maddon has carried his dad's Anaheim Angels cap around the country with him. He considers it a piece of him. Maddon kept the cap -- navy blue base, brim slightly bent, white angel wings affixed to a red "A" logo -- near at hand throughout the Cubs' 8-7 Game 7 win over the Indians early Thursday morning. But it was not until a 17-minute rain delay between the ninth and 10th innings that he retrieved it, stuffing the memento into his back pants pocket and draping his hooded sweatshirt over it. He kept it there as the Cubs rallied for the 10th-inning runs that transformed franchise history. "It's incredible how this all plays out sometimes," Maddon said. "You have to believe in order to see things, and I do believe." For Maddon, there is no longer reason to doubt. For the Cubs, likewise. This franchise hired Maddon two years ago to complete the bedrock of its rebuild, gelling old players and philosophies with ones yet to arrive. He performed his role not flawlessly, because no one does, but near enough for wild success. He was analytical and introspective, an extension of the front office yet an independent mind on the field. "There's no way we're spraying champagne without Joe here," general manager Jed Hoyer said, clutching a near-empty bottle in his hand. "He brought a culture and a belief that I think would have been almost impossible to get

from a different personality. He was the right guy at the right time, and I think we were really fortunate to be able to get him." Maddon's final work in a 103-win season was imperfect. Removing starter Kyle Hendricks in the fifth inning backfired when Jon Lester and his personal catcher, David Ross, allowed two runs to score on a wild pitch. Turning to Aroldis Chapman in the eighth went awry when the heavily used closer allowed the game-tying runs to score. But those and other quibbles fell flat for a Cubs team uninterested in quibbling. It was Maddon, they knew, who'd guided them to baseball's best record during the regular season, Maddon who managed them to 11 more wins in the playoffs, Maddon who was there beside them for the World Series trophy presentation. "Joe's one of the best managers in baseball," Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said. "The fact that he became available was an incredible opportunity for us. I think it's fair to say it would be very difficult to imagine us here without Joe." Exactly two years to the day before celebrating with his employees, Theo Epstein, president of baseball operations, announced that Maddon would be the team's next manager, calling him "as well suited as anyone in the industry to manage the challenges that lie ahead of us." At his introductory news conference, Maddon vowed that the World Series "is in our future." He also knew that splashy celebrations would not come easily, considering how much goes into an offseason, a Spring Training, a six-month season and a postseason grind. But the Cubs believed in him, giving him a five-year deal. In turn, Maddon delivered them a title, outlasting a counterpart whose two titles and three pennants could one day land him in Cooperstown. "You're trying desperately to find a way to win a game," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "The emotions come after, whether it's good or bad. You don't think about storybooks and stuff like that." For Maddon, storybooks may have been harder to avoid. Yes, this was about a team and a clubhouse and a franchise and a fan base and a generation or three who were collectively aching for the Cubs to win. But baseball is about more than that, and Maddon is about more than baseball, the cap on his head offering evidence enough. "My dad's been there for the 2002 win in Anaheim, and he was here tonight," Maddon said. "It was great to have my dad there for two World Series victories." -- Cubs.com Going out on top: Ross carried off as champ By Carrie Muskat CLEVELAND -- After 883 regular-season games and 25 more in the playoffs, after squatting behind the plate for nearly 6,000 innings and even throwing two innings in relief, after taking endless foul balls off nearly every body part and calling zillions of pitches, David Ross is going home. And he's doing so as a world champion. The veteran catcher, who began with the Dodgers and made stops with the Pirates, Padres, Reds, Red Sox and Braves, ended his career in style, helping the Cubs win Game 7 of the World Series, 8-7, against the Indians on Wednesday night. After the parade, Ross will be back in Tallahassee, Fla., and just Dad. "I think you could write a book on his season this year," Cubs pitcher Jon Lester said of his batterymate. "The guy never ceases to amaze me. We're talking about -- and not a knock on him -- but we're talking about a backup catcher and the impact he had on these guys here and has had on me. There's not many guys in this game when you're done who you still keep in contact with. He's definitely one of them for me.

"On and off the field, I consider him a brother. I don't have any brothers, I don't have any sisters, and there's very few people I let into my family circle, and he's one of them." Ross entered the game in the fifth with Lester, who replaced starter Kyle Hendricks. The Indians had one on and two outs, and Lester gave up a single to Jason Kipnis on which Ross made a throwing error to advance both runners to second and third before they scored on a wild pitch. Ross, 39, made up for it in the Chicago sixth, when he belted a home run to open a 6-3 lead. With the blast, he became the oldest player in Major League history to homer in Game 7 of the World Series. At 39 years, 228 days, Ross surpassed the previous record held by Willie Stargell, who was 39 years, 225 days old when he hit a home run in Game 7 of the 1979 World Series. Ross' blast traveled 402 feet, as projected by Statcast™, and it came off the bat at 103.9 mph against left-hander Andrew Miller, who seemed unhittable for much of this postseason. "I'd just come into the game and gave up two runs, and I felt like I let the team down," Ross said. "When I hit it [in the sixth], it was as good as I could've hit it." It's time to help his wife, Hyla, take care of their three young children, Landri, Cole and Harper. Ross made his Major League debut on June 29, 2002, with the Dodgers, although he didn't get his first big league hit until Sept. 2 at Arizona. That same day, he hit his first home run, although it came off first baseman Mark Grace, who was called on to pitch in the Dodgers' 19-1 win over the D-backs. He ends his career with a homer in Game 7 of the World Series. That's not bad for a backup catcher. "I hit a home run in Game 7, and I got carried off the field," Ross said. "That doesn't happen. It's like 'Rudy.'" During the postseason, Ross has taken time for some mental snapshots. Walking to the bullpen prior to Game 1 of the World Series at Progressive Field, Ross heard fans chirping at him. "I realized I'm never going to be able to be a part of this again as far as these moments, so take this in," Ross said. "I'm trying to tell myself a lot, 'Take this in. Take this in.' You'll see me, if you pay attention, I'll look up in the stands a lot, just because there are not too many times you get to be in front of 40,000, 50,000 people on the field and they're all cheering for a team and you're able to look up and it's just a massive amount of people." Any thought of reconsidering retirement? "How do you come back after this?" Ross said. "I would kick my own you know what if I came back after this. My family, my wife, what a treat. I'm so, so lucky. I'm going to come back, but I'm going to come back and get that ring and I'm going to come back and heckle [Anthony Rizzo] from the seats at first base. I'm going to come back every once in a while and just enjoy a wonderful city that has treated me so nice." -- Cubs.com 108 is enough: Cubs hoist trophy By Carrie Muskat CLEVELAND -- When Tom Ricketts purchased the Cubs after the 2009 season, he promised he would do whatever it took to bring a World Series championship to Chicago. On Wednesday night, the Cubs chairman was finally able to hoist the Commissioner's Trophy and celebrate the team's World Series victory. The Cubs edged the Indians, 8-7, in 10 innings at Progressive Field in a drama-filled Game 7, and the trophy was presented to Ricketts, president of baseball operations Theo Epstein, general manager Jed Hoyer and manager Joe Maddon in the clubhouse.

"It's incredible," Ricketts said. "I think about so many millions of people giving so much love and support to this team for so many years, to finally pay them back -- it's all for the fans, I give all the credit to the players and Joe and the coaching staff. It's a team effort and we're happy to have this." Ricketts was then asked how good it felt to be able to say the Cubs were the champions. He paused, then turned to the players and staff in the clubhouse. "I just want to say this real quick -- hey, the Cubs are World Series champions," Ricketts said. "That's the first time I've said that, and it feels pretty good." The players chanted "We never quit, we never quit" while Ricketts passed the trophy to Epstein, who lifted it above his head. This is Epstein's third World Series championship; he won with the Red Sox in 2004 and '07. -- Cubs.com Young Cubs team built to be a dynasty By Phil Rogers CLEVELAND -- They won the World Series, and that's a lot for one night, especially for players and executives representing a franchise that hadn't won since Teddy Roosevelt was in the White House. But the Cubs are more than just the 2016 champions, and they know it. Tom Ricketts, Theo Epstein, Joe Maddon and dozens of others have worked to build a team that has a chance to be the second coming of the Yankees, circa 1996-2003, and everyone knows it. That's why the nerve-wracking 10-inning Game 7 victory over the Indians was as gratifying as it was, well, epic. The season would have been successful even if the Cubs had lost after reaching the World Series for the first time since 1945, but no one wanted just to come close a year after being swept by the Mets in the National League Championship Series. "I wouldn't have felt any different about the organization or the people or the character [if we hadn't won]," said Epstein, the Cubs' president of baseball operations. "But when you win, it gives people something to hold onto for the rest of their lives. It feels really good." Miguel Montero, an 11-year veteran who drove home the second run in the 10th-inning winning rally, expects that there will be a lot more winning in the Cubs' future. They're the youngest team to win the World Series since the 1969 Mets, and they are coming off a season in which they won 103 games, eight more than any other Major League team. The Cubs had primary players at five positions this season who were in their age-26 season or younger, including veterans Anthony Rizzo and Jason Heyward, and that list didn't include Javier Baez, who was used all over the field, and catcher Willson Contreras, who didn't get promoted to the Major Leagues until late June. Third baseman Kris Bryant, 24, is a favorite to win the NL Most Valuable Player Award, and 23-year-old Kyle Schwarber used the World Series to remind fans that he could be just as productive as Bryant once he's fully recovered from the reconstructive surgery on his left knee, which sidelined him almost all of this season. "These guys aren't even in their prime," Montero said. "Not even close to being in their prime. This team is going to be very good." Maddon, the manager who was hired two years ago after a remarkable run of success with the small-market Tampa Bay Rays, can't wait to see how his team matures. Because of the Cubs' market size and the resources that Ricketts provides, Maddon knows he'll have a chance to see if the North Siders can sustain a run of success like the Yankees.

The manager was excited about the future of the Rays after a run to the World Series in 2008 behind youngsters such as Evan Longoria and David Price, but limited finances kept the team running in place. The Rays had the second-most victories in Major League Baseball from 2008-13, but they never got back to the Fall Classic. "You have to do it the first time to really understand it and feel what it's like," Maddon said. "We never got back to the Series. We got in the playoffs often. But these young guys are even younger [than the Rays], and there is a better chance of keeping them together just based on finances." Riicketts, who bought the franchise in 2009, has overseen a renovation project at Wrigley Field while providing both the vision to invest heavily in the farm system and give Epstein the opportunity to sign major free agents such as Jon Lester, Heyward, World Series MVP Ben Zobrist and John Lackey. No one's more thrilled to end the 108-year championship drought, but Ricketts wants more than just one parade. He wants to return the team to the tradition from its early years, in particular the ownership of William Wrigley Jr. Ricketts remains driven to attain a lofty goal. "We want to get back to that consistency," Ricketts said. "Make [Wrigley Field] the best, as it always has been -- and make it even better -- and get back to being a consistent winner, do whatever we can to restore the glory." The Cubs took their first steps in 2015, winning 97 games and eliminating the Pirates in the NL Wild Card Game and the Cardinals in the NL Division Series before losing to the Mets in the NLCS. They went through the Giants and Dodgers this year before rallying from a 3-1 deficit to stun the Indians. Epstein knows the relentless schedule of activity required of baseball executives. They do not get much time to enjoy success. "You know what he was doing before the game today?" asked Ryan Dempster, a special assistant to Epstein. "He was talking about roster moves. You want to talk about people who are uber-prepared? That's Jed [Hoyer], Jason [McLeod], Scott Harris, Shiraz [Rehman], all these guys. It's a tight, hard-working bunch." The biggest questions in the offseason revolve around free agents Dexter Fowler and Aroldis Chapman, as well as the status of Jake Arrieta, who is only a year away from free agency. The Cubs must also design a plan to fit Schwarber back into the lineup on a regular basis and continue to nurture their prospects, including center fielder Albert Almora Jr. Epstein knows he has built a team that will be tough for NL teams to take down, but he won't rest on this dream season. While he acknowledges the team's future is "great," he says the challenge will be to maintain the edge. "I hope this is a beginning, but for right now, this is a celebration," Epstein said. "If we do our jobs right, and if we stay humble and hungry, it's going to be a beginning." -- Cubs.com Rain break may have been break Cubs needed By Adam McCalvy CLEVELAND -- The Cubs made it as far as the weight room on the way to their clubhouse at Progressive Field on Wednesday night. They were wet, another band of rain having rolled through and causing what would be a 17-minute rain delay after nine innings of what was shaping into an epic Game 7. They were dejected after a three-run lead with four outs to go had slipped away from Aroldis Chapman. Retiring veteran catcher David Ross consoled Chapman, whose cheeks were streaked with tears as rain began to fall. Their 10-inning, 8-7 triumph was still one tension-filled inning away.

Jason Heyward, the high-priced pickup who endured a high-profile slump, huddled his teammates together. "I told them I love them," Heyward said. "I told them I'm proud of the way they overcame everything together. I told them everyone has to look in the mirror, and know everyone contributed to this season and to where we are at this point. "I said, 'I don't know how it's going to happen, how we're going to do it, but let's go out and try to get a W.'" They did do it, as you surely have heard by now. Kyle Schwarber, the slugger who didn't have a hit in the regular season but returned from knee surgery in time for the World Series, led off the post-delay action with a single. Albert Almora Jr., the Cubs' first Draft pick of the Theo Epstein/Jed Hoyer era, who had all of one at-bat in this World Series, took over as a pinch-runner and alertly scampered to second base when Kris Bryant flied out to the warning track. After Anthony Rizzo drew an intentional walk, the go-ahead hit came from Ben Zobrist, the soon-to-be Series MVP who signed with the Cubs after winning a ring last year with the Royals. After another intentional walk came another run-scoring hit, this time from Miguel Montero, who essentially had become the Cubs' third-string catcher. The pitcher throughout the inning was Indians right-hander Bryan Shaw, who had taken over in the ninth inning and returned after the delay. Did the wait erase Cleveland's momentum? "I don't think it really [did]," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "I mean, Bryan Shaw was the guy out there, and of all our guys, he can bounce back probably as good as anybody. Just, [the Cubs] are a good team, and they keep coming at you. That was tough for them. We tied it, and a lot of teams might fold. They didn't. But we didn't either. We ran out of time." The Indians scored a run in the bottom of the 10th but stranded the potential tying run on base. For the Cubs it was as if the rain washed away 108 years of frustration. "I really feel like in some ways, that rain delay was kind of divine intervention," said Hoyer, the Cubs' GM. "The game was going really fast for us at that point." "It was the best thing for us," Bryant said. "We all got together in the weight room, we all supported each other. Chapman was a little upset. That guy works his butt off. Jason Heyward led the way, talking us up, getting us ready, and you saw what we did there." During the delay, Hoyer and Epstein passed through the clubhouse as they headed down to the clubhouse level to meet with officials from Major League Baseball about the weather. "I went downstairs and walked past our weight room. I saw all our players. I got a little concerned about what was going on," Epstein said. "I popped the door open a little bit and they were all saying, 'This is only going to make it sweeter, let's grind boys, let's go.' Sure enough, they went out and scored two runs. That was so appropriate for that group of guys, the year we had, the organization we have." Hoyer returned to his seat with a good feeling. "All we had to do was win one inning," he said. "And we did it." -- Cubs.com Edwards, Montgomery seal historic final frame By Adam McCalvy

CLEVELAND -- The final three outs of the Cubs' first championship season in more than a century were produced not by the powerful arm of Aroldis Chapman, but by a skinny right-hander who started the year at Triple-A Iowa and a lefty middle reliever who was property of the Seattle Mariners until late July. Carl Edwards Jr. got the first two of those outs before yielding the last to Mike Montgomery, who, considering the context, may have earned the most significant save in baseball history when Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo converted a Michael Martinez grounder into the final out of the Cubs' 8-7 victory in Game 7 of the World Series. "I don't even know what I did. I don't remember how. I just remember it was a ground ball to third," said Montgomery. "I didn't know what to do. It was unbelievable." Amid the pile of Cubs players on the field, it was another reliever, Justin Grimm, who told Montgomery what he'd done. "He said, 'You're going to be in every highlight video for the Cubs, forever,'" Montgomery said. "That's a cool feeling. I threw two pitches and got the guy out. It's almost too unbelievable to have that happen, but I was ready for the moment. Now we're world champs." The Cubs acquired Montgomery from Seattle in a four-player swap on July 20. They got Edwards in a trade, too, three years earlier. He was one of three prospects sent by the Rangers to the Cubs for Matt Garza in 2013, when Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer were still in rebuilding mode. Edwards made it to Double-A the next season, touched the Majors at the end of 2015 and became an increasingly effective reliever for manager Joe Maddon after a June callup to the Cubs. A hard-throwing righty with one of Major League Baseball's highest spin rates, giving his fastball a rising effect to hitters, Edwards this postseasonn has pitched in spots previously reserved for more seasoned relievers Pedro Strop and Hector Rondon. Both were available to Maddon for the 10th inning Wednesday, after Chapman had surrendered a three-run lead and the teams remained locked in a 6-6 tie after nine innings. But after the Cubs scored twice in the top of the 10th, Maddon's choice was 25-year-old Edwards. Edwards struck out Mike Napoli and retired Jose Ramirez on a grounder, but then walked Brandon Guyer, who took second on indifference and scored on a Rajai Davis single. Enter Montgomery for the final out. "I felt confident," Maddon said. "You saw C.J. get the two quick outs and all of a sudden it got away a little bit, so you have to have somebody prepared in that moment. But I do know one thing, I know C.J. will be better for that next year. I do know that." Montgomery threw two curveballs, getting Martinez to bounce the second toward the third baseman Bryant. Kris Bryant smiles during final out "When it was hit, I thought it might have been too slow. I thought about going after it," Montgomery said. "K.B. must have been positioned perfectly, because when I turned, he was right there and it was in his glove." The day he was traded to the Cubs, Montgomery's first incoming call was from Chicago GM Hoyer. On Wednesday, following the final out, the two men met near the mound. "He came up to me and hugged me and said, 'Hey, this is why we got you,'" Montgomery said. "I just told him thanks for getting me. It was a pretty cool moment." For Cubs fans, it's a moment etched in history. --

Cubs.com Go, Cubs fans, go! Party in Wrigleyville By Scott Merkin CHICAGO -- Fans started flocking to Wrigley Field around the seventh inning of the Cubs' 8-7, 10-inning World Series-clinching victory Wednesday night in Cleveland, marching, running, jumping and yelling down Sheffield Ave. and Clark St. And at 1 a.m. CT on Thursday morning, some 90 minutes after Kris Bryant threw out Cleveland's Michael Martinez to officially end the team's 108-year championship drought, the fans were still coming, with no end in sight. "We finally won something," said Maggie Ferran, who was part of the masses around Wrigley. "It means so much to get to the World Series as the first step, and the fact that they won, and won in the 10th inning, that's amazing. It's so exciting. The city is electrified." "One hundred and eight years in the making," said Justin, a Cubs fan running down Sheffield and wearing a hat literally shaped like an actual Cub. "I'm speechless." "I went to Game 3, 4 and 5. Game 5, I knew this is what we were going to do. You could feel it," said Steve Wells, another diehard Cubs fan taking part in the celebration. "We are here and we did it." There were plenty of people in the Wrigleyville area long before Corey Kluber threw the first pitch of this exciting deciding game of an overall exciting 2016 World Series. Some staked out seats at local establishments, while others practiced a little art work on the Wrigley Field outer wall on Sheffield. Using chalk, fans wrote names of relatives and friends, some who were no longer alive, who would be moved by the Cubs' remarkable run. There were chalk shoutouts from particular neighborhoods within the city, and of course, a number of "Go Cubs Go" and the "W." By the time the Cubs jumped out to leads of 5-1 and 6-3, fans numbered 200 or 300 watching the game through the windows outside of bars already at capacity. They withstood the Indians' gritty comeback to tie the game in the eighth and let loose a century worth of frustration when the final out was recorded in the bottom of the 10th. Even Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog from Conan O'Brien's TBS talk show, camped out on the porch of one neighboring residential building to record the frenzied fans leading up to the final out. While there were a few crazies, according to one of the many police officers watching the area, the huge masses basically were there to celebrate. "This is unbelievable. It's what my grandparents had been dreaming about their whole lives," said Cubs fan Ian McCauley. "I never thought it would happen. I can't even describe this. It's crazy. It's nuts." "Nothing compares," said Wells with a broad smile. "I'm married. My wife is at home with my three kids, I live a half-mile down the street and this is amazing." Laura Orlandi, who was at a house party for the game, is due to deliver a girl Friday. The baby, who was pointed to by an arrow on her mom's "Future Cubs fan" T-shirt, made her presence felt throughout the night. "She was kicking. She was going crazy," Orlandi said. "I'm sure she will see some of the video, but it's stunning to think our child is going to be coming into the world only knowing the Cubs as a winning team -- because it's been so long. "My husband was begging me to keep waiting after the [National League Championship Series], after the World Series. Now it's going to be after the parade." --

ESPNChicago.com The Cubs aren't going away, and that's good news for baseball By Bradford Doolittle CLEVELAND -- Every year along Lake Michigan, they shut down the famous Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park. The water is shut off, leaving behind an empty cement hole with some lonely looking seahorse sculptures sticking up, and the ornate terraces of the fountain itself that look so dazzling under the summer sun. People still shuffle along the pebble-coated plaza surrounding the fountain during the winter, taking selfies and otherwise admiring the thing they can really see better in their mind's eye. Then in the spring, somebody turns the water back on and the show begins all over again. And so it is for Wrigley Field. The Ivy is turning into yellow, dried vines, the bars along Clark Street will go back to demanding normal cover charges, and the work on the new hotels across the street will resume. The Chicago Cubs' season is over, and what a season it was, the biggest in 108 years. All those who wondered what a World Series would look like at Wrigley Field have seen it. The ultimate, city-rocking celebration is underway, there will be a parade downtown past the hibernating fountain, and then we move on and Ferris Bueller will go back to school. That the Cubs achieved their ultimate goal is bittersweet for players and fans alike. The World Series drought was huge, reminding one of Pop Fisher's line from "The Natural" -- "Red, I wanted to win that pennant worse than I wanted any damned thing in my life. You'd think I could just this once, wouldn't you? I didn't care nothing about the Series. Win or lose, I would have been satisfied. I'd have walked away from baseball, and I'd have bought a farm." It's safe to say no one in Chicago is likely to give up baseball and enter the agricultural field, but there is one thing that they now realize. As sweet as winning that long-sought-after pennant was, winning the World Series was even better. But there is work left to do. Getting to the top is one thing, staying there is another. And while the Cubs head into winter trying to figure out what the finishing touches might be, the greater baseball community can rejoice: Next year, we get to do it all again. That the Cubs attracted interest in baseball well beyond their home city is undeniable. According to Major League Baseball, Game 2 of Chicago's National League Division Series against the San Francisco Giants was the highest-rated game in MLB Network history. Game 6 of the National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers was the highest-rated LCS game in six years. According to the New York Times, the World Series was drawing the most viewers since the Boston Red Sox beat the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004, and Sunday's Game 5 drew about 5 million more viewers than Sunday Night Football. Needless to say, the ratings for Game 7 are expected to be off the charts. After years of decline in World Series viewership, this year's Series was watched at levels not seen in more than a decade. On the internet, for months Cubs-related content could not be churned out fast enough to satisfy demand. The World Series attracted a media contingent similar in size and demeanor to a "Game of Thrones" battle scene. People are watching, so now what? "Final step" narratives are always attractive, but now that step has been taken. There is no real reason to think next season is going to be any different in interest or enthusiasm, but perhaps Cubs fatigue sets in. The Cubs' World Series drought is over. The goat is laid to rest, and the team is young and marketable. According to their manager, it's only getting better. "If you really take a moment to look out there, like that last game and even this game," Joe Maddon said before Game 3, "there's a lot of young, inexperienced players. Beyond today, beyond these next couple days that makes me think just check these guys out in a couple years. The biggest difference, I think, is that they're going to become better hitters, better offensive players. "Their defense will stay the same. Their running speed will stay the same. Their arms, as long as they have good health, will stay the same. The area you're going to see this team even get better is offense." In other words, Cubs mania almost certainly didn't peak in 2016. They might not yet even see the peak at all. That's good for baseball, both in terms of economics and drawing new fans to the game in general. Sure, there will be

fatigue in other major league cities, and St. Louis might construct some kind of wall along the Mississippi to keep Cubs fans out. But for all those like Bryce Harper who have winged about the need for more fun in baseball, here it is. The Cubs have become the face of the big leagues. To stay that way, they will have to remain elite on the field. That's not likely to be a problem, though every year is precious. For no better example, the Cubs only need to look around the city they just finished playing in, where the mid-1990s Cleveland teams looked like a sure thing. While the Indians had a nice run of success that included a couple of pennants, the World Series title drought they failed to snap Wednesday remained. All trends for the Cubs are pointed in the right direction. President of baseball operations Theo Epstein just signed a five-year extension. General manager Jed Hoyer is sticking around and assistant GM Jason McLeod, after being mentioned for the Minnesota job, is apparently remaining with the Cubs as well. The braintrust's new task: To solve the randomness of the postseason, something that Epstein himself has declared can never be done. This winter, the Cubs have precious few holes to fill. This was a complete team, ranking third in run scoring, first in ERA and first in defensive efficiency. The position players as a group were the fifth youngest in all of baseball. If you consider 27 to be the most likely age for a hitter's best season, Anthony Rizzo and Jason Heyward hit that next year, while Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Javier Baez, Jorge Soler, Willson Contreras, Albert Almora Jr. and Kyle Schwarber all still have several years before they get there. "There are a lot of ancillary benefits to be derived right now," Maddon said of this postseason run and the organization's ability to hold it all together. "And our guys are young. I'm really proud of how they've dealt with this moment. But looking down the road, I want to believe with their ability to do other things, to be able to keep this core group together, and then augment it, I think could be pretty special." The offense was exposed for much of the season by elite pitching, and that was especially true in the playoffs. But the Cubs have plenty of time to make progress in that area given the ages of their position players and seemed to do so within the confines of the postseason itself. Plus, they can hope the offseason helps Heyward reset and regress to his career norms, even as he might well be accepting a 2016 Gold Glove for his work in the outfield. And they'll have Schwarber, who played only one full game during the 2016 regular season. The big question marks are in the outfield. Dexter Fowler holds a mutual option. From his standpoint, it's a question of whether he wants to relive his long, uncertain winter of last offseason; from the team's perspective, it's a matter of whether they think Almora is ready to take over in center. Also, with Schwarber coming back, the outfield depth chart could begin to look a little crowded, so maybe you dangle someone for pitching. But who? The top four of the starting rotation appear to be ironclad with Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta, Kyle Hendricks and John Lackey. Jason Hammel has a reasonable club option for 2017, and you aren't going to find many better options for a No. 5 starter. Unless it's Mike Montgomery, the big lefty who did so much good work out of the bullpen during the playoffs. The target area probably will be the bullpen. The Cubs have to decide how much they are willing to invest in Aroldis Chapman. And if not him, then who? There are a lot of nice pieces, such as Carl Edwards, Hector Rondon, Pedro Strop and Justin Grimm, but without a closer of Chapman's status, it begins to look thin, as it did before this year's deadline. Even if they keep Chapman, the Cubs have seen first-hand what an overpowering bullpen can do in the postseason, and they have to ask whether they have the arms to create that for themselves. In a baseball context, these are first-world problems. The Cubs could stand completely pat and enter the 2017 season as heavy favorites to repeat in the NL Central. They have the game's most dynamic front office and a field manager at the forefront of his profession. They have all the resources they need and a farm system that remains loaded. If you are tired of the Cubs, then we feel for you. This is a story in medias res and the climax looms in the distance. Though the Cubs have reached their destination, they might just set up shop there for a while. After all the buzz we've witnessed over the past few months, it's hard to think that's anything but a win-win for the baseball

industry. As for their competitors, it's up to them to figure how, or if, they can again banish the Cubs to the realm of the lovable losers. -- ESPNChicago.com Zo Cubs Zo! MVP Zobrist leads Chicago to promised land By Jesse Rogers CLEVELAND -- Who said this would be easy? It never is with the Chicago Cubs, but there has always been something different about this team. They overcame all -- including a blown lead in Game 7 -- to capture their first World Series title in 108 years on Wednesday night, proving they can change the narrative of their franchise in one glorious season. Perhaps no one epitomizes the transformation of the team more than the MVP of the past seven games, Ben Zobrist. He set the tone for the position players all season, then he went out and helped win Game 7 with a double to left in the 10th inning to propel the Cubs to a thrilling 8-7 win over the Cleveland Indians. It was a game and an ending for the ages. "It was like a heavyweight fight, man," Zobrist said long after it was over. "Just blow for blow, everybody playing their heart out. The Indians never gave up either, and I can't believe we're finally standing, after 108 years, finally able to hoist the trophy." They're hoisting it because players like Zobrist have brought something to the former Lovable Losers that they dearly needed: professionalism. He exudes it every time he prepares for a game and every time he steps to the plate. His attitude has rubbed off. The Cubs simply don't let bad moments get them down. How many Cubs teams were unable to do just that over the years? Think of all those rough patches that snowballed into bigger things. How many of those teams had players like Zobrist on them? The numbers tell some of the story as he went 10-for-28 (.357) in the series and was Chicago's most consistent player. "He's just a different cat," manager Joe Maddon said. "Everybody would like to have one of those on their team. We're just very fortunate to have him. He just probably exemplifies exactly how we want to play the game." And that's what allowed the Cubs to overcome their issues all postseason long. Staring at a potential Game 5 against the San Francisco Giants in the division series, they scored four runs in the ninth inning of Game 4 to finish them off. Trailing 2-1 in the National League Championship Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers -- and coming off back-to-back shutouts -- they stormed back to win three straight. Then came the World Series: Down 3-1 to the Indians, they never wavered. Well, almost never. "There was one, five-second moment when we lost that third game and it was in Chicago and it was quiet in the clubhouse and [David] Ross said, 'No, don't do that, no. We've won three games in a row a lot this year. We're going to take this one pitch at a time." Nothing screamed adversity more than Game 7, though. With an emotional Aroldis Chapman shedding tears after blowing a 6-3 lead, the Cubs regrouped during a rain delay. Things were said, the negativity was sent packing and the Cubs went to work on reliever Bryan Shaw. Kyle Schwarber singled, starting a rally. He hit .412 in the series, playing his first games in six months. He didn't give in to his injury, but he also didn't focus on the results -- just the process. "What Kyle Schwarber did is something people should be talking about for a long time," general manager Jed Hoyer said.

After pinch runner Albert Almora moved up a base and Anthony Rizzo was walked intentionally, Zobrist approached the plate in the 10th. It was the same Zobrist we saw in spring training, brought in as a veteran in the infield to lead the team's young players. It was the same Zobrist who caught fire in May, then cooled off in June and July. He was the same guy throughout. On Wednesday, he wiggled his hands like he normally does and worked the at-bat as he always does. Then he sent a ball past third base for a double, breaking a 6-6 tie. The celebration wasn't far behind. "What a professional at-bat," Hoyer said. "He's clutch. He has a slow heartbeat. He has a simple contact approach. … A year ago in the playoffs we struck out way too much. Tonight we put the ball in play and good things happen. That says a lot about the maturity of our team from 2015 to 2016." Maddon added: "Who sets a better example of how to work an at-bat? And who sets a better example of just being a professional than he does?" The answer is no one. It says a lot about the effect Zobrist has had on the team. Anytime they were challenged they stayed the course. It's the same way Zobrist approaches the day. The process will get you there, according to the two-time champion. Zobrist won the World Series last year as well. Maybe he knows what he's talking about. "We knew we were going to hit some rough patches," he said. "To be a championship team you have to come back from moments like the bottom of the eighth. I don't know if there are many teams that I've ever been on that would be able to come back from that." Winning road playoff games in extra innings is hard enough, but doing so after leading by three as late as the eighth inning seems improbable. Add the do-or-die nature of Game 7 of the World Series and it's tough to imagine the Cubs overcoming more. The Cubs recognized that and credited their calm in the face of a tornado for getting them through. After the hoopla of winning started to die down, Zobrist -- ever the professional -- continued to answer questions long after his teammates had moved on. He led reporters to a corner of the locker room and tried to explain his philosophy: Results don't matter, the process does. Only then do good things happen. "No one wants to think about anything being over," Zobrist said. "Anytime you put your mind on the results you lose something in the moment." Maddon agrees with that philosophy. It's why he pushed the Cubs to trade for Zobrist last season, and then to sign him during the winter. It was money well spent as their attitudes are aligned as well as their outlooks. They don't let the negativity exist for long. "Everybody's waiting for the other shoe to drop," Maddon said of the Cubs in the past. "And you've got to expect something good to happen as opposed to that." Schwarber overcame his injury, Chapman got by his struggles and the Cubs dismissed 108 years of futility. It came down to doing the right thing over and over again since early in February when the Cubs reported for camp -- they let the results take care of themselves. That's Zobrist's way. That's the Cubs' way now. And they're champions because of it. "I feel like I'm in a dream right now," Zobrist said. He can't be the only one. -- ESPNChicago.com The rain-delay meeting that changed Cubs history By Bradford Doolittle

CLEVELAND -- Call him a mad scientist or a crazy uncle or a tinkerer, but you can't call Joe Maddon unsuccessful. After all, Maddon just became the second manager in Chicago Cubs history to win a World Series. Maddon drew a lot of fire over the last couple of games in the Series because of some moves that were ... open to interpretation. Bringing in Aroldis Chapman in the seventh inning of Game 6 was the lightning-rod move. Then when Chapman came on the Game 7 in relief of Jon Lester, his velocity was down and he coughed up a three-run lead that, if things had turned out differently, might have gone down as the worst moment in Cubs history. Yet the thing with Maddon is that no matter what quibbles you might have about his in-game tactics, focusing on that part of his managerial dossier is like looking at the color of the sky in the background of the Mona Lisa. You're kind of missing the point. Maddon earns his keep at the season-management level. That is, he creates an atmosphere in which players stay loose and feel empowered. As a disciplinarian, he's more of a backstop than a Lombardi -- if something has to be said, he'll do it. Beyond that, he talks time and again about the need for veterans to do his bidding. "I'd much rather the peers carry my message," is a common Maddon line. They did just that in Game 7, and it paid off. In a kind of pathetic fallacy, the skies opened up at Progressive Field after the ninth inning, while the Cubs and their fans were still reeling from the fact that with four outs to go, their three-run lead had disappeared. The white tarps were unrolled over the infield and the teams retreated to their respective clubhouses. "I walked off the field, the rain delay," Maddon said. "It's crazy how things happen for a reason. I don't know. But I walk off and I see them all gathering in that little room down below there, and they had a meeting. And I'm upstairs just checking out the weather map." The meeting was led by veteran Jason Heyward, who playing in his first World Series, did not want it to end with a seventh-game collapse. "It was starting to rain and I was like, they're going to pull the tarp and we need to get together and have a meeting," Heyward said. "Just needed to let these guys know they're awesome. Don't get down." Given how stunning Rajai Davis' tying homer in the eighth was, and how much it ignited the Indians' portion of the crowd at Progressive Field, things could have spiraled out of control. And if the Cubs are honest with themselves, they hadn't played a particularly clean game. But the Cubs didn't win their first 113 games -- regular and postseason -- by laying down at the feet of adversity. "It's about the whole team," Heyward said. "It's about everybody trying to get something done. I let them know that I loved them. ... We needed 114 wins, and I told them that everybody in this room, right now, was going to 114." It was a win-one-for-the-Gipper speech that will resonate through Cubs history. And it impacted his teammates, even in the moment. "He just wanted to get everyone together and remind us that we've been picking each other up since Day 1," Addison Russell said. "The whole team played lights-out. It was definitely a team win. We wouldn't be here without the team. It was just a great bonding experience." And all that happened while the field manager was checking out the weather reports. It's like parenting -- you teach your children well, and then trust they will follow the lessons they've learned. Only normal parenting doesn't generally pay off with something as shiny and tangible as a World Series trophy. "Like I told you, I hate meetings," Maddon said. "I'm not a meetings guy. I love when players have meetings, I hate when I do. So they had their meeting and the big part of it was, we don't quit. We don't quit."

Well, attribute it to what you want, but the Cubs came out of the rain delay on fire, putting up two runs in the 10th to give them what turned out to be their championship-winning margin. Then in the bottom of the inning, the Cubs closed it out with young Carl Edwards and Mike Montgomery finishing off what most nights would be Chapman's game. That mix of veterans and youngsters, and the eccentric manager who oversees them all, is part of what made the Cubs so special. And they could remain special for a long time. "It's really great for our entire Cub-dom to get beyond that moment and continue to move forward," Maddon said. "Because now based on the young players we have in this organization, we have an opportunity to be good for a long time, and without any constraints, without any of the negative dialogue." -- ESPNChicago.com The clutch moments that won the Cubs the World Series By Bradford Doolittle CLEVELAND -- There will be books written about what just happened and documentary movies, probably by ESPN, and a rich oral history will emerge and, who knows, the world as we know it might suddenly be altered. The Chicago Cubs are world champions. Go ahead. Type the words. It feels strange, right? The World Series was a fascinating matchup between two dynamic young teams with elite, colorful managers. But the poor Cleveland Indians, who came so close as they have so many times before, know this will be remembered as the year the Cubs broke their 108-year championship drought. And in being the team thus victimized, it is the Indians who inherit the mantle of longest-suffering franchise in baseball after Wednesday night's 8-7 defeat in Game 7 of the World Series. Let’s run through the Cubs' biggest moments of the World Series. As we did after the Cubs' victory in the National League Division Series and their National League Championship Series win, we’ll use win probability added (WPA) data from fangraphs.com for a numerical element, though the actual moments were chosen subjectively. We won't include the final out, a play that will be played in most of Chicago forevermore. But there is no metric that can capture what that moment meant to so many. 1. Ben Zobrist's RBI double in Game 7 (Win probability added: 32.2 percent) Zobrist's go-ahead RBI in the 10th was the blow that finally put the Cubs over the top in a game that seemed destined to join all the other disasters in franchise playoff history. It couldn't have been any harder, but the Cubs are the champs. 2. Addison Russell's grand slam in Game 6 (WPA: 10.5 percent) Six of the past seven teams to go on the road in the World Series down 3-2 had fallen in Game 6. Russell got the Cubs started in the first, following Kris Bryant's solo homer with a two-run double. But his third-inning grand slam off Dan Otero stunned Indians fans and sent Cubs fans all over the Midwest sprinting for their cars to begin a pilgrimage to Game 7. 3. Aroldis Chapman strikes out Jose Ramirez in Game 5 (WPA: 3.2 percent)

Chapman struck out Ramirez twice in Game 5, which, first of all, tells you how long his outing was. But the symmetry is perfect here. When Chapman came on to strike out Ramirez with a runner on in the seventh, it showed that manager Joe Maddon was willing to use Chapman in an extended outing in the same way Cleveland got so much value out of Andrew Miller throughout the playoffs. When Chapman struck out Ramirez to end the game, it showed he was able to be that guy. It changed the Series. 4. Jake Arrieta's outing in Game 2 (WPA: 22.0 percent) After being shut down by Corey Kluber in Game 1, the Cubs needed Arrieta to come up big. You could do worse than sending out a reigning Cy Young winner, but the fact is that Arrieta had been up and down over the second half of the season. But he responded in Game 2, holding the Indians scoreless for five innings before leaving a runner on base in the sixth that scored after he departed. It was just what the Cubs needed, as the offense finally got going and gave Arrieta a five-run cushion. 5. Kyle Schwarber's double in Game 1 (WPA: 2.4 percent) The Cubs lost Game 1 by a 6-0 score, but when Schwarber nearly went yard against Kluber early in the game, it showed that he wasn't just medically cleared to play. It showed he was ready to ball. Schwarber's presence loomed large all through the series, even when he wasn't playing. -- ESPNChicago.com Cubs win! Cubs win! Epic Game 7 victory ends Series curse By Bradford Doolittle CLEVELAND -- Are the skies black with locusts? Has Lake Michigan turned red? Two days after Halloween, the curse has been cursed. The Comeback on the Cuyahoga is complete. After a century and eight years, the Chicago Cubs are world champions, and they did it by surviving a game for the ages, a contest in which they finally slew demons that refused to be exorcised. For the Cubs, 108 was enough. Lovable Losers no more, the Cubs beat the Indians in an epic, seven-game Fall Classic to win their first title since 1908. Full coverage » The baseball facts matter, especially these, though they hardly do justice to the scale of the outcome or the level of drama that unfolded. In what seemed like the most heartbreaking yet of nightmarish Cubs postseason games gone wrong, Ben Zobrist’s 10th-inning double off Bryan Shaw broke a 6-6 tie, and the Cubs outlasted the Cleveland Indians 8-7 in a title-winning, drought-breaking, impossible-to-believe Game 7 of the World Series on Wednesday. The winning rally came, finally, after rain delayed the game before the start of extra innings. Rather than building suspense, the disruption gave the gathering at Progressive Field a chance to recover from its collective nervous breakdown. Because what set up the exhilarating finish was the worst kind of flashback for any Cubs fan who believes in curses, goats or Bartmans. The Cubs led 6-3 in the eighth and were just four outs from their first title since 1908. Jose Ramirez reached on what looked like an innocent infield single. Jon Lester, the Cubs' ace lefty, was on the mound for his first relief appearance in nine years, and he'd been dealing. But he was working on two days of rest, so Cubs manager Joe Maddon summoned Aroldis Chapman to the mound.

When the Cubs acquired Chapman from the Yankees in July, this was the situation they imagined: a 102 mph fastball to clinch the World Series. Instead, Chapman gave up a run-scoring double to Brandon Guyer, who spoiled several pitches by fouling them off. That set the stage for a moment that will loom large in the histories of both franchises. Rajai Davis turned on a Chapman offering and turned Progressive Field into a madhouse by homering just inside the left-field foul pole to tie the score at 6-6. The stands vibrated, with red-clad fans swirling crazily and blue-clad fans standing with hands on heads and mouths agape. Chapman escaped the inning with the tie intact, but suddenly, both teams were staring down the twin barrels of 176 years of bad history. It seemed to get even worse in the ninth, when Javier Baez bunted foul with two strikes, one out and Jason Heyward on third. This one was an all-timer, a victory on the short list of best World Series games ever, as significant for what it means as for the incredible way it happened. That’s why fans are singing in the streets of Chicago, hugging from Rogers Park to Printer’s Row, dancing from the Loop to Logan Square. Heck, maybe even a few South Siders are cracking reluctant smiles, because even in the domain of the White Sox, they know how this feels. Well, maybe not this. The game itself was worthy of a drought-killer, and it was one of the most anticipated baseball games in recent memory. The streets of Cleveland were clogged with fans of both teams, as Cubs fans invaded by the carloads, with a reported 60 percent of the secondary-market ticket sales going to Chicago fans. Inside Progressive Field, the atmosphere was akin to a college football rivalry game in which fan allegiance is split down the middle. No matter what happened, half the stadium would erupt. Knowing Indians manager Terry Francona’s excellent bullpen was ready and rested, Maddon reiterated the need for his team to grab an early lead. The Cubs wasted no time in doing so: Dexter Fowler led off the game with a home run to center off Indians ace Corey Kluber, which sent half the grandstand into a frenzy. Fowler became the first player to lead off a winner-take-all Game 7 with a home run. The Indians knotted the score in the third. Coco Crisp led off with a double and scored on Carlos Santana's single. But Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks escaped further damage by getting Francisco Lindor and Mike Napoli with two on base. That left the score tied during a key sequence for both teams, who knew that if the Indians could get a lead, Francona would turn the game over to some combination of Andrew Miller, Shaw and Cody Allen at the first sign of trouble. He never got the chance. The Cubs grabbed the lead right back in the fourth against Kluber, who entered the game with a 0.89 ERA this postseason. Kris Bryant singled to left and went to second when Kluber plunked Anthony Rizzo with an 0-2 pitch. Zobrist rolled into a force, which sent Bryant to third. Addison Russell lofted a shallow fly to center, which Davis handled. Bryant tagged at third and dashed home, sliding under the tag of Indians catcher Roberto Perez, who had to stand upright to field Davis’ high throw. The Cubs then went up 3-1 when Willson Contreras doubled over the head of Davis to score Zobrist. Davis, who started in place of struggling Tyler Naquin in part because of his defense, appeared to take a step in before the ball soared over his head. Kluber was done after Baez homered to dead center to lead off the fifth and put the Cubs up by three runs. Miller was in the game but not in the role the Indians wanted to see him in. Pitching on three days’ rest for the second consecutive outing, he allowed six hits and four runs over four innings and didn’t strike out a batter. Lester came on for Hendricks in the fifth, along with batterymate David Ross, who was playing in his last big league game. After an error by Ross put runners on second and third, the Indians proceeded to score a pair of runs on a wild pitch from Lester. It turned out to be a temporary outburst, as Lester reverted to his top-of-the-rotation form in his first relief outing in nine years.

From there, the party seemed on for the Cubs and their half of the stadium, while the other half watched in disbelief at a heartbreaking story they’ve seen way too often. No one suspected what was to come. This being the fairy tale that it seemed, Ross made up for his miscues by homering off the indomitable Miller to center field. Talk about going out in style. With Ross went the drought and all the curses and hobgoblins that came with it -- not that they didn’t put up a hell of a fight. On Oct. 14, 1908, in front of 6,210 fans at Bennett Park in Detroit, in a game that took 85 minutes to play, a Tigers catcher named Boss Schmidt lofted a foul pop fly on the third-base side of the field. Cubs catcher Johnny Kling waited, waited, waited and squeezed the ball for the final out. Chicago won the game 2-0 and the "world's series" in five games. The Cubs were champions for the second consecutive season. Chicago was, as the Tribune called it, "the great metropolis of baseball." If you add up all the season and postseason logs at baseball-reference.com, you come up with this: Since the moment Kling caught that foul out, the Cubs played 152,627⅓ innings of baseball before Wednesday, and their pitchers retired 457,882 batters. Not one of those outs added a third World Series banner to the Cubs' collection. Now, after 10 more innings and one magical final out, all those numbers reset to zero. The third banner will fly above Wrigley Field. On a freakishly warm evening in northeast Ohio, the number 108 transitioned from a symbol of despair into one of joy. There are 108 stitches on a baseball, the perfect sphere at the heart of a child’s game. The natural division of another circle is 108, nine cycles of the year of the monkey stringing together two worlds, the antiquity of 1908 and the digital age of 2016. The number 108 is frozen now as the moment the north side of Chicago moved back to the center of the baseball universe. Now there are only seven numbers that matter to Cubs fans, the ones they’ve dreamed of seeing for so long while looking up from the sidewalk in front of 3633 North Sheffield Ave. Soon, new numbers will appear on that venerable greystone across the street from the right-field bleachers of Wrigley Field, preceded by Latin words that, translated, mean “Let’s go Cubs” and a counter beginning with "AC," for "Anno Catuli," which translates to "year of the Cubs." Those words and numbers: Eamus Catuli! AC0000000. -- CSNChicago.com Joy To The World: Cubs Finally End 108-Year Series Drought By Patrick Mooney CLEVELAND – The End could have only happened like this, with a heart-pounding, jaw-dropping, head-spinning World Series Game 7 that left generations of Cubs fans rejoicing around the globe. The waves of emotions rippled around Progressive Field after an 8-7 instant classic that began on Wednesday night in front of a sellout crowd of 38,104 and ended here early Thursday morning, the drama building for a massive TV audience watching the last great quest left in professional sports. The heartbreak would be felt throughout Cleveland, which had waited 68 years for this title shot, its fans sitting through 10 innings of motion sickness, false hope and the game at its unpredictable best. The joyous celebration continued 350 miles away in Wrigleyville and wherever Cubs fans grew up listening to Harry Caray and watching games on WGN and worshipping all the great players who never got to experience euphoria like this, everyone from Ernie Banks to Ron Santo to Billy Williams to Ryne Sandberg to Andre Dawson. This has always been the intoxicating lure of the Cubs, selling losing to alpha males and convincing all these highly skilled independent contractors/individual corporations that together they could someday be part of the team that makes history and lives forever in all those hearts and minds.

“I know there are so many people that are thinking of their grandfathers and their fathers right now in Chicago, and that’s what it’s all about,” general manager Jed Hoyer said inside a raucous visiting clubhouse filled with the sounds of clanking bottles and the awful smell of beer mixed with champagne. “It’s bigger than these 25 guys. It’s bigger than the organization. It’s about the city that stuck with the team forever.” What else could draw rock stars (Eddie Vedder, Billy Corgan) and movie stars (Bill Murray, John Cusack, Charlie Sheen) and LeBron James’ Cavaliers into the same spot off Lake Erie? It had been 39,466 days since the Cubs won the 1908 World Series, according to ESPN Stats & Info, and 24,859 days since the Indians won the 1948 World Series. So what’s another 17-minute rain delay after waiting more than a century? Hoyer actually described it as “divine intervention,” because the Cubs had been four outs away from their coronation when manager Joe Maddon walked out toward the mound and took the ball from Jon Lester, a $155 million middle reliever in this winner-take-all thriller. In came Aroldis Chapman, the high-speed, high-maintenance rental closer who began to change his reputation by getting 12 outs and throwing 62 pitches in Games 5 and 6 combined. But that effort appeared to sap Chapman, who threw 14 straight fastballs to Brandon Guyer and Rajai Davis, with only one above 100 mph. Guyer’s RBI double made it 6-4 before Davis smashed another fastball onto the left-field patio just inside the foul pole for a game-tying two-run homer in the eighth inning. The Indians wouldn’t just roll over, not with a Cy Young Award winner pitching three times in nine days (Corey Kluber), a bullpen that blew up the idea of conventional usage and a future Hall of Fame manager in Terry Francona. The Indians notched 94 wins and then contained two explosive offenses to get here, sweeping the Boston Red Sox, eliminating the Toronto Blue Jays in five games and running out to a 3-1 lead in the World Series. No team had come back from that deficit since the 1985 Kansas City Royals, but there was nothing fluky or random about this. Theo Epstein’s front office built the best team in baseball, an Ivy League graduate acing clubhouse chemistry with a mixture of bonus babies, big-money free agents and players overlooked or undervalued in other organizations. Epstein’s “Baseball is Better” press conference on Oct. 25, 2011 – when the Cubs put his name up in lights on the Wrigley Field marquee – would essentially become the Before and After points in franchise history. On his last night as a big-league player, David Ross brought out a Game 7 lineup card that featured seven players between the ages of 22 and 27, plus Kyle Hendricks (26), this year’s ERA leader, as the starting pitcher, a dazzling array of young talent. “It felt like June, May, the way that guys conducted themselves before the game,” said Ben Zobrist, who would become the World Series MVP. “Very similar, very light-hearted, everybody just going about their business, talking the game with each other. “That, to me, said, you know what, this team’s fine. We’re going to let the talent and the ability take over and stay focused, because no one in here is treating this situation any different than we have all year. And that’s how championships are won.” Though it remained a pop-culture shorthand and the backdrop to all those TV postcards from Wrigleyville, the Cubs killed that “Lovable Loser” image years ago, with the 2003 team in particular raising the bar after finishing five agonizing outs away from the World Series. The Cubs finally did it with a hipster manager who enjoys drinking red wine and eating dark chocolate after games, never losing his cool in front of reporters or getting defensive about the second-guessing over how he handled Chapman. Instead of panicking in the face of all this pressure or pretending those immense expectations didn’t exist, Maddon set the tone with “Embrace The Target” T-shirts that literally put bull’s-eyes on their chest.

That’s how Maddon rolls, turning spring training and road trips into made-for-social-media moments, welcoming zoo animals, mimes, magicians and pajama parties. No, the players didn’t universally love all these stunts, but Hollywood couldn’t have invented a better ringmaster for this circus. For all of Maddon’s camera-friendly charm, the groovy manager still believes in old-school concepts, the hard-hat lessons he learned while growing up in Pennsylvania’s coal-mining region. Maddon just gives it a verbal flourish, from “Respect 90” to “the relentless execution of fundamentals and technique.” Above all, the 2016 team created an environment where you could be yourself and make mistakes and move on from the wacky stuff that usually spelled Cubbie doom. Like Javier Baez committing two careless errors at second base and then leading off the fifth inning by driving a Kluber slider over the centerfield wall and knocking out Cleveland’s No. 1 starter. Or Lester’s wild pitch bouncing into the dirt and ricocheting off Ross’ mask out toward the on-deck circle and allowing the Indians to score two runs in the fifth inning. “Grandpa Rossy” shook it off and drilled Andrew Miller’s 94-mph fastball out to center field in the sixth inning, touching home plate and bumping crotches with Jason Heyward and Dexter Fowler on his way back into the dugout. So by the time that storm rolled into Cleveland, the Cubs needed that break to regroup and reset a 6-6 game heading into the 10th inning. Kyle Schwarber walked to home plate less than seven months removed from reconstructive surgery on his left knee. The man-child they call “Schwarbs” singled off Bryan Shaw through the shift into right field and the Cubs were off once again. With pinch-runner Albert Almora Jr. on second base, the Indians intentionally walked Anthony Rizzo to get to Zobrist, who knocked an RBI double down the left-field line for the go-ahead run. Third catcher Miguel Montero – who wondered if he would get released this summer – added the insurance run the Cubs needed with an RBI single to make it 8-6. In the end, this team wore down the Indians and the rest of Major League Baseball, the fans singing “Go, Cubs, Go!” on a wacky, rainy, totally unforgettable night in Cleveland, where no one believes in curses anymore. “We killed it,” Montero said. “It’s done. It’s over.” -- CSNChicago.com Big Surprise: Kyle Schwarber Plays The Role Of Hero Again For Cubs In World Series Game 7 By Tony Andracki CLEVELAND - Kyle Schwarber is your World Series Game 7 hero. You can take out Schwarber's name and put in any number of players — Ben Zobrist or Kris Bryant, even Albert Almora Jr. or Miguel Montero or Mike Montgomery. But Schwarber ignited the rally that etched this team of destiny into the record books forever...and added another chapter to his legendary story. The designated hitter drilled a single to open the top of the 10th inning off Indians reliever Bryan Shaw. Almora Jr. pinch-ran for Schwarber and came around to score the eventual game-winning run three batters later. This came after the Cubs blew a 6-3 lead in the bottom of the eighth inning and then were forced to sit through a rain delay before extra innings began. "It just tells you about the culture we have," Schwarber said. "We're not going to quit, ever. I can't be prouder to be on this team."

Of course, the fact Schwarber even played in Game 7 was downright incredible after blowing out his knee on April 7. All Schwarber did was hit .412 in the World Series with a .500 on-base percentage, collecting seven hits in four games in Cleveland after not even recording a base hit in the regular season. The 23-year-old slugger had three hits in Game 7, including beating out an infield grounder in the first inning. As he ran through the first base bag, he looked at Cubs fans, pointed and bent his knee repeatedly, as if to say, "Injury? What injury?" He stole second base a few pitches later without a throw. On his second hit, Schwarber smashed a 112 mph rope into the right field corner, but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. "[My leg] is fine, man," he said. "Then I get thrown out at second and I'm like, 'Ahh! I don't run as good as I should!" The Cubs missed Schwarber's bat in the lineup at Wrigley Field, when he was deemed not healthy enough to play the outfield. With Schwarber at DH, the Cubs won three of four games in Cleveland. Schwarber said this championship "definitely" means more to him after his tough personal journey this season. "I was out after the third game of the year," he said as teammates showered him with champagne inside the Cubs' locker room at Progressive Field. "I thought my season was over. For these guys to stick with me and push through it with me, it means a lot. It really does mean a lot." -- CSNChicago.com ‘F--- Yeah!’ Theo Epstein Builds Another World Series Winner In What’s Already A Hall Of Fame Career By Patrick Mooney CLEVELAND – “F--- yeah!” Theo Epstein screamed out as he walked through a hallway inside Progressive Field’s visiting clubhouse, handing an unopened bottle of champagne to Ron Coomer, the WSCR-AM 670 radio analyst who grew up in Chicago’s south suburbs and once played for the Cubs, but really just happened to be standing there. His black suit completely drenched, Epstein needed to find Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona and congratulate him on a great season that ended in Game 7 of the World Series. Together, they had won two championships with the Boston Red Sox and the Cubs president wanted to pay his respects after an 8-7 win that had been 108 years in the making. Before this clubhouse became a stuffy, sweaty maze jammed with players, coaches, scouts, reporters and extended families early Thursday morning, Epstein had walked by the weight room during the rain delay and noticed the hitters had gathered together. To that point, the Cubs and Indians had played nine innings to a 6-6 draw in front of a sellout crowd and a massive TV audience. “They were all meeting,” Epstein said. “I saw their backs and I, like, pushed the door ajar and they were all saying: ‘This is only going to make it sweeter! Stay together! Let’s keep grinding! It’s our time!’”

Epstein has a Yale University education and a law degree, but he’s never been a propeller head or easy to label. He loved Kyle Schwarber’s nonstop energy and gym-rat mentality when he saw him at Indiana University and pushed to make him the No. 4 overall pick in the 2014 draft. Almost seven full months after an outfield collision would force him to get “season-ending surgery” on his left knee to reconstruct his ACL and repair his LCL, Schwarber began the 10th-inning rally with a hard-hit single into right field. It took a “multiple-bank shot” at the winter meetings for the Cubs to be able to trade Starlin Castro to the New York Yankees and convince Ben Zobrist to take less guaranteed money and sign a four-year, $56 million deal for this exact moment. Zobrist – the son of a minister who grew up in downstate Illinois and earned a championship ring last year with the Kansas City Royals – capped off his World Series MVP performance by smashing an RBI double down the left-field line. Miguel Montero – who felt so lost at the plate and in the three-catcher shuffle that he wondered if the Cubs would simply release him this summer – singled into left field to drive in the insurance run. And in the bottom of the 10th inning, the Cubs pieced together three outs with a pitcher (Carl Edwards Jr.) the Texas Rangers once drafted in a round that no longer exists (48th) and a guy whose career had stalled to the point where he actually thought he would be playing in Japan this season (Mike Montgomery). “I know it sounds corny,” Epstein said. “But in my experience, at least, I think human beings can accomplish more for each other when they feel connected than they can for themselves. “Great teams are example of that. We’re not unique in that. We’ve seen that time and time again. But our guys pulled it off. They stayed together. They care about each other. They like each other. They overcame tough circumstances. “You don’t have to get all corny about it, but I think that’s why we won. You don’t accomplish great things like that for yourself.” Within five seasons, Epstein, general manager Jed Hoyer, scouting/player-development chief Jason McLeod and their entire baseball-operations group methodically tore down and rebuilt an iconic franchise, turning a 101-loss season in 2012 and two more fifth-place finishes into the best team in baseball. Combine The Cubs Way with that 2004 Band of Idiots and Epstein has been involved in 194 years of curse-busting in two of America’s greatest cities – before his 43rd birthday. “It’s like comparing two of your kids,” Epstein said. “You cherish both of them. Different origins, different personalities, but they’re both things you treasure for your lifetime.” Epstein already earned a five-year extension worth in the neighborhood of $50 million before the playoffs started. This already looked like a Hall of Fame resume, no matter what happened in Game 7. As Epstein stood in the visiting dugout in front of a camera and listened to a question on a CSN Chicago postgame show, he announced his next move. “Jed’s in charge,” Epstein said. “I’m going on a bender.” -- CSNChicago.com Ben Zobrist Delivers Exactly What The Cubs Expected With Massive World Series By JJ Stankevitz

CLEVELAND — The Cubs signed Ben Zobrist to a four-year, $56 million deal last December for exactly what he delivered on baseball’s biggest stage: A go-ahead RBI double in the 10th inning that helped push this franchise to an 8-7 Game 7 win over the Cleveland Indians and its first World Series title since 1908. It was a moment that’ll go down as one of the biggest hits in Cubs history, but it’s one that was predicted by at least two players in the visitor’s dugout at Progressive Field. “I was sitting next to (catching coach) Mike Borzello, I said, He’s going to hit one down the left-field line right here,” designated hitter Kyle Schwarber said. “I’m not kidding you. What’s he do, he hits it down the left-field line. I’m going crazy.” “I told the boys, hey, I got this ball, he’s hitting it right down the line,” outfielder Dexter Fowler said. “I saw them playing him over and I told them he’s going to take a cutter down there.” Zobrist’s smash down the left-field line came on a 96 mph 1-2 cutter on the outer third from Cleveland Indians reliever Bryan Shaw. That was the hardest pitch Zobrist saw in the five-pitch sequence, too. But Shaw had worked him on the outer third all at-bat, and finally threw one belt high that Zobrist didn’t miss. While manager Joe Maddon didn’t predict Zobrist’s heroics before the game, a comment he made turned out to be prescient after the Indians intentionally walked Anthony Rizzo with first base open to get to the 35-year-old left fielder. “You don't want to just give up on Rizzo to get to Zobrist in a pertinent moment,” Maddon said. “Doubles are nice. Doubles are nice, too. It doesn't have to go over the wall. We dig on doubles.” Zobrist was named World Series MVP after collecting 10 hits and three walks in 31 plate appearances with a .919 OPS over seven games, with his presence in the middle of the Cubs’ order — he hit fourth or fifth all series — a critical one. “There’s so many guys on this team that could’ve been MVP, and I think they probably just gave it to me because I got that hit, the go-ahead hit,” Zobrist said. While Fowler was the Cubs’ “you go, we go” guy in 2016, the consistently competitive at-bats Zobrist had set an example for the horde of inexperienced players peppering Maddon’s lineup. After the New York Mets fireballed their way to a National League Championship Series sweep of the Cubs last year, Theo Epstein & Co. jettisoned Starlin Castro and brought in Zobrist to bring a veteran presence to a lineup that was lacking one. That Zobrist was coming off winning the 2015 World Series with the Kansas City Royals only sweetened the deal for a team trying to end a 108-year title drought. “Being a veteran and bringing his experience into this lineup, we didn’t have anything like that,” Fowler said. “He won a championship last year, and coming in and doing it again was really special.” "I'm very, very lucky to be on a team with Ben Zobrist and have played with him,” catcher David Ross said. “That guy is a winner. He's a champion. He's a two-time champion, back-to-back years. What a special individual he is and a leader and one of the guys that continues to spark our team.” Consider the circumstances facing the Cubs when Zobrist stepped into the batter’s box in the 10th inning: They had just blown a three-run lead with four outs left, they would’ve took the lead in the top of the ninth if not for Francisco Lindor’s spectacular play, they sat through a rain delay and were trying to muster the will to re-take the lead. Zobrist fell behind in the count 1-2 and ripped Shaw’s best pitch down the line for a go-ahead double. But again, that’s why the Cubs signed Zobrist — to deliver in a pressure-packed moment like he faced in the 10th inning. Things don’t always work out that way, but on Wednesday night, the Cubs’ vision for how Zobrist would impact the 2016 season played out to perfection.

“I feel like I’m in a dream right now,” Zobrist said. “This organization, 108 years in the making, being able to be here my first year I’m really spoiled, obviously. To be here at the right time to be here with all these great young players, to join in the mix here, that’s — this was the dream, coming here. We were able to do it the first year. I got no words for it right now.” -- CSNChicago.com Jed Hoyer: Rain Delay Was 'Divine Intervention' For Cubs By Day Hayes CLEVELAND — In between ducking random streams of champagne, general manager Jed Hoyer described Wednesday night’s rain delay as divine intervention. The Cubs needed it in the worst way. In the midst of a potentially epic collapse that would have exceeded their 2003 National League Championship Series meltdown, the Cubs took advantage of a 17-minute stoppage of play as rain began to fall upon an exasperated Progressive Field crowd. Before they returned to action with the score tied at 6, right fielder Jason Heyward convened Cubs hitters for an emotional meeting to discuss how they wanted to proceed after blowing a four-run lead. Moments later, Kyle Schwarber singled to start a game-winning rally that would erase 108 years of torment. The Cubs scored twice in the top of the 10th inning and then held on to for an 8-7 victory over the Cleveland Indians in Game 7 of the World Series. “I really feel like in some ways that rain delay was kind of divine intervention,” Hoyer said. “The game was going really fast for us at that point. Dexter (Fowler) had just missed winning the game for us (in the ninth) – (Francisco) Lindor made a heck of a play. And to get that little break right there, it helped us a lot.” Make no doubt about it — the Cubs were reeling when the heavens opened up and rain began to fall. Shortstop Addison Russell said some players cried after the Cubs, on the verge of an epic comeback from a 3-1 series deficit, watched as the Indians erased a three-run deficit in the eighth inning against closer Aroldis Chapman, including a game-tying two-run homer by Rajai Davis. Thanks to Lindor’s outstanding range and a scoreless inning from Chapman, neither team scored in the ninth. But even a high-wire escape wasn’t enough and Heyward decided to call a meeting in the weight room, about 15 feet away from the steps up to the dugout. “There was obviously frustration and Aroldis felt terrible,” Series MVP Ben Zobrist said. “But everybody’s like, ‘Hey, man, we got you. We’re going to pick you up.’ I think there was even some applause, some claps for him. ‘Don’t worry about this. We’re going to come back and win this game.’ “JHey called the meeting and said, ‘Let’s forget about everything that’s happened up to this point. Let’s believe that we’re going to do this.’ That’s all that needed to be said.” Veteran catcher David Ross said Heyward spoke passionately for several minutes. And because Heyward has proven to be reserved in his first season with the club, players knew to pay attention. “When a guy like Jason talks, you listen, because he doesn't do it that often,” Ross said. Cubs manager Joe Maddon loathes holding team meetings. He prefers for them to be organic and rarely makes the request. So when he noticed his players huddled, Maddon had a good feeling. “It’s crazy how things happen for a reason,” Maddon said. “I don’t know. But I walk off and I see them all gathering in that little room down below there.

“I hate meetings. I’m not a meetings guy. I love when players have meetings. “So they had their meeting and the big part of it was, ‘We don’t quit. We don’t quit.’ “It’s incredible how this all plays out sometimes.” It didn’t hurt that the Cubs had the middle of the lineup due in the 10th inning against Cleveland reliever Bryan Shaw. Hoyer recalled feeling the same way in the 2003 American League Championship Series moments before Aaron Boone’s walkoff homer — that if his Boston Red Sox could extend the game, they’d win because the heart of the order was due to bat. The Cubs were quick to take advantage of an opportunity the Red Sox never had. Schwarber — who hit .412 in the Series and had a .971 OPS — singled on the second pitch he saw from Shaw and pinch-runner Albert Almora tagged up on Kris Bryant’s deep fly out to center. “Schwarber got the first hit and it just steamrolled,” Zobrist said. Indians manager Terry Francona opted to have Anthony Rizzo intentionally walked to put two aboard. Zobrist then ripped a 1-2 cutter for an opposite-field RBI double past third base and the Cubs didn’t look back. “It’s actually a really comforting feeling knowing how those guys are,” Hoyer said. “You could hear all the guys that were part of that inning talking — it allowed them to regroup. “We had the best part of our lineup coming up and I do think that taking that break, kind of regrouping (helped). ‘Let’s win the inning. If we win one inning, we win the World Series.’ “We had the right guys up to do it.” -- Chicago Tribune Cubs' drought-ending World Series title has no peer in Chicago sports history By David Haugh They tossed their hats and gloves into the air after the final out like joyous Little Leaguers and then threw themselves into each other's arms like brothers — and this will connect them forever. They sang along with "Go, Cubs, Go" as thousands of fans who wouldn't miss World Series Game 7 for the world broke into song. They carried retiring catcher David Ross on their shoulders and wore wide-eyed expressions of disbelief to which every Cubs fan could relate. The Cubs partied like it was 1908 after their 8-7 victory Wednesday over the Indians ended the longest, cruelest wait in sports. "This about made me pass out," World Series MVP Ben Zobrist said. "An epic battle. I can't believe that after 108 years, we're able to hoist the trophy." For generations of fans, the scene of the Cubs celebrating a World Series title will provide the most indelible images of Chicago sports for years to come. None of us will live long enough to see anything better, any moment packed with more meaning. This is the view from the top of the sports world, the center of baseball utopia, a place where doubt and dread and devastation no longer reside, a place the World Series-winning Cubs and their loyal fans now occupy.

At exactly 11:47 p.m. Wednesday at Progressive Field, decades of suffering ended when first baseman Anthony Rizzo caught third baseman Kris Bryant's throw for the last out, officially marking the greatest moment in Chicago sports history. Holy cow, they did it, Harry. Hey, hey, Jack, the Cubs are World Series champions. Click your heels in heaven, Ronnie. The wait is over, Ernie, after all those seasons you believed when nobody else did. The last great American sports story now has an ending, the happiest one ever, pleasing baseball romantics and fulfilling the lives of so many Cubs fans. Many of the longest-suffering ones will say they can die happy now, no exaggeration. The younger fans who consider Ryne Sandberg old will expect more championships to follow, and they will. The rest of us can celebrate the death of redundancy when discussing the Cubs because this forever changes their tradition. It seems impossible to write yet harder to fathom. The Cubs have won the World Series. That is no longer a punch line or part of a movie pitch. The Cubs have won without pigs flying or hell freezing over. That might not sink in for Cubs fans until they stop smiling, maybe sometime next summer. Or maybe never. Naturally for the Cubs, nothing came easily. They waited out a 17-minute rain delay before the 10th. And extra innings were necessary because of Joe Maddon's unnecessary use of Aroldis Chapman 24 hours earlier with a five-run lead. Chapman came on in the eighth with the Cubs four outs from history, and his weary left arm gave up three runs — a double to Brandon Guyer and a two-run homer to Rajai Davis — to tie the score at 6-6. Every jaw back in Chicago hit the floor and every blood pressure rose. This felt like a cruel joke. But the Cubs offense bailed out Maddon when Zobrist doubled and Miguel Montero singled to drive in runs in the 10th. Any second-guessing will be moot by the time the champagne dries. They can laugh about it at every reunion. In rallying from a 3-1 deficit to win the World Series, the Cubs culminated the five-year plan President Theo Epstein brought to town in 2011. Two years before Epstein arrived, the family of nerdy investment banker Tom Ricketts bought the Cubs for $745 million, talking about championships nobody took seriously. Ricketts, a die-hard fan who met his wife, Cecelia, in the Wrigley Field bleachers, had visions of doing what the Cubs had not done since 1908. Ricketts' legacy now becomes being the guy who helped make the dreams shared by so many fans like him come true. Epstein surely will go into the Baseball Hall of Fame one day, known as the Curse Buster after ending a combined 194 years of waiting for the Red Sox and Cubs. His roster transformation gives the Cubs reason to believe they will be planning more parades. After more than a century of futility, faith in the Cubs is no longer blind — not after becoming the first champions since the Royals in 1985 to overcome a 3-1 Series deficit. Dexter Fowler instilled confidence immediately on this historic night by leading off with a 406-foot home run to dead center off Corey Kluber, the first sign pitching for the third time in nine days took a toll on the Indians ace. Kluber left after four, outpitched by Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks, "The Professor" who deserves tenure in Chicago. The Cubs survived Maddon's overmanaging when he replaced Hendricks with Jon Lester with two out in the fifth — despite Hendricks starting to find his rhythm. After a throwing error by Ross on a swinging bunt and a wild pitch by Lester, the Indians had scored two runs without hitting the ball past the pitcher's mound. Fitting the Cubs' storybook season, Ross went deep in his next at-bat — and in the final game of his career. By the time "Grandpa Rossy" finished rounding the bases, everyone from the Cubs dugout to Wrigleyville started to sense the inevitable. It almost seems appropriate that fans known for their patience had to wait until the 10th to exhale. But now it's over, at last. Has any sports league ever crowned a champion whose fan base deserved a title more than the Cubs? Has baseball ever played a more significant World Series game than this one? The 2016 Cubs — Dex and Rizz, KB and Jake, Zo and Schwarbs — will become bigger legends than the 1985 Bears. The Cubs winning the World Series transcends sports, making a deeper impact on the city's culture than the 2005

World Series champion White Sox, the 1990s Bulls dynasty and the current core of Blackhawks who have collected three Stanley Cups. The Cubs close generation gaps, connect neighborhoods and clear racial or ethnic barriers, all with a capital C. Their reach extends beyond baseball, across countries and continents, and into the hearts of millions worldwide who were overjoyed the lovable losers finally won it all. Next year was here. It really did happen. -- Chicago Tribune Chicago Cubs win World Series championship with 8-7 victory over Cleveland Indians By Paul Sullivan Finally. The most epic drought in sports history is over, and the Cubs are world champions. After 108 years of waiting, the Cubs won the 2016 World Series with a wild 8-7, 10-inning Game 7 victory over the Indians on Wednesday night at Progressive Field. The triumph completed their climb back from a 3-1 Series deficit to claim their first championship since 1908. A roller-coaster of emotions spilled out in a game that lasted almost five hours, featuring some wacky plays, a blown four-run lead, a 17-minute rain delay and some 10th inning heroics that sealed the deal. It was a perfect ending for a franchise that had waited forever for just one championship, and your stomach never will be the same. This is not a dream. The Cubs did it. It was real, and it was spectacular. After blowing an eighth-inning lead in stunning fashion, the Cubs bounced back in the 10th with run-scoring hits from Ben Zobrist and Miguel Montero. Over? Not quite. The Indians came to within a run with two outs, until Mike Montgomery entered to induce the game-ending grounder to third base that saved the city. The Cubs rushed the field, waved "W' flags and held a group hugathon. Tears flowed across Cubs Nation after the final out, and fans responded with the world's biggest group hug, remembering all the loved ones who could only imagine what it would be like to experience this moment of pure bliss. The 1969 Cubs, the team that defined the word ''collapse,'' were off the hook. So were their predecessors in '84 and 2003, who also came close only to suffer painful endings that scarred two generations of Cubs fans and kept the drought alive. The billy goat is gone, and the black cat too. And what was the name of the foul-ball dude? No matter. It was never really his fault, and now he's just a footnote in Cubs history. The catchphrase Cubs fans uttered over the last century and change has been "just one before I die," a plea that fell on deaf ears decade after decade. Well, you can die in peace now, thanks to Joe Maddon's resilient club, which was bloodied and on the mat after a Game 4 loss at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs picked themselves up when Jon Lester and Aroldis Chapman tag-teamed the Indians in Game 5, and they battled to a Game 6 victory in Cleveland to set up the mother of all Game 7s between two franchises synonymous with heartache. The road trips to cemeteries commence Thursday, where caps, balls, pennants and news clippings will be placed on markers of loved ones, letting them know they did it. The Cubs did it. It may look like the final scene of "Field of Dreams," a caravan of cars on a mission of closure. When the Red Sox ended their 86-year championship drought, Cubs President Theo Epstein was moved by all the cemetery scenes, the touching tributes to those who taught us to love a baseball team through thick and thin — or in the Cubs' case, through thin and thinner. Epstein, then the Red Sox's general manager, said fans have thanked him almost every day since 2004 for "what it meant to their family" and those who didn't live long enough to see it happen. "That really resonated," he said last year. "More than anything else, that feeling influenced my decision to come to Chicago, because that was the one place in the world where you could experience something that meaningful again and play a small part in contributing to something that meaningful." Epstein arrived in Chicago in the fall of 2011 with the gargantuan task of rebuilding an organization that had tried everything imaginable. It took him five seasons, three managers and dozens of moves to get the job done, but he did it. The Cubs did it. The funny thing about waiting 107 years for a championship was that when it finally happened, you didn't want the season to end. It was that much fun, from Kyle Schwarber's smashing of a windshield outside the outfield wall with a spring training home run to Wednesday night. This was a team in the truest sense of the word. These Cubs worked together and partied together, and some of them prayed together. The moments were so delicious you could watch them on an endless loop. Dexter Fowler's surprise return in Arizona. Anthony Rizzo hopping on top of the brick wall. Javier Baez's backhand swipe to pick off Conor Gillaspie at first in the National League Division Series. Kris Bryant's home run off the top of a cartoon car at AT&T Park. David Ross' final regular-season game at Wrigley. Aroldis Chapman's marathon outing to save the season in Game 5 of the Series at Wrigley. It was one thing after another, and you loved every second. It was the arrival of the controversial Chapman from the Yankees in July that sent Chicago into a tizzy. Did they sell their souls in pursuit of a championship? Three months and hundreds of triple-digit fastballs later, few were debating the move. Epstein said the Cubs had done their homework and Chapman would not be an issue. He was the final piece to the puzzle Epstein had been working on for five years, and the move signaled the Cubs were going for broke. "If not now, when?" Epstein said. This was the year: The Chicago Cubs win the 2016 World Series The Schwarber comeback was so unbelievable, so corny, even Disney wouldn't have dared touch it. After going down with a torn ACL in the third game of the season after an outfield collision with Fowler, he spent the entire season rehabbing and hoping he could make it back for the end. "Pedro Strop said all along, 'Man, you're going to be back for the World Series,'" Schwarber said.

Schwarber did it. The Cubs did it. One-hundred and eight years is a long time, and Cubs fans have suffered through a lot of bad baseball before getting to this day, coming within inches of a World Series twice before losing the grip on the rope. In May 1984, Jim Brady, the Illinois-born press secretary to President Ronald Reagan, told reporters: "This is our year. This is the year of the Cubs. I've been waiting for the antitrust department of the Justice Department to come in and get us. We conspired before the season even started. This year there will be no 'April Fold,' no 'June Swoon' and no 'October Surprise.'" A month later, young second baseman Ryne Sandberg hit a game-tying home run off Bruce Sutter in the ninth at Wrigley and a game-tying homer off Sutter in the 10th in a comeback victory for the ages. Everyone believed. The Cubs were one game from the World Series before it all fell apart, suddenly and shockingly. They blew the final three games of the NL Championship Series in San Diego when a ball went under Leon Durham's glove in Game 5. It would be 19 years before they got that close again, but in the summer of 2003, Dusty Baker made us believe again. The Cubs had two young studs in Mark Prior and Kerry Wood who everyone knew would carry them to multiple titles. They combined for 32 victories in '03, and Wood beat the Braves in the division series for their first postseason series triumph since 1908. But it all fell apart, suddenly and shockingly. They blew the final three games of the NLCS to the Marlins, with Prior imploding during the Marlins' eight-run eighth inning of Game 6 at Wrigley when the Cubs were five outs away. Over the next three injury-plagued years, Wood and Prior combined for 30 victories. But things changed when Maddon arrived for Year 4 of Epstein's rebuild, promising at his introductory news conference in 2014 he would be "talking playoffs next year." After getting swept in the NLCS in '15, the Cubs won 103 games this year, launched a ninth-inning comeback to take the division series against the Giants, then came back from back-to-back shutouts to down the Dodgers in six games. At long last, they had won a National League pennant for the first time in 71 years. All that was left was the Indians, a gritty team with a lockdown bullpen and a likely Hall of Fame manager in Terry Francona, who ended the drought in Boston with Epstein 12 years earlier. With the Cubs on the ropes, trailing 3-1 and gasping for air, they got some electroshock therapy from Lester and Chapman at Wrigley, then headed to Cleveland after a brief timeout for some trick-or-treating. A Game 6 victory kept hope alive, setting up the wild and crazy Game 7. It was one for the ages, with more twists and turns than a San Francisco street. They had it, they blew it, and then came a 17-minute rain delay. After waiting 108 years, what was another 17 minutes? Schwarber started off the rally with a single in the 10th. Pinch-runner Albert Almora Jr. came in and advanced to second on Bryant's long flyout. After an intentional walk to Rizzo, Zobrist doubled down the left-field line, and Montero came up big with an RBI single after an intentional walk to Addison Russell. The Cubs walked off the field saluting the thousands of fans who had traveled to Cleveland to scarf up tickets, singing "Go Cubs Go" as the clocked ticked to midnight back home. It took a while, and it wasn't the way they had drawn it up.

But they did it. The Cubs did it. -- Chicago Tribune Cubs' David Ross makes some history in final major-league game By Chris Kuc David Ross went out a winner. Already a champion with Cubs fans and teammates for his engaging personality and uncanny leadership skills off the field, the veteran catcher finished his career as a champion on it. After playing his last game at Wrigley Field over the weekend, the veteran catcher called his final season in the major leagues "a storybook year" and during Game 7 of the World Series against the Indians on Wednesday night in Cleveland, Ross wrote the final chapter. It included thrills, chills and some spilled tears as the 39-year-old cemented his place in Cubs lore by becoming the oldest player to hit a home run in a Game 7 of the World Series during the Cubs' 8-7 victory over the Indians in 10 innings. "I'll have plenty of time to reflect on my career," Ross said afterward. "This is the World Series, Game 7. I'm trying to soak it all in and try to support my teammates and help cheer them on." Ross, who announced his plans to retire last offseason, became known as much for his quips and hugs this season as his contributions on the field — though those cannot be dismissed as his solo home run in the sixth inning in Game 7 displayed. With the Cubs reeling a bit after seeing their 5-1 lead trimmed to 5-3 in the top of the fifth — aided by a Ross throwing error and later his inability to corral a wild pitch from Jon Lester that scored two Indians runs — Ross showed a flair for the dramatic when he belted a fastball from Andrew Miller over the wall in center field to give the Cubs a 6-3 lead. "Just coming into the game and giving up two runs I felt like I was letting the team down," Ross said. "That's not how I scripted it. I made an error so to get one back on the board in our favor was nice for me." So 883 regular-season and 25 postseason games later, Ross will ride off into the sunset and focus on a career of spending more time with his family after playing 14 seasons in the big leagues. That whole retiring thing is still happening, right? "How do you come back after this?" Ross said with a hearty laugh. "I would kick my own you know what if I came back after this. My family my wife, what a treat. I'm so, so, so lucky. I'm going to come back but I'm just going to come back to get that ring and come back and heckle (Anthony) Rizzo from the seats by first base." -- Chicago Tribune Ben Zobrist named World Series MVP after go-ahead double in Game 7 By Paul Skrbina Ben Zobrist can rest easy now. The man from Eureka, Ill., who studies hitting for a living became a World Series champion Wednesday for the second time in 368 days.

The left fielder also became a World Series MVP after he helped the Cubs to the franchise's first title since 1908 by batting .357 in the series with two doubles, a triple and two RBIs. "When I'm falling asleep (Tuesday) night, man, I'm like, 'I'm not breathing normal. Just relax here,'" said Zobrist, who helped the Royals to the title last year. "Same thing when you go out on the field. We're normal people. We get nerve-racked and anxious just like everybody else. We just have to try to trick ourselves into believing it's not going to affect us." Zobrist had just one hit in Game 7, but it was an arm-raising, emotion-inducing RBI double in the 10th inning that scored pinch runner Albert Almora Jr. with the go-ahead run in an 8-7 victory at Progressive Field. "I just was thinking, 'Don't try to be the hero, just stay inside the ball, try to get the pitch out over the plate and hit it the other direction,'" Zobrist said. "Really it was uncomfortable, the at-bat." Zobrist had five hits in his first eight World Series at-bats. He also walked four times and scored four runs. That performance came on the heels of a tough first two rounds for Zobrist, who hit .167 with a .494 OPS in 10 postseason games before the World Series. Manager Joe Maddon, though, said the switch-hitting Zobrist, 35, is valuable to the young Cubs even when he's not hitting well. "He sets examples for everybody's at-bats," Maddon said. "His at-bats are the most professsional on a daily basis. "He's among that elite group in all of professional baseball that, even if he's not getting hits or if he's in a slump, he's still doing something to contribute to the offensive side just based on his at-bats, his willingness to accept walks, his good baserunning ability. All of that stuff, just by watching it, helps these other kids." All the way to the World Series title. -- Chicago Tribune It had to end this way: Cubs champions in thrilling, unforgettable Game 7 By Paul Sullivan It had to end like this, after a 108-year drought that consumed Cubs fans and vexed experts for decade after decade. It had to end with the Cubs beating the Indians 8-7 in 10 innings in Game 7 of the World Series, in a ballpark occupied by thousands of road-tripping Cubs fans, on a summer-like night in November, in a season in which everything fell into place from start to glorious finish. And it had to end with a Cubbie Occurrence, a Grandpa goodbye, an eighth-inning collapse and a night more nerve-wracking than a presidential election. The Cubs blew a four-run lead before coming back in extra innings before 38,104 shell-shocked fans at Progressive Field, culminating a comeback from a 3-1 Series deficit and kick-starting a party in Chicago that may not end until the last snowbank melts next spring. After Aroldis Chapman gave up a game-tying, two-run homer to Rajai Davis in the eighth, Ben Zobrist's RBI double put the Cubs on top in the 10th, and Miguel Montero added a pinch-RBI single for insurance. After the Indians closed to within one on Davis' RBI single off C.J. Edwards, Mike Montgomery induced a grounder to Kris Bryant, ending one of the craziest Game 7s in World Series annals.

Manager Joe Maddon's team lived up to its "we never quit" mantra, finishing off the Series with three straight wins to keep the Indians' 68-year drought alive while ending their own. Zobrist was named Series MVP, finishing with a .357 average and the game-winning double. Raise a glass, Cubs fans, for the ones who weren't here, and take a bow for keeping the faith when logic told you to give up. You wouldn't want it any other way, would you? This was going to be a classic all along. David Ross, playing in the final game of his career, figured that out during the Game 6 victory. "I started thinking about it a lot more, just saying, 'Wow, my career is going to end in a Game 7 World Series, how lucky and fortunate am I to be with these guys?'" Ross said. "I kept watching them play and thinking, 'Man, I'm part of something special here. And I'm very, very lucky to be on this team.'" Ross was involved in the Cubbie Occurrence — a wild pitch by Jon Lester in the fifth that ricocheted off Ross' mask to the backstop, allowing two runs to score and allowing the Indians to creep to within two runs. The worst fears of Cubs fans crept into the back of your mind, if only for a moment. "Grandpa Rossy" alleviated those fears a few minutes later, cranking a 402-foot home run off uber-reliever Andrew Miller, making him the oldest player to homer in a Series. The sea of blue-and-white jerseys in the stands two hours before the first pitch made it apparent this was not going to be just another road game. The Cubs received a raucous ovation as they walked off the field at the end of batting practice. But no one could've imagined just how huge the contingent was until Dexter Fowler led off the game with a 406-foot solo home run to center off Corey Kluber. The ballpark erupted. Occupation Cleveland was underway. Kluber was mocked by fans in his own park in the first inning, and when the Indians put a graphic on the video board exhorting their fans to cheer, Cubs fans outshouted them with a "Let's go, Cubs" chant. Kyle Hendricks started and pitched well into the fifth, and the Cubs grabbed a 3-1 lead with a two-run fourth that starred Davis. Third-base coach Gary Jones sent Bryant home on a pop to shallow center by Addison Russell, and when Davis' throw to the plate was high, Bryant slid between the legs of catch Roberto Perez to retake the lead. Davis got a bad jump on Willson Contreras' fly to deep center, resulting in an RBI double that made it 3-1. Javier Baez made up for two errors error with a solo homer in the fifth, knocking out Kluber, and Bryant scored all the way from first on Anthony Rizzo's single later in the inning to make it 5-1. Lester, Jake Arrieta and John Lackey had slowly marched out to the bullpen along with Ross in the second, looking like a scene from an old black-and-white war movie, with Lester playing John Wayne. Maddon said before the game he didn't want to bring Lester in in a "dirty inning" but did just that with two outs and a on in the fifth. Ross made a throwing error to put runners on second and third, and Lester bounced a wild pitch that went to the fence and allowed both runs to score, awakening the crowd.

Lester stiffened and got the Cubs into the eighth, when Maddon summoned Chapman, who proved his rubber arm wasn't made of rubber after all. Maddon took a beating on the internet for overtaxing Chapman, but the Cubs saved him from being the designated goat. The blown save was only a prelude to an ending that will live forever, on a night Chicago waited 108 years to witness. -- Chicago Tribune An 'otherworldly' win for the world champion Cubs By Paul Sullivan When it all came crashing down for the Cubs in the eighth inning of Game 7 of the World Series, that familiar feeling returned to the pit of your stomach. Aroldis Chapman had just surrendered a game-tying, two-run home run to Rajai Davis with four outs remaining to clinch their first world championship since 1908. Whether you were a fan or an owner, it felt the same way. “I about threw up three times, literally,” Cubs owner Laura Ricketts said. “This was one of the hardest nights of my life, including childbirth. I about threw up several times. My nephew started crying in the ninth, and I said, ‘Hey buddy, Cubs never quit. We never quit. Don’t cry. We’re going to get another at-bat. I promise you.’ And they did.” Photos from Game 7 of the World Series at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio, on Nov. 2, 2016. Laura’s brother, Tom, the Cubs chairman, wasn’t ill, just in a state of shock. “Obviously, I was like a lot of other people, hoping these would be the last few outs of the game,” Tom Ricketts said. “It didn’t work out that way. Aroldis has been so clutch for us all season, and to give up a hit like that was unexpected. But nobody freaked out. Everyone just kind of held together, kept moving forward, and finished the game.” The Cubs got out of the inning without any more damage, and after blowing a scoring opportunity in the top of the ninth, Chapman recovered and retired the Indians in order in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extra innings. That’s when the rain came again, the sweet rain that may have saved the Cubs’ season. “It’s the best rain delay of all time,” Anthony Rizzo said. There are no stats to quantify rain delays, but this one was important because of the calming words of Jason Heyward, who gathered the team together and told them this was their moment to show what they’re made of. “Everybody had a little player-only thing, got together and realized the game is not over,” Dexter Fowler said. “The momentum can swing.” “Kind of settled us down, got us regrouped,” Rizzo said. “'J-Hey' called a meeting, and we all just let it out and we’re world champions.” No one would reveal the words. Everyone said they came from the heart. “We all had heart-to-hearts,” Addison Russell said. “We all felt we had to say things that were on our minds and get them off our chest. We reached new levels when you talk about that stuff. Grown men talking about that stuff, it doesn’t matter.

“The fact that we did it here in the World Series. It was information we already knew, just reiterating it and putting it into a type of way. J-Hey said it so beautifully, and we all came together.” Heyward has been a bust offensively after signing his eight-year, $184 million deal, and fans have been frustrated by his inability to get into a groove. But Heyward is a great defender and one of the leaders in the clubhouse, so when he speaks, the players listen. “It’s kind of beating a dead horse but I really need people to understand what this guy has done for us, day in and day out, regardless of what he does offensively,” Jon Lester said. “I know that’s what everyone wants to look at, but this guy has saved our pitching staff more runs and more long innings than anyone on that field probably, other than Javy Baez. This guy is a special, special player. He spoke up at the right time.” When the game resumed after a 17-minute delay, Heyward's words had sunk in. The Cubs were able to shrug off the late collapse and regroup. Mike Montgomery walked out to the bullpen with Carl Edwards Jr. and gave him a simple message. “I said ‘C.J., me and you, we’re going to close this game out for these guys,’” Montgomery said. “We’re going to do it for this team, for this city.” The tenth started with a Kyle Schwarber single, and after a one-out intentional walk to Rizzo, Ben Zobrist came through with the RBI double that gave the Cubs the lead again. Miguel Montero’s pinch-hit, RBI single made it a two-run lead, and the Cubs seemingly were in the clear. Of course, that was not going to happen. The Indians pulled with within a run on Davis’ RBI single off Edwards, and Montgomery came in to get the final out. The Cubs celebrated on the mound, and then carried David Ross off on their shoulders after his final game. The team that wouldn't quit didn't, and the pay-off was a championship. “What a great example for kids,” Laura Ricketts said. “Never quit, and here is where it gets you. But really, when I was telling my nephew that, I was also telling myself that, because I wanted to cry, too.” Everyone wanted to cry, and some did. For Cubs great Ryne Sandberg, watching the team he loved win it all the way they did was a moment to cherish. “Hard to believe,” Sandberg said. “One of the best Series of all-time, and one of the best seventh games. "Hard to take, but I’ll take it.” “Epic,” Cubs President Theo Epstein said. “It’s got to be one of the top three games of all-time. Incredible.” Kind of a boring way to go out, eh, Tom Ricketts? “Yeah, I kind of wish we could’ve gone out with a little more style on this one,” Ricketts deadpanned. The Cubs had ended the 108-year drought, and it was time to let loose in the clubhouse. Epstein clinked champagne bottles with Bill Murray, who was interviewing him for Fox. “It means the world to the organization,” Epstein said. “This has been our quest for over a century, and to do it with these guys the way we did it… It’s been such an emotional month. Our fans have been so emotional. We’ve been emotional. So to have it come together like it did, it’s otherworldly.”

Otherworldly, perhaps, but real. We saw it happen with our own eyes, and it was a moment that can never be taken away from us. It would be one thing for the Cubs to end the drought. It was quite another to win it in such a classic game, in an epic 7-game Series, with the weight of the world on their shoulders. After all was said and done, Epstein made a surprise announcement in the clubhouse, ceding authority of the team to general manager Jed Hoyer. “Jed is in charge,” Epstein said. “I’m going on a month-long bender. Wake me up at the winter meetings.” -- Chicago Tribune Tom Ricketts amazed by Cubs' transformation to World Series champions By Mark Gonzales The five-year ascent of a 101-loss team to World Champions was almost too much for Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts to comprehend. “It means a lot,” a champagne-doused Ricketts said late Wednesday night. “If I start going through people, I start crying.” Ricketts reiterated his appreciation for the fans who stuck with the franchise during a massive rebuilding process, to President Theo Epstein overseeing an overhaul of the baseball operations department, to the players who played an array of roles in giving the Cubs their first World Series title since 1908. “Give all the credit where it’s deserved,” Ricketts said. “The guys who put together this organization. The guys who played on the field, the manager (Joe Maddon). They all did a great job. All I did was do everything I could to support them and keep the ball moving forward. Take the guesswork out of your hair products. Get customize recommendations for your hair needs! 150+ hair care products made with natural & certified organic ingredients for YOUR normal. See More “And it’s a really a team effort. A lot of people use that (term). They like the figurative sense. I mean it in the literal sense.” Ricketts felt a sense of relief after the final out of an emotional game. “When you look back, I’m sure I’ll have a lot of emotions.” Ricketts wasn’t thinking yet about giant celebration parties, such as the traditional parade. “I just want to get back and hug my family and every player, then get to the parade and the real stars of the show, the fans,” Ricketts said. -- Chicago Tribune Cubs face free-agent decisions on Dexter Fowler, Jason Hammel By Mark Gonzales The cold reality of the Cubs’ offseason starts Thursday morning with five players immediately eligible for free agency and decisions looming on valuable leadoff batter Dexter Fowler and 15-game winner Jason Hammel.

Fowler, 30, who raised his stock with a .276 batting average to go with a 447 on-base percentage in 125 games, likely will eschew his $9 million mutual option in favor of a $5 million buyout to test the free agent market in hopes of receiving a more lucrative multi-year offer that’s expected to exceed $14 million annually. Hammel, 34, who won a career-high 15 games and made 30 starts, fell short of 200 innings to trigger a mutual option of $12 million. But that option is a bargain, considering the thin free agent market for starting pitchers. Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta, John Lackey and Kyle Hendricks are under contract or under club control for 2017, and left-hander Mike Montgomery could serve as a swing pitcher. Hammel was scouted heavily by several teams during the final two months of the regular season. Left-hander Travis Wood, who made a career-high 77 appearances and limited opponents to a .195 batting average, could get interest as a starter as well as a reliever. Closer Aroldis Chapman is expected to pursue and land one of the largest free agent contracts for a closer, leaving former incumbent Hector Rondon as an option. The Cubs’ other free agents are outfielder Chris Coghlan and pitchers Trevor Cahill and Joe Smith, whose submarine-style delivery adds intrigue. Catcher David Ross is a free agent but expected to retire. -- Chicago Tribune Short offseason and demands of rest and preparation await Cubs By Mark Gonzales After stretching the World Series to seven games, the Cubs face their shortest offseason that will cause manager Joe Maddon to make sure his players find the balance of rest and getting ready for the April 3 opener against the Cardinals in St. Louis. "You have to be aware of that," Maddon said. "Going into next spring training, you need to map it out well and be mindful of what these guys went through this year." Maddon said the Cubs should be in decent shape overall, outside of the full recovery of Kyle Schwarber from left knee surgery. Spring training will start a week earlier next season because of the World Baseball Classic, and several Cubs players are expected to receive invitations to play. Some players, such as first baseman Anthony Rizzo, have acknowledged a difficult decision over accepting an offer to play in the WBC or committing fully to their team. Maddon experienced a short winter when the Rays went to the World Series in 2008 with the WBC starting the ensuing spring. "It might not be so bad," Maddon said. The goal is to be more patient with the players coming into spring training and get them ready for the first game of the regular season. "You don't press them too hard early," Maddon said. "You really have a lot of conversations and are mindful about a lot of different things. Get them ready for the first game of the season because you want to get off to a good start like we talked about for this year."

As for Maddon, he will attend a fraternity party at his alma mater, Lafayette College, next weekend and then drive his RV to Tampa, where he will participate in several charity functions. Maddon will be the host for a question-and-answer session at the Yogi Berra Museum on Dec. 2 in New Jersey before heading to baseball's winter meetings in Maryland. Maddon will have two events in his hometown of Hazleton, Pa., in December. Roll with Aroldis: Aroldis Chapman is expected to receive a lucrative free agent contract offer from another team, but Maddon would like to see the closer return. "Industry-wide, I'd have to believe his stock has risen dramatically for what he has done and how he has done it," said Maddon, referring to Chapman's impact as a "luxury item." "The best sports car or yacht," Maddon said. "The coolest, hottest plane in the air right now. They're different when they're that good." Maddon praised Santiago Mateo, a friend of Chapman's, for serving as a conduit between the Spanish-speaking player and rest of the team. -- Chicago Sun-Times 108 years and 10 innings later, it’s over: Cubs win World Series! By Gordon Wittenmyer CLEVELAND – When Kris Bryant’s throw to first was safely in the glove of Anthony Rizzo in the bottom of the 10th inning, it was finally over. An 8-7, extra-inning victory over the Indians on the road in Game 7 of the World Series finally ended – and finally put an end to more than a century of misery and mockery. Go ahead and run down the list of all the presidents that have come and gone, the world wars that have been fought and won, the states that have entered the union and the countless tears, heartache and hopelessness generated in Chicago for 108 years of Cubs baseball. Just know this: For all who have waited and yearned, this one, long, wet night in November in Cleveland was nothing short of the best thing since 20 years before sliced bread. That’s really how long it’s been since Frank Chance and the boys beat the Tigers in 1908 and started making space in their parlors for all the trophies that seemed sure to follow. “It’s fitting it has to be done with one of the best games of all-time,” said team president Theo Epstein, who now has presided over the ends of the two most storied “curses” in major league history – having been the general manager in Boston 12 years ago when the Red Sox ended the 86-year “Curse of the Bambino.” “What a testament to our players,” Epstein said. “During the rain delay they said, ‘this is only going to make it sweeter, boys.’ Our fans deserve this so much – and all the former Cubs. This is for Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Ron Santo.” Joe Maddon’s boys needed to survive their manager’s heavily scripted pitching machinations, a three-run rally in the eighth by the Indians against a gassed Aroldis Chapman that sent the game to extra innings, and to endure a brief rain delay before the 10th. But it might have been that 17-minute rain delay that contributed as much as any of the 13 hits or 172 pitches thrown by the Cubs in this epic Game 7.

“I believe the rain delay was God telling us to calm down,” said Dexter Fowler, whose homer leading off the game was the first in Game 7 World Series history. “Because the boys settled down, they settled in and we pulled it out.” Jason Heyward made sure of that in an impromptu team meeting during the rain delay after Chapman’s blown lead in the eighth and a scoreless ninth. “I know how everybody felt,” veteran catcher David Ross said. “But Jason Heyward stepped up and said it, and spoke up and said this is about your teammates, this is about we’re the best team in baseball for a reason. Continue to play our game, support one another. These are your brothers here.” The 10th inning rally was started, of course, by Kyle Schwarber, who wasn’t even supposed to be playing this soon after that so-called, season-ending knee injury — then led off with a single. By the time veterans Ben Zobrist and Miguel Montero delivered RBI hits later in the inning, the surprisingly Chicago-strong crowd at Progressive Field started the roar. “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. But we made it a little bit more difficult than that even,” said Zobrist, who was 10-for-28 in the seven games and won the Series MVP award. “Just to see this team pull through in this moment, not only down 3-1 [in the Series] but then the kind of Game 7 that was played out there, that should end any talk of any curse.” When Mike Montgomery got the final out to quell another Indians rally in the bottom of the 10th, the Cubs started the party more than a century in the making. Bryant admitted to emotions as he sank to his knees after the final out. “It was just a hard-fought game. They came back, we came back,” he said. It was probably one of the best Game 7s ever. Fortunately, we were on the right side of it.” Thousands of Cubs fans remained well after the game, waving `W’ flags and serenading the players on the field with what certainly was the loudest rendition of “Go Cubs Go” performed east of Lake Michigan. “Whenever you pass from one atmosphere into another, there’s a lot of energy. It takes a lot of energy to blast a rocket ship up into space,” said a reveling Bill Murray, the most prominent celebrity fan along for the postseason ride. “It takes a lot of energy to blast yourself to the World Series. There’s a lot of energy. There’s a force field you’ve got to pass through, and they Indians put it up. “And [the Cubs] did it.” As the postgame celebration continued, some of the players hoisted retiring veteran clubhouse leader Ross onto their shoulders for a ride to the dugout, to a huge ovation. Ross, of course, hit one of the Cubs’ three homers in their first Game 7 postseason win in three tries. “A lot of ups and downs. I’m totally exhausted,” Ross said. “These guys are winners. When you want to crumble, when ball goes over the fence [in the Indians’ eighth], these guys keep battling back.” These new-age Cubs pulled this all off by coming back from the brink of elimination to win three straight games an epic seven-game Series, becoming the first team since the Royals in 1985 to come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the World Series – first since the 1979 Pirates to do it on the road. “We started as heavy favorites and we went wire to wire,” Rizzo said. “We were written off [down 3-1] and to come back is the best feeling in the world.” They trailed 1-0 in Game 5 on Sunday at home when National League MVP favorite Kris Bryant homered leading off the fourth inning.

They scored twice more in that inning and never trailed again in the series – though it got a lot more complicated than that by the time manager Maddon watched his scripted-by-Hollywood pitching plans for the night blow up after pulling starter Kyle Hendricks with two out and a runner at first in the fifth, leading 4-1. Maddon kicked most of his bullpen to the curb for the first nine innings Wednesday, sending starters Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta and John Lackey to the bullpen early in the game and, apparently, drooling for the chance to return to 100-mph closer Chapman for the finish. In executing that plan, Maddon finally discovered the limits of the willing but far from sharp left-hander, costing the Cubs a chance for history in nine innings on this night. He got three innings out of Game 5 winner Lester – swapping him and personal catcher Ross into the game for Hendricks and Willson Contreras with two out and one on in the fifth. It cost two quick runs on a Ross error and a two-run wild pitch before Lester settled in. But he still took a 6-3 lead just four outs from the finish line before allowing an infield single and watching Maddon emerge from the dugout 55 pitches after handing him the ball. Enter Chapman. Exit the Cubs’ lead. A ringing double by Brandon Guyer drove home one run, and after fouling off several pitches, Rajai Davis lined a 2-2 pitch from Chapman over the wall down the left-field line to tie. Chapman was in tears in the dugout after the inning. “It was a very emotional moment,” Chapman (through the team translator0 said, crediting Ross with pulling him out of it. “He said keep your chin up; we’ve got this; we’ll pick you up.” After a scoreless ninth, the tarp was pulled onto the field for 17 minutes. “We regrouped during the rain delay. Give our guys all the credit,” Maddon said. “What a bunch of professionals. We never quit.” -- Chicago Sun-Times Cubs’ David Ross goes out with a bomb — and a World Series title By Daryl Van Schouwen CLEVELAND – What a way for David Ross to end his career. A home run in his final game, which happened to be in Game 7 of the World Series. Won by the Cubs. After all that, there’s no way he can reconsider changing his mind about retirement. “Win a World Series in your last year when you know you’re going out and you’re a backup catcher,’’ Ross said, “and these guys treat me the way they do and the city shows me the love it has shown me and you’re a part of one of the greatest games in the history of baseball and breaking the longest curse in all of baseball, what words do you have for that? It’s so emotional.’’ In the Cubs’ phenomenal 8-7 win in 10 innings over the Cleveland Indians Wednesday, Ross entered to catch Jon Lester in the middle of the game and, while he was at it, popped a home run to center field against left-hander Andrew Miller.

Yes, that Andrew Miller, the near-unhittable one for almost all of the postseason. At 39, Ross became the oldest player to homer in a Game 7 of the World Series. He was also the oldest player to hit a World Series homer since the Indians’ Eddie Murray in 1995. And the oldest to be hoisted on the shoulders of Cubs teammates. “I hit a home run and got carried off the field,’’ Ross said. “That doesn’t happen. I felt like Rudy going out there. It’s that kind of group we got. I’m so appreciative.’’ Ross felt some vindication for a throwing error to first that figured in the Indians’ two-run fifth “I had just come in the game and gave up a couple of runs I felt like I was letting the team down,’’ Ross said. “I made an error. That’s not how I scripted it. To get one back on the board was nice to me. “Everyone wants go talk about was I thinking about the end of my career and all that. No, I was thinking about winning the game. I’ll have plenty of time to reflect on my career. This is the World Series Game 7. I’m trying to soak it all in and help my teammates.” Ross has helped throughout the season both on and off the field. After the Cubs fell behind in this series 3-1, he saw teammates get their collective dobber down. It was only a brief state, but Ross stepped in. “I think there was like one, five second moment when we lost that third game to the Indians and we went back into the clubhouse in Chicago and it was silent,” World Series MVP Ben Zobrist said. “And Rossy, the unbelievable leader that he is, said ‘Don’t do that. Don’t. No. we’re not doing that. We’ve won three games in a row a lot this year. And we can definitely do it. He said ‘Let’s take it one pitch, one inning at a time tomorrow and we’ll get through this.’ ” Get through it they did. A little leadership from someone who had been there before helped. “Whether there’s a hero or a goat—excuse the pun—everyone feels the weight of the world when you’re trying to do something special,” Ross said. -- Chicago Sun-Times Cubs win the World Series, and Charlie Brown kicks the football By Rick Morrissey CLEVELAND — And on the 39,466th day, God smiled and said, “Oh, what the hell.’’ After 108 seasons, after all those days of heartache, futility and what felt like godforsakenness, the Cubs got around to winning another World Series. It took 10 innings, a blown three-run lead, a case of managerial overreaching, a short rain delay and a late Indians comeback before this thing was settled. Such an ordeal was necessary because these are the Cubs and because every other form of torture had been brought to bear on them since 1908. They beat the Indians 8-7 in Game 7 of the World Series late Wednesday night. What a declarative sentence that is. The last great American sports story, the story of the team that couldn’t and seemingly never would, is gone for good now. It was why, after it was all done, the Cubs were jumping around like kids near the pitcher’s mound at Progressive Field. And it’s why a city 345 miles to the west partied right along with them and quite likely out-partied them. Everybody was a kid on this night, from those old enough to remember the last World Series appearance in 1945 to those recently born into a Cubs onesie. Once united in pain, now united in sheer joy.

The game ended with third baseman Kris Bryant fielding a soft grounder by Michael Martinez and whipping the ball to first baseman Anthony Rizzo, setting off a celebration the likes of which hasn’t been seen before. Gloves flew, tears flowed and players wrapped themselves in those W flags. “It feels like your first baby,’’ manager Joe Maddon said, holding the World Series trophy. This was the ultimate W. With the game tied 6-6 in the 10th and after a short rain delay, Kyle Schwarber singled. He and his surgically repaired knee were replaced by Albert Almora Jr. After Bryant flied out, the Indians intentionally walked Rizzo. And up to the plate came Ben Zobrist, who will go down in Cubs lore. His double down the left-field line off Bryan Shaw scored Almora to give the Cubs a 7-6 lead. A Miguel Montero single added another run. That run would put 1908 back in its place, the 20th century. The Indians’ only sin was that they were in the way of history. They last won a World Series in 1948. Their time will come. The bad news: Their time could be measured in Cubs years. It could just as easily have been the Indians celebrating on their own field. Maddon’s decision to use closer Aroldis Chapman for the third game in a row blew up in his face Wednesday, with the Indians scoring three runs in the eighth to wipe out a 6-3 Cubs’ lead. That included a Rajai Davis two-run homer off Chapman. The Cubs had been four outs away from winning their first World Series in 108 years. The title would eventually come. The game seemed to be saying, “Patience, children. You can wait a little longer.’’ The game is lucky it didn’t get beaten within an inch of its life. And then came Schwarber and Zobrist and history. “This one about made me pass out,” Zobrist said. “… It was just an epic battle.” There were thousands of Cubs cheering at the game, which made for an amazing scene afterward. Chants of “Let’s Go Cubbies’’ rang out, fans and players alike held their heads in disbelief, and the old man, 39-year-old catcher David Ross, got carried off the field by teammates. Stars? There were so many, just as there were the entire season. Dexter Fowler, who led off the game with a monster solo home run. Javy Baez with his own solo home run to lead off the fourth to make it 4-1 Cubs. They would add another run off super reliever Andrew Miller, who looked very human in the face of something that was much bigger than him. At that point, Rizzo was caught on TV saying to Ross, “I can’t control myself. I’m an emotional wreck.’’ You and everybody else, brother. The Cubs weathered so many storms Wednesday night that it took a village of sports heroes. Take Mr. Ross. With men on first and third in the fifth, Jon Lester, who won Game 5, threw the wild pitch of all wild pitches. It bounced two feet in front of the plate, hit Ross in the mask, stunning him, and skittered away. By the time Ross got the ball to Lester at the plate, both runners had scored. The lead was now 5-3. You could feel jaws and other body parts clenching all over the country. Not again, right? Right? The World Series is a sucker for corny stories. That’s the only explanation for how Ross could go from being an accomplice in a sequence headed for the Cubs’ long list of Very Bad Historical Events to hammering a Miller pitch for a home run in the sixth. The Cubs led 6-3. Until their next crisis, the Chapman-Maddon one. But they weathered that one too. That’s what champions do. Bryant, Rizzo, Zobrist and starter Kyle Hendricks did what hadn’t been done since Frank Chance, Johnny Evers, Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown and Orval Overall did it in 1908. Stunning. Just stunning.

This pinch-yourself season is over now, but it will never go away. Some things are forever. A bad history isn’t one of them. -- Chicago Sun-Times The ultimate Chicago Cubs victory, blue and soaring and beautiful By Steve Greenberg CLEVELAND — Hats in the air. On the field, in the stands — hats like confetti, all of them soaring and blue and beautiful. It’s funny what the first thing you notice might be in a moment like this, a moment so big and bold and glorified yet most special of all in its details. Some of those details are imperfect, like the game the Cubs played Wednesday night. It was a mashup of pickoffs, uncharacteristic defensive errors and pitching changes gone haywire. There even was room for a wild pitch on which two runs scored and a fouled two-strike bunt in the top of the ninth with a runner on third. It was an impossibly dramatic 8-7 affair that some — particularly those flying the W — will call one of the greatest Game 7s in the history of the World Series. Move over, Mazeroski. You, too, Koufax. And from all those who love the Indians, bless their tortured souls, only three words need be spoken: Worst. Game. Ever. Somehow, the Cubs got to the finish line first. And when they did, those lovely blue hats flew and there was unimaginable joy. The superstars of the team, Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant, embraced near second base. But this was a team-wide celebration befitting a team-wide victory. Javy Baez, who homered on this night — and also committed two errors and struck out on that strange bunt attempt in the ninth — shed the weight of his struggle-filled World Series, thrust his arms in the air, pulled his head back and appeared to give thanks to God above. The bullpen emptied, and Jake Arrieta wound up in the air and crashing down on Rizzo’s back. Carl Edwards Jr., the scrawny rookie reliever from Prosperity, S.C., who recorded two gigantic outs in the bottom of the 10th, did a lap around the infield with a Cubs banner. Thirty-five-year-old Ben Zobrist, who drove in the winning run in the 10th inning and was named World Series MVP, jumped and spun around, looking for anybody to hug. “I was just battling,” Zobrist said of the hit off Indians reliever Bryan Shaw that scored Albert Almora Jr. to make it 7-6. “Obviously, I swung at a ball with two strikes and just barely hung in there in the at-bat. Fortunately, he put one close enough to the plate where I could just slap it down the line.” And into history, a 108-year albatross blown to bits. On a night when Joe Maddon put a personal spin on the Cubs phrase “Tinker to Evers to Chance” and almost changed it indelibly to “tinkers forever — no chance,” the manager’s entire team picked him up. They picked up closer Aroldis Chapman, too, who was able to stop crying after blowing a save in the eighth and start celebrating. And after the players finally left the field for the cramped visitor’s clubhouse, the thousands and thousands of Cubs fans in the Progressive Field stands did the only things they seem to know how to do — stay, embrace one another, sing “Go, Cubs, Go” and make another takeover of another opponent’s ballpark complete. Special team. Special time. All is well in Cubdom. -- Chicago Sun-Times In the end, Maddon’s moves worked out for Cubs By Daryl Van Schouwen

CLEVELAND — Kyle Hendricks was up in the zone. And before you knew it, Jon Lester — maybe sooner than he needed to be — was up and pitching out of the bullpen. Thanks, Lester said after the Cubs defeated the Cleveland Indians 8-7 in 10 innings to win Game 7 of the World Series at Progressive Field, but leave me out of this next time. The postgame celebration? Count me in on those, Lester said. Pitching in relief? That’s a different story. “I’ve always had lot of respect for bullpen guys.’’ Lester said. “I know how many times I’ve put them in sticky situations and they’ve bail us [starters] out. “It’s definitely a situation I don’t want to be in any more. It’s tough with the crowd, and emotion. All of that.” Emotion? Anxiety? For the Cubs and their fans, those things were off the charts as manager Joe Maddon pulled Hendricks early and after making Lester an effective bridge to the weary Chapman, watched his closer crumble and blow a what had been a four-run lead on Rajai Davis’ tying homer in the eighth. After Chapman, who would be in tears even though he gave Maddon a scoreless ninth after that and earned the win, Maddon was left with 25-year-old Carl Edwards Jr. for two outs in the 10th and left-hander Mike Montgomery, who retired Mike Martinez on a grounder to third to earn the first save of his life. “How about that?’’ said Lester, who gave up two runs — one earned — over three innings. “I don’t even know what to say. I see the guys and coaches who have been through it all. And the fans, look at this place — you would think we’re at Wrigley.’’ Pitching out of the pen had an odd feeling, too. The last time he did it was in 2007 with the Boston Red Sox. “It’s not a good feeling being down there,’’ Lester said. “You don’t know when you’re going in and when to warm up.’’ Chapman’s multiple innings tasks in the postseason was out of his comfort zone, too. After Lester replaced Hendricks – even though the right-hander seemed to find his way during a perfect fourth after leaving his pitches up early — with two outs in the fifth inning, Lester got nine outs (he was charged with two runs, one earned) and got the ball to Chapman. That’s when temporary disaster ensued, and Maddon may have found himself wishing he had stayed with Hendricks a bit longer. Hendricks was, after all, going strong when he got pulled. “I mean, Chappy, he’s our guy in that moment,’’ Maddon said. “We narrowed it down to four outs. “The Cubs beat up on [Indians relief specialist Andrew] Miller tonight and got to their other guys because the Cubs are good. The Indians beat up on Chapman because the Indians are good. So that’s part of the game.’’ Maddon, knowing he’d be second guessed, said he “thinks barroom conversations are great but sometimes people forget that both sides are good.’’

Lester handed the ball to Chapman with the Cubs leading the Indians 6-3 in the eighth inning, seemingly a winning proposition with four outs to go. In the end, all was well and Maddon, pushing the buttons that worked out in the end, managed the Cubs to their first World Series title since 1908. “It’s incredible how this all plays out sometimes,’’ Maddon said. “Unbelievable,’’ Lester said. “I don’t have words to tell you how I feel about this. It’s surreal.” -- Chicago Sun-Times Cubs’ curse-busting World Series win loaded with drama By Rick Telander CLEVELAND — Oh, my, Chicago! Oh, my Chicago! Oh, my! May we never again speak of black cats unless it’s Halloween. May we never again speak of goats unless it’s about cheese. Or shot-and-beer joints. May Steve Bartman come back — smiling, chatty, undamaged — and join the living. May the ghosts of so many players and fans of yore come out and dance with the giddy folks of here and now. This one is joy and release. The Cubs almost killed us with a rain-delayed, 10-inning white-knuckler, an 8-7 victory in Game 7 of the World Series. BUT IT HAPPENED! It’s hard to know how to feel beyond ecstatic about something that no one alive has ever seen happen before. Maybe ecstatic is enough. With Dexter Fowler’s leadoff home run on the third pitch of the game, the bell was rung. You could feel the purge coming, however jerkily: 108 years of blockage expelled like a potato out of a truck muffler. The longest championship drought for any continuously operating pro team in North America — nay, the world — was watered with first a bucket and then a deluge. It was a nerve-racking way to get to this first title since 1908 — going down 3-1 before rallying for three in a row. And this last game, too, took years off our lives. But, in truth, success was close to inevitable. The Cubs are that talented, that versatile, that strong, that healthy, that focused, that well-managed. (OK, you want to say the Cubs’ Joe Maddon gets crazy with his moves? Sustained. Emphasized.) Cubs’ brass went out and bought great pitchers, even renting bazooka-armed closer Aroldis Chapman for three months. And they have their own kids — Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Javy Baez, Addison Russell, Kyle Schwarber, Willson Contreras, Albert Almora Jr. — to carry on for years.

But next year? Screw next year! For once. Forever. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: The Indians had no business even making it to the World Series. They are overachievers of the grandest sort. They lost two of their top three pitchers — Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco — late in the season, and they’ve cobbled things together and scrapped ever since. They rode starter Corey Kluber like a mule in a wagon train, until he stepped off the cliff Wednesday night against a Cubs offense that is just too powerful. Kluber and all the Indians — and especially good-guy manager Terry Francona — deserve much credit. We love you, Cleveland! You’re Midwestern, Great Lakes, true blue! But, sorry. This is the Cubs’ moment. Yearning quenched. My God, we never (truly) thought this would happen. We joked about not seeing the Cubs win it all in our lifetimes. We said that with grins when we were young. We reached middle age, and we said it with blank faces. We grew old, and it curled off our lips like, yes, a curse. But the peak of the mountain arrived. In our lifetimes. There were fans in the stands dressed as Indians pitcher Ricky ‘‘Wild Thing’’ Vaughn from the movie ‘‘Major League,’’ thick glasses and all; and there was the real Vaughn actor himself in the house, Charlie Sheen. There was frenzied Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith ripping off his shirt to show his illustrated torso and lead cheers. Of course, LeBron James was there, too, rocking a ‘‘CLEVELAND OR NOWHERE’’ T-shirt. But the vibe was all Cubs. It’s hard to say for sure because the Indians and Cubs have the same basic colors — red, white, blue — and the jerseys and T-shirts at Progressive Field looked like a huge American flag that had been run through a blender, but there might have been nearly as many Cubs fans in the house as Indians fans. One fan who drove in for the game was Smashing Pumpkins rocker and Chicago native Billy Corgan. ‘‘All the way here, it was nothing but Cubs fans,’’ Corgan said in amazement. ‘‘It looked like a migration.’’ And now the migration can lead back home. It’s green in the valley. -- Daily Herald BLUE HEAVEN! Cubs win World Series By Bruce Miles CLEVELAND -- World champion Chicago Cubs. That has a certain ring to it, doesn't it? The Cubs earned their championship rings along with an exalted place in Chicago sports history Wednesday night with an 8-7 victory in 10 innings over the Cleveland Indians in Game 7 of the World Series at Progressive Field.

Ben Zobrist, named the MVP of the series, hit an RBI double down the left-field line to drive in pinch runner Albert Almora Jr. with the go-ahead run. Miguel Montero added an RBI single for insurance. The Cubs needed that insurance because the Indians scored a run in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single by Rajai Davis, who hurt the Cubs badly in the eighth. The World Series victory was the first for Chicago's National League ballclub since 1908, and it forever put to rest talk of myriad curses or jinxes. Cubs fans couldn't help but think all the forces of nature and beyond were working against them when the Indians scored 3 runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, with the final two coming on Davis' homer off closer Aroldis Chapman to tie the game at 6-6. "The clock resets to zero now," said pitcher Jake Arrieta. "One hundred and eight years doesn't really mean anything to anybody anymore after tonight. To be a part of that to bring a championship to Chicago and just be a part of this group, it's humbling, it's rewarding and we deserve it, man." The wildly entertaining -- and sometimes sloppy -- game was played before a raucous gathering of 38,104 fans, with an atmosphere resembling at times a college football rivalry game or a European soccer match, with fans of each team singing and chanting back and forth. Before the 10th inning started, rain delayed the game 17 minutes. "I think the rain delay was the best thing that ever happened to us, to be honest with you," said general manager Jed Hoyer. "It was a break in the game. Things had stopped going in our direction. We went down and talked a little bit. Theo (team president) and I saw the same thing. All our hitters were huddled in the weight room during the delay. "I felt great. I walked up into the stands. I said, 'Win this inning, and we're world champions. Maybe after 108 years, you get some divine intervention, right?" Hoyer spoke to the meaning of the title. "To me, it's all about getting home and enjoying it with our fans," he said. "So many generations have gone through this. That's really what it's all about. It's bigger than these 25 guys. It's about the city that stuck by the team forever. That's really what it means." In the winning clubhouse, players chanted, "We never quit, we never quit," before opening the champagne bottles. "This one about made me pass out," Zobrist said. "The way that the Series has been up and down, the elation of being up early … it was an epic battle." The Cubs, winners of 103 games during the regular season, had to get out of their own way to win this one. Second baseman Javier Baez made 2 errors early, perhaps the product of being overly amped, but he atoned by hitting a booming home run to center field to lead off the Cubs' fifth inning. Catcher David Ross, brought into the game in the bottom of the fifth inning along with pitcher Jon Lester, committed a throwing error on a little groundball. A wild pitch by Lester allowed 2 Indians runs to score on one play. Ross hit a home run, also to center, with two outs in the top of the sixth. Kyle Schwarber, coming off knee surgery, got himself thrown out at second base trying to stretch a single into a double in the third. No matter. The Cubs chased Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber with Baez's blast and scored a run that inning off seemingly invincible reliever Andrew Miller.

The World Series victory validates the rebuilding program set forth in the fall of 2011 by team president Theo Epstein, general manager Jed Hoyer and scouting/player-development head Jason McLeod. It also is a feather in the cap for the Ricketts family, which completed its purchase of the Cubs in the fall of 2009. "In terms of validation, this is the goal," said a champagne-soaked team chairman Tom Ricketts. "I think our guys made the right decisions to move forward and actually put a little hardware in our trophy case, which by the way, we don't have one yet." The Cubs got going quickly in this game as Dexter Fowler led off the game with a home run to center field. A jubilant Fowler rounded first base and then ran a few steps backward on his way around the bases. The Indians tied the game on an RBI single by Carlos Santana in the third. The Cubs went ahead 3-1 in the fourth as Kris Bryant led off with a single to left field and Anthony Rizzo followed by getting hit by a pitch. Ben Zobrist grounded into a forceout, sending Bryant to third. Addison Russell then lifted a flyball to short center field. The ball was caught by Davis, but Bryant was able to score, sliding under the tag at home plate. Willson Contreras made it 3-1 with a double. The Cubs increased their lead to 5-1 in the fifth. Baez's leadoff homer chased Kluber in favor of Miller. Fowler's single was wiped out on a double-play grounder off the bat of Schwarber. But Bryant walked and took off and scored on Rizzo's single to deep right field, with Rizzo going to third on the throw. Once again, manager Joe Maddon invited second-guessing when he pulled starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks in favor of Lester after Hendricks walked Santana with two outs. Before the game, Maddon was asked how he might use Hendricks. "I think you need to stay with tried and true with him," he said. "Look at the score, and look where he's at. How is he pitching? Is it relatively easy? Is he on top of his game? Is he not missing? Is he struggling or working to get outs? "Normally with him, it's 90-100 pitches you feel really good about. Every game is separate entity, but I'll just be watching closely where he's at. "You look at the last 3 starts and he's gone 85, 85 and 91 pitches. To expect a lot more than that at this time of the year under these circumstances would be kind of a stretch." Jason Kipnis reached second base when Ross threw wildly to first base, putting runners on second and third. Both runners scored when Lester uncorked a wild pitch, as Ross had trouble retrieving the ball. Like Baez before him, Ross atoned with a home run with one out in the sixth. -- Daily Herald Rozner: The magic number will forever be 2016 By Barry Rozner CLEVELAND -- It is legend that man can see a clock stop, his shadow disappear on a sunny day and believe his own breath visible as the heart skips a beat. No Cub fan would argue such physics or reason. Not now. Not ever again. Not after millions have died and gone to baseball heaven.

Not after Ben Zobrist saved Joe Maddon from himself and saved Cubs fans from the worst defeat in the history of the franchise. A team that plays in the land that time forgot -- in a ballpark so utterly forsaken by the baseball gods, where a Cubs championship has been only a child's fantasy -- took to the road, and time stood still for the briefest of moments as ball hit mitt and the unimaginable was suddenly imaginable, the dream a reality and the devoted allowed to believe it so. It was real. So very real. At 12:48 a.m. Thursday in Cleveland, on a lovely November morning at Progressive Field, the Chicago Cubs were crowned World Series champions, the unstoppable thought of generations overtaking the immovable objection of a sport that was eternally opposed to the happiness of an always embattled, and often embittered, fan base, punished for their loyalty for more than a century. If it is truly better to have loved and lost than to have not loved at all, it must also be true that to have loved such a legacy is to now be rewarded with the greatest victory of all. Not a loss among the last 108 years has been erased, but add them all up this minute and they make triumph feel that much sweeter. Finally -- finally -- it is over. It is over after an 8-7, 10-inning victory in which the Cubs had to overcome even more heartbreak after Maddon overmanaged and Aroldis Chapman imploded. Perhaps, the Cubs were owed this one after so many nightmares. But if promises were raindrops, the world would have flooded millennia ago, yet Theo Epstein made only one when he arrived: that the Cubs would get this right, that his every intention was to win a World Series during his time in Chicago. They did. "Our fans have suffered enough," Epstein said. "This had to end this way for them. It had to." Late Wednesday night, a city wailed and automobile horns screamed, something impossible the last time the Cubs won a World Series because the car horn wasn't invented yet. Adults cried and children jumped for joy. Parents called children. Children called parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. Drink up, Chicago, the drought is over. More than a century of failure -- and a terribly managed game -- was forgotten in a single moment, victory captured in perpetuity and stored for everlasting in the minds of those who were certain it could never happen for them. But you can stop now, no longer must you relive the summer of '69, the shock of '84, the sadness of '89, the brutality of '03 and the choke of '04. Or the eighth inning Wednesday night. They are gone forever. If only Ron Santo were here to embrace it all.

But somewhere Ronnie has to be smiling and raising a glass with Ernie Banks and Harry Caray, the three of them dancing and singing until the cows came home. This is certainly for all of you, who have suffered so much for so long, but it is so very much for them. It's for Ryne Sandberg and Billy Williams, the lifelong Cubs who came so close but never smelled that cigar. It's for Mark Grace and Leon Durham, Glenn Beckert and Billy Herman, Shawon Dunston and Don Kessinger, Phil Cavarretta and Gabby Hartnett. It's for Fergie Jenkins and Greg Maddux, for Bruce Sutter and Lee Smith, for Leo Durocher and Don Zimmer. It's for Vince Lloyd and Lou Boudreau, and of course for Jack Brickhouse, so beloved and so often forgotten. It is for the hundreds who came before and never knew this feeling in this uniform, never part of the last team standing. Five score and eight years ago, the Cubs last experienced this sensation, to dance on the head of a pin with a bottle of champagne and the entire world watching, cheering for the ultimate underdog. Tears of misery have been replaced by a river of joy, a single moment captured and recorded, removing all remnants of a nonsensical menagerie that served up goats and black cats as if curses and jinxes were as real as pitchers and catchers. The names of these players now fill positions in the history books previously occupied by witches and warlocks, proof that it had nothing to do with luck and only to do with players. It is for owner Tom Ricketts, who found the right man for the job -- and let him do it. "It begins and ends with Tom," Epstein said. "Without his patience and willingness, we never could have done this." If you're one of the millions who promised to die happy if the Cubs ever captured a World Series, it's time to live up to your commitment. Call the funeral home and make your reservations, because Cubs Nation has passed away and moved on to the next life. After a rebuild that absorbed a 100-loss season, how fitting is it that the Cubs were forced to come back from down 3-1 to the Indians, a ferocious opponent that pushed the Cubs to the brink, necessitating the biggest game, the biggest event in Chicago sports history? And then they wouldn't let go in Game 7, forcing the Cubs to win it in extra innings. It wasn't easy, that's for sure, and it shouldn't be. As the Cubs poured out onto the field, the fans poured out of the taverns surrounding Wrigley Field, the shrine at Clark and Addison a place for hundreds of thousands to say a prayer and thank their baseball gods. "This is for them," Rizzo said of the scene in Chicago. "We will join them soon enough." Never again will the Cubs be lovable losers. They are the World Series champs. The magic number is now, and will forever be, 2016. --