NEWS » ston in the ALDS finale, was a

BASEBALLCHICAGO -- Next year is here.At 11:47 local time, the Chicago Cubs won the World Series that has eluded them for 108 years, beating the Indians 8-7 at Cleveland in 10 innings. Fans who packed bars to watch the game on television near Wrigley Field -- neither of which existed back in 1908 -- erupted in cheers before swarming onto the streets just before midnight Wednesday to celebrate in the shadows of the statues of Cubs greats Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Ron Santo and legendary announcer Harry Caray.As the game ended, the roar from inside the bars and the throng of fans on the street was deafening, before the crowds both inside and out sang go Cubs go at the top of their lungs.As the celebration progressed, thousands of fans poured into the streets leading away from Wrigley, many of them singing We Are The Champions.PRO FOOTBALLCHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Panthers quarterback Cam Newtons concerns about illegal hits have been heard by the NFL -- and action has been taken.A person familiar with the situation says Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Calais Campbell has been fined $18,000 for his hit on Newton in Sundays game. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the league does not publicly announce fines.Newton had a phone conversation with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Tuesday about his perspective on the hits he takes from defensive players while in the pocket.Newton said after Sundays game he didnt feel protected in the pocket after no flag was thrown when Campbell crashed into his legs as he was releasing the football.NEW ORLEANS -- Prosecutors and attorneys for the man accused of killing New Orleans Saints star Will Smith say theyre ready for trial next month on charges including second-degree murder.Lawyers said after a hearing that they expect about 100 potential jurors to be called to court Dec. 1 for the trial of Cardell Hayes, who shot Smith during a traffic altercation on April 9.Prosecutors say Hayes provoked the confrontation by ramming his Hummer into Smiths SUV.Defense lawyers say Smith was the aggressor and Hayes fired in self-defense as Smith went to get his own gun. They note that Hayes did not flee, and waited for police to arrive after the shooting.NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Wide receiver Andre Johnson says his mother taught him when a person decides to take their leave they should exit the same way they entered, explaining why he quietly retired midway through his 14th NFL season.Johnson thanked everyone for their texts, post and calls in a statement on Instagram, two days after telling Tennessee Titans coach Mike Mularkey he was retiring.He also thanked his mother, an uncle, former Houston general manager Charley Casserly, the city of Miami and both the Colts and Titans.Johnson wrote he is returning home to Houston where he will always be a Texan.He still is the leading receiver in Texans history with 1,012 catches for 13,597 yards and 64 touchdowns.EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer is recovering from surgery to repair a torn retina in one of his eyes.Wearing sunglasses to limit the outside light at his news conference next to the teams practice fields, Zimmer said hed had vision trouble for a couple of days before scratching his eye during the game Monday in Chicago. He was sent for further examination and a procedure done Tuesday by doctors who warned him he risked blindness if he didnt address the problem.Zimmer said hes been watching film with his good eye, using reading glasses so he can write down notes.The Vikings play Sunday at home against Detroit.BASEBALLLOS ANGELES -- The U.S. Department of Justice is suing AT&T because its DirecTV unit allegedly orchestrated a backroom deal with competitors to not carry the sole channel that broadcasts Dodgers baseball in Los Angeles.The civil antitrust lawsuit filed in Los Angeles federal court accuses DirecTV of swapping information with cable companies Cox Communications Inc., Charter Communications Inc. and AT&T -- before it acquired DirecTV -- during negotiations to carry SportsNet LA, the network owned by the Dodgers.The complaint says the companies made the agreements to prevent competitors from offering the channel to lure customers. Dodger fans were bitter they could only watch games through Time Warner Cable -- now owned by Charter -- the past three seasons.The government says DirecTV was the ringleader because it was the only company that unlawfully talked to multiple rivals, and says that DirecTV executives acknowledged that the satellite-TV company would be in a stronger position if competing TV providers also did not carry the Dodgers channel.Will Barton Nuggets Jersey . The return match will take place next Wednesday. Udinese leads Fiorentina 2-1 in the other semifinal. Napoli staged a second-half comeback from two goals down after Gervinhos opener and a stunning strike from Kevin Strootman. Nikola Jokic Nuggets Jersey . The team said Saturday that Lopez was hurt during its 121-120 overtime loss at Philadelphia on Friday. The Nets said they would issue another update next week after consultation with their doctors. http://www.nuggetsprostore.com/kids-paul-millsap-nuggets-jersey/ . Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, announced Wednesday that the team would assign Swedish forward Elias Lindholm to his nations team for the upcoming tournament. Alex English Jersey . The Brazilian goalkeeper signed a loan deal with the Major League Soccer club on Friday as he looks to get playing time ahead of this summers World Cup in his home country. Nikola Jokic Jersey . For the Wild it was their first win of the season and they now have a record of 1-1-2 while the Jets fall to 2-2. Jets start a six game home stand Friday with another divisional game, home to the Dallas Stars.CLEVELAND -- Coco Crisp has 120 plate appearances worth of postseason experience. So when the Cleveland Indians acquired him from Oakland in a late August trade, they figured he might be able to contribute some energy off the bench and a few nuggets of wisdom to the young players on the roster.I tell the guys, Just make sure you breathe, said Crisp, whose most noteworthy contribution of the postseason so far has been launching a Drew Pomeranz knuckle curve over Fenways Green Monster for a two-run homer in Game 3. Thats the easiest thing to do in life, right? You wake up breathing, you go to sleep breathing, and you stay breathing. Then the postseason comes and you tend to tighten up quite a bit, and your breathing gets off. One of the things that calms you is to focus on that, because it helps you stay relaxed. I think thats a big thing.A little talent always helps too. When Clevelands kids arent busy inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide, theyre showing they have all the necessities to compete on the big stage.After the Indians eliminated Boston, manager Terry Francona received plaudits for his moves, the pitching staff got credit for holding the Red Sox to seven runs in three games, and everybody talked about the next-man-up mentality that allowed the Indians to overcome a multitude of injuries this season. Those storylines will have to continue if the Indians plan on taking down Toronto in the American League Championship Series, which begins Friday at Progressive Field.But the Division Series was also an endorsement for Clevelands scouting and player development department, which had numerous moments to savor:? Shortstop Francisco Lindor, Clevelands top pick and the eighth?overall choice in the 2011 first-year player draft, hit one of three third-inning homers off Rick Porcello to jumpstart a 5-4 victory in the series opener.? Right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall, the Indians first-round pick in 2008, hit a three-run shot off David Price in a 6-0 victory in Game 2. Chisenhall, 28, batted .217 with no homers in 52 plate appearances against left-handers as a platoon player during the regular season.? Center fielder Tyler Naquin, the 15th?overall pick in the 2012 draft, delivered a two-run single off Clay Buchholz to give the Indians an early lead in the climactic Game 3.? Outfielder Clint Frazier, Clevelands top pick in 2013, and pitcher Justus Sheffield, the Indians No. 1 choice a year later, are no longer with the organization, but their presence has been felt regardless. They were part of the package that Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti used to pry reliever Andrew Miller from the New York Yankees on July 31.If this run of productive high picks seems impressive, its doubly so when contrasted with the lengthy fallow run that preceded it. The Indians draft history isnt nearly as sorry or depressing as that of the Cleveland Browns, who managed to whiff on Trent Richardson, Brandon Weeden, Barkevious Mingo, Johnny Manziel and Justin Gilbert in a three-year span. But the Tribe selected a lot of disappointments and washouts during a 12-year stretch from 1995 through 2007.The Indians, picking near the bottom of the first round in most years, came up empty on David Miller, Danny Peoples, Corey Smith, Alan Horne, Dan Denham, Beau Mills and several more high picks. The one bright spot amid all that despair was a high school pitcher out of northern California named CC Sabathia, the franchises top pick in 1998.When the Indians won 96 games and fell one win short of the World Series under the Mark Shapiro-led front office group in 2007, the teams success was fueled more by trades and the international market than the draft.dddddddddddd Travis Hafner and Grady Sizemore both came to Cleveland via trades, and Victor Martinez, Jhonny Peralta and Fausto Carmona (later known as Roberto Hernandez) were all signed as international free agents.The Indians havent ranked among the top 20 teams in MLB payroll since 2009 -- when they were 15th -- so they cant afford to whiff on high draft picks. They simply dont have the resources to compensate with free agents.For us to be a successful organization, we have to get contributions from all aspects of our player acquisition avenues -- international, amateur and professional scouting, Antonetti said. I think when you look at our team now, we have a good balance from each of those areas. Ten years ago, we didnt have that.The Indians have had to exercise more patience with some top picks than others. Lindor, who moved to Florida from his native Puerto Rico at age 13, signed for a $2.9 million bonus in August 2011. He displayed impressive poise and maturity at age 21 to give Houstons Carlos Correa a push in the 2015 AL Rookie of the Year race.The road was more challenging for Chisenhall, who broke into pro ball as a shortstop and spent several years at third base before volunteering to move to the outfield following a demotion to Triple-A Columbus in 2015. In hindsight, thats where his turnaround began.I think the amount of work that it took Lonnie to be a major-league defender at third base took away from some other aspects of his game, Antonetti said. From day one, he demonstrated a real comfort in the outfield. That allowed him to be more free and comfortable, and he took off offensively.In a surprising twist, Chisenhall is showing more staying power than a lot of 2008 draft picks. Tim Beckham, Pedro Alvarez, Yonder Alonso, Gordon Beckham, Justin Smoak, Jemile Weeks, Brett Wallace, Aaron Hicks, Brett Lawrie, David Cooper, Ike Davis and Josh Fields are among the position players who were chosen before the Indians selected Chisenhall in the No. 29 spot.Naquin was considered a bit of a tweener coming out of Texas A&M. His defensive skills profiled better for a corner outfield spot, but he lacked the prototypical corner outfield power. Naquin has assumed a more prominent role than expected this year because of Michael Brantleys season-long shoulder issues. He logged a .296/.372/.514 slash line with 14 homers to put himself in the AL Rookie of the Year conversation.In addition to the success of their No. 1 picks and second baseman Jason Kipnis, a second-round choice in 2009, the Indians have gotten significant contributions from some later selections. Closer Cody Allen was a 23rd-round pick out of High Point University in 2011, and starter Josh Tomlin, who beat Boston in the ALDS finale, was a 19th-round choice out of Texas Tech in 2006.The Indians might have pulled off their biggest coup when they signed infielder Jose Ramirez for a $50,000 bonus out of the Dominican Republic in 2009. Ramirez logged an .825 OPS while playing third base, second base, shortstop and the outfield during the regular season, and he was a two-way factor throughout the series against Boston.Crisp and first baseman Mike Napoli, who also prides himself on being a mentor to the young players, are as gratified as the front office and the coaches when they see the younger players enjoying breakout moments on the big stage.The great thing about these guys is theyre not afraid to come and ask how things should go, Crisp said. They ask questions, and then they go out and do the job.Its as elementary as breathing. ' ' '