November 4, 2016 ESPNChicago.com From 1908 until now: Cubs' run of heartache finally ends By Bradford Doolittle We want to say this all began in 1945 because a colorful tavern owner tried to drag a smelly goat named Murphy with him to a World Series game. We then employ what Joe Maddon likes to call "outcome bias" as proof of this alleged curse, bringing up such hobgoblins as the black cat in 1969, Leon Durham's glove in 1984 and Steve Bartman's eager hands in 2003. In reality, this began long before any of that. It started with a poor soul named Fred Merkle, in the year 1908 -- the last time the Chicago Cubs won a World Series. On Wednesday night, the 2016 Cubs put an end date on that cursed year by winning the franchise's first World Series in 108 years, beating the Cleveland Indians in extra innings in Game 7, 8-7. The reasons the Cubs didn't win it all for so long aren't easy to distill in a work less than book length. There are a few wide-umbrella factors that one can easily point to. With the 2016 World Series over after a stunning comeback from Chicago's North Siders, there's a good reason to revisit those factors. A very good reason in fact: They no longer exist. HOW IT STARTED There is an old book called "Baseball's Amazing Teams" by a writer named Dave Wolf. The book chronicles the most interesting team from each decade of the 20th century. Well, through the 1960s -- it's an old book. The first chapter is about the 1908 Cubs. For the first decade of the modern era of baseball, beginning in 1901, the Cubs ran neck and neck with Honus Wagner's Pittsburgh Pirates as the most successful team in the majors, particularly during the second half of the decade when they won 69 percent of their games, took four pennants and won the only two World Series crowns in Cubs history. The Cubs' first championship came in 1907, and they were favored to win again the following year. They ended up chasing the New York Giants of the John McGraw/Christy Matthewson vintage for most of the summer, but were always within shouting distance of the lead. Eventually, it all boiled down to the last few weeks of the season. The Cubs were a team full of future Hall of Famers, including the almost mythical infield of Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers and Frank Chance -- the player-manager -- and ace pitcher Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown, who won 29 games in 1908. The most interesting character of the bunch was Evers, a prototype of his era as a scrappy slap-hitter always quick to mix it up on the field and off. Evers later suffered a nervous breakdown, then came back in time to take part in another chapter from Wolf's book, the one about the 1914 "Miracle" Boston Braves. On Sept. 4, 1908, the Cubs were locked in an extra-inning, scoreless road game with the Pirates. With two outs and the bases loaded, Pittsburgh's Chief Wilson singled, scoring player-manager Fred Clarke from third. Game over. Pirates win. But the Pirates' Warren Gill, the runner on first, stopped in his tracks when Clark touched the plate and took off for the clubhouse, never touching second. This seems like an overwhelmingly stupid move, but here's the thing:

Everyone did that in those days. The rules have always clearly spelled out the concept of a force play, but the umpires of the time simply didn't enforce it in those walk-off situations. Evers wasn't a native Chicagoan, but he behaved like a denizen of what author Nelson Algren called "the city on the make." He was always looking for an angle. Evers complained to Hall of Fame umpire Hank O'Day, and the Cubs later filed a protest with the league, which was denied. But the Evers and O'Day confrontation would come back into play later. On Sept. 23, the Giants beat the Cubs in the exact same way, though runners were on first and third. The umpire that day was O'Day. The runner on first was Merkle. A wild melee broke out when the Giants scored and Merkle had broken off between first and second to make a mad dash for the Polo Grounds clubhouse. Eventually, Evers ended up with the ball (or a ball, anyway) and touched second. O'Day called Merkle out and declared the game a tie because fans were all over the field. This time the Giants protested, but the league sided with Chicago. The Cubs and Giants, of course, finished with identical records after that, forcing a playoff game that the Cubs won 4-2. That set up Chicago's second, and last, World Series title. Merkle never lived it down. In fact, he went on to play in six World Series, and his teams lost them all. His nickname to history is "Bonehead." And his curse began with the Cubs and Evers' playing of the angles. There's even a bar in Wrigleyville that bears Merkle's name, which seems a bit cruel. So maybe it's karma for Merkle that the Cubs haven't won since. It wasn't his fault that Evers strong-armed O'Day, forcing the league to arbitrarily begin enforcing a rule that had been ignored. But of course, it isn't that. Merkle is simply the central character to the Cubs' great origin story, one that is reprised every year the Cubs don't win. PRE-CURSE Let's be clear here: The Cubs didn't go 108 years without a title because of Fred Merkle, any kind of black cat, William Sianis' goat or anything like that. It was because of the lethal combination of bad moves and bad luck. One you can fix, the other should even out on a long enough time line. If you had walked up to a Cubs fan in 1946 and told him his team was cursed, he would have laughed in your face. From 1909 to 1945, only the Giants won more games in the National League. Chicago won pennants in 1910, 1918, 1929, 1932, 1935, 1938 and 1945 -- once every five years or so. The Cubs, Giants and Cardinals owned the National League. This was during the first 37 years of the title drought. But the New York Yankees owned baseball during that era by forming the longest-running dynasty in baseball history, a run of excellence that didn't end until the 1960s. That they were able to do so illustrated a lot about the structures of the game that kept the haves as haves and the others as have-nots. Still, the Cubs could certainly have won a few of those World Series, though the American League was generally the stronger circuit in those days because of the Yankees. That they didn't was just plain bad luck, really, based on what we now know about the randomness of postseason play. After 1945, however, self-induced factors came into play, leading to what became known as the dark ages of Cubs baseball. THE DARK AGES There were a lot of reasons why the Cubs struggled so badly in the decades between 1945 and their next postseason berth in 1984. And as with any team in sports, the common denominator is always ownership. P.K. Wrigley, who inherited the Cubs from his father, was a largely absentee owner. Once when he attended two days in a row, a sportswriter called it "a Wrigley family record."

The Cubs were simply a franchise that lagged behind the progressive baseball executives of the era. They were slow to establish a minor league system, long after Branch Rickey proved the value of doing so with the Cardinals. They were slow to sign black players even after Jackie Robinson broke the color line. They eventually signed Gene Baker but kept him in the minors until Ernie Banks broke in with the Cubs in 1953. Decades later, they were among the last teams to get on the sabermetric bandwagon. The Cubs finally developed a good group of prospects that included Banks, Billy Williams and Ron Santo. But it turned out to be a blip. Chicago turned out few quality prospects over the years. When they did manage to field a competitive team, it was with lightning-in-a-bottle rosters that largely comprised free agents and trade acquisitions. Nothing was sustained. After 1984, the Cubs would rise into contention from time to time. There were playoff berths in 1989, 1998, 2003, 2007 and 2008. The core of the team was always made up of outside acquisitions, with the exception of the 2003 team, which featured homegrown pitchers Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, Carlos Zambrano and Matt Clement. But after Prior and Wood began to battle arm problems, the lack of depth in the Cubs' minor league system again reared its head. As the title-less years dragged on, theories abounded, and they weren't all about curses. They couldn't win because all the day games wore them out or left their players at leisure to go tavern-hopping at night. The irregular wind patterns at Wrigley made it impossible to field an elite pitching staff. Then in the years after the Wrigley family sold the team to the Chicago Tribune, and the Cubs became national darlings because of Harry Carey and WGN, pundits decided that the Cubs didn't win because they didn't have to. The ballpark would attract the fans (which it does), and team management didn't worry about truly competing. Whether or not there is any truth to those rumors, it all ended in 2009, when the Ricketts family bought the Cubs. AND HERE WE ARE With Tom Ricketts as the face of the family ownership group, the Cubs focused on the organizational infrastructure during their early years. They had to navigate the morass of Chicago politics to kick off a renovation of Wrigley Field, even threatening to move to the suburbs if they couldn't pull it off. They focused on maximizing revenue streams, often in ways that were unpopular. On the field, the Cubs floundered. But after the 2011 season, the Ricketts era kicked into high-gear with the hiring of Theo Epstein. This is all recent history. Epstein did what virtually no Cubs executive had ever tried to do, or even was allowed to do: He tore down everything and, from scratch, built a state-of-the-art baseball operation from rookie league to the majors. He implemented a rigorous set of procedures in, well, everything that has become known as the Cubs way. He modernized operations in every area, dragging with him a franchise long stuck in the days of radio and typewriters. There is every reason to believe the Cubs aren't going anywhere. They are a young, complete team and an organization that is still churning out prospects. They won 103 games without Kyle Schwarber. They won without a dominant bullpen. They won with the fifth-youngest group of position players in the majors. It's fair to look at the Cubs' World Series victory as the final chapter in what we thought was a never-ending book of misery. None of the old history matters to these current Cubs, because, as Addison Russell and Kris Bryant have both said, they are all about writing their own history. There are plenty more upbeat chapters to come.

Still, all of these old events inform the way we view this Cubs championship, the way their fans from Naperville to Uptown experienced this playoff run. This is a group of fans who not only waited their entire lives to see the Cubs win the World Series but have been told time and again that it couldn’t happen, that their team was banned by fate from ever doing so. It began with Merkle and the etching of 1908 on one part of the epitath. Now the second part is in place: 1908-2016. Merkle, the goat, the black cat -- they are no longer with us. Make no mistake, the Cubs are in perfect position to go on an extended run as glorious as so much of their past was inglorious. For the first time in so long, the Cubs have gone about it the right way. They are built to last. -- ESPNChicago.com Steve Bartman 'overjoyed,' won't be at Cubs' parade, spokesman says By ESPN.com news services The Chicago Cubs' first World Series championship in 108 years brought a collective joy to the team's fan base Wednesday night, including perhaps the most infamous among them, Steve Bartman, according to Frank Murtha, a lawyer who has served as his spokesman. "He was just overjoyed that the Cubs won, as all the Cubs fans are," Murtha told USA Today Sports on Thursday. Bartman was vilified in Chicago for a failed attempt to catch a foul ball during Game 6 of the 2003 National League Championship Series between the Cubs and Florida Marlins, a game the Cubs went on to lose. He has not granted any interviews since the 2003 incident. Murtha told USA Today Sports that Bartman still lives and works in the Chicago area but would not make an appearance at the Cubs' victory parade Friday. "We don't intend to crash the parade," Murtha said. "The one thing that Steve and I did talk about was if the Cubs were to win, he did not want to be a distraction to the accomplishments of the players and the organization." -- ESPNChicago.com Craig Sager finally cashes in on $1,000 Cubs World Series bet By Nick Friedell As a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, Craig Sager always knew his team's day would eventually come. After it finally did early Wednesday morning in a thrilling win over the Cleveland Indians in Game 7 of the World Series, Sager's son, Craig Sager II, tweeted out a page from his dad's soon-to-be-released autobiography, "Living Out Loud" that says he has been betting on the Cubs to win it all since 1981 and put $1,000 on them to win the 2016 World Series before the season began. The Batavia, Illinois, native grew up going to Wrigley Field and cheering on his favorite team. He threw out the first pitch before a Cubs game earlier this season and thrilled fans by serving as the guest conductor for "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh-inning stretch. The eternal optimism that Sager has shown throughout his professional life, especially during his public battle with leukemia over the past few years, has made him even more endearing to millions of fans all over the world. The loyalty he has shown to the Cubs after all these years will finally pay off as well. --

ESPNChicago.com Dexter Fowler says he will become a free agent By ESPN.com news services Chicago Cubs fans might be getting their first taste of bad news after the euphoria of a World Series win. Dexter Fowler says he will become a free agent. Fowler, 30, signed a one-year deal this past offseason with a mutual option with the Cubs for 2017. He apparently won't be picking up his side of the deal. "I'm definitely going to be a free agent, but hopefully it happens a little bit quicker than last year," Fowler said on SportsCenter on Thursday night. "You can't control what goes on, but I loved my time in Chicago and I'm definitely not counting them out, but we'll see what God has planned for us now." Last offseason, Fowler appeared to be on the cusp of signing a three-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles but in a surprise move returned to the Cubs at the start of spring training. Saying "it's all up in the air how close it was" in regard to the Baltimore deal, Fowler said: "I think I made the right decision. The Cubs came in last minute, we got something done, and it was a decision of a lifetime." If he had signed with the Orioles, "I definitely wouldn't be in this position to bring back history to the Cubbies," he said. Fowler, who is a switch-hitter, was an All-Star in his second season with Chicago and led off Game 7 of the World Series with a home run. He batted .276 in 125 games in the regular season, with 13 home runs, 48 RBIs and a .393 on-base percentage. If Fowler signs elsewhere, the Cubs do have 22-year-old outfielder Albert Almora Jr. waiting in the wings. He has proved to be a great defensive outfielder with solid offensive skills, but it's unclear if he will have the consistent on-base percentage to fill Fowler's shoes in the leadoff spot. -- ESPNChicago.com Cubs championship gear setting merchandise records By Darren Rovell So much Chicago Cubs championship gear was sold in the first 15 hours after the team won its first title in 108 years, that postgame merchandise records are already being shattered. "We had our best month ever today," said Bob Bowman, president of business and media for Major League Baseball. Bowman elaborated that more Cubs gear was sold from when the team won the title to 4 p.m. ET on Thursday than the previous record for gear sold in the league's best month of sales -- November 2010, after the San Francisco Giants won the World Series. Sources with knowledge of the sales coming into baseball's official online store and Fanatics, which runs the store and has its own site, said that Cubs gear is on pace to do $30 million in online retail sales alone in the first 24 hours, which would be roughly eight times what fans spent on those official site for gear of last year's Kansas City Royals championship team. Factoring in sales from the local market, sources say the Cubs' first 24 hours of sales should approach $70 million in retail sales, which would make it the hottest postgame championship market of all time. One industry source told ESPN that the best-selling post-championship merchandise sales were the Denver Broncos after winning Super Bowl 50 this past season and the Cleveland Cavaliers after winning the NBA Finals in June.

Fans in Chicago were craving Cubs championship gear after the team won on Wednesday night to the point that they were willing to pay a big markup to buy gear immediately. Championship hats, which sold online for $32, were being sold in Wrigleyville for $50, while $28 T-shirts were being peddled for $40. -- ESPNChicago.com In Chicago, the final wait for a Cubs win mixes joy and sorrow By Wright Thompson CHICAGO -- CUBS FANS awoke Wednesday to one last wait, with little to do before Game 7 but think, about themselves and their families, about the people who've come and gone during these 108 years of failure. Hundreds found themselves drawn to Wrigley Field, where workers were already breaking down the concessions and cleaning out the freezers. Some people said they didn't even mean to come. They started off on a trip to the store and ended up standing in front of the stadium's long brick wall facing Waveland Avenue. Many wrote chalk notes to the dead. Some dedicated messages. This one's for you, Dad. Others wrote names. Dan Bird. Ben Bird. Eugene Hendershott. A man with a bright smile but melancholy eyes wrote the name of his late wife, Andrea Monhollen. They met four blocks from here, on Racine. She's been gone six years. "Cancer," John Motiejunas said. He looked around at the names, each one as special to some stranger as his wife's name is to him. All these chalk ghosts longed to see a day like this one. Each name represented an unfulfilled dream. The big bright murals made the wall seem fun and festive from afar, but a closer look revealed life stripped of romanticism. "A lot of people waited their whole lives," Motiejunas said. He took a picture of the wall and then left, walking through the light rain that had begun to fall. A little boy named Conley, not yet 3 years old, carried two big pieces of chalk while his grandmother, Maggie O'Connor, worked to keep him out of the street. The kid drew wherever he wanted, bouncing around. His grandma looked at him, without the baggage of the past century, and she laughed. "He'll get used to them winning," she said. Conley wrote "Go Cubs Go," in the uncertain script of a toddler, then stopped strangers on the sidewalk to tell them about it. He asked one of them to draw with him and after some squiggles, he stood back to admire his work. "A seahorse!" he said. I DIDN'T KNOW exactly what to do while waiting on the final game of the World Series, so I woke up early on Wednesday and went to church. The priest at the cavernous, ornate Holy Name Cathedral didn't mention the Cubs during the homily, but his talk about suffering and faith resonated with those who came to celebrate All Souls' Day. Yes, Game 7 was played on the same day as the annual Catholic holiday to remember and celebrate the dead, and pray for their safe passage from purgatory into heaven. You can't make this stuff up. The hyper-focus of camera lenses will make the last 24 hours in Chicago seem like one big explosion of joy, but that's not really true. The whole exercise has produced its own extremes. On one hand, people have been going wild, with Eddie Vedder and Bill Murray closing down one of those 5 a.m. dive bars on Division Street -- closing it down together -- and fans lighting off cherry bombs near Wrigley. Yet there's also this palpable sadness. Nobody could really be sure how'd they'd feel when it all ended, whether they'd be full of joy, or grief, or both. The question felt personal to me. My wife's grandfather, a decorated World War II veteran, who survived being named Bob Weinberg in a German prisoner of war camp, died in May. He grew up in Chicago and loved the Cubs, and as the season went on, my wife and I talked about how cruel it seemed for a man to live for 94 years, survive his bomber being shot down and being held captive, only to die five months before the World Series he longed to see. With him in mind, I reached out to a half-dozen area hospitals and to the team itself, looking for fans who were hanging on, hoping to find someone who might beat Bob's odds. The Cubs connected me with a woman

named Ginny Iversen. She listened to the games on the radio religiously, even at 93, and loved to tell people she shared a birthday with Andre Dawson. She never really grew up, wearing a tiara and feather boa to her 90th birthday, and trying to do one of those college girl no-hands shots on her 92nd birthday -- her kids loved to pull out photos of her with an entire shot glass in her mouth. Somewhat recently, an equally old male suitor gave her a diamond ring, which he then forgot about, which of course led to him buying her a second ring. She seemed hilarious to me, but her family didn't think she was up for a stranger to visit. I disengaged and didn't think about her much until yesterday. At the Wrigley Field memorial wall, I saw a woman writing on the metal gates to the bleachers themselves, across the street from Murphy's. Mary Beth Talhami (I'd learn her name later) finished her message and stood back to admire it: "Mom, thank you for teaching us to believe in ourselves, love and the Cubs. Enjoy your view from the ultimate skybox." I took a picture of her, close enough to overhear her conversation with another stranger to her left. Mary Beth talked about her mom and how ESPN had contacted the family. The dots connected in my head. The hair stood up on my arm. "That was me," I said. She told me her mother was Ginny Iversen and then, starting to shake and cry, she told me the news. Her mom died between Games 2 and 3. TWENTY MILES NORTHWEST, cars parked in groups along the winding paths of the All-Saints Cemetery. An hour remained until the 5 p.m. closing time. It's a Catholic burial ground, out in the middle-class suburbs, and there are dozens, maybe hundreds, of Cubs flags and hats and license plates and signs. It's one of many places around Chicago this past week where the conflicting ideas of joy and pain leave the realm of the psychological and become attached to action. People come here for many reasons, to say a little prayer, or talk to someone, to themselves, or to believe that their loved one knows what is happening tonight. Last Friday, an old man in a Cubs jacket stood over a grave and left a pennant and a Cubs pumpkin. Yesterday, a middle-aged woman named Maureen stood for the longest time at a grave not far away. A sign said "Believe." Maureen touched her hand to the Cubs logo on her chest and smiled, looking back at the ground. "My son," she said. Then she pointed across the rolling hill to the most famous grave in the cemetery, which is where she was headed next, to pay respects to Harry Caray before going to watch the game. His stone has green apples on top, an inside joke referencing a quote about the Cubs one day making it to a World Series just as surely as God made green apples. A man stood at the grave, unloading five more crates of apples, arranging them in a half-moon. One of the cemetery custodians, named Don, helped him. Some women, there to visit other graves in the area, did too. I walked up, and Don grinned at me and introduced his friend, Coley Newell, who happened to be Harry Caray's son-in-law. They had some times. The night the Bulls first won a title, he and Harry watched the game at Gibsons Steakhouse. Harry pulled him down to Division Street, lined with bars, and the crowd went berserk and mobbed them. Cops had to pull Harry up on horseback to ride him to safety. "He was the best father-in-law ever," Newell said. "He got me in more friggin' trouble." Newell pointed at a spot he'd cleared among the apples. "This is where the radio is going." One of the women did a double-take. "You're gonna broadcast the game?" she asked.

Newell nodded. He pulled out and switched on the radio -- tuned to the local broadcast so Harry "wouldn't have to listen to Joe Buck" -- and covered it with a plastic carton. He snaked the antennae through a hole he'd cut, then covered it with duct tape to keep out the rain. "There's the real mojo," Don said. "Yes, it is," Newell said. He's done this before every World Series game, turned on the radio and let it play once the place closed. With the pregame show already started, he listened to the announcers debate Corey Kluber and the Cubs' ability to hit him. Newell kneeled down and said a prayer. Then he drove back toward the city to watch the game. The custodians locked the fence by the road, and near the back of the cemetery, a radio at the foot of Harry Caray's grave played the national anthem and the lineups and the first pitch. Nobody but the dead were around to hear. MARY BETH TALHAMI got to her local bar just as the game began. They love her at a place called Wildwood Tavern, in the suburb of Niles, and the owners saved a barstool for her. Her friends hugged her and told her that her mother was up there helping the Cubs tonight. It's been six days since Ginny Iversen died, taking her last breath wrapped in a Cubs blanket she loved. The baseball has kept Mary Beth distracted; she hasn't even bought a dress for the funeral. People from the neighborhood filled the bar, which served steaks and cold beers, and when the Cubs got their first out of the game, Mary Beth grinned. "Twenty-six to go," she said. The Cubs looked dominant, a repeat of the Game 6 performance, and for the first time, she allowed herself to feel confident and to consider a life after this season. When the Cubs took a 4-1 lead, her lip began to quiver. A friend hugged her and she started to cry, sitting in this bar, wearing her mom's Cubs jacket, waving a plastic Cubs flag that had been in her mom's room, drying her eyes with a Cubs rally towel someone brought her mom the week before she died. Mary Beth stood up and walked outside. A friend named Sarah watched her leave, concerned. Some of Mary Beth's friends worry that a reckoning is coming soon, and that the end of this season, win or lose, might knock her off course. "It's happening," Sarah said. Mary Beth returned and still struggled to keep away the tears. "It's real," she said. "I think her dying is finally setting in." Mostly, she wanted to see some sign that her mother's presence wasn't gone forever. Two hours after Ginny died last week, Mary Beth sent out a text message to the select people who needed to know: "The bad news is my mom passed away. The good news is there is another angel in the outfield." When she met me randomly, that was a sign too, and after we left the chalk wall at Wrigley, she sat in her car and sobbed, then ran into Murphy's Bleachers to do a shot of Jameson for her mom. She and her friends all carry these desires; the owner of the place, Ellie, had started finding dimes everywhere after her dad died. Each of those dimes is a message. Today, Mary Beth saw a rainbow and said out loud to her mom, "Can't you leave me alone already?" So the Cubs performance had become tightly wound together with all sorts of deeper and more personal questions, which raised the stakes for her. The score stood at 6-3 in the eighth inning. "Four outs," she said, holding her mom's towel to her face, which was too new to be laced with the light orange scent of Ginny's favorite perfume, Emeraude. She looked down to make eye contact with the bartender, so he could pour victory shots.

"Get ready," she said. "Now?" he asked. "No!" she said. "No bad mojo." The Indians scored, and then hit a two-run homer, tying the game. She pulled the towel up over her eyes and said, over and over, "Oh my f---ing God." Her niece texted her. "I'm shaking." "Keep the faith, baby," Mary Beth responded. "I wish I was with you," Elly wrote. "You are, sweetie." The game went into the rain delay, then the 10th inning, and she stood up and leaned toward the screen. She wondered if her mom was pulling a prank on her. Then it happened. The Cubs scored two runs, then got the final three outs, and the bar around Mary Beth got loud. People jumped up, and the young people to her right hugged and danced and high-fived. Others pounded on the bar, and the stereo blared "Go Cubs Go!" Mary Beth remained quiet, holding her victory shot. She raised her glass and tipped it toward the ceiling, toasted her mom, but then the sobs hit so hard, her shoulders shaking violently, that she couldn't drink. Until faced with it, she'd never known how she'd react to the Cubs winning a World Series. Turns out, she thought about her mom. The glass stayed in her hand for 30 seconds or more, until she finally steadied herself and knocked it back. Then she put her head in her hands and began to cry. That night, she fell asleep wrapped in her mom's Cubs blanket, the one Ginny wore the night she died. THE TOWN WENT nuts. Cars sped down the freeway, waving flags out of windows, weaving through traffic. Huge crowds gathered on Michigan Avenue, and every horn seemed to honk at once. Cops blocked the exits near the stadium. Wrigleyville turned into a loony bin, with one person collapsing to their knees to weep, while others set off fireworks. Near downtown, the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune rolled off the presses, packed into bundles and fork-lifted into waiting trucks. The truck drivers hung out in their ready room for assignments. Many wore Cubs gear, and they all talked about the game. Truck 376 rumbled out of the loading bay, Al Mocchi behind the wheel. A big guy, a union guy, he looked both friendly and like he could handle himself, in that typical Chicago way. He's driven a newspaper truck for more than 30 years. His father did it for more than 30 too. It was about 2:45 a.m. Tonight at some spots, he said, they'd deliver about 25 times the number of Tribunes and maybe eight times the number of Sun-Times, both papers going out together. At the first stop, a fan bought a copy, right off the truck, then held it up in the air like the Gospel, carrying it to his friends. "It's gonna be one of those extraordinary evenings," Mocchi said. He and his two-person team stocked convenience stores and honor boxes. Along the river, a couple walked home, the man carrying a box. "This guy's got a pizza and a girlfriend!" Mocchi said. "What else do you need?"

A man in a white van cut them off to buy two copies of each paper right from the truck. Other people pointed when they drove by, some people understanding that the passing newspaper delivery meant that the next day had in fact arrived, and the sun would be coming up in a few hours, and that the headlines proved none of it had been a dream. The no-curse world had begun. Mocchi made a loop through the quiet city, except for the random stray stumbling Cubs fan. At one stop, Mocchi checked Facebook. All the posts were about the Cubs or Harry Caray, whose grave still had a radio playing at it 20 miles to the northwest. "If he could be here to see this," said Shawn Brown, riding shotgun. "You never know," Mocchi said. "He might be." He left the truck idling outside a 7-Eleven, while he and his team lugged in bundles. A couple at the counter was paying for Gatorade and Bagel Bites when the woman saw the papers. "Wait!" Grace Kingston said. "I WANT ALL OF THOSE!" She settled on five copies of the Tribune -- the A1 headline read "At Last" -- and carried her proof home with the electrolytes and carbs, the three most essential food groups of a post-curse hangover. An hour later, a little after 4 a.m., the drivers dropped me off at my hotel, 20 hours after the previous morning's Mass. After saying goodbye, I sat down to read the paper, first the celebratory front page story about the Cubs, then working my way through the rest. At the back of the business section, I found 39 death notices, people who almost made it. One was for Mary Beth's mom, Virginia Iversen, page six, column two. At the bottom it read: Memorial contributions may be made to Chicago Cubs Charities. The address listed is for Wrigley Field. -- CSNChicago.com David Ross' Movie Gets A Perfect Ending With World Champion Cubs By Tony Andracki CLEVELAND - At first, it looked as if David Ross' "storybook season" was going to end on a horrendous note. After entering Game 7 of the World Series in the middle of the fifth inning, the veteran catcher - playing in the final game of his career - committed an error on the very first batter he was on the field for, throwing Jason Kipnis' swinging bunt into the stands down the first-base line. A couple pitches later, Ross couldn't block a wild pitch that wound up bouncing so far away, two Indians runs came around to score. Just like that, the Cubs' 5-1 lead had evaporated into a tense 5-3 cushion. "That's not how it was scripted," Ross said. Of course, Ross then stepped up the next inning and drilled a solo homer to center field off Indians dominant reliever Andrew Miller, becoming the oldest player to homer in a Game 7 in baseball history. Miller had previously given up just one earned run in 25.1 postseason innings entering Game 7. A good three hours after his homer, Ross was still trying to process it. "I cannot believe I homered," said Ross, who also played with Miller in Boston. "I honestly can't. Off Andrew Miller, too - one of the nastiest guys I've ever faced and caught.

"The guys kept coming up to me while I was trying to focus on catching and they're like, 'Dude, you just homered in Game 7 off Andrew Miller!' I'm like, "Stop telling me that! I can't think about that right now.' "And then in the celebration, [Eric] Hinske, who is an ex-teammate of mine and our assistant hitting coach, said 'Yeah, I can't believe you homered. I was crying on the bench. I couldn't get my emotions in check.' "It was a special night." What a way to send Ross out - ending a 108-year championship drought in what may be the greatest baseball game ever played. Ross, 39, believes he has grasped the magnitude of what these Cubs accomplished and what a World Series championship means to the fanbase and the city. "What a storybook ending for an unbelievable 15- or 16-year career, whatever he's had," Jon Lester said. "You always dream about it. I hope we're all fortunate enough to win a World Series in our last year when we announce our retirement." That word - "storybook" - has been thrown around by Ross and his teammates over the last few weeks. Ross was the starting catcher in the first World Series victory at Wrigley Field since 1945, when he and Lester kept the Indians at bay in a thrilling 3-2 victory in Game 5. That could've been it - the last time Ross took the field in his career. But Lester made himself available out of the bullpen for Game 7 and that's right where Joe Maddon went when he took starter Kyle Hendricks out of the game with two outs in the fifth inning. And the game ended with the Cubs carrying Ross of the field on their shoulders like a remake of "Rudy." "Everything has been so storybook," Ross said. "I feel like I've been in this movie that's been happening since spring training personally and with this group. You can't write what's gone on. "I caught a no-hitter. Best team in baseball - first time I've ever been a part of a team over 100 wins." When the Cubs signed Lester, they also brought Ross in as a package deal, and not just because he was Lester's personal catcher. Ross helped institute a culture change in the Cubs clubhouse, acting as a steady veteran presence for all the young talent getting its first taste of life in the big leagues. It's worked, as the Cubs have won 215 games since Ross signed, including five playoff series and, of course, one World Series. "With David leaving, he's taught us so much," Kyle Schwarber said. "I wish that we could have that guy for another five years because he was very important to our clubhouse and to our team." Ross had his best offensive season since 2010 and if his teammates want him back, would he ever rethink his retirement proclamation? "I mean, how do you come back after this?" he said. "I would kick my own you-know-what after this. My family, my wife, these guys what a treat. I'm so, so lucky. "I'm gonna come back, but I'm gonna come back just to get that ring. I'm gonna come back just to heckle [Anthony Rizzo] from the seats near first base.

"I'm gonna come back every once in a while just to enjoy a wonderful city that has treated me so nice." -- CSNChicago.com Jon Lester Delivers And Changes Cubs Forever: ‘We’re Not The Lovable Losers Anymore’ By Patrick Mooney CLEVELAND – The 2016 Cubs had been champions for maybe two hours early Thursday morning. Jon Lester still hadn’t changed out of his gray uniform pants or taken off the World Series hat he wore backwards. The party slowly started to break up inside Progressive Field’s visiting clubhouse and eventually spill out toward the flight back to O’Hare International Airport and the rest of their lives. Lester instantly understood what this meant to generations of Cubs fans, the overwhelming interest in an absolutely insane Game 7 win over the Cleveland Indians that compelled 40 million people to watch on TV. For more than 15 minutes, a big-game pitcher known for his emotional outbursts on the mound, head-down seriousness in between starts and brutal honesty with the media stood in a quiet spot in the hallway and expressed all these different thoughts running through his head. Unprompted – seriously, this wasn’t a leading question – Lester pointed toward 2017 and the beginning of a potential dynasty. A franchise that used to be known for “Wait Until Next Year” created a new energy and sense of momentum that might now be: “Can’t Wait To Do It Again Next Year.” “We’re not the Lovable Losers anymore,” Lester said. “And I love that. I love expectations, because that makes you in the offseason go to the gym. That makes you go and do your work. That makes you be accountable. “Now we show up to spring training as World Series champs. Now it’s a matter of ‘Let’s do it again.’ It’s not too soon to ever talk about that. Listen, man, why not? We’re not losing (many guys). Why not do it again? Why not? Why not?” That growing collection of young talent – Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Kyle Schwarber, Javier Baez, Jason Heyward, Willson Contreras – initially helped convince Lester to sign with a last-place team after the 2014 season. That $155 million megadeal – after firing Rick Renteria to hire star manager Joe Maddon – signaled the Cubs would be a serious contender for years to come. On her way out the door, Cubs board member Laura Ricketts told Lester: “I’m so proud of you guys. You started it.” Lester took a leap of faith with the Ricketts family and the Cubs executives – Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer, Jason McLeod – who watched him develop as a Boston Red Sox prospect, beat cancer and earn two World Series rings at Fenway Park. Even while building a borderline Hall of Fame career, it still bothered Lester that he just missed being part of the 2004 Red Sox team that reversed the curse, debuting in Boston two years too late. “One hundred percent,” Lester said. Lester is an admitted “baseball junkie” who likes to unwind at night by watching MLB Network and the highlight shows: “My wife hates me for it.” After the Red Sox lowballed him in contract negotiations and shipped him to the A’s at the 2014 trade deadline, he couldn’t get used to the lower-stress atmosphere on the West Coast, the feeling that baseball there wasn’t the center of the universe: “That’s what I hated about playing in Oakland: I come home and no games are on.” During that epic 2004 playoff run, Lester contacted Raquel Ferreira, the Red Sox administrator who helps oversee the many aspects to their farm system, and made a ticket request. Lester – then a 20-year-old prospect who had spent most of that year with Boston’s Florida State League affiliate – got hooked up and bought a scout seat a few rows behind home plate for Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.

The New York Yankees turned it into batting practice at Fenway Park, winning by a football score (19-8) and taking a 3-0 lead. When the Cubs trailed the Indians 3-1 in this World Series, Lester thought of Kevin Millar’s “Don’t let us win tonight” warning before Game 4 in that 2004 ALCS. Lester recognized that Cleveland would have to go through him, Jake Arrieta and Kyle Hendricks to win its first World Series in 68 years. Nearly a month ago, Lester kicked this off by beating Johnny Cueto and the San Francisco Giants in a 1-0 division-round game. Lester became the co-MVP after the Cubs won both of his starts against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. Lester beat the Indians in Game 5 and then accounted for three of the 10 innings in Game 7. Lester knows everyone on this team will now hear “thank you” whenever they run into Cubs fans. The parade will begin Friday morning at Wrigley Field and head downtown toward a noon rally at Grant Park. “I saw it firsthand,” Lester said. “I’m not knocking anything that Dave Roberts has ever done in his career. He played a long time in the big leagues. (But) this dude stole one base. He stole one base for the 2004 Red Sox. “I’m not downplaying that one base, because everybody in the world knew that he needed to steal second off Mariano Rivera with Jorge Posada throwing down to second base. And he did it. After how many picks? He still stole second base. “This dude’s a legend in Boston. I’ve seen it. I’ve seen it. This dude walks into Fenway and it’s…” Lester started mimicking the roar of the crowd: “It’s like Ted Williams reincarnated walking in.” “That’s the 2016 Cubs,” Lester said. “Hell, in 10 years and 20 years – I’m sure they’ll have reunions and all this other BS – we’ll show up and they’ll have that damn list out: You were a part of it. That’s what I try to tell some of these young guys: You guys have no idea. You set up the rest of your career. “We got the ’16 ring for the 108 years of the Chicago Cubs, man. There’s not a price in the damn (world that) you could sell that thing for. It’s unbelievable to be a part of.” -- CSNChicago.com Cubs Young Core Delivers A World Series And A Blindingly Bright Future By JJ Stankevitz CLEVELAND — Albert Almora scored the go-ahead run in the 10th inning of Game 7 of a World Series, but wasn’t quite ready to celebrate immediately after he touched home plate. That’s because he wanted to be 100 percent sure he, indeed, touched home. “You never know with this whole replay, the last thing you want to do is go back in history and be remembered as that guy, you know,” Almora said. “I went back, tagged home plate and then I started celebrating. “… I’m bleeding somewhere. I don’t even know what happened. I almost had a heart attack. But it was awesome.” Consider the ages of some of the biggest contributors to the Cubs’ 8-7 win over the Cleveland Indians in Game 7 of the World Series on Wednesday: Almora and shortstop Addison Russell (who had an early go-ahead sacrifice fly) are 22; designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (who went three for five and started that 10th inning rally with a single) and second baseman Javier Baez (who homered off Corey Kluber) are 23; catcher Willson Contreras (who delivered an RBI double) and third baseman Kris Bryant (who scored twice thanks to some aggressive, instinctual baserunning) are both 24. And first baseman Anthony Rizzo is 27 years old, while Game 7 starter Kyle Hendricks is 26. “They’re so young, and I really don’t think they understand what they just accomplished,” left-hander Jon Lester said. “I don’t think they’ll understand it until they get a little bit older.”

Catcher David Ross said that youth may have actually paid off for this team in their fight to erase a 3-1 series deficit and win the franchise’s first World Series in 108 years. "I think that's why they did it,” Ross said. “They don't know. They know to go out there and play baseball. They're really, really good. You have a lot of successful, young, talented players that have been successful their whole careers that are on the field and they expected to succeed and I think that's what you saw. 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 with that group." Eight years ago, Joe Maddon managed a young Tampa Bay Rays care to the World Series — which they lost to the Philadelphia Phillies — but never made it back to to the World Series after that. The average age of the Rays' position players that year was 27; the average age of the Cubs' position players in 2016 was 27.4. Reinforcements were out of the question for the small-market Rays, though. Tampa Bay made it back to the playoffs three more times under Maddon after reaching the World Series but never advanced past the American League Division Series, slowly unloading parts who commanded high-priced contracts until, after Maddon left following the 2014 season, only third baseman Evan Longoria remained from that original core. The Cubs, though, have the resources to augment and bolster their roster — as they did with the acquisitions of Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist and John Lackey after the 2015 season — while keeping that young core that was so critical in the World Series intact. “There is a better chance of keeping them together just based on finances, whereas back down there (with Tampa Bay) we didn't have the same opportunity to keep that group together, which I've often lamented,” Maddon said. “Had you been able to keep that group together, what it would eventually look like — I thought it could have rivaled the Yankees' run with that kind of group that had come up in the mid-90's or late 90’s.” For some of the veteran members of the Cubs, seeing how all that youth coalesced into a World Series title without any of them having been on this stage before was incredible, but it was also just the tip of the iceberg. “I think for all the young guys to get their first taste of the World Series and to perform as well as they did in this moment, I gotta believe their confidence is sky-high,” left fielder Ben Zobrist said. “It’s going to be more than ever next year, and I look for even better things from this team next year with all the ability and now the experience that you have with all the young players.” It’s a scary thought for the rest of baseball that the Cubs feel like they have nowhere to go but up after putting themselves atop baseball on Wednesday. But with a World Series of experience under their belts, in which on the whole the moment wasn’t too big for any of the 20somethings on this team, that’s where the Cubs stand as the best and most powerful franchise in baseball. “This is it,” Bryant said, smiling and shaking his head. “This is what you dream for. I mean, I made the last out of the World Series.” -- CSNChicago.com Miguel Montero's Big Hits Back It Up: 'You Don't Load The Bases To Face Me' By JJ Stankevitz CLEVELAND — Miguel Montero only had two hits in the 2016 postseason, but both were massive knocks that wound up being the difference in a pair of wins. The 33-year-old catcher somehow found a way to one-up his go-ahead grand slam in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series on Wednesday, when his bases loaded RBI single off Cleveland Indians reliever Bryan Shaw put the Cubs up 8-6 in the 10th inning of Game 7. That opposite-field base hit through a drawn-in infield

wound up being critical as Carl Edwards Jr. allowed a run in the bottom of the frame before the Cubs won, 8-7, at Progressive Field to win their first World Series in 108 years. “I haven’t had too many opportunities, I haven’t played a whole lot,” Montero said. “It was tough. I kept my head up, I kept grinding and looking for my opportunity and when they gave it to me, I gotta be ready.” Montero only played in nine of the Cubs’ 17 postseason games, totaling 12 plate appearances and two starts. Opponents were happy to let Montero, who hit .216 with a .684 OPS in the regular season, beat them: Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Joe Blanton intentionally walked Chris Coghlan to load the bases for Montero in Game 1 of the NLCS, and Shaw intentionally walked Addison Russell to get to Montero in Game 7 of the World Series. In both spots, Montero delivered in monumental fashion. “You don’t load the bases to face me,” a Budweiser- and champagne-soaked Montero grinned. “The numbers are out there.” -- CSNChicago.com Cubs' Aggressive Approach On Bases Had Huge Impact In World Series Game 7 Victory By Dan Hayes CLEVELAND -- Whenever he faces uncertainty, Cubs third-base coach Gary Jones likes to be aggressive with his decision-making. Not sure if you picked up on it from the broadcast, but the outcome of Game 7 of the World Series on Wednesday night was in question until the final out was recorded. True to form, Jones pushed Cubs runners on the base paths and it was one of many reasons they outlasted the Cleveland Indians 8-7 in 10 innings at Progressive Field. Thanks in part to Jones’ assertive sends and fantastic base running by Kris Bryant, among others, the Cubs completed an improbable comeback from a 3-1 deficit to win the World Series for the first time since 1908. “We were just trying to push runs across,” Jones said. “A good friend of my friend in this business told me about coaching third base -- when in doubt be aggressive. I was just trying to be aggressive.” Aggressive probably doesn’t do justice to how much the Cubs pushed it on the base paths. It’s nothing new for the 2016 Cubs, who ranked sixth in the majors in the percentage of extra bases taken with 43 percent, according to baseball-reference.com. Bryant began the team’s hardline tactics on the bases when he raced home in the fourth inning ahead of Rajai Davis’ high throw on a sac fly to put the Cubs ahead 2-1. Bryant and Jones discussed all the possibilities prior to Addison Russell hitting a fly ball to shallow center. With the score tied at 1 and Corey Kluber on the mound, the Cubs wanted to take advantage of the opportunity. Bryant took off even though Davis was only 212 feet from home when he caught the ball, according to MLB.com’s Statcast. Though Davis’ throw home registered 88 mph on the radar gun and was mostly accurate, it was high and Bryant safely slid under the tag of catcher Roberto Perez. “In a normal game I don’t think you’d ever go on that,” Bryant said. “But given that it’s the playoffs, you want to put pressure on them. Fortunately, it was a high throw and I finally figured out how to keep my foot down when I’m sliding. I haven’t had the best results when I’ve slid, but that was perfect.” It was Bryant’s perfect form an inning later that allowed him to once again score on an impressively instinctive play. Despite the presence of left-hander reliever Andrew Miller on the mound, Bryant managed to get a gigantic

secondary lead on a 1-2 pitch to Anthony Rizzo -- a whopping 30 1/2 feet. Rizzo ripped a 1-2 slider from Miller to deep right field and Bryant read it and raced from first to third fast enough (5.413 seconds) that Jones had no choice but to send him home. By the time he scored to put the Cubs ahead 5-1, Bryant produced his fastest first-to-home plate time (8.68 seconds) ever, according to Statcast. “For a big guy he runs really, really well,” Jones said. “I just knew he was off and running on the pitch and the ball was in the corner. The right fielder did a good job of cutting it off, but Kris, to his credit, he kept running hard and put himself in position to score. I always tell guys, ‘Keep running. Make me stop you.’ He did a hell of a job with that tonight.” Bryant, who finished the postseason with three home runs, a .908 OPS and 11 runs scored, doesn’t think he’s ever run faster. Informed of his time from first to home, Bryant was surprised. “Wow,” Bryant said. “What? … This is the game where you had to turn on everything, you had to give it all you’ve got. I was scoring no matter what on that one.” The Cubs still had more aggression to give and they needed every ounce. After reaching on a fielder’s choice in the ninth inning, Jason Heyward stole second base off Yan Gomes and raced to third when the throw went into center fielder. With the score tied at 6, Heyward was in position to score the go-ahead run until Francisco Lindor’s fantastic defensive play on Dexter Fowler’s soft liner ended the inning. But the Cubs kept pushing and it paid off in the 10th inning. Kyle Schwarber singled to start the winning rally after the game was delayed for 17 minutes by rain. Albert Almora Jr. ran for Schwarber, who was thrown out stretching a single into a double in the third inning. Almora didn’t waste his opportunity as he tagged up on Bryant’s fly out to deep center and easily moved into scoring position. “I knew it wasn’t going to be a homer and I knew it was going to be deep enough for me with my speed to get there,” Almora said. “I tested it. I said I’m going to go. If they made a perfect throw and threw me out, so be it. But I was going to take my gut instincts and go for it.” The gamble paid off as Indians manager Terry Francona intentionally walked Rizzo with first base open to set up Ben Zobrist’s game-winning RBI double down the left-field line. Jones’ decision to send Almora was much easier on that play. Afterward, Jones was satisfied with his players’ efforts and how they impacted one of the greatest games in baseball history. “We’re not a big stolen base team, but we pride ourselves on running the bases really well,” Jones said. “You don’t have to be a big stolen base team to go first to third and tag up on fly balls. Just running the bases hard and we’ve been doing it well all year. “This is outstanding.” -- CSNChicago.com Dexter Fowler No Longer Has Unfinished Business With Cubs By Tony Andracki CLEVELAND — Dexter Fowler did what he set out to do. In the press conference after he made his surprise return to the Cubs in spring training, Fowler said he came back because he had unfinished business to tend to.

If Cubs fans had a bad taste in their mouths after the way the 2015 season ended at the hands of the New York Mets power pitching, just imagine what it must've felt like for Fowler and the Cubs players who believed they were destined for glory. In the first week of spring training, the news came out that Fowler — the catalyst setting the table at the top of a relentless Cubs lineup — was signing with the Baltimore Orioles. Even guys in the Cubs clubhouse like Anthony Rizzo were texting Fowler congratulations on the new contract. For nearly two days, Fowler didn't answer Rizzo or any of his former teammates. Then he walked up the path at the Cubs spring training complex alongside Theo Epstein, creating a magical moment six weeks before the Cubs even played their first regular season game. It was the moment that made Billy Williams believe the 2016 Cubs were destined for history. Fowler met with the media after that awesome moment, unable to stop grinning from ear to ear, and explained how he turned down a multi-year deal to sign a one-year tender (with an option for 2017) because he had more he needed to accomplish with the Cubs. Early Thursday morning in Cleveland, that business has now been completed. Fowler was at the forefront, becoming the first player in baseball history to lead off a winner-take-all Game 7 with a home run, taking Indians ace Corey Kluber deep to center field to put these Cubs on a path toward immortality. "It's a blessing," Fowler said. "It's a blessing, to say the least. We're World Champions. We're World Champions. It hadn't been done since 1908. We're excited to make history." Throughout his sessions with the media in the Cubs' champagne- and beer-soaked clubhouse at Progressive Field in the wee hours of Thursday morning, Fowler kept saying that one line over and over again — "We're World Champions." It was as if it hadn't yet set in for him. Hell, it hadn't set in yet for reporters, either. Before he disappeared back into the foray of celebration, Fowler had to drop the line just one more time. "I don't know [what's next]," he said. "I'm gonna take this. I'm gonna sit down and take a deep breath and realize that we are the 2016 World Champions." -- CSNChicago.com Blackhawks Applaud Cubs’ World Series Triumph: 'They Deserve It' By Tracey Myers Scott Darling couldn’t suppress his smile. The Blackhawks backup goaltender was beyond happy when he watched the Cubs win the World Series on Thursday night, and his first call was home. “I called my dad after the game,” said Darling, who grew up in Lemont. “He watched every second, every game this year. He was telling me, ‘I never thought I’d see the Blackhawks win, let alone the Cubs win.’ He was through the roof. It was amazing.”

Many of the Blackhawks watched the Cubs’ 8-7, 10-inning victory that ended 108 years of World Series futility. For some like Darling, there’s the obvious local connection. But regardless of where the Blackhawks hail from or their fan allegiance, they were swept up in the mania. “It’s hard to watch. I said this before, too, about baseball, there’s so much intensity and suspense between every play. It just takes you along,” said Jonathan Toews. “I can imagine now families and friends that say that, I think watching our games in the playoffs are harder than playing them, I can definitely attest to what they’re talking about. Pretty cool, pretty emotional to watch those guys celebrate after winning last night. Pretty amazing.” Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz released a statement commending the Cubs: "On behalf of our family and organization, congratulations to the Ricketts family and the Chicago Cubs for an incredible season and for winning the World Series. The unwavering loyalty of Chicago sports fans has been rewarded once again with yet another team being crowned world champions. Well done.” A good amount of these Blackhawks can relate to the Cubs coming back from a 3-1 deficit to win – that was them in 2013, beating Detroit in the Western Conference semifinals en route to their second Stanley Cup. It was a thrilling night for the city of the Chicago, and the Blackhawks were right there enjoying it all. “Game 7, extra innings, doesn’t get much better than that,” Duncan Keith said. “We as an organization and a team are happy for them, they deserve it, Cubs fans deserve it and most of all their players do. Their players showed amazing character all year long. They have a bunch of stars on their team and nobody’s above the team.” -- CSNChicago.com Cubs Championship Parade To Be Held Friday By Staff Get ready to kick off your weekend with another party, Chicago. The Cubs' championship parade will be held Friday, Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced Thursday morning. The buses will leave Wrigley Field at 10 a.m. and will travel along Michigan Avenue between Oak St. and Ohio St. at 11 a.m. before making their way down Columbus Dr. between Monroe St. and Balbo Ave. Fans are encouraged to view the parade from the following locations: — Addison from Sheffield to Pine Grove — North Michigan Avenue from Oak St. to Ohio St. — Columbus Dr. from Monroe St. to Balbo Ave. The celebration rally will take place at Lower Hutchinson Field in Grant Park around 12 p.m. It's free and open to the public. All attendees must pass through security screening at entrances at Michigan Ave. and Jackson Blvd. and at Michigan Ave. and Congress Pkwy. There will be a zero tolerance policy for drinking on public streets and sidewalks. --

CSNChicago.com Harry Caray Calls Final Out Of Cubs World Series Win In Emotional Video By Staff Harry Caray predicted that some day, the Cubs would win the World Series. That day has finally come, and we'd all love it if he were around to witness it — and also dream of what his call would sound like. Now we can. Budweiser released an emotional video Thursday morning with Caray's voice, calling the Cubs' final out of their World Series victory in Game 7 against the Cleveland Indians. Keep some tissues handy: https://youtu.be/nApTGkLd2hs -- CSNChicago.com Cubs-Indians Game 7 Of World Series Tv Ratings Draw Record-Setting Numbers By Staff When you have two teams with the longest championship droughts competing in a do-or-die game, people are going to watch. And millions did. Game 7 of the World Series between the Cubs and Indians posted a 51.5 rating in the Chicago market with a peak audience over two million homes, making it the highest-rated Chicago baseball game ever. The national overnight rating came out to be 25.2. It's the highest MLB overnight rating since Game 7 between the Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Yankees in 2001, according to Fox Sports. Let's do this again next year, shall we? -- Chicago Tribune Huge crowds expected downtown for Cubs World Series parade By John Byrne Mayor Rahm Emanuel promises a "parade that 108 years have waited for" as the city throws a procession Friday from Wrigley Field to Grant Park to honor the World Series champion Chicago Cubs. The city’s mass transit agencies and Police Department are bracing for huge crowds to flow in from across Chicagoland for the event. The Cubs will leave the ballpark at 10 a.m. and work their way south toward downtown before a noon rally, but city officials did not release the entire route. Instead, the city is asking fans to view the parade at three locations: Addison Street from Sheffield to Pine Grove avenues. North Michigan Avenue from Oak to Ohio streets. Columbus Drive between Monroe Street and Balbo Avenue. Those are the three parts of the parade where the vehicles carrying the team will proceed slowly at "parade speed," according to Shannon Breymaier, a city spokeswoman.

It's unclear whether the team will take Lake Shore Drive south and exit at Michigan to start the second leg of the route, but that portion of the parade is scheduled to kick off at 11 a.m. The team then will proceed to Grant Park, where a rally will take place at Lower Hutchinson Field around noon. It's free and open to the public, but people will have to pass through security screening at entrances at Michigan Avenue and Jackson Boulevard and Michigan and Congress Parkway. Attendees can bring in closed water bottles, and food vendors will set up shop. Street closures were planned as early as 4 a.m., and city officials urged people to take public transportation. The city also issued a warning: "There will be zero tolerance for drinking on the public way." Mass transit: CTA is offering additional service to the Loop on all eight rail lines following the morning rush period through midday. CTA buses will be detoured in the downtown area during the parade and because of street closures for the rally, so bus riders should allow for extra travel time. The agency said its Red and Blue subway lines and Brown, Green, Pink and Orange elevated lines are the best options for Cubs fans heading downtown. The CTA recommends that riders buy fare cards in advance with sufficient value, or add value to their existing Ventra cards, to avoid lines at vending machines. Metra is also adding train service and capacity, and delays are expected since trains should reach capacity on all lines. The commuter rail service is offering a one-day $5 unlimited ride ticket for the celebration and encourages all passengers to purchase it in advance. Metra advises people who don't want to be caught up in the Cubs crowds to telecommute if they can, and to be prepared for trains operating off-schedule. Metra also advises commuters to leave early or stay late to avoid peak hours. Friday "is expected to be the busiest day in Metra's history," Metra CEO Don Orseno said in a statement. "We ask all of our regular customers and the new customers we expect to see tomorrow to be patient and, most importantly, be safe." Because of the Cubs rally and parade, bikes and alcohol will not be permitted on any Metra trains Friday, and quiet car rules will be suspended. Security: Chicago police may have help from the Illinois State Police in providing police security, Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said. Officers will again be on 12-hour shifts, and days off are being canceled, as they were for the three World Series games at Wrigley. City Hall had been planning to hold a parade Monday if the Cubs won Game 7, but the team asked to move it up to Friday, a City Hall source said. Baseball general managers will gather Monday in Scottsdale, Ariz., for four days of meetings. And many of the players have offseason homes in other cities and in countries in Latin America, and would prefer not to wait around until next week before getting out of town. Chicago Public Schools students won't have to play hooky to watch the parade — Friday already was scheduled day off. Earlier Thursday, before details of the parade were released, Emanuel told reporters the city was going to "have a parade in Chicago that will stand the test of time."

"It will be a parade that 108 years have waited for," Emanuel said. "It will be a parade and a celebration that all of Chicago for 108 years in their mind's eye, have been envisioning. We're going to make it a reality in the city of Chicago." The mayor was asked about a rumor that the Chicago River would be dyed blue, and said he would like to do that but wasn't certain if it would work. The Friends of the Chicago River objects to dying the river, citing concerns about the potential impact it could have to aquatic life. Margaret Frisbie, executive director of the nonprofit, said in an email that the organization does not want a precedent to be set to dye the river for every city celebration. The city dyes the river green every St. Patrick's Day weekend using what's been described as an environmentally friendly orange powder to change the color. The mayor's comments came at an unrelated economic development announcement on the South Side. Wearing a Cubs championship hat that he said he grabbed on the field during the celebration in Cleveland, Emanuel repeatedly pleaded for understanding, noting he only got 11/2 hours of sleep after getting back to Chicago. "Where am I, and how did I get here?" he joked at one point, adding that he forgot his kids' names at a parent-teacher conference at school Thursday. Chicago Tribune's Hal Dardick and Mary Wisniewski contributed. -- Chicago Tribune Joe Maddon's lucky hat symbol of baseball's generational family bonds By David Haugh In one of the more poignant moments Wednesday night at Progressive Field after the Cubs turned the baseball world upside-down with a World Series title, Joe Maddon reached into his back pocket during an on-field interview and pulled out an old, raggedy baseball cap. Maddon proudly placed the Angels hat that belonged to his late father on his head, explaining that he decided during the rain delay before the 10th inning to stuff the good-luck charm into his pants. Joe Maddon Sr., a plumber in Hazleton, Pa., died in April 2002 but his son felt his presence in the Cubs' 8-7 victory just as he did 14 years ago as a bench coach when the Angels won the World Series. "My dad (was) there for the 2002 win in Anaheim and he was here tonight,'' Maddon said. "It's incredible how this all plays out sometimes. You have to believe in order to see things, and I do believe.'' Maddon's moment of reflection reinforced how the Cubs' first World Series title since 1908, as much as anything, made so many sons and daughters think of their fathers or grandfathers, their mothers or grandmothers. Families in Chicago and across the country, thanks to WGN-TV, connected over the Cubs for decades and finally winning created universally sentimental memories of childhood or parenthood that spanned generations. My immediate second reaction to Maddon's admission that he located his lucky hat before the 10th inning was this: Why didn't he look for it sooner? The manager needed all the help he could get in what will go down as one of the greatest World Series games ever — but not Maddon's best managing effort. Before debating where the statue of Maddon should go outside Wrigley Field, revisiting a few of his decisions reaffirmed how fine the line is between infamy and baseball immortality. Or the Grady Little rule. In other words, as much as you could argue the Cubs were in the World Series largely because of Maddon, it's fair to suggest they won Game 7 in spite of him. Anybody else wonder why Maddon pulled starter Kyle Hendricks with two outs in the fifth after he walked Carlos Santana? Hendricks had just retired seven straight and Maddon insisted pregame that he wanted to avoid using Jon Lester, who relieved Hendricks, in a "dirty inning.''

Fast forward to the fateful eighth inning when Indians outfielder Rajai Davis hit a two-run homer off Cubs reliever Aroldis Chapman to tie the game 6-6, and you can blame Maddon overmanaging as much as Chapman underperforming. Only 24 hours earlier, Maddon summoned Chapman with a five-run lead rather than let him rest for Game 7. No wonder Chapman blew a 6-3 lead and his fastball velocity was down before he gutted through a 1-2-3 ninth. The Game 6 ramifications spoke for themselves, even if Maddon refused to admit how close he came to having a much different legacy in Chicago because of his overusing Chapman. "The Cubs beat up on (Andrew) Miller because the Cubs are good (and) the Indians beat up on Chapman because the Indians are good,'' Maddon said. Fine, but no explanation justified Maddon having Javier Baez attempt a squeeze bunt with two strikes with Jason Heyward on third and one out. Asking a guy who had homered earlier to bunt in that situation fits the definition of getting too cute. Good thing for Maddon that the Cubs offense picked him up in the 10th with three hits that scored the biggest two runs in franchise history. The baseball gods also were on Maddon's side. A cloudburst before extra innings brought out the tarp and sent both teams to their clubhouses. The 2013 Blackhawks famously won a Stanley Cup title in 17 seconds and, now, the 2016 Cubs forever will view their 17 minutes between the ninth and 10th innings as equally significant. Call it a 17-minute reign delay. "It's crazy how things happen for a reason,'' said Maddon, who used the time to find his dad's hat. With the Cubs needing to regroup after blowing a three-run lead and botching a scoring opportunity, Jason Heyward provided his biggest contribution of the season. He called all 25 Cubs players into the cramped weight room. As the story — soon to be legend — goes, Heyward stressed a consistent theme at the impromptu team meeting: We don't quit. Whatever Heyward said, resonated on a team that never lost respect for their struggling right fielder. After the Cubs responded with three hits and two runs in the 10th, Heyward always could consider hitting the after-dinner circuit to supplement his $15 million salary. The Cubs showed resilience every championship team needs by reclaiming the lead. A day later, they were weighing invitations from President Obama and a Las Vegas hotel. But first comes Friday's parade that ends at Grant Park, where Mayor Rahm Emanuel will praise a Cubs team he believes offers an example for more than just Little Leaguers. "One thing that stands out about these guys is, in their pursuit of a common goal, they put aside any differences or divisiveness,'' said Emanuel, who got home at 5 a.m. Thursday after celebrating with the Cubs in Cleveland. "There's a lesson in there for all of us to learn.'' That's better than the advice Cubs fans traditionally hear this time of year: Wait till next year. No longer is that a promise to the fan base as much as a threat to opponents. The World Series champs only will be better for this experience, and that includes their manager. -- Chicago Tribune Cubs learn a few things for 2017 during drive to World Series crown By Mark Gonzales The experience of snapping two of the longest World Series droughts ever only heightened the hopes of Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer.

"There are two things I can't wait to experience," said Hoyer, who will participate with the rest of the Cubs' organization in a victory parade Friday that will start at Wrigley Field and finish at Grant Park. "A lot of thank yous, and a lot of tears. "All those memories from Boston I hope come back." As the hangover from the first World Series crown since 1908 wears off, the postseason provided plenty of encouraging signs for the Cubs' future as well as some caution flags. The performances of Kris Bryant in the final three games of the Series and Kyle Schwarber's incredibly seamless return after missing nearly six months illustrate their mettle that will serve the franchise well as a veteran group of players retires or departs or experiences diminished skills. One of the biggest plays in Game 7 occurred when 22-year-old rookie pinch-runner Albert Almora Jr. tagged up on a deep fly and advanced to second, from where he scored the go-ahead run in the 10th inning on Ben Zobrist's double. "Unbelievable," Almora said. "It's something I'm going to tell my grandkids and my kids. I'm just so happy we pulled this off. " Shortstop Addison Russell rebounded from slow starts in the National League Championship Series and World Series to produce timely homers. And the way relievers Mike Montgomery and Carl Edwards Jr. were used in the postseason could be a sampling of what to expect in 2017. Montgomery will be more than an answer to the question of who recorded the save in the deciding game of the World Series. Montgomery pitched in five Series games, posting a 1.93 ERA. His big curve, respectable fastball and ability to start increase his value especially after starters Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta and Kyle Hendricks pitched in three playoff series. Maddon's use of Edwards to start the 10th inning Wednesday night raises as many questions about the health of Hector Rondon with Edwards ascending quickly. Rondon, 28, pitched in only 12 games in the final two months because of two bouts of a right triceps strain and allowed seven earned runs on nine hits in his final four regular-season appearances. He pitched in seven postseason games, two in the Series. Edwards, 25, was unscored upon in his first five playoff appearances and was one out away from earning the save in Game 7 of the Series. Manager Joe Maddon has projected Edwards as a future closer and that could happen soon if free agent Aroldis Chapman departs and Rondon doesn't re-establish his effectiveness quickly. There also were some disappointing youthful moments for second baseman Javier Baez, whose postseason started so promisingly with a division series-winning hit on an 0-2 fastball from the Giants' Hunter Strickland. After batting .342 through the first two rounds, Baez lost his plate discipline — especially on the outer half of the strike zone — and batted .167 with 13 strikeouts in the Series. His Game 7 home run off Indians ace Corey Kluber showed his ability to adjust, but Maddon's "Embrace the Target" slogan will take on a greater meaning now that the Cubs are defending a Series title. Extra innings: Pitchers Travis Wood, Aroldis Chapman, Joe Smith and Trevor Cahill, catcher David Ross, infielder Munenori Kawasaki and outfielder Chris Coghlan became free agents Thursday. --

Chicago Tribune Cubs and Wrigley Field: A pair of winning rebuilds By Phil Rosenthal They both look awfully good a few years into the respective rebuilding plans — Wrigley Field and the 2016 World Series champion Chicago Cubs who call it home — but they're not done. No question they've both generated an awful lot of excitement among Cubs fan. But the easily discerned changes, such as the reconstructed bleachers and the addition of video boards, are squandered if the rest of the work is not completed. Same goes for the first title in 108 years, which the Cubs won Wednesday in Cleveland. A century of patch jobs is what left both ballpark and ballclub in disrepair, requiring nothing less than a top-to-bottom rebuild. That sort of thing takes time, especially if it's meant to last not just for a season or two but for many years. So the work to remodel 102-year-old Wrigley Field into a 21st-century ballpark — much like effort to remake the perennial also-ran Cubs franchise into not just a World Series champ but a regular contender — resumes again after Friday's victory parade and rally. That should be the takeaway from 2016, looking ahead to 2017 and beyond at Clark and Addison. Just as contractors are getting back to work at the ballpark, so will architects Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer and company, looking at what's needed to reinforce what's already in place on a roster vastly improved from the crumbling mess the Ricketts family bought in 2009. Fans sat under the upper deck then knowing it was only matter of time before something fell apart, and even if it didn't crush them it still could hurt. Upgrades and repairs never really end in Major League Baseball, but a lot of the big work has been done, and the rest of the overhaul is on pace to be completed in the next year or two. One obvious area to get attention is the bullpen, set to move under the bleachers in the next wave of rehab work at Wrigley. As for the players who toil there, the midseason acquisition of closer Aroldis Chapman filled a need but was seen as a temporary relief fix. Manager Joe Maddon needs to have more confidence in more relievers. Even if Dexter Fowler leaves via free agency, the Cubs seem well-stocked with position players. But there's always room for improvement overall, switching out old for new, with an eye on long-term fortification. If the team's young stars are to be counted upon down the road, it's best to have penciled out a strategy already for long-term contacts and how to fund them rather than scramble at the 11th hour. Perhaps it's easier to be patient and see the need for long-term planning when the overhaul to bring everything up to date involves actual demolition and reconstruction, real bricks and steel and concrete. Going from 101 losses in 2012 to 103 victories in 2016, however, is a personnel engineering feat of the same magnitude, if not more so. The Cubs' first World Series championship banner in 108 years looms even larger than the outsized video boards that now dominate the outfield.

Even those die-hards who think the electronics take away something that made throwback Wrigley Field special and worry about the bid to turn the area around the ballpark into a Ricketts-owned mall are unlikely to complain about the addition of a new flag to be raised in April. Much of what's being done is fashioned to appear as though there has been no change at all, a mere facsimile of what was in place 100 or so years ago. The idea is to create the most modern and successful version of what Cubs fans say they long have wanted. Simply adding World Series championship experience helps the Cubs roster in a meaningful way even if it's no more noticeable than some of the wiring and other infrastructure improvements to Wrigley. Whether it was the team or the ballpark, it has been necessary to tear down what existed, haul the rubble away and build something stronger in its place with the best available elements, designs and know-how. The economics of being the No. 1 team in the nation's No. 3 market should put the Cubs in the championship chase every year. There's certainly no reason to cede anything to division rivals in St. Louis, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh or Milwaukee. There, of course, will be disappointments and unexpected setbacks that may mask the overall progress. The incomplete bleachers the Cubs played with for a while are as distant a memory as the Mets' National League Championship sweep last season. But assuming these dual rebuilding programs are completed more or less as planned, the franchise will be on a solid foundation. With a winning tradition established and Wrigleyville becoming a virtual ATM to attract, retain, cultivate and employ the top material on the market, there will be no excuses for anything close to a collapse. Fans understandably are thrilled by what they've seen and experienced so far. It's going according to plan, but there are more steps to go. Rome neither was built nor rebuilt in a day. -- Chicago Tribune Jason Heyward's struggles don't prevent vet from helping Cubs win World Series By Chris Kuc Having spotted Jason Heyward isolated from the media throng and conducting a one-on-one interview during the Cubs' epic celebration after their victory in Game 7 of the World Series, Jason Hammel walked over and stood guard with his hand on his teammate's shoulder. As the reporter wrapped up his line of questioning with Heyward — who certainly doesn't require an enforcer to protect him — Hammel leaned in and told the scribe to "write only good things about this great man." During a season that had its share of personal trials and tribulations for Heyward, it was a feel-good moment in the happiest of settings. Standing on the champagne-soaked carpeting in the visitors' clubhouse of Progressive Field, Heyward was basking in the glow of the Cubs' first World Series championship in 108 years. "This is why I play baseball," Heyward said. "You never know what's going to happen so to be in my first year with the team and win a World Series, it's unbelievable. We had a lot of fun and we made a lot of great memories." Not all the memories for Heyward were pleasant. After signing an eight-year, $184 million free-agent contract — the largest in franchise history — during the winter, he endured a season-long slump at the plate, hitting .230 with

seven home runs and 49 RBIs. In the postseason, Heyward hit .104 with no homers and one RBI and often found himself on the bench some as manager Joe Maddon went with more potent options. "Personally, it was a learning curve," Heyward, 27, said of his first season with the Cubs. "I feel like I learn something about myself every year. For me, I guess the thing I would take away from this season, ironically, is it wasn't about me. It was about everybody on this team and this clubhouse. "We all brought what we could bring on a daily basis to help everybody out. Everybody on the 40-man roster helped us get to this point." Despite his woes at the plate, Heyward never took the struggles into the outfield and was a vital cog on baseball's best defensive team. Perhaps his biggest play of the season came not on the field but in the weight room at Progressive Field during Game 7's 17-minute rain delay before the 10th inning, the stoic Heyward addressed a team that was reeling after coughing up a big lead. Heyward reminded his teammates "how good we are" and that "I love everyone in here." The messages resonated and when the rain subsided, the Cubs came out and won the game with two runs in the 10th. "For Jason to speak up, you knew he had to be emotional but he wasn't yelling, he wasn't screaming, he was just talking," teammate David Ross said. "It was a very, very deliberate message he was sending and it was very, very nice to hear that come out of him. When a guy like Jason Heyward speaks you listen because it's not all the time that he speaks up." He picked the right time Wednesday night and as a result the Cubs are baseball champions of the world. -- Chicago Tribune Cubs stimulate renaissance for supposed 'dying' sport By Paul Sullivan Baseball is a dying sport, or so we're told. It's too slow. The games are too long. There's not enough action to appease the all-important millennials. Commissioner Rob Manfred even talked about changing the rules of the game to limit pitching moves and speed up the action, a knee-jerk idea that makes you wonder if he even understands baseball. Then came Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, which should put an end to all of that nonsense. The Cubs 8-7, 10-inning victory was so dramatic, so full of managerial intrigue and player emotion, and so fun to watch that it could be the start of a baseball renaissance. "It was epic," Cubs President Theo Epstein said. "Has to be one of the top three games of all time." "Hard to believe," former Cub Ryne Sandberg added. "One of the best Series of all-time, and one of the best 7th games. Hard to take, but I'll take it." The epic showdown between two teams with storied histories of collapses helped make it that much sweeter. Another patented Cubs collapse was about to go down in team lore, only for a vintage Indians meltdown to swallow it up.

When it all came crashing down for the Cubs in the eighth inning of Game 7, that old familiar feeling returned in the pit of your stomach. Aroldis Chapman had just surrendered a game-tying, two-run homer to Rajai Davis with the Cubs four outs away from their first World Series 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." Laura's brother, Tom, the Cubs chairman, wasn't ill, just disappointed. "Obviously, I was like a lot of other people, hoping these would be the last few outs of the game," he 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." Well, some freaked out, even if they didn't care to admit it. There's no more pressure on a player than being in Game 7 of the World Series, and there's no more pain than being pegged as an all-time goat. Just ask Bill Buckner, Mitch Williams or any other player synonymous with a classic World Series flop. Chapman's insertion in the eighth inning had America scratching its collective head, via Twitter, of course. And when he failed in the biggest game of his life, it was all on manager Joe Maddon for putting him in that situation in the first place. But Chapman got out of the inning and retired the Indians in order in the ninth, which preceded the 17-minute rain delay that was treated like manna from heaven. "The best rain delay of all-time," Anthony Rizzo said. There are no stats to quantify the value of rain delays, but this one was important because of the words of Jason Heyward, who gathered the team together and told them this was their moment to show what they're made of. "It was information we already knew," Addison Russell said. "Just reiterating it and putting it in a (different) 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 he has been unable to get into a groove. But his teammates love him, and perhaps of more importance, they respect him. "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." Heyward's words were heeded, and the Cubs launched the 10th inning rally that sent them to their first championship since 1908. After celebrating on the mound, the players carried retiring catcher David Ross off on their shoulders, a Disney-esque finish for a journeyman catcher who finally found a home where he least expected.

In the postgame clubhouse, drenched with champagne and exhausted, Laura Ricketts looked back on Game 7 — the collapse, the comeback and the celebration — as a five-hour life lesson. "What a great example for kids," she 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." Who didn't? But whether you were crying in Game 7, or throwing up or giving an inspirational speech, this was a night where passion exceeded the pressure. In the end, Game 7 was not too slow, it was not too long, and there was enough action to satisfy any generation, even one with a short attention span. Baseball is alive and well, thanks to a World Series game for the ages. Bravo to the Cubs and the Indians for reminding us again why we love this game. -- Chicago Tribune Loved ones of deceased Cubs faithful bring mementos to gravesites By Angie Leventis Lourgos, Matthew Walberg and William Lee Hours after the Chicago Cubs broke their 108-year-old slump with a World Series victory, Erin Stanton found herself smiling and crying at the same time as she placed a World Series flag on her grandmother's grave at All Saints Cemetery in Des Plaines. Her grandmother, Frances C. Gallagher, had been a fan since she was a little girl and her father let her ditch school go see Cubs games. Stanton recalled that every time Gallagher took her to a game, she'd pause solemnly before entering Wrigley Field "just taking it all in," before she passed away in 2014. "The Cubs meant everything to her, there is a tiny part of me that's so sad she's not here to see this," Stanton, 39, of Chicago's Edison Park neighborhood said of her grandmother. "She was the one person I wish I could have given a big hug after they finally did it," Stanton said, tears welling up in her eyes. "Everyone has someone who is missing this, someone who should have been here for this." Other gravesites at the cemetery were dotted with fresh Cubs mementos the day after the historic win. A flag at one headstone bore a handwritten note on the back: "GRANDMA JULIE THE CUBS DID IT!" Stanton was just one of a number of area mourners who paused to remember a Cubs-loving family members, whether it was a visit to the cemetery or stopping by the ballpark to scrawl a chalk message – or just the names of the dearly departed - on Wrigley's brick exterior at Waveland and Sheffield avenues. Hundreds of Cubs fans have recently begun using a brick exterior wall to write out chalk messages of love and remembrance for their family members who died before seeing their beloved Cubs make it to the Fall Classic. Fans kept scribbling in chalk on the walls of Wrigley Field Thursday, odes to loved ones who never lived to see the Cubs take it all. In pale pinks and blues and yellows, they wrote out messages of love: "For Uncle Dick & Granma. THEY DID IT!!" "Mom, this W is for U." "Rest in peace Adam"

"They Did it Dad! Miss you!" And then there is the deep and abiding love of the late Cubs broadcaster Harry Caray. A steady stream of visitors have stopped off to visit his grave, also at All Saints. His headstone bears the inscription "Forever dedicated to the fans of baseball." Fans have left behind beer cans, flowers, pennants, a hot dog and even green apples – a reference to Caray's famous comment in 1991: "Sure as God made green apples, someday, the Chicago Cubs are going to be in the World Series." Frank Troost, whose Peter Troost Monument Company in Hillside created Caray's granite headstone, said it's "not uncommon" to put Cubs logos on a headstone, but thinks it may become even more popular with the World Series victory. "You know those Cub fans are die-hard all their lives," he said, which is why it is so popular to include the Cubs at their graves. At Mount Emblem Cemetery in Elmhurst, Barbara Stacey fiddled with a bouquet of red, white and blue flowers at her grandfather's gravestone while her husband Michael stood off to one side watching her, his hands stuffed in the pockets of a black Chicago White Sox windbreaker. She arranged the blooms evenly around a small Mylar balloon with the Cubs logo on it in a bronze urn. She finished, and took his hand as he helped her to her feet. Barbara clutched another bouquet in one hand as the couple, now 70, stood and looked at the gravestone of Harry Campbell, who was born in 1906, and died in 1969. Her hands were stained blue from the dye that colored the flowers. "That's my grandpa," she said. "He would have loved this. He would have turned the game off when the score tied, though. He always did that. 'Turn 'em off, turn 'em off.' He was an emotional Cubs fan." She grew up watching the Cubs with him, a freight truck driver who lived in Humboldt Park. She met and married Don, and they moved to suburban Darien. "We've become Sox fans now," she said. "But you had to watch them (the Cubs)." Her mother is buried on the other side of the cemetery. "Now we're off to put flowers on her grave," Barbara Stacey said. Even some cemeteries on the South Side and the south suburbs, considered the heart of White Sox country, some graves were adorned with Cubs "W" flags or balloons. After the World Series victory, Sharon Sokas couldn't help but put a Cubs flag on her husband Michael's grave at St. Casimir Catholic Cemetery on the Far South Side; it wasn't the first time she'd put a flag there. Sokas said she watched the series with her husband, who died in 2003, in mind. "Oh he would have been ecstatic," Sokas said inches from her husband's grave. "He would have been thrilled. That's why I feel like I went through this World Series for him." Contributing: Erin Gallagher -- Chicago Tribune Tribune writers share their favorite moments of the Cubs' playoff run By Staff For the fans All the Indians fans had gone home by then, but people in blue still filled all the seats in the lower section behind the Cubs dugout, thousands of fans hanging around just to be part of the history they had witnessed.

All of a sudden they broke into song — "Go, Cubs, Go" — and chanted "MVP!" Nobody wanted to leave. It struck me at that moment that this World Series title probably meant more to Cubs fans than it did to Cubs players, and that's not diminishing the importance of it to every member of this championship team. They instantly achieved a legacy in Chicago. It just underscored what exactly it meant to so many people who have been waiting so long and invested so much time and money and emotion into seeing what they thought would never happen. This was a World Series title about Ricketts and Joe and Theo and Jake and Lester and Schwarber and Bryzzo and all the rest. But mostly it was about you, the long-suffering Cubs fan, and never was that more obvious than seeing thousands of them singing in the rain at Progressive Field, celebrating the greatest victory of their lives. — David Haugh 'Please be nervous' Before Game 5 at Wrigley Field, with the Cubs trailing the Indians 3-1 in the Series, manager Joe Maddon gave jittery fans the go-ahead to freak out. "Please be nervous, absolutely," Maddon said. "You should be nervous. We have to win tonight, so go ahead and be nervous." They absolutely were nervous when the Cubs trailed 1-0 in the fourth inning. But Kris Bryant launched a game-tying home run to left to break the dam, and the Cubs scored three runs in the inning to stay alive. Bryant's home run was the moment it all turned around. — Paul Sullivan Sugar Babies As I walked out of an ice cream shop early Tuesday afternoon in downtown Cleveland, I saw and heard Brittany Arrieta tell her children there was a candy store ahead. "Try the Sugar Babies," I replied as her muscular husband, Jake, wearing a black fleece vest and sunglasses, recognized my voice and spotted me holding a cup containing two scoops of banana cream ice cream. "Don't tell me that's your breakfast," Arrieta quipped while shaking his head. Arrieta's sense of control told me he was in the right mindset to beat the Indians in a do-or-die Game 6 and keep the Cubs steered toward a World Series title. — Mark Gonzales Finally ... I could just as easily pick 108 moments as one. The anticipation outside Wrigley Field before Game 3 and the relief and joy inside after Game 5. Addison Russell's grand slam in Game 6 to make it sink in that it actually might happen. Rajai Davis' tying home run in Game 7 to confirm just how epic the night was. David Ross' storybook ending inside a storybook ending.

And finally, Cubs fans grouping in the Progressive Field bleachers in the Thursday morning rain, finally able to celebrate a Cubs reign. — Colleen Kane For Uncle Joe Addison Russell's grand slam. David Ross being carried off the field after his final game. Anthony Rizzo tucking the ball in his back pocket after the final out. All special moments to me because of how special they were to someone special to me. My Uncle Joe, a lifelong die-hard who recited the 1969 lineup to me the night the Cubs beat the Dodgers to secure their place in the World Series, was paralyzed in a car accident in January. He survived, he said, so he could see this. And so he did. — Paul Skrbina Private chat With the party raging inside the Cubs clubhouse after their Game 7 victory, reliever Hector Rondon managed to find a little bit of solitude in the maelstrom of a celebration 108 years in the making to connect with a loved one. Rondon sat on the floor of a corner locker, concealed by the plastic hung to protect personal items from spraying champagne, while he chatted via video. It was a poignant reminder to do whatever it takes to share cherished moments with those who matter most. — Chris Kuc 'Isn't this beautiful?' If you circled Wrigley Field before Game 3, you will never forget the vibe. People talked about their fathers. They posed for pictures in front of the marquee. There was so much joy in the balmy air, some were even OK shelling out $150 to park. Cubs fans under 71 had never experienced this, and they wore their favorite jerseys — Santo, Sandberg, Banks, Jenkins — to commemorate the night. "Isn't this beautiful?" asked Patty Brummond, a ticket scanner at the Clark and Addison entrance. Yes, it was. — Teddy Greenstein -- Chicago Tribune Some students learn lessons from Cubs, but not at school By Katie Thayer and Juan Perez Jr. Parents may have to choose between history class and celebrating history Friday, with the parade and rally commemorating the Chicago Cubs' World Series win conflicting with school in many suburban districts. If Thursday's tardy turnout at area schools is any indication, Cubs-rooting students and parents may have a second day of festivities getting in the way. Several schools Thursday reported a higher than usual amount of students either late or absent, with parents blaming a late night watching the team clinch the World Series title.

Richard Aquino, of Libertyville, said he was considering bringing his 7-year-old son, Bennett, to the Cubs celebration instead of school, if he wants to go. That's after he dropped his son off at school an hour and 15 minutes late Thursday morning after letting him stay up late watching the game. "For him, it'll boil down to what they're serving for lunch at school tomorrow," Aquino said. While Chicago Public Schools students already have Friday off due to a previously scheduled teacher professional development day, some suburban students are lobbying for the chance to skip school to attend the city festivities. Online petitions asking administrators for a day off from school were created for Hinsdale's District 86 and Loyola Academy in Wilmette. "The Students and faculty of our school should be able to experience the history we have made at the parade and rally tomorrow without being penalized by District 86. Let's go Cubs!" read one petition. While District 86 officials said they were aware of the effort, school would go on. Administrators reminded staff that the Cubs parade and rally was not an acceptable use of sick or personal days, said Domenico Maniscalco, chief human resources officer. "We had a lot of inquiries asking about it," he said. "It is an expectation to be a role model to our students. While the student (absences are) uncontrollable, we can control the staff attendance." And, although CPS students have the day off, one principal jokingly said it's just an issue of how many teachers show up. Being tardy for school Thursday was a small price to pay to see a once-in-108-years Cubs World Series title, Aquino said. The father of three boys decided to let Bennett, his oldest, stay up late Wednesday night — past a game-tying home run, a rain delay and an extra inning — until the Cubs sealed their victory just before midnight. "I knew this was a big thing," Aquino said. "It was probably something he would remember for the rest of his life." On Thursday morning, when Aquino signed Bennett in late at Libertyville's Butterfield School, he wrote "Cubs" as the reason — just like other parents. Some Chicago-area schools reported increases in tardiness and absences, with officials chalking it up to the Cubs' thrilling 8-7 victory over the Cleveland Indians. Photos on Twitter and Facebook taken by parents showed sign-in sheets such as at Aquino's school. And, some parents' social media posts admitted their late-night celebrating had an impact on their children's arrival time at school, or their attendance altogether. Parents said witnessing a historic event, in this case, trumps sleep or school. In making his decision to let Bennett go beyond his normal bedtime, Aquino vividly recalled being a 9-year-old Detroit Tigers fan, staying up past bedtime to watch that team win the 1984 World Series title. "I wanted him to have a day like that to remember," he said. He wasn't the only one. About 10 percent of Butterfield's 515 students were absent or late, district spokeswoman Robin Kollman said. About half of those students' parents admitted it was due to the Cubs game. And, at least one other school in the district reported more than normal absent or tardy students because of the Cubs, Kollman said. "Although attendance suggests students might have stayed up late watching the victorious Cubs, I hope they learned much from the experience — hard work, dedication and committed teamwork lead to remarkable success," District 70 Superintendent Guy Schumacher said in a statement.

At New Trier High School's upperclassmen campus in Winnetka, there were 208 tardy students — that's three times the normal amount, spokeswoman Nicole Dizon said. At the freshman campus in Northfield, 70 students were late Thursday; about 15 to 20 is typical, she said. In Naperville's District 203, a spokeswoman said Naperville Central and Naperville North high schools had increased absence and tardy rates Thursday. The Cubs' victory may have had an effect on attendance at some schools on Chicago's North Side, though it wasn't immediately clear how CPS fared overall. At Hamilton Elementary School in Lakeview, Principal James Gray said the school had double the number of tardies Thursday than it did Wednesday. Absences were about 1.5 times higher, he said. Another Lakeview elementary school principal said 10 percent of the building's students were tardy Thursday, but there were only a few more absences than normal. Other North Side principals said there wasn't much of a noticeable change in attendance, which was somewhat of a surprise to some of them. Attendance was good at Lincoln Park High School, with lots of Cubs gear visible through the building, Principal Michael Boraz said. One teacher who hails from Ohio did take the day off, Boraz said. "Tribe fan," he said. -- Chicago Tribune Millions in Chicago glued to TV watching Cubs' World Series win By Phil Rosenthal The Cubs’ first World Series championship in 108 years had Chicago-area viewers glued to their televisions for five hours on Wednesday. An average audience of more than 3.2 million people in the Chicago market watched Fox’s coverage of the 8-7, 10-inning Game 7 victory over the Cleveland Indians between 7 p.m. and midnight, according to overnight Nielsen numbers. This was despite a rain delay that held up the start of the extra inning to break a 6-6 tie for more than 15 minutes, giving any fair-weather fan who might have been the least bit concerned about work or school the next day an excuse to go to bed. The 51.5 household rating over that five-hour span, or 51.5 percent of all homes in Chicago area, translates to an average of roughly 1.78 million homes having the historic game on here in any one quarter-hour. Though viewership seemed to peak between 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., the Cubs and Indians enjoyed an average 72 percent share of households here watching anything on television over the entire 7 p.m.-to-midnight stretch. Early estimates of the nation’s top markets, subject to adjustment later, had the the telecast drawing a 25.2 overnight rating. That’s the best World Series Game 7 overnight rating since the 27.0 in 2001 for the Arizona Diamondbacks’ victory over the New York Yankees, a Sunday-night affair. Heading into this year’s Game 7, the Cubs-Indians matchup of long-frustrated ballclubs had already made this year’s World Series the most-watched since 2004, when the Boston Red Sox ended their 86-year World Series title drought with a four-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Indians, too, were looking to end a long run without a championship — 68 years — but their dry spell paled in comparison to the Cubs, who hadn’t even played in a World Series since 1945. The World Series wasn’t even televised until 1947. The 51.5 rating Wednesday puts this year’s deciding game from Cleveland locally just below the 52.1 household rating in this market for Michael Jordan’s last game with the Bulls, their 1998 clincher over Utah for a sixth NBA title but above the 50.2 Chicago-area household rating for the Bears’ 2007 Super Bowl XLI loss to Indianapolis. The local gold standard for sports household TV ratings is the 63.1 the “Super Bowl Shuffle” Bears scored with their 1986 Super Bowl XX rout of the New England Patroits, though the Bulls’ 1997 title clincher over Utah earned an impressive 53.1. The Cubs-Indians grand finale’s household rating is markedly higher than the final two games of the 2003 Cubs-Marlins National League Championship Series (44.5 for Game 6 and 47.1 for Game 7). It also was better than the Blackhawks’ decisive 2015 Game 6 Stanley Cup Final victory over Tampa Bay (which drew a 41.0) and the 2005 White Sox’s decisive fourth game over the Astros to sew up their first World Series title in 88 years (which had a 42.5). During the the 11:45 p.m.-midnight quarter-hour, as the game was just ending and the Cubs’ victory was sinking in, close to 82 percent of all local homes watching TV had the game on. Nielsen estimates that more more than 3.3 million people in the Chicago area were watching then. -- Chicago Sun-Times The boys are back in town: What you need to know about parade By Fran Spielman and Sam Charles The hard part is over. Now it’s time for the Cubs to take a victory lap. After the team won its first World Series in 108 years on Wednesday night, fans are going to party like it’s 1908. But in 2016 style. Chicago is promising to celebrate the world champion Cubs on Friday with a parade and rally to end all parades and rallies, a day of jubilation and commemoration that Mayor Rahm Emanuel promises will “stand the test of time.” “It will be a parade and a celebration that all of Chicago for 108 years in their mind’s eye have been envisioning and we’re gonna make it a reality here in the city of Chicago,” he said. The parade and rally are expected to outdraw the Bulls’ championship celebrations of the ’90s, as well as more recent rallies for the White Sox and Blackhawks, though officials had no ballpark predictions for fan turnout Thursday night. CPS students are off on Friday, and fans of all stripes are invited to pack up their family — but not the strollers — leave the booze at home and grab a bus or train to Grant Park. The Parade: The Cubs’ team buses will leave Wrigley Field at 10 a.m., heading east on Addison to Lake Shore Drive, then south on Michigan Avenue, according to the mayor’s office. The team buses will continue south on Michigan, where the parade officially kicks off at 11 a.m. The parade will go east into Grant Park, but the precise downtown portion of route was not known Thursday evening. Additional traffic is expected in Wrigleyville from Irving Park to Belmont, and Southport to Lake Shore Drive.

Fans are encouraged to view the parade at three other locations: • Addison, from Sheffield to Pine Grove • North Michigan from Oak to Ohio • Columbus from Monroe to Balbo The Rally: A rally featuring players and team officials will be held at Grant Park’s Lower Hutchinson Field at noon, according to the mayor’s office. Gates open at 8 a.m. How To Get There: Use public transit. The CTA will beef up service after the morning rush on eight rail lines to accommodate fans. Metra is offering a one-day $5 unlimited ride ticket to come downtown for the events. Metra’s executive director, Don Orseno, said Friday may be the busiest day in the rail service’s history. Riders are encouraged to check Metra’s website for any service changes. Street Closures: Street closures will be in effect in the areas surrounding the parade route as early as 4 a.m., and the CTA will detour bus routes downtown. On Thursday evening, the Office of Emergency Management and Communications said it expects to close Addison from Racine to Lake Shore Drive, as well as Clark Street from Grace to Newport. The closures are expected to be lifted by noon. Downtown residents should anticipate parking restrictions and street closures on Michigan Avenue between Lake Shore and Wacker drives. Closures downtown may go into effect as early as 10 a.m. and are expected to be lifted by 1 p.m., according to OEMC. Who Can Go: The parade and rally are free and open to the public, though people who come to the rally must pass through a security checkpoint at Jackson and Michigan or another checkpoint at Congress and Michigan. What Is and Is Not Allowed: If you’re coming to the rally, you’re not allowed to bring any bag, case or purse other than clear bags, according to OEMC. Coolers, strollers, noise-making devices, umbrellas, video recording equipment and unsealed food and beverages are also prohibited at the rally. Fans can bring in sealed bottles of water, according to the mayor’s office, which added there will be “zero tolerance for drinking on the public way.” -- Chicago Sun-Times Zobrist: `I look for even better things from this team next year’ By Gordon Wittenmyer CLEVELAND – The day before this nearly four-week, four-city odyssey began, presumptive National League MVP Kris Bryant stood in front of his locker at Wrigley Field, scanned the Cubs’ clubhouse and saw the big picture. “If you just look at what we have here, over the next, I don’t know, five or six years,” he said, “we hope to be making runs like this all the time.” The Cubs then won 11 postseason games over the next 27 days to beat the Giants, Dodgers and Indians for the most heralded, longest anticipated championship in American Sports. What comes next? Can they do it again? Maybe. But the larger point is that Bryant’s point might be the most profound as the Cubs’ first title in 108 years sinks into the Chicago psyche.

“For all the young guys to get their first taste of the World Series and to perform as well as they did in this moment, I’ve got to believe their confidence is just sky high,” said World Series MVP Ben Zobrist – the 35-year-old veteran who just pocketed his second title in as many seasons. “It’s going to be more than ever next year,” he added. “And I look for even better things from this team next year.” Better than this? Because of retirement and free agency alone, five from the Cubs’ 25-man World Series roster could be making their last team appearance at Friday’s parade: David Ross, Aroldis Chapman, Dexter Fowler, Chris Coghlan and Travis Wood. Jason Hammel, a 16-game winner during the season, also is in limbo. But with good health, who’s going to stop this team from returning to the playoffs – maybe even the World Series – with its full World Series rotation and entire young and improving infield back, with Willson Contreras taking over the primary catching duties, slugger Kyle Schwarber back at full strength after missing 6½ months and with Albert Almora Jr. poised to break into a starting role as a Gold Glove-caliber center fielder? “With hard work and determination – this is not a script; this is me talking from the heart – the sky is the limit for us,” Almora said. “I’m going to go out on a limb and say once we get to spring training, it’s turn the page, and we’re going to try to win it again.” The Cubs, naturally, are the consensus pick to win the 2017 title, ranging anywhere from 3-1 to 6-1 favorites in odds released Thursday. General manager Jed Hoyer takes nothing for granted when it comes to the relative crapshoot that a three-round postseason often becomes. “You never know what’s going to happen going forward,” he said. The Indians, for example, have as much reason to believe they’ll be back in the World Series as the Cubs, considering their core players all return, along with the returns from injuries of frontline starter Carlos Carrasco and All-Star outfielder Michael Brantley (who missed all but 11 games because of a shoulder injury). “Listen, I love our core,” Hoyer said. “I love this group of guys. I think we’re going to compete for a long time. But it’s really hard to get to this point, and I think the minute you stop recognizing that, you’re in a lot of trouble. And our guys never did.” That’s the thing about this team that transcended the talent. Players across the clubhouse seemed to share a genuine bond, certainly a genuine and deep sense of shared purpose. And if the coalition-building losses of, in particular, Ross and Fowler, can be covered in the clubhouse, the results on the field aren’t likely to suffer, barring injuries or unforeseen pitching breakdowns. “Now that we’ve won, I think we’re going to have more opportunities,” Hoyer said. It might be worth noting that the franchise’s teams of the early 20th century earned the “Cubs” nickname in 1903 because of all the young talented players it had. By 1906, that core drove a five-year run that included four World Series appearances, two championships and regular-season win totals of 116, 107, 99, 104 and 104. It’s a different baseball universe, a more grueling regular-season path and an exceptionally more difficult postseason process since then. But after Wednesday night? Try telling these guys Joe Tinker and Johnny Evers had anything on this team’s ability to keep this up.

“It’s over now,” Bryant said Wednesday night, the champagne still dripping from his head. “Now we’ve got to try to do it again.” -- Chicago Sun-Times Jason Heyward, crying Cubs and the ‘best rain delay of all time’ By Steve Greenberg CLEVELAND — Aroldis Chapman walked slowly off the field, his night’s work finished, his season — and, perhaps, his time as a Chicago Cub — over. After blowing a save in the eighth inning of Game 7 of the World Series, Chapman at least had kept the Indians scoreless in the ninth. For the Cubs, it was on to extra innings. For Chapman, owner of the most sizzling fastball in baseball history, it was back to the dugout to try to keep his composure and support his teammates. He couldn’t do it. It would be unfair to say the Cubs were unnerved Wednesday night by the site of their towering, muscle-bound closer crying in the dugout, but that’s only because many of them already had lost their cool themselves. The Indians’ three-run, game-tying rally with two outs in the eighth was a staggering blow. “We worked so hard,” young shortstop Addison Russell said, “and for them to just come back like that made it feel like it was slipping through our grasp.” For the best team in baseball, there was doubt setting in. Fear, too. “Vulnerability,” Russell called it. But then rain forced what would turn into a 17-minute delay before the start of the 10th inning. “I believe God brought that rain for a reason,” Dexter Fowler said. Five, 10, 20 years from now, Cubs fans may or may not remember how severely Jason Heyward struggled at the plate during his first season as the team’s right fielder. But his moment of leadership when the team needed it most — heading into its clubhouse during that brief delay — will be told and retold as a matter of Cubs lore. Heyward saw the shattered expressions on the faces of some of his teammates and, though normally soft-spoken, initiated an impromptu team meeting right then and there. He was, in his words, “heated” and “venting.” He challenged teammates: “Where’s that fire we’ve had all year?” But then he told them he loved them. He called them his brothers. “Fight for your brothers!” Heyward shouted. Russell and rookie Willson Contreras both admitted later, when the champagne-soaked clubhouse had turned into the center of the partying universe, that they’d cried listening to Heyward’s words and while trying to express their own feelings to teammates in the ensuing minutes before play resumed. “He looked at us and told us we were all winners,” Contreras said. “He said, ‘I’m so proud of you guys. We’re not giving up. We’re playing Game 7 and we’re going to win it.’ It was amazing. A bunch of us were crying.” The tears flowed again from Contreras after Ben Zobrist’s 10th-inning hit scored Albert Almora Jr. with the go-ahead run. The result was still in doubt, he understood, but he knew that all was right again with the close-knit Cubs. “I just felt so lucky to be on this team,” Contreras said, “but I was looking down at the floor because I didn’t want the cameras to see me crying in the middle of the game.”

It really was, as Anthony Rizzo called it, the “best rain delay of all time.” “We came together tonight on a new level,” Russell said. Amidst the cacophony of the Game 7 clubhouse celebration, Heyward patiently discussed his actions during the delay. But he repeatedly — and completely in character — downplayed his role in turning the game around. “I don’t need to take any credit for anything,” he said. “I just love them so much that, win or lose, I would hate to see them not be themselves.” In that 10th inning, they were themselves and more. They were champions — on a whole new level. -- Chicago Sun-Times Steinberg: ‘Unbridled joy’ of Cubs’ win brings family together By Neil Steinberg All over the city, the state, the country, Cubs fans gathered to be with their loved ones Wednesday night to watch their team win the seventh game of the World Series. It was something you had to do together. For Jennifer Juhlin, that meant going over to her mother’s house. “I felt I had to be with her,” said Jennifer, 35. “I didn’t want her to be alone.” You might remember her mother, on Chicago radio as Penny Lane, married to Wayne Juhlin. You might also remember Wayne — a comedian, voice-over talent, radio show host at WDAI and other stations. That’s how he met Penny — she was a disc jockey on WSDM, “The Station with the Girls and All That Jazz.” Even though Wayne was a lifelong Cubs fan — “a super fan,” she called him — when the game began, Penny hadn’t planned on watching the game with her husband of 34 years. It wasn’t that she minded his trips to spring training, or the pricey Cubs Fantasy Camp, where he once “struck out Jose Cardenal.” (After that, Wayne would sometimes meet the former Cub at Gulliver’s for pizza.) Wayne had grown up in Portage Park. He would doodle cartoons of his favorite player, Andy Pafko. His best birthday and Christmas gifts were tickets to games. He attended Schurz High School and spent three years in the army. Wayne liked to take their youngest, Jennifer, and his other three daughters, Amy, Tina, Jill and son Michael, to games. “He loved sports, but there was nothing compared to his Cubs,” Penny said. “His love, his passion, it started and ended with the Cubs. He was a very well-rounded guy. But the Cubs were the mainstream of his life. “He was a man’s man, but he would sit across the den, and if they were winning, He’d say ‘look at my arms, look at my legs.’ Filled with goosebumps.” Penny and Jennifer were watching Wednesday’s game. They were too nervous to eat any snacks. The two sat in the den with Wayne’s memorabilia, his “shrine” — the ball he once caught, the little Cubs bird house, the light-up model of Wrigley Field, his lucky hat. Penny sat in his chair — wooden, nothing elaborate. But good luck. Jennifer sat on the sofa, at moments almost afraid to watch. When the Indians rallied to tie the game in the 8th, Penny stood up and walked out of the room. Jennifer wondered where she was going.

She returned with a metal box in a green canvas bag. “I was really, really surprised,” said Jennifer. “My mom hasn’t touched his ashes since he died.” Wayne Juhlin died of a heart attack in 2014. His funeral memorial cards were printed in the form of baseball cards. His death notice in the Sun-Times included this line: “His hopes for a Cubs championship never faded.” Wayne wanted to be cremated so his ashes could be put in Penny’s coffin. “I had to hold him in my arms and feel he knows somehow,” said Penny, crying. “I wanted them to win.” The box is quite heavy — usually she keeps it on a shelf next to her bed. But the canvas bag made it warm and comfortable. For the last two innings she held it in her arms and gently rocked, Jennifer occasionally reaching out to touch it. Bringing the box down felt right to Jennifer. “I thought, ‘He should be here for this,'” she said. “And we both agreed it might bring luck to the team.” It did. “As soon as she did, the Cubs started scoring like crazy,” Jennifer said. By now, you know they beat the Indians 8 to 7. I asked his wife: Why did Wayne Juhlin love the Cubs? “Why?” she replied. “That’s a good question. I can’t answer that. I don’t know. I think it was the way the game is played. I used to say, ‘Oh, it’s so long.'” And he’d reply, ‘That’s the beauty of it.'” What would the Cubs winning the World Series have meant to him? “What it means to millions of other people,” she said. “An amazing night that he never gave up on. Unbridled joy, and never losing hope.” -- Chicago Sun-Times The Cubs won a World Series, and the world didn’t end By Rick Morrissey CLEVELAND – Upon waking, start with the simple and the immediate. Arms? Still here. Excellent. Legs? Seem to be in working order. Move on to the bigger stuff. Look out the window. Buildings still standing. Traffic moving briskly. Sky not only not falling but full of clouds, the sun trying to peek through. Taking inventory is necessary because of the long-held suspicion that the end of the world would be tied to a Cubs World Series title. But Thursday dawned the way most other dawns do, though if it stayed up as late as most of us did, it was groggy. That the Cubs are World Series champs for the first time in 108 years hasn’t fully registered yet. What happened Wednesday night in an 8-7, 10-inning victory over the Indians in Game 7 was so exhilarating and so taxing that most people I saw afterward appeared to have gone 15 rounds with a professional boxer and a whiskey bottle. And they hadn’t even played in the game. As the innings went by, all I could think of was that this is what bearing quintuplets must feel like. The parade to honor the Cubs is Friday, and it figures to be the parade to end all parades. Buses full of champions will roll down city streets, and throngs of adoring fans will scream, sing and wave flags. But let’s take a moment to

remember the journey that got the Cubs and their public to that point. The ride, from beginning to end, was fueled by fun. This was a likeable team run by Joe Maddon, a funhouse manager who brought magicians and innovation to the job. His slogan for 2016, “Embrace the Target,’’ set the tone for the season: The Cubs, who were the clear favorites to win the World Series all year, wouldn’t run away from expectations. They would embrace them, own them and laugh gregariously in the face of them. Sure, the Cubs might have won Game 7 in spite of their manager’s meddling, but believe me, no one is going to be thinking about that in the coming months and years. This season will be remembered for the hitting of Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, the pitching of Jon Lester and the brilliance of Kyle Hendricks. It will be remembered for Javy Baez’ fielding wizardry, Aroldis Chapman’s blazing fastball, Jake Arrieta’s high-wire act and David Ross’ infectious enthusiasm. And this season will be remembered for Kyle Schwarber, who hardly played in it. You can’t make up stories like Schwarber’s because they would be dismissed as fanciful. The kid blew out his knee in his second game of the regular season and then went through months of rehab with the idea of returning healthy for the 2017 season. That was everybody’s idea, including Maddon’s and Theo Epstein’s. But doctors cleared Schwarber to play right before the World Series began, and after just two games in the Arizona Fall League, all Schwarber did was tear through the Indians’ pitching. Nobody does that. No 23-year-old does that. But this one did. Epstein, the Cubs president of baseball operations, was hired in 2011 and immediately went about the business of losing. And losing prodigiously. The plan was to tear down for the purpose of building up, and it worked, even though some of us (ahem, me) didn’t like the idea at all. The losing allowed Epstein to get high draft choices, which he used on the likes of Bryant and Schwarber. A trade brought shortstop Addison Russell, another young, talented player. Once the foundation was established, Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer convinced the veteran Lester to sign with the Cubs as a free agent for the 2015 season. That was the first real indication that it was finally time to win. And win they did. The Cubs won 103 regular-season games in 2016, the most in the big leagues, then beat the Giants in a National League Division Series and the Dodgers in the N.L. Championship Series. And, finally, Cleveland, which hasn’t won a World Series since 1948. It’s real. It finally happened. And as far as I can tell, we’re all still here. -- Chicago Sun-Times Emanuel watches Cubs capture title with father-in-law’s tickets By Fran Spielman Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s father-in-law is a Cleveland Indians season ticket holder. The mayor used those family tickets at Progressive Field to watch the Cubs win the World Series for the first time since 1908 in pulsating fashion. “In about the 8th inning, I said, ‘I need some blood thinner, man. I can’t take this,” the mayor said. After two hours’ of sleep, a bleary-eyed Emanuel flew home to Chicago in no shape to attend a parent-teacher conference for his two teen daughters at the University of Chicago Lab School. “I said to the teacher, `Now, what are my kids’ names again? And what subject and what school do they go to?’” Emanuel said. Wearing a Cubs’ World Champions hat, the mayor said, “I put this under my pillow last night . . . and my middle one tried to steal it. My eyes just opened up and I said, ‘Get your hands off that. I got something else for you. This is my hat.'”

An obviously punchy and giddy Emanuel then talked about the Game 7 for the ages that saw the Cubs go out to an early lead, the Indians tie it on a dramatic home-run that forced extra innings and the Cubs win it all after a rain delay that helped them regain their focus. “This last seven games was a metaphor of the entire season for the Chicago Cubs. Every time you thought the momentum has shifted, those players dug deeper. Got something inside themselves and came back and kept defying the odds. This is a team and this is a series for history and for a century and decades,” Emanuel said. “And the one thing I can say with absolute certainty as mayor, as a Cub fan and as a Chicagoan, never again will we have to say there’s always next season. It’s over. You never have to say it as a Cub fan ever again. Uh-uh. Never that tone of disappointment. Now, you’ve got delight. Yes, there’s next season. We can’t wait for next season in Chicago.” The mayor’s wife, Amy Rule, grew up in suburban Cleveland, where her parents still live. Out of deference to his in-laws, the mayor tipped his hat to the Indians and their fans. Now that the Cubs have buried the curse, the Indians’ 68-year drought between World Series championships stands as the longest in Major League Baseball. “Having been there, there were a number of Cleveland fans who said, `If we had to lose, that was the team to lose to.’ That was a great competition. All seven games,” the mayor said. “To come from [being down] 3-to-1 and go three straight — two of the three out of town in Cleveland — those players, their love of the game and their youthfulness. There’s just a great sense of joy of the American passport. Pastime, rather. I may need a passport now.” -- Chicago Sun-Times Cubs World Series parade and rally set for Friday By Fran Spielman Chicago will celebrate the Cubs’ first World Series championship since 1908 with a parade and rally in Grant Park that will be worth the 108-year wait, a bleary-eyed Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced Thursday. The giant rally is expected to dwarf the ones that happily became almost old hat during the Bulls pair of three-peats during the 1990s and the more recent celebrations for the Black Hawks’ Stanley Cup championships in 2010, 2013 and 2015. During an appearance on the South Side, Emanuel said he has talked to Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts “multiple times” about the celebration since the Cubs clinched the World Series title on Wednesday night in a ten-inning game for the ages. “We’re gonna have a parade in Chicago that will stand the test of time,” said the mayor, who attended Game 7 in Cleveland. “It will be a parade and a celebration that all of Chicago for 108 years in their mind’s eye have been envisioning and we’re gonna make it a reality here in the city of Chicago.” The parade will begin at 11 a.m., with team buses leaving Wrigley Field at 10 a.m. The official procession will travel along Michigan Avenue between Oak and Ohio and then along Columbus between Monroe and Balbo. Fans who want to catch the downtown parade are encouraged to see them along this route.

Fans were also encouraged to view the parade at three other locations: Addison, from Sheffield to Pine Grove North Michigan from Oak to Ohio Columbus from Monroe to Balbo There will be “zero tolerance” for drinking on public streets and sidewalks, the city said in a news release. Chicago police as well as suburban officers will be patrolling the route starting at 3 a.m. Friday. The celebration rally will be held at noon at Lower Hutchinson Field in Grant Park. That’s where President Barack Obama claimed the presidency in 2008. The rally will be free and open to the public. All attendees must pass through security screening at entrances at Michigan and Jackson, and at Michigan and Congress. Only closed water bottles will be allowed into the rally. The CTA will beef up service after the morning rush on eight rail lines to accommodate an expected tidal wave of Cubs fans traveling downtown to celebrate. Street closures in the downtown area will require CTA buses to be detoured during the parade and rally. Fans were strongly urged to take public transportation. Metra is offering a one-day $5 unlimited ride ticket for those looking to come downtown for the parade and rally. Metra’s Executive Director Don Orseno said Friday may be the busiest day in the rail service’s history and riders were encouraged to check Metra’s website for any service changes. Chicago Sun-Times columnist Michael Sneed has reported that the Chicago River would be dyed Cubbie blue to celebrate the end of the longest drought in the history of professional sports. On Thursday, Emanuel confirmed that he is the prime mover behind those ongoing discussions. But it’s not a sure thing. “I want to do a lot, but I’m not allowed to talk about it,” the mayor said. “I don’t know the answer. We’re working through it right now. I know that’s the desire by a lot of people. And there’s a desire by one person. But, it may not work. So, I’m not gonna get out [over] my ski tips, as I just did ten seconds ago.” Pressed for details about the time and route of the giant civic celebration, Emanuel said the event is still coming together. So is the parade route. Preliminary plans call for the team caravan to leave Wrigley Field, tentatively proceed south on Clark Street to Belmont, then take Lake Shore Drive to Grant Park. “Tomorrow as in Friday. Tomorrow as in around this time. Tomorrow as in, why are you asking me these particular questions when you’ll get `em,” the mayor said shortly before noon. “Just stand somewhere in the middle of the city and you’ll see it,” he then joked. “We’re literally working out the details right now as I’m standing in front of you.” Sources said the city’s preference had been to celebrate the Cubs’ World Series title on Saturday or Monday with a parade from Wrigley Field to Grant Park. But the Cubs pressed the city to move it up to Friday for two big reasons.

After an exhausting climb back from a 3-to-1 World Series deficit, some of the Cubs players are eager to leave town on vacation. Also, Major League Baseball is scheduled to start its general managers’ meetings on Monday in Scottsdale, Arizona. That would have meant the Theo trio — President of Business Operations Theo Epstein, General Manager Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod, senior vice-president of player development and amateur scouting — would likely be unable to attend the rally. Although time is short, the Emanuel administration is determined to hold a civic celebration worthy of Cubs Nation and those die-hard fans who did not live long enough to see their beloved team bury the billy goat curse and assorted jinxes. “Who hasn’t had a relative say, `If I had one thing to live for, it’s to see the Cubs win,” Emanuel said. “We’ve all had relatives and they’ve gone on in life. They’re up there now looking down. And their dream has been realized. So, we’re gonna have a celebration. We’re gonna have a parade in the city of Chicago that brings people from all over the city and all over to come and celebrate what we’ve all been waiting for for 108 years and was realized” in Cleveland on Wednesday night. One advantage for a Friday parade is that Chicago Public Schools students won’t have to cut class to be there — the district already has scheduled a day off on Friday for what is called a “School Improvement Day.” Most staff will still be at work, but students won’t be in class. Some charter schools also are scheduled to be off. Meanwhile, Chicago police were told just Thursday morning to be prepared to work a 12-hour shift on Friday, according to police scanner traffic. -- Daily Herald A World Series tribute to old Chicago Cubs and die-hard fans By Bruce Miles Who is this one for? First and foremost the Cubs' World Series championship is for the fans. That's something team chairman Tom Ricketts acknowledged right away Wednesday night, minutes after the Cubs outlasted the Cleveland Indians 8-7 in 10 innings to win Game 7 of the World Series. "The Cubs, as a team, they're a member of your family," Ricketts said. "And like all members of the family, you love them, but sometimes they let you down. Maybe they might let you down for 100 years in a row. And we did. We didn't close the deal. And now, just tell everyone thank you and this is for you." But this one is for a lot of other people, too, some living and some not. This one is for Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks, who rode the wave in 1969 only to see it come crashing down on him and the Cubs late in the season. Ernie, who died in 2015, never appeared in a postseason game. And you know exactly what his spirit is saying after the Cubs captured their first World Series since 1908: "Let's win two." This one is for Ernie's teammate, Ron Santo. One can only imagine Ronnie shouting, "Yes! Yes!" after another third baseman, Kris Bryant, threw to first for the final out. This one is for Billy Williams, he of the sweet swing and the sweeter disposition. After the Cubs clinched the pennant at Wrigley Field by beating the Dodgers, Billy stood in left field, the field he patrolled for so long, and called it "sacred ground." May Billy see several more of these.

This one is for Jack Brickhouse, who no doubt looked down and gave a big "Hey Hey!" I started thinking about Jack late in the game, remembering it also was in Cleveland where he called the White Sox's pennant clincher in 1959. Nobody saw more bad Cubs baseball than Jack, but he was a ray of sunshine every afternoon. This one is for Harry Caray, who no doubt is toasting one and bellowing "Holy cow!" I remember Harry's eyes tearing up at the end of one season. He broadcast World Series wins for the Cardinals, but never for the Cubs. This one is for Vince Lloyd and Lou Boudreau. Like Brickhouse on TV, they were your Cubs companions on the radio side, with Vince giving it the "Holy mackerel!" after every big play. Lou had ties to both the Cubs and Indians, who honor him with a special place in Progressive Field. This one is for Phil Cavarretta, the Chicago boy who played on the 1945 pennant winners, the last team before this year's club to make it to the World Series. Phil wore No. 44, a number carried on with honor today by fellow first baseman Anthony Rizzo. This one is for Gabby Hartnett, whose "homer in the gloamin' " helped the Cubs to the 1938 pennant. This one is for "Jolly Cholly," Charlie Grimm. The left-handed banjo player played for, managed and broadcast for the Cubs. When the Cubs acquired reliever Justin Grimm, us old-timers told him he had the perfect name for a Cub. This one is for Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, who was welcomed back into the organization and was able to enjoy this World Series run in person. Pure class. This one is for the Hawk, Sut, the Sarge and Bobby D. This one is for Fergie Jenkins and Greg Maddux, a pair of Hall of Fame No. 31s who threw out ceremonial first pitches at Wrigley Field. This one is for Kerry Wood, who fell short in Game 7 of the 2003 NLCS and remains an ambassador for the club. It was good to see him in the clubhouse Wednesday. In all the years I covered Kerry, we never had a bad word between us. This one is for modern-day warrior Ryan Dempster, the face of the Cubs for much of a decade. Woe to anyone who badmouthed the Cubs when they got down against the Dodgers in the NLCS in Demp's presence. The Cubs traded him in 2012, but you'll never take the Cub out of Dempster, and he's now a special assistant to the team. This one is for Tom "Otis" Hellmann and Gary Stark, the longtime clubhouse guys. They get to the park before everybody and leave after everybody. It was so good to see them reveling in the clubhouse fun Wednesday night. And here's a tip of the white fishing hat to retired clubhouse man Yosh Kawano. This one is for the execs who tried but couldn't get it done. Former GM Jim Hendry and his lieutenants brought in Javier Baez and Willson Contreras, and current team president Theo Epstein makes sure to remind people of that. Hendry's old boss, Andy MacPhail, remains gracious and kind in his current role with the Phillies. Dallas Green's 1984 team came within a fingertip of the World Series. But Tom Ricketts had it right in the first place: This one's for you. --

Daily Herald Rain, Heyward all they needed By Bruce Miles The rains came down from the heavens heavily late Wednesday night in Cleveland. It turned out to be a godsend for the Chicago Cubs. A stunned bunch of Cubs had just watched the Cleveland Indians rally against closer Aroldis Chapman to tie Game 7 of the World Series at 6-6 in the eighth inning. What looked to be a certain World Series victory for the Cubs suddenly had the look of a postseason failure. Then right fielder Jason Heyward took matters into his own hands, calling a players-only meeting in the weight room. "I just felt like we needed to be reminded of how good we are," Heyward said in the Cubs' postgame celebratory clubhouse. "I needed to love on them a little bit and tell them, 'Hey, I love everybody in here. You guys should all look in the mirror and understand that you can get it done. I don't care who it is. There's a lot of things you have to overcome in a season. You're not going to be happy about some things. Some things are going to be easier than others to swallow, but just be ready in this moment and this situation because you can come through.'" The Cubs came through, scoring 2 runs in the top of the 10th inning to take an 8-6 lead over the Indians. They held on in the bottom of the inning, winning 8-7 to capture the franchise's first World Series victory since 1908. On one hand, it might seem odd that Heyward was the man to call the meeting. After all, he endured a poor regular season at the plate, and things got so bad in the postseason that he was benched for a time. "My year had nothing to do with that," he said of giving his talk. On the other hand, to know the Cubs is to know that Heyward is most respected and admired by his teammates for his professionalism, leadership, knowledge of the game and his Gold Glove-caliber defense. He was on third base in the ninth inning when Javier Baez tried to bunt with two strikes and fouled the pitch for a strikeout. Baez, the MVP of the National League championship series, had a rough World Series, punctuated by 2 errors in Game 7. "For me, it had everything to do with being on third base with Javy up, the MVP of the NLCS, up at the plate," Heyward said. "He was asked to safety squeeze. It's a tough thing. We've all got to be ready to do what our manager asks us to do, and that's not easy. It's not easy for him (manager Joe Maddon) to make the calls, to pull the strings. But it's not an easy thing to do to ask a guy right there. It's a tough pitcher to bunt off, too. "I understood he (Baez) was frustrated, but I understand that we all as a group live and die with each other's at-bats. And I just wanted to remind them, 'Hey, you guys are fine. We've overcome it before. We can do it again. Just everybody be ready. Yeah, I know it's the situation it is now. It's game tied. It's Game 7, whatever. But just know you can get it done, and I want everybody here to feel like they accomplished something to help this team get to this point." Heyward made his move as the team was coming off the field and into the clubhouse to wait out what became a 17-minute rain delay. That was just enough time to regroup. "I just said, 'Hey, let's get everybody in the weight room,' because it's right there by the field," Heyward said. "It was an easy location. It was players only. We had to do what we had to do."

Series MVP Ben Zobrist credited Heyward for the inspiration. "J-Hey called a meeting and said, 'Come in here, I've got something to say,'" Zobrist related. "And he said, 'You know what, whatever's happened up to this point, forget about it. It's over. We're still the best team. We're going to pull this thing out. We need to pull together and chip away. We're going to win this game.' "And everybody kind of rallied together like we've always done all year long." First baseman Anthony Rizzo agreed. "Best rain delay of all time," he said. "You never, ever want a rain delay, but that's the best rain delay of all time. It kind of settled us down, got us regrouped." Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer agreed, and he also acknowledged the franchise was due for a change in fortune after not winning a World Series since 1908. "So maybe after 108 years, you get some divine intervention, right?" Hoyer said. -- Daily Herald Rozner: Cubs celebration helps Kerry Wood bury the past By Barry Rozner The celebration was befitting a team that had just won the World Series, century of drought or not. You see, players gather for spring training around Valentine's Day, and when the last team standing ends the journey nine months later, their love for winning pours out like so much cheap champagne. It's a release of many emotions. So the party inside the visitors clubhouse Thursday morning at Progressive Field in Cleveland was as you would suspect, rowdy and rough as much as soaking wet. With a couple dozen players and execs crammed into a small area, not to mention hundreds of reporters, the mob scene was not for the faint of heart. In a small hallway leading down to the field, about 20 feet from the frenzy, Kerry Wood leaned on a refrigerator and quietly sipped a beverage. He smiled a lot and nearly every time a player passed by, an embrace ensued. Sometimes players would stop to talk. Sometimes they poured assorted liquids on his head. Sometimes they tried to get him to join the fray. But Wood was content where he was, watching in amazement and committing it to memory. Make no mistake, however. Kerry Wood was overjoyed. "It means more to me and so many ex-players than I think these guys will ever know," Wood said, getting emotional and wiping a tear. "I left and didn't want to leave. "I played here in Cleveland, that was a great opportunity, and the Yankees experience was great for me. "But from the time I left to the time I came back, I was worried. I kept thinking, 'This is the year they're gonna win it.' I was afraid I wouldn't be here when it happened and I wanted to be a part of it so badly. "I'm just so glad I was here for it."

Wood -- now a special assistant to team president Theo Epstein -- doesn't expect the current group of players, especially the young guys, to have an understanding of what former Cubs went through, especially in years like '69, '84 or '03. But he's grateful that this team has eased his pain and removed forever all stains on Cubs lore. "It gets rid of everything. Now, we're just part of the story of the Cubs," Wood said. "We're done with the curses and all that other (stuff) we had to listen to for years. It's over. Done. So glad about that." The surprise at first was that Wood was so emotional, so thankful that never again does he have to hear about the foolish narratives that have enveloped the roster and haunted players from teams like the 2003 Cubs. Then again, Wood has always been an emotional player, unafraid to share his feelings about a franchise that drafted a high school kid from Texas, brought him to the big leagues and helped him make Chicago his home. And it was Wood who fell on his sword after Game 7 of the NLCS in 2003, telling everyone he "choked," when in reality everyone knew he was toast. Dusty Baker had abused the rotation and their arms were finished. Wood didn't choke, but as the leader of the team he admirably took the blame. "In the heat of the moment, the game was over and honestly that's how I felt," Wood said. "I felt like we had an opportunity and we didn't get it done. I said what I said. That's the way I felt. I wasn't trying to protect anyone. "We've all carried that burden. We've all kind of worn it, and now it's wiped away forever. It's awesome for the organization and the city and the fans. These fans … what they've been through …" Wood paused for a moment, smiled and shook his head. He pointed into the room where players were still jumping on one another. "There are so many players from the past who aren't here who are feeling this win like it's their win, like they never have to answer those questions anymore," Wood said. "My time has come and gone. This is for those players in there, but they've done a great thing for a lot of us. "Maybe they'll never know it, but they really have." At that moment, fellow 34 Jon Lester came by, gave Wood a big hug and dumped a bottle of champagne on his head. It washed away more than Lester will ever know. -- Daily Herald Cubs parade begins at 10 a.m. Friday; rally at noon By Marni Pyke The Chicago Cubs and their fans will celebrate their World Series victory with a parade from Wrigley Field down Michigan Avenue to a noon rally in Grant Park Friday. Crowds are expected to be huge as fans celebrate the team ending a 108-year drought with a historic win late Wednesday night against the Cleveland Indians. The team will board buses and trolleys from Wrigley Field at 10 a.m., and the rally begins at noon in Lower Hutchinson Field, between Balbo Avenue and Roosevelt Road.

Although officials are telling people to use public transit, Metra planners are predicting packed and off-schedule trains as hordes of baseball enthusiasts pour into the city. CEO Don Orseno asked regular riders to work from home Friday if they can. The city has not provided exact details of how the team will get from Wrigley Field to North Michigan Avenue but has advised fans to watch at spots along Addison Street, Sheffield Avenue and Pine Grove Avenue, where the entourage will be traveling at reduced speeds. The downtown portion of the parade begins around 11 a.m. along Michigan Avenue between Oak Street and Ohio Street and then along Columbus Drive between Monroe Street and Balbo Avenue. "The city of Chicago could not be more proud of the Cubs, and we are going to throw them and their fans a celebration worthy of the history the team made last night," Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement. Metra is offering an unlimited $5 ride ticket for Friday and is suggesting riders purchase it in advance. At Blackhawks' parades in 2010, 2013 and 2015, thousands of homeward-bound riders converged on Union Station right after the festivities and caused logjams. Riders are being urged to avoid rush hour by leaving early or staying late. What else should you expect? Here are some tips for a great day from fans and Daily Herald reporters who've attended parades before. • Go early and wear comfortable shoes. Sidewalks will be jammed and people will be showing up hours in advance, so if you arrive 30 minutes prior, expect slow going. • You can't be everywhere. Pick one place to see the team and stay there. • Nature calls. So take a bathroom break at a downtown train station before walking to the event. Porta-potties will be busy and downtown restaurants might let only patrons use restrooms. • Be prepared for phone service getting bogged down with all the users. Have a designated meeting place in case you can't reach friends by phone or texting. You might also want to bring a portable battery pack in case your phone runs out of power. • Got a buddy who works in the Loop? It's worth checking to see if you can watch the parade from your friend's office. • Do something in the Loop after the festivities and catch the train later to avoid the crowds. Check out Millennium Park or the Chicago Cultural Center, both free. • The forecast is for sunny and 56 degrees, so apply sunscreen and wear layers. -- Daily Herald Imrem: Cubs' success starts with Ricketts By Mike Imrem A collection of people deserve credit for the World Series title the Cubs won this week. But there's a top man among them and it happens to be the top man himself. Yes, Tom Ricketts. Remember, the Cubs chairman is responsible for hiring master architect Theo Epstein.

Some of Ricketts' success was by design. Some of it was luck. All of it combined to result in a championship. Shortly before the Ricketts family closed on the purchase of the Cubs on Oct. 27, 2009, Tom Ricketts sat down with three of us from the Daily Herald. Cubs beat writer Bruce Miles was there for the baseball talk. News columnist Burt Constable was there for everything else. I was there for comic relief. Looking back at a transcript of the conversation, this exchange stands out. Q: Can you picture yourself as the owner when the Cubs win the World Series? A: I'm not sure I've pictured myself there yet. All Ricketts had to do Wednesday night to see himself in that position was snap a selfie. It took just seven seasons for the Rickettses to do what a variety of other Cubs owners couldn't since 1908 -- win a World Series. At first glance in 2009, Tom Ricketts was just like every new team owner in every sport in every city. Mr. Mystery. The initial impression was that Ricketts would endure a steep learning curve. As it turned out, the Cubs chairman was a quick learner. The Rickettses closed on the purchase of the Cubs on the last Friday of October and three days later Tom Ricketts attended organizational meetings in Mesa, Arizona. The first real hint that Ricketts had a chance to figure out sports ownership was the first summer of 2010. Without fanfare, Ricketts toured each of the Cubs' minor league affiliates. "I've never heard of a new owner doing that," a member of the Cubs' organization said as the playoffs were about to begin last month. Ricketts introduced himself to everyone associated with the Cubs on the lower levels and explained who he was, what his vision for the Cubs was and what they could expect of the parent club moving forward. A good guess is that while teaching them about himself, Ricketts was learning baseball that he couldn't have picked up as a fan. Ricketts saw how teams operate in the minors. He got a feel for what life is like down there. He found out what the facilities were like in places like Iowa. All the while, by design or not, Ricketts networked with baseball people. Ricketts became smarter in many ways, including reinforcing his suspicion that he wasn't smart enough to make baseball decisions. In other words, Ricketts wasn't going to become his own general manager the way, say, Jerry Jones has with the Dallas Cowboys. Ricketts said at our meeting in 2009 that he didn't plan to hire a so-called "baseball man" for the Cubs.

But when Epstein became available two years later, Ricketts was flexible enough to make him the Cubs' president of baseball operations. Easy call, both then and in retrospect, but 28 other major-league owners weren't quick enough to hire the man who won two World Series in Boston. Tom Ricketts learned so much so fast that today he can picture himself as the owner of the Cubs when they won the World Series. -- Daily Herald Half-bearded Cubs fan is now free to shave By Burt Constable People questioned whether 74-year-old fan Don Miller Sr., of Palatine, had thought about the consequences when he vowed in the spring to shave only one side of his face until the Cubs won the World Series. Some, noting the Cubs hadn't won a World Series since 1908, wondered just how long a half-beard could get. "It's been a trip and a half," Miller said Thursday, the morning after his Cubs won the 2016 World Series. "This little crazy notion, an impulse, has evolved into a crazy thing." His crazy thing will end Friday on WGN Morning News when Miller's niece will shave off his beard on live TV. "I'm the lucky one," says Heidi Korcal, manager of Hair Cuttery in South Elgin. She's given free haircuts to kids on WGN before as part of back-to-school promotions. She says she'll start on her uncle's beard with clippers before using one of the razors sent to Miller by a company for free publicity. "He is the most passionate Cubs fan I know of, so I thought it was really neat," Korcal says of Miller's half-beard. "It's grown on him as well as everyone else." Miller has given numerous interviews and one of his sons set up a cubsface.com website for him. "I kind of like the attention," Miller admits. "It made me feel good because there are so many Cubs fans out there. It's like a connection between us." Even his wife, Anne, has said, "I kind of like it that way." But it's coming off. "My mission in life has been accomplished," Miller says. But that hasn't stopped him from thinking about doing something special for next season. "I don't know about next year yet," Miller says, "but I believe the Cubs are going to win at least three in a row." -- Daily Herald Wrigley Field the morning after: Fans flock to stadium to honor team By Jake Griffin It's a new day at Wrigley Field. The sun blazed through the pre-dawn clouds and began tickling the tips of the light standards atop the old ballpark. A cool, soft wind whispered through the iconic stadium's ancient eaves. The players have all come and gone.

But the park is still awake and alive. Fans wander along the outskirts of the building, stopping to take pictures of themselves in front of the red brick walls that are now mostly taken over by multicolored chalk tributes or just reaching out to touch it to make sure what happened a few hours ago is real. It was. "Isn't this beautiful? This is for all these people. Those that can be here and those that couldn't," said MaryLou Jarvis of Naperville. For a place that has housed so many unfulfilled hopes and wishes for 107 years, all is seemingly forgiven and forgotten. The fresh taste of joy has replaced the stale, sour century of misery. "We're not the doormats anymore," said Mike Compton of Arlington Heights. "That's what this means." Though the game was played hundreds of miles away from here, Wrigley called to fans. When Erin and Steve Weinland were eating breakfast Wednesday morning with their two young sons at their home in Richmond, Virginia, they didn't think about dropping everything and hopping a flight to Cleveland. They came to Chicago. "We wanted to come here for the game," Steve Weinland said. "It's not crazy. This is what makes you a Cubs fan." Most of the crowd around the stadium Thursday has slept little to none since Anthony Rizzo recorded the final out just before midnight in Chicago. Their elation hadn't dwindled much, either. "We couldn't see the marquee last night so we came back this morning," said Rebecca Prekwas of Downers Grove. "We had to get that picture. It didn't happen if you don't have the picture." A makeshift store along Clark Street that the Cubs had erected to sell playoff merchandise was swarmed with fans grabbing T-shirts and hats emblazoned with the long-awaited words: "World Series Champions." By 9 a.m. the pickings were getting slim. "We're almost out," said Luke Purcell, who was restocking the racks as fast as fans were emptying them. "We're going to be getting more soon. At least I hope they're coming." Many who had celebrated the victory among their fellow fans during and after the game at the park had returned in the morning to take in a more peaceful experience before getting back to their regularly scheduled lives. "I just think this is the greatest to be among this mass pilgrimage," said Michael Sweeney of Mundelein, "but I do gotta get back to work." It's another morning at Wrigley Field. But it's a new day for Cubs fans. -- Cubs.com Fly The W, Love A Parade: Today, 9 CT By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO -- If there was a downside to the Cubs' first World Series championship since 1908, it's that they won it on the road, beating the Indians on Wednesday night in Game 7 in Cleveland. Today, the players, manager Joe Maddon and staff will be saluted by their fans in a parade that many Cubs fans probably never thought they'd live to see.

Given the 108-year wait by the Chicago faithful, it is a day that will be emotional, poignant and joyous, filled with thoughts of Ernie Banks, Harry Caray and Ron Santo, with echoes of "Go Cubs Go" at nearly every turn. MLB Network's parade coverage begins at 10 a.m. ET/9 CT, simulcast on MLB.com, with a special edition of MLB Tonight that features two live locations at Wrigley Field with hosts Heidi Watney, Jon Paul Morosi and Lauren Shehadi. The coverage continues from 11 ET/10 CT until the parade culminates with a rally at Chicago's Grant Park. Given the excitement surrounding the Cubs winning their first World Series title since 1908 -- and Chicago's history of celebrating its champions -- turnout for the parade will almost certainly be massive. The forecast calls for mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 50s, Chicago public schools were already scheduled to be closed, and city officials were expected to dye the Chicago River blue in the Cubs' honor. When the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2015, the city estimated that there were 2 million people in attendance -- and that was the Blackhawks' third Cup in five years. "We're going to have a parade in Chicago that will stand the test of time," Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said. Actor and longtime Cubs fan Bill Murray was eagerly anticipating it just moments after the Cubs' 8-7 win in 10 innings over the Indians on Wednesday. "I just can't wait until the parade starts," he told MLB.com columnist Jon Paul Morosi on MLB Network. The official procession will travel along Michigan Avenue between Oak and Ohio, and then along Columbus between Monroe and Balbo. Fans who want to catch the downtown parade are encouraged to see the Cubs along this route. There will be three other locations to view the parade: Addison from Sheffield to Pine Grove; North Michigan from Oak to Ohio; and Columbus from Monroe to Balbo. The rally will be held at lower Hutchinson Field in Grant Park, where Barack Obama celebrated his victory in the 2008 presidential election. The rally is free and open to the public. All fans must pass through security screening at entrances at Michigan and Jackson, or at Michigan and Congress. Chicago has feted its other pro sports teams after their championship runs, including the White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks. However, none of those teams had to wait 100-plus years. "Unreal," said Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, who was soaked in champagne after celebrating with the Cubs following Game 7 at Progressive Field. "It's a big relief. The game was very tense and stressful. But for baseball, what a World Series, what a Game 7. I don't remember a better one, I really don't." This Cubs team resonated with the fans, many of whom flocked to Wrigley Field on a sunny Thursday to grab some chalk and jot down thank-you notes, honor family members or simply write their names on the brick walls along Sheffield and Waveland Avenues. One fan offered use of a ladder in exchange for a high five. People posed in front of the Harry Caray statue at the corner of Sheffield and Waveland behind the center-field bleachers. There were green apples, red carnations and a few cans of beer placed there. Caray, the longtime Cubs broadcaster, once said, "Sure as God made green apples, someday, the Chicago Cubs are going to be in the World Series, and maybe sooner than we think." Fans left bushels of the fruit at Caray's gravesite in Chicago. Hall of Famers Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Ron Santo and Fergie Jenkins never had a chance to play in a World Series. Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Addison Russell and Kyle Hendricks did, as did World Series MVP Ben Zobrist, who delivered the tiebreaking RBI double in the 10th inning of Game 7. "I know Harry is smiling, I know Ernie Banks is smiling, Ron Santo -- every former Cubs player who passed away," former Cubs shortstop Shawon Dunston said. "I really wish they could have experienced it."

A day after Game 7, Dunston was still pinching himself. "I'm kind of numb," Dunston said. "Like, 'Wow, the Cubs really won?' I think I'm more happy for the fans. They always came out to the games and rooted for us when we were in last place. They wanted the Cubs to win so badly. ... Those are really good, loyal fans who go back through years and years." Many made the five-hour drive from Chicago to Cleveland for the game, and every rest stop on the Ohio Turnpike and Indiana Toll Road was packed with people in Cubs T-shirts and hats as they made their way home on Interstate 90 after Game 7. "I'm just so happy for Cub fans over the last 108 years, generations, some still here, some not," Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said. "They were all here tonight. Everybody who ever put on a Cubs uniform, this is for you." The Cubs did so in dramatic fashion. This was the first time the Cubs were able to rally from a 3-1 deficit in any best-of-seven series. "I told my wife, when you ask, 'Who won the World Series five years ago?' you have to really think about it," former Cub Juan Pierre said. "I think this one is going to stick. People will know the Cubs won it in 2016." -- Cubs.com Justice: Maddon's style unique, unprecedented By Richard Justice Joe Maddon was in charge of the Angels' instructional league program one fall three decades ago when he heard Gene Mauch's gravelly voice behind him. "I don't know how you're doing it, son," Mauch said. "But you've created a great environment here." To this day, Maddon considers it maybe the greatest compliment he has ever received, because Mauch was a legendary tough guy -- taciturn, demanding and frugal with praise. He also had one of the greatest baseball minds ever, someone who'd studied the game from every angle. For Maddon to have caught his eye speaks volumes about where the young instructor's career was headed. We can definitely see that now. When the Chicago Cubs won the 2016 World Series with an 8-7, 10-inning Game 7 victory over the Cleveland Indians in the wee hours of Thursday morning, Maddon had some sort of final validation for his 40 years in baseball, including 19 as a Minor League manager and instructor. Maddon is one of the brightest and most complicated men you will ever meet. He's a voracious reader and thinker, someone unafraid to challenge the way business has always been done. These Cubs did it Maddon's way. His core beliefs try to separate what's important from what's simply habit, and that offers insight into why players love playing for him. For instance, on the first day of Spring Training, Maddon tells his players he has only two rules: 1. Run hard to first base 2. Play defense Maddon doesn't spend a half hour on dress codes or facial hair. He sees that stuff as a waste of time. Instead, if you strip things down to their bones, good baseball begins right there.

Another core belief: Less is more. Maddon believes there's too much batting practice sometimes, too many infield drills, too much work in general. So there are days when he orders his guys to stay away from the ballpark until almost game time, believing that a clearer mind and fresher body will more than offset what is achieved by extra work. About those goofy-looking outfits the Rays and Cubs have sometimes worn on team flights: There have been disco trips and varsity-letter-jacket trips and cowboy trips. Maddon believes they serve a purpose outside of generating a few laughs, which are important enough on their own. Getting players out of their comfort zone and forcing them to see the world a different way might also benefit their mental preparation and approach. Several springs ago, the Rays shaved their heads to raise money for pediatric cancer research. One player declined the haircut, instead writing the hospital a check and keeping his hair. Maddon was not pleased. "I wish he'd done it," he said. "I think it's important." Maddon saw it as both a good cause and a team bonding moment as well as another outside-the-comfort-zone experience. Major League managers have a vastly different job description than they did, say, 20 years ago. Front offices have the capability of providing them with reams of datas suggesting lineups, defensive alignments, pitching matchups and the like. What no amount of data can replace, however, is the human touch, the ability to get players to bury their own ego in the team concept. That's one reason Maddon loves World Series Most Valuable Player Award winner Ben Zobrist and was thrilled when the Cubs signed him last offseason. Zobrist represents everything Maddon holds dear -- he will play any position, bat anywhere in the lineup and literally do anything that's asked if it impacts winning. In retrospect, this union between Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein, general manager Jed Hoyer and Maddon seemed destined to happen. Epstein was one of the first of the young turk general managers who folded analytics into the team's decision-making process. In his world, the manager does not have complete autonomy. Rather, there must be a functioning collaborative relationship between front office and the manager. Epstein's organization has open doors and an exchange of ideas. When Epstein and Hoyer sat down outside Maddon's mobile home and hammered out a deal two years ago, this championship was the thing that united the three of them. By that time, the Cubs were on their way to being great, with Epstein and Hoyer having already accumulated a trove of young talent. Funny thing is, Maddon's background couldn't be more traditional. He spent all those years in the Minors, and then a dozen seasons on the Angels' Major League staff before getting his big break. Maddon joined the Rays in 2006, when current Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman was putting together a Tampa Bay staff that would transform the franchise into one of the smartest and most successful in the game. Maddon's father died shortly before it happened, and he keeps his father's cap with him as a reminder of the places he has been and the people he loves most. Maddon flew his mom, Beanie, into Chicago for the World Series games there, and he still returns to his hometown of Hazleton, Pa., each offseason for an assortment of charitable causes. Maddon said he's still processing what it means to help deliver a World Series title to a franchise that hadn't had one in 108 years. He says he's proud of that part of the deal, but he will need some time to wrap his mind around it fully.

Now Maddon is in that rarefied place in his industry. He'll take a few days to soak it all up, and then he'll get back in his mobile home and spend a few months driving and thinking before getting back at it next spring. -- Cubs.com Fowler says he's headed for free agency By Andrew Simon Dexter Fowler will be returning to the free-agent market. One day after helping the Cubs win their first World Series title since 1908, the center fielder told ESPN on Thursday night that he will decline his part of a mutual option for 2017. That decision is not yet official. "I'm definitely going to be a free agent, but hopefully it happens a little bit quicker than last year," Fowler said on "SportsCenter." "You can't control what goes on, but I loved my time in Chicago and I'm definitely not counting them out, but we'll see what God has planned for us now." Fowler became a free agent after his first season with the Cubs in 2015, rejecting a one-year, $15.8 million qualifying offer from the club last November, and that process dragged on for most of the offseason. He eventually came close to a three-year deal with the Orioles in February, but the Cubs swooped back in and re-signed him to a one-year deal in a surprising move. Fowler made $8 million in 2016 and would have made $9 million next season if both he and the Cubs elected to exercise the mutual option in his contract. Chicago could still extend a one-year, $17.2 million qualifying offer to Fowler. The 30-year-old switch-hitter played in 125 games this season, making his first All-Star team. He batted .276/.393/.447 with 13 homers, 48 RBIs and 13 steals. Fowler hit three homers during the Cubs' postseason run, including one to lead off Game 7 Wednesday. -- Cubs.com Former Cubs thrilled 2016 club secured title By David Adler The Cubs brought the team and its fans the franchise's first championship since 1908 with an 8-7 win against the Indians in Game 7 of the World Series on Wednesday night. As monumental an achievement as it was for the Cubs who won on the field, so many more through the years never got to taste a World Series victory with Chicago. As the city celebrated after Game 7, many of those former Cubs weighed in on this historic moment for the franchise. Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg (1982-97) "Unreal. It's a big relief. The game was very tense and stressful. But for baseball, what a World Series, what a Game 7. I don't remember a better one, I really don't. "I said it all along -- this group's different. They're special. The best ownership, president, GM, Minor League system, players, right on down to the last guy." Pitcher Kerry Wood (1998-2008, '11-12) "It happened Chicago!!! @Cubs" Shortstop Shawon Dunston (1985-95, '97)

"I'm kind of numb. Like, 'Wow, the Cubs really won?' I think I'm more happy for the fans. They always came out to the games and rooted for us when we were in last place. They wanted the Cubs to win so badly. ... Those are really good, loyal fans who go back through years and years. "I know Harry [Caray] is smiling, I know Ernie Banks is smiling, Ron Santo -- every former Cubs player who passed away. I really wish they could have experienced it. At least Billy Williams is around, and he experienced it." Pitcher Jon Lieber (1999-2002, '08) "Man, it's just really great. But honestly, I am so thrilled and happy for the fans, the true fans out there. Just getting a chance to know them the years I played in Chicago with the Cubs, knowing how much that team has meant to them and being a former Midwesterner, the passion that they have for the Cubs. It just means the world to me to see them actually get a chance to celebrate this." Center fielder Juan Pierre (2006) "When I played there, every guy who wore the uniform, at least in Spring Training, you talked about being that team to break the curse. These young guys actually did it, and the way they did it. Chicago fans supported the Cubbies, year in, year out. ... It was great for baseball and great for the city of Chicago. "When you ask, 'Who won the World Series five years ago?' you have to really think about it. I think this one is going to stick. People will know the Cubs won it in 2016." Andy MacPhail, Cubs president and CEO from 1994-2006 "They have had some great fans there for a long, long time. They've had to suffer through that 'Lovable Loser' nonsense, which used to drive me crazy. So I was so happy that they could finally put that behind them. I mean, there were some fans that really wanted to see this happen before they went on to the great unknown. I'm happy that their wishes could get fulfilled. It was rare when a homestand would go by where somebody wasn't scattering the ashes of one of their friends on the field. "It's a special place and it's a special franchise, and to reach that level after so many tries is just a good thing for the sport and a great thing for Cubs fans." Third baseman Steve Buechele (1992-95) "I just know, having played there, what the fans and the town would be like if they won a championship. I know Chicago, so they have to be absolutely thrilled to death. It's a great place to win. This just solidifies the fans' patience. Obviously it has to be an awesome feeling for the city." Dodgers senior advisor to the president and CEO Ned Colletti -- a Chicago native who worked for the Cubs for 13 years and went to his first game at Wrigley Field in 1961 "I believe it is a great night for baseball, for Chicago and for the Cubs organization. Personally, I have said goodbye to so many people -- my parents, many members of my family, friends, former players -- who had waited for a time like this. Truly historic, truly special and a wonderful exclamation point to a classic World Series." -- Cubs.com Cubs' core has fans thinking repeat in '17 By Joe Trezza The Cubs took a blowtorch to history in 2016 and starting writing their own. Led by Joe Maddon, their quirky and enlightened manager, the Cubs won 103 regular-season games and their first World Series since 1908 by riding a near perfect blend of youth and experience, talent and timing. There is already talk about a repeat, and with the talent base on hand, fans have every reason to expect another exciting team. It will be one of the shortest Chicago winters in many, many years, and Cubs faithful already have reasons to be looking ahead to Opening Day 2017.

Opponent For the second time in three years, the Cubs open the season against their longtime rivals from St. Louis. The Cardinals beat the Cubs nine times in 2016 -- more than any other team -- but Chicago still took the season series, 10-9. The Cards are a proud franchise, and likely aren't thrilled at how the Cubs' emergence played a big part in shutting St. Louis out of the postseason for the first time since 2010. They could attempt to reload this offseason in response. But without many front-line starters on the free-agent market, the Redbirds will likely turn on Opening Day to righty Carlos Martinez, who went 1-3 with a 4.80 ERA in five starts against Chicago in '16. Opening Day starter Jon Lester started Game 1 in each of the Cubs' five postseason series the past two Octobers, including the World Series against the Indians. There is no reason -- after a '16 season in which he went 19-5 with a 2.44 ERA and contended for the National League Cy Young Award -- that he shouldn't take the ball on Opening Day. Opening Day lineup 1. Ben Zobrist, RF 2. Kris Bryant, 3B 3. Anthony Rizzo, 1B 4. Kyle Schwarber, LF 5. Addison Russell, SS 6. Javier Baez, 2B 7. Willson Contreras, C 8. Jason Heyward, CF 9. Lester, P Dexter Fowler's career year boosted his value significantly in what was already shaping up to be a lukewarm free-agent market. A $9 million mutual option could bring him back, but the Cubs may have to let him walk to get Schwarber and Baez's bats in the everyday lineup, because they're locked into Heyward at an outfield spot for the foreseeable future. Schwarber can only play a corner position, but Heyward can move to center while Zobrist can shift to right. That would free up second for Baez, who showed in the postseason he's ready for an everyday role. Of course, this is the Cubs, so expect everyone to move around quite a bit. Elsewhere, Contreras takes over full-time duties behind the plate, while Chicago's powerful heart of the order remains intact. Three reasons to be excited • Why not be excited? Winning has returned to North Side of Chicago and the city couldn't be more excited about it. • A full season of Schwarber, who showed against the Indians that he has the potential to be an elite hitter, coming back from missing almost the whole year to make an impact in the World Series. • Bryant, Rizzo and Russell hitting their primes? It's possible this team could win more than 103 games in 2017. --