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RIO DE JANEIRO -- Shaking to samba and expressing a sense of longing with uniquely Brazilian words, Olympians and fans said goodbye to the Rio Games with one last big bash that was both revelatory and a sigh of relief.The closing ceremony Sunday celebrated the 16-day spectacle that was the Rio Games, which combined numerous highlights with ugly and even bizarre episodes that sometimes overshadowed competition. Cariocas -- as Rios residents are known -- werent swayed by the issues that led up to these Olympics, and braved rain and strong winds on the final night to cap their moment in the worldwide spotlight.While South Americas first Olympics are over, safely and with a grandiose finale, many problems remain. Still, Brazil showed Sunday it still definitely knows how to party.These were marvelous Olympic Games in the `marvelous city, said International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, playing off the cidade maravilhosa nickname of Brazils postcard city of inviting coastlines, year-round sun and lush tropical vegetation.While the stadium erupted in applause at that declaration, a few minutes later there were boos of sadness when Bach announced: I declare the Games of the XXXI Olympiad closed.The closing ceremony in iconic Maracana Stadium was also meant to take care of some business -- formally signaling the transition to the 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan.But Sundays party was all about Brazil, designed to be more low-key than the opening, which focused heavily on Rio.The ceremony featured original footage of Alberto Santos Dumont, the man that Brazilians recognize as the inventor of the airplane. The theme, Brazilians can do with their bare hands, was a nod to the emerging economy of the worlds fifth most populous nation.Dressed in colorful feathers, dozens of dancers formed in the shape of the arches of Lapa, a popular area of Rio akin to Roman ruins, then morphed to make the shape of iconic Sugarloaf before quickly changing again, this time to the official 2016 symbol.Samba legend Martinho da Vila, whose tunes make their way into many popular telenovelas, sang Carinhoso, or Affectionate.Olympians poured in under light rain, waving their flags while many shook their bodies to samba-infused pop that made the stadium feel like a Carnival parade. Britains athletes wore shoes with soles that lit up in changing colors of red, white and blue, while Tongan taekwondo athlete Pita Taufatofua danced onstage in a grass skirt as a DJ performed, reprising a moment that captured attention when he carried the flag for his country during the opening ceremony.The show widened its lens to greater Brazil, a massive country with a land mass slightly larger than the continental United States. There was a tribute to cave paintings of some of the first inhabitants of the Americas, in Serra da Capivara, in Northeastern Brazil, today one of the nations poorest regions.Spectators watched performers shake it to frevo, a frenetic dance that -- if its even possible -- makes high-octane samba seem like a staid ballroom affair. Holding small umbrellas, dancers jumped and marched while performing acrobatics.They shook it to Vassourinhas, which means small brooms, a popular song that was also the name of a famous club in the northeastern city of Recife.The show also built performances around saudade, which means anything from longing for someone to sadness to remembering good times. It is one of the most important words in Brazilian Portuguese. Lights flashed translations for the word in many languages, and a group of women sang Mulher Rendeira, or Lace-making Woman, a nod to the countrys African heritage. Brazil was the last country in the Americas to outlaw slavery, in 1888.The games had many memorable moments, both for Brazilian competitors at home and athletes from around the world.Soccer-crazed Brazil got partial payback against Germany, winning gold two years after a 7-1 World Cup semi-final shellacking that left Brazilians fuming. American gymnast Simone Biles asserted her dominance with four golds, swimmer Michael Phelps added five more to up his staggering total to 23 and the worlds fastest man, Usain Bolt, put on his usual show with three golds just days before turning 30 years old.But there were also ugly episodes, like American swimmer Ryan Lochtes fabricated story about a harrowing robbery that was actually an intoxicated-fueled vandalism of a gas station bathroom, and bizarre issues like Olympic diving pools going from crystal blue to gunky, algae green -- at a time when Rios water quality in open waters is one of the biggest local environmental issues.With the games over, Brazilians now return to problems that have long consumed the country of 200 million people. The economy is mired in its worst recession in decades, and later this week the Senate is expected to begin the trial on whether to permanently remove suspended President Dilma Rousseff, who was impeached in May for breaking fiscal rules in her managing of the federal budget.Theres widespread expectation that the games in Tokyo, one of the worlds richest, most recognizable, cosmopolitan cities, will run more smoothly than they have in Rio. But theres also worry in Japan over whether the Olympics will eventually further drag down an economy that has been struggling for decades.The governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, accepted the flag from International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach and Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes, signaling the transition.Many people, from Brazilians to IOC members, will analyze how things went for the Rio Games in the months ahead. But on Sunday, one strong sentiment was relief -- that despite some problems, overall the games went well.That wasnt a given going in. The Zika virus scared away some competitors and tourists, rampant street crime in Rio and recent extremist attacks around the world raised fears about safety and Brazils political crisis, and the economic angst behind it, threatened to cast a pall over the competitions.We are very resilient, we didnt leave anything important unaddressed, said Augusta Porto, 36, a translator and Rio resident. We can welcome people despite the serious problems that we have faced in the recent past.---This story has been corrected to reflect that Brazils loss to Germany in the 2014 World Cup was in a semifinal, not final.---AP Summer Games website: http://summergames.ap.org---Peter Prengaman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/peterprengamanMauricio Savarese on Twitter: www.twitter.com/MSavarese Nikola Vucevic Jersey . Andrew Luck lost his favourite target and the Indianapolis locker room lost one of its most revered leaders when Reggie Wayne was diagnosed Monday with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee that will cost him the rest of the season. Tracy McGrady Jersey . 8 Kansas to a 64-63 win over Texas Tech on Tuesday night. The freshman from Vaughan, Ont. https://www.cheapmagiconline.com/ . -- Eastern Kentucky thrives off creating havoc for others. Darko Milicic Jersey . The formidable trio of Canadian receivers -- individually known as Chris Getzlaf, Rob Bagg and Andy Fantuz -- will share the field at Mosaic Stadium one more time on Sunday. Ryan Anderson Jersey .com) - Christian Ponder will get another chance to prove himself for the Minnesota Vikings, with head coach Leslie Frazier announcing Wednesday that the struggling quarterback will start this weekends game against the Green Bay Packers. MINNEAPOLIS -- Byron Buxtons trip back to Minnesota included an early morning wakeup, a flat tire on his rental car on the way to the airport, a three-mile walk and a changed flight, followed by the need to get his car out of security when he got back to the Twin Cities.The long, tiring trip was worth it Thursday night.Buxton homered in his return to the majors, and Trevor Plouffe continued his resurgence with a two-run shot as the Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 8-5 to end a 13-game losing streak.Im about to go straight to the pillow, Buxton said. Im exhausted.Buxton started his third stint with Minnesota this season in surprising fashion, connecting for a three-run home run to cap a five-run second inning. The home run reached the second deck in left field and was Buxtons second of the season, his first in 34 games.The former top prospect has had a rough transition to the majors, hitting .199 entering Thursday in 109 career games the past two seasons. He was sent back to Triple-A Rochester on Aug. 7 after a 1-for-18 stretch saw his 2016 average dip to .193.Were going to be looking for positive signs here, Twins manager Paul Molitor said. Hes still very young in terms of age and experience. Hes got a lot of work to do. But we all know that theres talent there that were hoping to see that he can harness a little bit more consistently.Minnesota got to Chicago starter Jose Quintana, who entered the day leading the American League with a 2.77 ERA. Quintana (11-10) allowed seven runs and seven hits in five innings and saw his ERA rise to 3.05.I mean disappointing with the homers, especially early, Quintana said. It was a bad night for me.Ervin Santana (7-10) escaped trouble to win for the fourth time in five decisions. He gave up 11 hits and two walks, but allowed just two runs as the Twins snapped their losing streak, one off the franchise record for a season.Brandon Kintzler recorded his 13th save in 14 chances.Everybody seems more happy than yesterday, Santana said. But its still, we have more games to play.Chicago has scored 171 runs, the second-fewest in the AL, since the All-Star break. The White Sox left runners in scoring position in each of the first five innings and left a total of 13 men on base in the game.Avisail Garcia showed the frustration when he snapped his bat over his knee aftter his second strikeout of the game in the seventh.ddddddddddddWe left a lot of runs out there, Chicago manager Robin Ventura said. When you look up there and see youve left 10 guys and they didnt leave any at one point; that really kind of tells the tale more than (Quintana).Todd Frazier hit his 34th home run to open the scoring in the second for the White Sox. Jose Abreu connected for a two-run homer, his 20th, in the sixth.COME ON UPBuxton was Minnesotas lone call-up on Thursday with rosters expanding in September.Chicago added RHP Juan Minaya and C Kevan Smith from Triple-A Charlotte.Minaya, 25, was 5-6 with a 3.63 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 52 innings over 47 relief appearances since being claimed off waivers from Houston on June 22.Smith, 28, was recalled by the White Sox in April before going on the DL with a sacroiliac joint dysfunction without playing in a game. Smith was hitting .219 with eight home runs and 24 RBI for Charlotte this season.Minaya and Smith made their major league debuts in the eighth inning. Minaya pitched a scoreless inning. Smith lined out to center in his first at-bat.TRAINERS ROOMWhite Sox: SS Tim Anderson left the game in the third with a bruised right calf and was announced by the team as day to day. He was hit by line drive by teammate Melky Cabrera in the first. ... RHP Miguel Gonzalez (strained right groin) started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday. Gonzalez took the loss while allowing seven runs -- six earned -- in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out seven.Twins: Pitchers Trevor May (low back strain) and Tommy Milone (left biceps tendinitis) each threw a bullpen session on Wednesday and are scheduled to throw in the bullpen again during the weekend. If all goes well, the two would make a simulated start sometime next week, Molitor said.UP NEXTRHP Kyle Gibson (5-8, 5.17 ERA) will start the second game of the four-game series for Minnesota on Friday against LHP Carlos Rodon (5-8, 3.91). Gibson has allowed nine earned runs over his past two starts but has given up just one earned run in 12 2/3 innings against the White Sox this season. Rodon has won his last three decisions and owns a 1.47 ERA in his past five starts. ' ' '