October 25, 2016

Chicago Tribune New team, new pressure, but won't change in By Paul Sullivan

Joe Maddon has played the roles of philosopher, comedian, zoo director, T-shirt maker and self-help guru in his two years as Cubs .

But now that he's the first manager to take the Cubs to a World Series since in 1945, his sole task is to outmaneuver Indians manager , one of the best in the business.

The pressure is on, and we all know what Maddon thinks about pressure.

"Why would you ever want to away from that?" Maddon said before Monday's workout at Progressive Field. "The alternative right now is I could be in Tampa cooking steaks in my backyard, making sure DirecTV is working properly.

"I'd much prefer this reality, so I plan to enjoy it. I want our guys to enjoy the moment. I want them to take mental snapshots of everything we're doing out here. It's really difficult to get into this position — really difficult.

"This is fortunately my third time I've had a chance to do this, where our players, a lot of them it's the first time. Enjoy it. Enjoy it. Go play your game. It's another game."

Maddon was a on the 2002 Angels team that beat the Giants in a seven-game World Series, and he managed the Rays to the , where they lost to the Phillies in five games.

Ben Zobrist, who played under Maddon with the Rays, said there's no difference between the old model and the 2016 version.

"It's the same, except a little bit more moves because of the , the double-switching and that," Zobrist said. "Same guy, same stuff."

Maddon interviewed for the Red Sox managerial opening in the winter of 2003. , then the Red Sox general manager, liked what he heard, even if he didn't hire Maddon.

"I saw just how different he was than anyone else we ever interviewed — his offbeat sense of humor and the use of the language and the way his mind worked, and his mode of transportation," Epstein said, referring to Maddon's bike.

"Everything about him was different than what you'd expect from a manager, and it was refreshing."

Epstein believed Maddon was ready but thought Boston was the wrong market for him at the time. So he hired Francona, who went on to win two World Series rings with the Red Sox, ending the "" in 2004.

"In the end we loved (Maddon) but thought taking over a veteran team in a big market, there would've been some risk involved because he's so unique," Epstein said. "He could go to Tampa, which was a Petri dish at the time, try some things out, grow into it with young players and blossom.

"And for us, having ' (Francona), who had already managed in the big leagues (with the Phillies), I think it turned out great for both."

But Epstein didn't forget about Maddon. And when an out clause in Maddon's Rays contract made him available after 2014, Epstein jumped, even though had two years left on his deal.

Maddon hit the road running with his "shot-and-a-beer" news conference at , where he said he would be "talking playoffs" in 2015. The Cubs indeed made it, losing in the NL Championship Series, then began talking World Series in the spring.

That's when Maddon dressed up like a hippie and drove onto the field in a 1976 Dodge van he called a "shaggin' wagon," some of the daily spring wackiness that is vintage Maddon.

"I think it's part of the formula of who we are," first baseman said. "It's fun, and can get long sometimes. In our camp, it's fun every day. You don't know what to expect."

The lack of rules in the clubhouse makes Maddon a players' manager, and that has helped make this group of diverse personalities such a tight-knit bunch.

"He does a great job of just allowing his players to be themselves," said. "As a young player, I can look back on my first year (with the Orioles) and had a feeling that I kind of was walking on eggshells. I didn't want to do or say the wrong thing to make the wrong person upset.

"That doesn't happen here. Guys can do or say whatever they need to say. You might get yelled at by another guy on the team, but we do hold ourselves accountable. And it's fun to do it that way. You police yourself, you give guys a lot of freedom. We don't take advantage of it, and that's why it works."

Maddon is so quotable, Epstein once joked the media should help pay part of his salary. We've heard all of his stories about Idaho Falls, Park and the Hazelton-West Hazleton football game a thousand times. We've heard him utter dialogue from every episode of "The Office" and name-drop his mom, Beanie.

But we've never seen him be rude or condescending. We've never seen him refuse to answer a question, no matter how irrelevant.

The journey made Maddon who he is, and the journey is why the Cubs are here now.

"I'm really grateful for the fact it took me so long to become a manager," Maddon said. "Because I think all of the experiences I've had permitted me to think the way I do right now."

Think different.

It's now part of the Cubs Way.

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Chicago Tribune - bond began by chance in Boston By Paul Skrbina

The bond Jon Lester and David Ross share began almost by chance.

The Red Sox were knee-deep in an important series against the Tigers in 2013, one with postseason implications, when the two were studying a scouting report. Ross had missed most of the season with a concussion.

And he wasn't happy.

"He was in one of those David Ross bad moods," Lester said. "And it was like: 'This guy's got it. He's got it under control. I can just sit back and see what he wants and I'll throw it.'"

That part of the relationship — Ross as personal to Lester — will end soon as the last stop of the David Ross Farewell Tour begins Tuesday with Game 1 of the World Series at Progressive Field.

Lester, a left-hander and favorite, will start for the Cubs against the Indians. Ross, a retiring lifelong role player, will catch.

That plan was born in 2014, when Red Sox manager , after seeing Ross work with in the previous postseason, liked how Lester and Ross performed in tandem.

"He expects so much of you that you want to almost do more to get that approval-from-your-dad-type thing," Lester said of Ross. "And it just evolved from there."

All the way to Ross' final season.

Together, they will try to get the Cubs off to a good start in what they hope results in the franchise's first World Series title since 1908. Together, the Cubs will try to send Ross off in style and duplicate what he, Lester and Cubs pitcher accomplished together in Boston in 2013.

"We want to win the World Series for a lot of different reasons," Lackey said. "But he's definitely high on the list."

Lester didn't have to lobby President Theo Epstein to bring Ross to the Cubs before the 2015 season. The team was polishing off the rebuild of all rebuilds and in the market for a clubhouse leader to show the team's young players the way.

"We know how important Jon's catcher is to him," Epstein said. "Having someone like Rossy, who he had recent success with, was something we were looking to provide for him. If it had been a player we didn't believe in, we might not have done it."

But they did. And for that Lester is grateful, though he said the motivation behind coaxing Ross to Chicago wasn't just his catching ability. He, like Epstein, knew the importance of Ross' clubhouse presence.

"It just so happens I get stuck with him every five days and have to deal with it," Lester said with a laugh.

And probably a lot longer than that.

"It doesn't get any better," Ross said. "I'm on the biggest stage you can be on. I'm starting Game 1 with one of the best pitchers, one of my best friends."

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Chicago Tribune appears likely to be included on Cubs' World Series roster By Mark Gonzales

Barring a setback, it appears Kyle Schwarber's improbable return from left knee surgery will be complete when he is added Tuesday to the Cubs' World Series roster.

Schwarber went 1-for-3 with a double and a walk for Mesa in his second Arizona Fall League game Monday and was expected to join the Cubs in Cleveland. A scout who watched Schwarber said he took very good swings and slid into second on his double without issue.

"He's been doing everything," manager Joe Maddon said. "He's swinging the bat well. He's running very well. He's done some sliding drills, all that kind of stuff just to test the whole thing out."

Schwarber, 23, tore two ligaments April 7 and wasn't expected to be ready until spring training. He received medical clearance last week during his six-month checkup.

The Cubs have until 10 a.m. Tuesday to finalize their roster. Schwarber is likely to be the designated hitter in Games 1 and 2 and handle pinch-hitting duties when the series shifts to for Games 3, 4 and 5.

The Cubs must be careful because they cannot replace Schwarber on the roster if he suffers a setback.

If he is added, an is likely to be left off the roster. That could be or Schwarber's fellow left- handed hitter , who was extremely supportive of Schwarber's efforts.

"I don't know what the risk is for the reward, but go for it," Coghlan said. "But if you can't do it, surely they wouldn't put him out there.

"You see him every day and he's been such a great cheerleader, and I mean that as a positive thing. He's there for the boys and working hard. I don't know where he's at or if he's jumped the gun. And even if he can't make it back, it's cool that he would give it a try.

"This is epic. I told somebody, to be part of something so big — in this World Series, for this organization, this city — it's bigger than any one of us."

Making history: Center fielder hopes his distinction of being the first African-American to play for the Cubs in a World Series will raise awareness and hope for others.

"You always hope so," Fowler said. "The African-American community, we're definitely a minority in baseball. Being the first African-American to take (a World Series) at-bat in a Cubs uniform definitely is special to me."

Fowler is aware the percentage of African-Americans in major-league baseball has dipped by nearly 11 percent since 1975 to 8.3 percent.

"But we're trying to turn that around a little bit," he said.

Extra innings: Jake Arrieta will start Game 2 for the Cubs, followed by . ... Former Indians greats Kenny Lofton and Carlos Baerga will throw the ceremonial first pitches for Games 1 and 2.

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Chicago Tribune Indians manager Terry Francona's personal touch his professional trademark By David Haugh

On the day eight years ago Anthony Rizzo passed out in the home clubhouse while visiting Fenway Park in Boston, he retreated to the office of Red Sox manager Terry Francona.

Francona, now managing the Indians team opposing the Cubs in the World Series, recalled how Hodgkin's lymphoma had sapped Rizzo, a promising 18-year-old prospect tearing up when diagnosed.

"My goodness, he was so sick, to the point where it was hard to watch," Francona said Monday.

But it wasn't hard for Francona to help, not for a guy who views his players as his sons. Not for a manager whose human touch, combined with his baseball acumen, explains why he has two World Series rings.

For almost an hour on May 16, 2008, Francona sat with his general manager at the time, Cubs President Theo Epstein, and a Red Sox pitcher who beat cancer at the age of 22 named Jon Lester, now the Cubs' ace, as the teenage Rizzo regained his strength.

"Tito was so great to me that day," Rizzo said. "He showed me around the clubhouse, made me feel comfortable. That's definitely a manager I'd like to play for one day."

Lester understands. He never will forget the way Francona supported him through his 2006 battle with a rare form of lymphoma that required six chemotherapy treatments. Francona appeared emotional recalling that difficult period, referring to the "paternal" relationship he and Lester developed.

"We have a unique friendship and bond based on that," said Lester, who played for Francona from 2006 to 2011. "I grew up with him as my manager. He cares. I wasn't just a player to him. I was part of his family ... and that's why guys love playing for him."

Just ask Indians outfielder , who played for Francona from 2006 to 2008 with the Red Sox. Crisp rejoiced when the A's traded him Aug. 31 to the Indians, where he immediately sensed the influence of the man they call "Tito."

"I could tell right away the clubhouse had a chemistry that was a family chemistry, guys talking to guys you wouldn't expect, getting to know each other," Crisp said. "That all relates directly to Tito — a great communicator."

Credit Francona's self-deprecating nature and sense of humor for helping him connect. During Tuesday's news conference, for example, he cited differences between him and Cubs manager Joe Maddon by pointing out he prefers riding his "hog" — a Harley-Davidson motorcycle — to Maddon and his bicycle.

"I don't want to exert any more than I have to," Francona said.

Asked if he is a wine connoisseur like Maddon, Francona smirked.

"I used to drink Boone's Farm when I was in college," Francona cracked.

Francona needed to learn to laugh throughout an injury-plagued 10-year playing career. The son of former major- league outfielder Tito Francona, who played for the Indians from 1959 to 1964, Terry played for 15 managers. The career journeyman fell short of projections for the 22nd pick of the 1980 draft because of bad knees.

But Francona always could hit, which landed him a spot on the Cubs in 1986 as mostly a pinch hitter. The left- handed hitter batted .250 in 86 games with two homers and eight RBIs. One of his teammates was , now Maddon's bench coach. One of his friends in the front office was John McDonough, the Blackhawks president who was an up-and-coming Cubs marketing executive at the time.

Not that Francona waxed nostalgic reminiscing about his Wrigleyville experience.

"I lived out in Northbrook, and my slot to hit every morning was 10:10 to 10:25, Chris Speier and I," Francona said. "So I would fight the traffic in, had to leave at like 7. I usually pinch-hit about quarter to 6. There would be shadows. I'd make an out. And then I'd fight the traffic home. That was my summer in Chicago."

Another Chicago connection started Francona on a Hall of Fame path as a manager after he was done playing in 1991. Buddy Bell, Francona's roommate with the Reds, was working as the White Sox director of minor-league instruction when he hired his buddy as a hitting instructor in the Gulf Coast League. Describing the baseball influences in his life, Bell's name was the first one Francona mentioned after his father.

"Tito got released, called me and I said, 'We have an opening.' He was there the next day," said Bell, now the Sox vice president of player development. "I think because he doesn't take himself too seriously, people don't realize how bright he is. He's brilliant. From the first day or two, I knew he was on a fast track."

Francona's first managing job came a year later, in 1992 at Class A South Bend, where he literally fell flat on his face in his first home game running out to argue with an umpire. He soon gained better footing in the Sox organization, making his most indelible mark in 1994 at Double-A Birmingham managing the media circus created by outfielder Michael Jordan.

"Terry treated the last guy on the team as well as the best guy, so he got along with everybody," recalled Curt Bloom, the Birmingham Barons' play-by-play man for 25 years. "I'm just the radio guy and he treated me as an equal. Every single day, we laughed as hard as we could, but he refused to be outworked. He left an impression."

Epstein had the same thought in December 2003 when he hired Francona to manage the Red Sox. The runner-up? Maddon, the World Series counterpart whose reputation for being funny, smart and good to players mirrors Francona's.

Baseball's biggest stage deserves two managers most worthy of it.

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Chicago Tribune The Weight: Chapter 15 — Bats awaken, Dodgers fall and Wrigley explodes By Paul Sullivan

With roughly 43,000 fans roaring and singing and dancing inside Wrigley Field and tens of thousands more partying outside, thought it was as good a time as any to practice his pickpocket skills.

The Cubs were headed to the World Series for the first time in 71 years after beating the Dodgers in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series and players were scattered around the outfield trying to articulate their feelings to the media.

Always at the ready, Jake Arrieta had two aluminum bottles of beer in his back pockets, waiting for a chance to shotgun. He glanced up to the makeshift stage in center field, where David Ross unsuccessfully attempted to hold back tears during an interview with Fox Sports.

"It's hard to put into words, when you see a guy like David Ross on the podium right now," Arrieta said. "It has been a storybook year, and not only for him but for the entire team. Everybody has contributed from the top to the bottom, and if that wasn't the case, we wouldn't be here."

As Arrieta spoke, Grimm sneaked around the media scrum without notice and deftly lifted a beer from Arrieta's pocket. Grimm ran off with a cackle that suggested he had just stolen the Hope Diamond.

All the struggles, all the doubts, all the hard work finally had led to this moment. The Cubs had done it, and were ready to celebrate.

"This is a group of guys who came here for this reason," President Theo Epstein said. "All the veterans took less money to come here and be part of this. All the young guys, from the moment they were drafted, had their sights set on being on this field to be the team that gets in the World Series and bring it all home."

One more step, and the world was theirs.

Coming out party

Javier Baez's coming out party during the division series triumph over the Giants had turned him from a super- utility player to focus of the lineup in the blink of an eye.

"People might be critical of the fact he can be flashy, but that's something I never would want to coach out of him," manager Joe Maddon said before the start of the NLCS. "Javy has his methods and he's really good at figuring them out, so there are times maybe the method may fail and people blame it on the fact he's too flashy.

"But you know what? I'll take him the way he is."

Javy Time came in the third inning of Game 1 with the Cubs leading 2-0 and Jon Lester up trying to pull off a safety squeeze bunt with Baez on third. But Lester couldn't execute, and Baez had taken off too early, getting caught in the middle with nowhere to hide.

Catcher Carlos Ruiz gunned the ball to third and Baez took off for the plate, sliding in safely for the Cubs' first steal of home in the postseason since the .

What did Maddon say after that?

"Nothing," Baez said with a laugh. "I'm pretty sure he was not surprised."

It was just the way he was, and the way they all wanted him to be.

"He's probably the most exciting player in baseball right now," Ross said. "As far as how he's energetic, he's not scared of the moment, he stays true to who he is with baserunning and the flair that he has. He doesn't shy away from the big moments. It almost comes out more. And for his instincts to steal home there and to have the guts to do that, that should tell you a lot about Javy Baez. He's a fearless individual."

Aroldis Chapman gave up a game-tying two-run single to Adrian Gonzalez in the eighth, putting Cubs fans in default mode, waiting for the worst.

But put all doubts aside when he cranked a grand slam off Joe Blanton in the bottom half of the inning to put the game away.

"I thought the roof was coming down from the fans," Baez said.

Blanton promptly threw a "May I have another please?" pitch to Fowler, who belted another before the commotion from the grand slam had a chance to die down. Baez cracked that no one remembered Fowler's home run.

"That's fine," Fowler said with a laugh. "I didn't forget."

Sowing doubts

The Cubs were off and running, but Clayton Kershaw threw up a stop sign in Game 2, throwing seven shutout innings to even the series at a game apiece. Anthony Rizzo was in an ill-timed slump, hitting 1-for-23 in the postseason, and .108 with no RBIs in his last 10 playoffs games.

"It's the way the game goes sometimes," Rizzo said. "And when you're facing the best pitcher on the planet …"

The series moved to Los Angeles for Game 3, and the warm weather and sun seemed to settle the Cubs.

"I love ," Epstein said. "You pull up and it instantly makes you think of Vin Scully, , Sandy Koufax, even . There's something regal about this place. My mom grew up a big Brooklyn Dodgers fan, and she was at the parade in '55, so I always kind of dug the Dodgers.

"But no longer."

Former Cubs starter Rich Hill, whose career comeback had become legendary in baseball, was on the mound for the Dodgers, facing Arrieta in his first start at Dodger Stadium since his 2015 no-hitter. Having dealt with all the questions about a Cubs' curse during his time in Chicago, Hill had some advice for the opposing team.

"Just embrace it," he said. "It is what it is."

But the Cubs lineup continued its horrific slump, flailing away at Hill's curveball and looking like the weight of the journey finally had gotten to them. Hill and the combined for another shutout, putting the Cubs in a 2-1 hole and sparking an avalanche of angst back home.

Rizzo was hitless into the ninth, when his bat exploded on contact with Jansen's fastball and he wound up with an infield hit.

"That's one of the best saw jobs I've ever seen in my life," Maddon said. "Hopefully that does get 'Riz' right."

Rizzo, one half of the "Bryzzo" tandem that helped carry the load in the 103-win season, was now 2-for-26 in the postseason. He blew off the media after the loss, leaving his teammates to speak for him.

"Everyone is patting him on the backside," Epstein said. "It's going to be one swing that locks him in. Everyone trusts him so much. Everybody. It's just happening at a bad time for him. It'll be fine."

At least Maddon was at ease before Game 4, walking down the tunnel at Dodger Stadium and glancing at reprints of old covers of Dodgers moments.

"There's Johnny Podres, Zim's old friend," he said, referring to late Cubs manager . "Man, I remember a lot of these covers."

Bats come alive

Maddon's laid-back demeanor was absorbed through osmosis, so when bunted for a hit to start the fourth, it all began to come together.

After a Baez single, ended the Cubs' 21-inning scoreless drought with an RBI single and the levy broke. Russell snapped his own 1-for-25 slump with a three-run homer, giving the Cubs and starter John Lackey some breathing room.

After striking out his first two at-bats, Rizzo pulled Matt Szczur's bat from the rack in his third trip to the plate leading off the fifth. He thought he had walked before plate umpire Angel Hernandez called the pitch a strike. Rizzo sheepishly apologized to Hernandez, stepped back in the box and cranked a long home run to end his own drought.

"He has hits in it," Rizzo said of Szczur's bat. "It worked."

Rizzo was alive again, and so were the Cubs. Everyone was happy after the Game 4 victory evened the series, though Lackey was still the designated grouch after being removed in the fifth for walking the first two hitters, and took off on the media for reasons unknown.

"We won a game," Lackey said. "We were terrible yesterday, now all of a sudden we're great. It's amazing this time of year all of a sudden you guys can flip so quick. It's funny."

The overall mood was much improved before Game 5 and when Rizzo doubled home a first-inning run with Szczur's "Wonderboy" bat, Lester had his cushion.

The Dodgers tried to get him out his game with Kike Hernandez jumping around like a Pac-Man icon after a first- inning walk. Everyone had known about Lester's issues throwing to bases, and Maddon said in spring training that it was something he may never be able to fix.

"I love the fact he's saying 'I've had this problem for a while,'" Maddon said. "If in fact it's going to get better that's a wonderful first step, as opposed to wanting to conceal it all the time. It has been obvious to everybody the last couple of years."

The Dodgers tied it up in the fourth, but Russell, wearing Szczur's leggings, stepped up again with a two-run homer off Blanton in the sixth to give the Cubs the lead for keeps. They poured it on from there, and flew back to Chicago with two chances to win one game and get to the promised land.

Rocking Wrigley

Beating Kershaw, the best pitcher on any planet, was going to be the key. No one wanted to take it to Game 7, where Chicago would be ready to explode, one way or another.

"We can't focus on the atmosphere outside, or what's going on down on Street," Ross said. "We have to worry about Clayton Kershaw and how to attack him and stay pitch to pitch in our own little cocoon here."

With Wrigley rocking, Fowler started off the first with an opposite-field double that bounced into the box seats. Bryant singled to give the Cubs the lead and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. By the time Contreras watched his solo home run in the fourth, the deed was done. Rizzo sent one to heaven in the fifth and with Kyle Hendricks dealing, the only thing left was the countdown.

After a moment of instant karma on Ruiz's foul ball to the Bartman seat in the ninth, Yasiel Puig's one-hop grounder to Russell started the double play that ended 71 years of "next years."

"We'll enjoy tonight, don't get me wrong," Lester said. "We'll have a celebration. We'll have a good time. We'll smile. We'll hug each other and probably get drunk a little bit, along with all these other people here. But we have some work to do and we'll keep going."

After the ceremony ended, the players walked one by one back into the clubhouse for the party, passing the "Embrace the Target" sign in the tunnel.

Out on the field, two trophies — for the National League champs and the NLCS MVP — sat on the stage, unclaimed.

A security guard asked his boss what they should do with them.

"Go get 'em," was the response.

The Cubs had waited 71 years for one of these things, but this was no longer about trophies.

This was all about the ring now, and nothing else mattered.

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Chicago Tribune 'Locked-in' Corey Kluber ready for another challenging offense By Colleen Kane

Nearly seven minutes into his World Series media day session, Indians ace Corey Kluber cracked a smile.

The question, fittingly, was if there is any photographic evidence from his childhood that he has ever smiled while on the mound.

"I'm sure there are somewhere," he said with a hesitant grin. "It's just the way I am when I'm out there competing and being locked in. I don't really worry about much else other than trying to get the guy out, and that's why I don't show a lot of emotion out there, because I'm so focused."

Kluber brings that stoic focus onto the biggest stage of his career on Tuesday in Game 1 of the World Series against the Cubs at Progressive Field. The Cy Young Award winner in 2014 and a front-runner to win it this year, Kluber has been a rock for the Indians, while other starting pitchers have fallen prey to injuries this year.

He has gone 2-1 in the postseason, his only loss after giving up two earned runs in five innings while pitching on short rest in Game 4 of the AL Championship Series against the Blue Jays. He didn't give up a run in 13 1/3 innings in his first two starts.

Indians closer Cody Allen said Kluber's composure is just one of the things that has vaulted him to the top of AL pitchers.

"He's probably the best I've ever seen at preparing," Allen said. "He's always prepared, he never wavers from start to start. He works his tail off. … He's very poised, never gets rattled. And on top of that, he's talented. When you add all of that stuff up … you're going to have a Corey Kluber."

After helping to dispatch two of the better offenses in the American League in the Red Sox and Blue Jays, Kluber recognized Monday he'll face another stiff challenge in the Cubs lineup. Only two Cubs players have more than three career plate appearances against Kluber — Ben Zobrist and Dexter Fowler. Zobrist, a longtime AL player before joining the Cubs, is 1-for-13 against him and said he would pass along his knowledge to his teammates.

"It's not really much of a different story than we've had the last two series," Kluber said. "Really good offenses, and it's just going to be a matter of going there and executing."

That isn't usually a problem for Kluber.

Since the 2014 season, Kluber, 30, has made at least 32 starts, pitched at least 215 innings, struck out at least 227 and posted an ERA lower than 3.50 each year.

Indians veteran also praised Kluber's work ethic and said that can rub off on other pitchers in the rotation. He also said he's not exactly what he seems on the mound.

"Great teammate, fun to be around," Napoli said. "I know everyone sees him on the mound, he's always straight- faced and doesn't really crack a smile, but when you get him behind closed doors, you can get him to have some fun."

Bonus pitcher: Indians manager Terry Francona said the team plans to add right-hander Danny Salazar to the World Series roster. Salazar has been out since mid-September with a strained right forearm, but Francona said he "was getting after it pretty good" when he threw three simulated innings Sunday.

The Indians have not yet named a Game 4 starter, and Francona indicated they could use a combination of rookie left-hander Ryan Merritt and Salazar.

"It gives you a guy that made the All-Star team that we could pitch really whenever we want," Francona said. "So it's another really good arm that's kind of a wild card that we think could help us."

The Indians plan to leave off right-handed reliever Cody Anderson to make room for Salazar.

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Chicago Tribune glows about Cubs prospect Dylan Cease By Phil Thompson

The bulk of Cubs hitters making hay this season came up through the team's farm system, and the well shows no signs of running dry.

As a confident of Theo Epstein, Cubs pitching great Rick Sutcliffe has had an opportunity to watch many of the prospects up close over five seasons, and he has high expectations for up-and-comers such as Eloy Jimenez, who shined for the World Team in the Futures Game, and switch-hitting Jeimer Candelario.

But there's one farmhand in particular he's effusive about.

"Have you seen Dylan Cease throw? Oh my goodness," Sutcliffe said of the 6-foot-2 righthander who the Cubs drafted in the sixth round in 2014. He finished fourth in the Northwest League in (66) in just 44 2/3 innings for the Class A Eugene Emeralds, according to milb.com.

"I tell you what, I haven't not seen enough of it to put him in the category, but when I saw Kyle Hendricks — I said this is the fourth time I've seen it. When you talk about he has 'it,' whatever 'it' may be, I know what it means to me, and others can have their own opinion, but I saw it with Greg Maddux, I saw it with Mike Mussina, and I saw it with . And I told ESPN, the Cubs, I told everybody a few years ago that Kyle Hendricks is that fourth guy that I saw," he said.

"Last spring I was watching Dylan Cease doing some of the things he did. I'm not ready to say he's No. 5, but I believe it's on the tip of my tongue."

Sutcliffe said he has watched Epstein with great admiration as he built the Red Sox into a contender though the farm system, winning the title in 2013, and then again with the Cubs, who start their World Series quest on Tuesday at Cleveland's Progress Field.

Epstein first invited Sutcliffe into the Cubs in 2012 to help as a spring training instructor, and Sutcliffe has been a fixture, in uniform, each spring since then.

"The day he signed (as Cubs president) is the day he called me. He said I want you to help me do this," Sutcliffe said.

"He asked me first three days (of spring training) to watch minor league pitchers," he said. "I saw 87 guys throw. And my report to him is I thought I saw three guys that would have success in the big leagues. I saw the look on his face and the anger. He said, 'They (blanking) lied to me.' He was told the minor league system had better players and they didn't; they weren't there. He had to completely start from the very beginning to build this thing up."

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Chicago Tribune Excited Cubs fans hit the road to Cleveland for World Series opener By Patrick M. O'Connell and John Keilman

There were Illinois license plates aplenty on the Ohio Turnpike on Monday afternoon as Cubs fans determined to watch baseball history in person hit the road for the five-plus-hour journey to Cleveland for the start of the World Series.

With Cubs caps showcased through car windows and mini W flags affixed to the doors of SUVs flapping in the breeze, fans whizzed past the browning farm fields and golden-hued forests of northwest Ohio. The chance to see their team play for a championship, they said, was too rare to pass up and worth every one of the 350 miles between Chicago and the Indians' home park.

"I want to be there," said Judy Perkinson, 72, of Hammond, from the Tiffin River Service Area along the highway, where traveling Cubs fans stopped to gas up their cars and refuel with coffee and pizza.

Perkinson, wearing a "Reverse the Curse" T-shirt and Cubs jacket while carrying a team-themed purse, decided Sunday to make the journey even though she does not have tickets to the games. She wanted to be as close to the Cubs as possible during the series and plans on watching the game with other fans at a restaurant near Progressive Field, the downtown site of Games 1 and 2.

"I said to myself, I'm going to Cleveland. Every day that they play, I'm going to be with this team, because this is my team and we are finally in the World Series," Perkinson said. "Seriously, this is so exciting!"

She had plenty of company. Cubs fans spilled into the rest area about 30 miles east of the Indiana border throughout the afternoon, proudly sporting team gear and greeting fellow travelers with cheers of "Go Cubs!"

Paul and Sue Skowronski, both 52, of Woodstock, who have tickets for Game 1, stopped for lunch in South Bend, Ind., so they could visit the ballpark of the Cubs' minor league affiliate before continuing east into Ohio.

"She's been like a kid the week before Christmas," Paul Skowronski said, gesturing to his wife, who smiled widely and nearly jumped up and down in her "Raise the Flag" National League champions shirt.

"I'm just speechless," Sue Skowronski said. The pennant, she said, is reason enough to celebrate.

"The World Series is like the icing on the cake," Paul Skowronski said. He bought tickets for Game 1 in Cleveland two weeks ago, hoping the Cubs would advance. "I told my boss on Friday, you'll either see me on Monday, or if the Cubs win, on Thursday."

Mike Locklear, of Oberlin, Ohio, wore his Cubs jacket as he stopped with his family on the way back home from watching Game 6 with family in Hobart, Ind. Locklear said northern Ohio is abuzz with Indians' pennant fever, and he knows he'll be outnumbered this week.

Lincoln Park resident Andrew Rutberg, 34, has ridden a lucky streak all season, attending every Cubs home game but one — he missed it due to an emergency hospitalization — without a season ticket. His good fortune has come from the box office, or from friends of friends, and he was betting that fate would smile on him again in Cleveland.

"I'm just going to jump in my car, make the five-hour drive and hope for the best," he said Monday. "I won't get lucky in Chicago. I have to be there to take advantage."

Others were taking to the air for the trip to Ohio, including Larry Berg Jr., owner of a medical consulting business in McHenry County, who wondered about the reception he would receive from Indians fans. Berg attended playoff games in Los Angeles and San Francisco and found the home crowds not exactly hospitable; he was almost thrown out of the climatic game against the Giants just as the Cubs rallied, he said.

And based on prior experience at an NFL game he attended between the Browns and the Bears, he said: "I think Cleveland might be the worst of all."

Even so, he gladly paid $3,000 for seats to the first two games of the World Series. After decades of devotion to the North Siders, Berg, 51, is treating the postseason run as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"I just can't believe it's really happening, to be honest with you," he said.

Kevin Baker and his dad, Keith, were among the blue-and-red caravan on Interstate 80/90 preparing for a glimpse at Cubs' history.

"He wouldn't take no for an answer," Kevin said about his 73-year-old father. "He wanted to go to the game. We pretty much decided we had to make something work."

The two paid $1,300 per ticket, but Kevin said he hopes to recoup some of that money soon. In the spring, he placed a bet on the Cubs to win it all.

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Chicago Tribune World Series brings reunion for two pairs of Cubs, Indians By Mark Gonzales

After the Cubs earned a World Series berth Saturday night, second baseman Javier Baez sent a text message to childhood friend and Indians All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor.

"Is this a dream?" Baez wrote.

"Yeah, I think it is," Lindor responded. "Because I haven't woke up yet."

The Baez-Lindor reunion isn't the only one in this World Series, which begins Tuesday night at Progressive Field. Indians reliever and Cubs closer were teammates on the Yankees until trade- deadline deals in late July sent them to the eventual American League and National League champions.

"I don't think anyone would have guessed it would have happened," Miller said Monday. "I'm happy for him. Both of us couldn't have been placed in better places to land."

Both teams are looking to end lengthy championship droughts; the Cubs last won the World Series in 1908, the Indians in 1948. The emergence of Baez, 23, and Lindor, 22, represents a more optimistic forecast for their respective teams after decades of misery.

Baez and Lindor played against each other in youth leagues in their native Puerto Rico before their families moved to the United States. Lindor recalled spending one Thanksgiving at Baez's home in Florida and playing pingpong with Baez and his brothers.

They were teammates in the 2010 Aflac All-American game before their senior seasons of high school, with Baez playing third base and Lindor at shortstop. The Indians drafted Lindor eighth in 2011, with the Cubs selecting Baez with the next pick.

"Lindor played above his age at that time," former Cubs scouting director Tim Wilken recalled. "He was a player under control. You always heard about Lindor being the safest high school pick. He was considered to go anywhere from three to six. It was a shock when he fell to eight.

"Had Lindor fell to nine, we would have taken a timeout and talked it over. The only question was how physical we thought he'd be. The one thing about Javy was that he was a wild colt. Javy was evolving. A man turned into a horse. He was fearless. He had some control."

Cubs outfielder Jr., who played on two U.S. national teams with Lindor, marveled over Lindor's all- around credentials.

"He was as mature as they come," Almora recalled. "And everyone knows who he is on the field."

While Lindor made a steady climb and reached the majors midway through the 2015 season, Baez arrived one season earlier, but a high rate necessitated a return to the minors.

Baez's hitting skills are catching up rapidly with his Gold Glove-caliber defense that has gained nationwide attention during the postseason.

"It's amazing," Cubs hitting coach said of Baez's reduction in strikeouts. "And his swing is so short and so good, and it's so fast. A lot of times you see him swing and people think he's pulling his head and pulling off the ball: 'Look at that big old swing.'

"He creates so much bat speed and torque to decelerate that. Keeping both hands on the bat is normally impossible."

Velocity also is the theme for Miller and Chapman, who required a smaller compensation package in terms of talent because of his imminent free agency.

Chapman said Miller was an "excellent teammate. He always looked out for the younger players on the team and always helped them out whenever they needed it."

Miller was just as happy to share the late-inning spotlight with Dellin Betances and Chapman before the trade deadline.

Miller said the Cubs had interest in him before the deadline, according to Cubs players who had played with Miller on the Red Sox, but they instead dealt for Chapman six days before the Indians acquired Miller.

"We both spoke highly of our time in New York," Miller said. "It wasn't the ideal situation (to be traded). But the way it's worked out, it's hard for us to complain."

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Chicago Tribune Jason Kipnis, who grew up a Cubs fan, excited to face them in World Series By Colleen Kane

Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis admitted he got "choked up" when the Cubs clinched a World Series berth Saturday.

A Northbrook native and Glenbrook North graduate, Kipnis grew up a Cubs fan and saw a stream of social media posts from friends celebrating the Cubs victory. He called it "a special perfect storm" that he will play in his first World Series against the Cubs and will return to Chicago for Game 3 at Wrigley Field to play in front of so many people he knows.

But he wants to be clear on one thing.

"Let me reiterate — there's zero conflict at all," Kipnis said. "It was like, 'Why do I have to beat the Cubs?' Not, 'Why does this have to be versus the Cubs?' There's not one part of me that doesn't wish this curse keeps going."

Kipnis, 29, first became a Cubs fan during the Ryne Sandberg- era, and as he began to watch baseball more closely, he recalls trying to get to a TV every time Sammy Sosa was up to bat during the 1998 season.

He also lived near infamous Cubs fan Steve Bartman — whom he said never should have been blamed for something any fan would do — and remembers police officers stationed outside of his house for protection after the foul-ball incident during the 2003 National League Championship Series. He would like to see Bartman throw out a first pitch during the Series.

Because of that background, the historical significance of a World Series between teams with the two longest titles droughts in baseball is not lost on Kipnis.

"(Theirs is) the only drought that can make ours look small," Kipnis said. "No disrespect. Both franchises have been yearning for the next championship, longing for it. I think it's neat that one of them will come to an end here."

Kipnis and Indians manager Terry Francona said Kipnis should be fine to play Tuesday despite a mishap during the Indians' celebration after winning the American League pennant. Kipnis stepped on shortstop Francisco Lindor's foot on "literally the first jump" and sprained his left ankle.

"It wasn't exactly a mild sprain," Kipnis said. "I got it pretty good, but at the same time, we've done a fantastic job trying to get the swelling down and range of motion back. If we can do that to where I can run on it and deal with pain, there are certain things to help me manage the pain. As long as we get the range of motion and swelling down, I'll be good as new."

Kipnis said his close friends and family have told him "there's no question who we're rooting for," but he's happy for the experience no matter the allegiance.

"It's a fantastic opportunity to go home," he said. "And whether they're wearing Kipnis jerseys or Cubs jerseys, it's going to be fun for me."

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Chicago Tribune Cubs' Mike Montgomery reunited with high school teammate/rival Trevor Bauer By Mark Gonzales

A reunion between reliever Mike Montgomery and pitcher Trevor Bauer might be slightly warming than the 50-degree temperatures that hovered Monday around Progressive Field.

Montgomery and Bauer were teammates at Hart High School in Newhall, Calif., and Montgomery recalled his former teammate as extremely competitive.

“Maybe we had some differences, and we didn’t necessarily get along in a best friends’ way,” Montgomery said. “But the one thing I did was respect him because he was super competitive. And I can still remember one day toward the end of (2008) all he cared about was getting more strikeouts than me. And he ended up doing it by three or four. That, to him, made his year.

“This guy is so competitive, very stubborn, and very smart. So he has a way that he thinks works. He’ll go for it, and he’ll do it that way. And who’s to say he’s not right in doing it? That’s why I respect him. He’s made it for himself, and he’s good.”

Montgomery, who grew up three blocks from Bauer, said Hart coach Jim Ozella did an exceptional job of handling strong personalities like Bauer and himself.

Montgomery was amazed at how much Bauer like to play catch and long toss and occasionally walk away if he couldn’t keep up with Bauer.

But Montgomery said he and his Hart teammates once caught Bauer cheating in a game of poker.

“We’d go to different players’ house before every game, and we caught him cheating one time,” Montgomery said. “We weren’t too happy. He tried to deny it. It was pretty funny, looking back.”

When asked about his mission of beating Montgomery for the strikeout total, Bauer immediately said, “I did beat him.”

“We had our struggles in high school,” Bauer said. “We kind of mended the fence since then.”

Bauer was a first-round pick of Arizona before being dealt to Cleveland, while Montgomery was a supplemental first round pick of Kansas City.

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Chicago Tribune Cubs' Chris Coghlan forecasted greatness for Indians' Andrew Miller By Mark Gonzales

Chicago Cubs outfielder Chris Coghlan isn’t surprised that Cleveland left-hander Andrew Miller has become one of the most dominant left-handed relievers in the majors.

Coghlan saw Miller dominate the Cape Cod League when they were teammates with Chatham in 2005 but had a curious explanation as to why Miller didn’t blossom until 2013 with the following stops with and Florida, where they were teammates in 2009 and 2010.

“When (the Marlins) traded for him from Detroit for Miggy (Miguel Cabrera), I didn’t think the organization did a good job handling him,” Coghlan said. “He always was the same dude as he is now. And they wanted him to throw more over the top and throw more strikes. So he was throwing over the top and throwing 90 mph rather than slinging it down here (from a three-quarters angle) like he always did. They didn’t believe in the deception.

“And think the industry is starting to change that and embrace that more. Back then, about seven or eight years ago, they were just trying to put him in this confinement. So to see him then go from there and then Boston, he goes to bullpen (and succeeds).”

Coghlan said he remains in contact with Miller, who has struck out 21 in only 11 2/3 innings this postseason.

“I’m excited for him because now he’s the dude I that I know he is and that I knew when he was in college (at North Carolina). And he’s slinging it and dominated it.”

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Chicago Tribune Jon Lester named Cubs' Game 1 starter By Mark Gonzales

Chicago Cubs left-hander Jon Lester will start Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday night at Cleveland.

The announcement will be made official at a Monday news conference at Progressive Field.

Corey Kluber will start for the Indians.

Lester, 32, is 3-0 with an 0.43 ERA in three World Series starts with the Boston Red Sox in 2007 and 2013. Lester, who won 19 games for the Cubs this season, is 2-0 with an 0.86 ERA in three postseason starts this month.

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Chicago Tribune Chicago, Cleveland are kindred spirits in more ways than baseball By Phil Rosenthal

“Hello, Cleveland!" as they say in the movies.

The Cubs and Indians meet Tuesday in the opener of a World Series at least partly defined by their decades-long struggles and the epically elusive epic quest the winning ballclub will at last complete.

There's no need for introductions between the cities.

Chicago knows Cleveland as surely as it knows itself.

Cleveland knows Chicago, another notch in the Rust Belt.

They share Great Lakes winters that too often seem to stretch to Memorial Day and baseball summers too often over by Labor Day.

Their pro football teams disappoint. Their basketball teams climb to the top only when the greatest player of his generation takes them there.

This Indians-Cubs World Series is the block "C" versus the circle "C."

It's navy blue with red and white versus royal blue with red and white.

Both franchises' identities were shaped in no small way by the genius of the late longtime baseball executive Bill Veeck.

Veeck would go on to own the White Sox twice. He was a Cubs employee in the 1930s whose vision and supervision led to the installation of Wrigley Field's beloved bricks-and-ivy outfield walls, upgraded bleachers and center-field scoreboard.

Veeck also was the Indians owner in 1948, the last time they won a World Series.

His player-manager that championship season was , the pride of Harvey, Ill., and a future Hall of Famer and Cubs announcer.

It was Veeck who commissioned the Indians' mascot design, the (downgraded but not retired) caricature Chief Wahoo, which over time would become controversially out-of-step and oft-protested.

Chicago and Cleveland are very much baseball cities, although they are not normally October baseball cities.

There have been 111 World Series to date. The Cubs and Indians have been around for all of them, yet each has only two titles to show for it and none in a very, very long time.

That is just history, however, and the stage now is set for something historic.

Each ballclub has won seven games in this postseason. Ten doesn't get the job done.

It's time for someone to crank it up to 11.

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Chicago Tribune Rick Sutcliffe dismisses talk of Cubs' past By Phil Thompson

As far as Rick Sutcliffe is concerned, the 2016 Cubs won't be carrying any other season's rosters on their backs when play Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday. Not Ron Santo's 1969 "black cat" Cubs, not Mark Prior's "five- outs" Cubs from 2003, not even his own team's star-crossed calamity in 1984.

There's no balancing of the cosmic scales, no slaying of any billy goats, no redemption of past heartbreaks. Just stop it.

"I would say that it's way overblown, particularly to these players," said the former Cubs pitching great, who has been a broadcast analyst for and ESPN since retiring in 1995. This go 'round, though, he's off the clock. When the Series turns to Wrigley Field for Games 3, 4 and (if necessary) 5, he plans to watch as a fan along with his wife, daughter, and 3-year-old grandson — which will be his first baseball game, by the way — either in the stands, or as he has on occasion, in a suite with Theo Epstein.

"I had no idea what happened in '69. I didn't know about the black cat (that crossed Santo's path before the Cubs proceeded to squander a nine-game lead to the Mets). I didn't know any of that. Honestly, I feel like that's the same situation. If I went up to and told him, 'Thank you, thank you for winning the National League Championship Series because we couldn't do it,' he wouldn't know what I'm talking about."

Sutcliffe touched on a number of subjects related to the Cubs.

On the magnitude of winning the World Series: "I'll be honest with you, that's never been the goal. That wasn't the goal when we played in '84 and '89. It's definitely not been the goal since Theo Epstein took over. I'll never forget the first slogan I that I saw him make up is, 'When it happens.' 'When it happens' doesn't pertain to the , the NLDS or the NLCS. That's not what Theo is all about."

On the Cubs reaching the World Series: "I can't say I was really surprised. These guys are not only talented but prepared. I know from being in the postseasons in the past and from all of the broadcasting I've done, particularly during the World Series, it just continues to get tougher. You figure the Dodgers were going to be tougher than the Giants. If you don't expect Cleveland to play well, to me, from my experiences in the past, you're making a mistake, and I know the Cubs won't make that mistake."

On the key to the series: "The thing I'll be watching is the baserunning. I really, really thought after being shut out two games in row (during the NLCS), the Chicago Cubs, and that base hit, men on first and second, Zobrist on second, he had bunted for the single, and the base hit by (Willson) Contreras. If (Andrew) Toles, the left fielder for the Dodgers, makes a decent throw, Zobrist is out by 20 feet. I really thought the key for turning them around is (third base coach) , when he waved Zobrist home. . . . You could have the bases loaded and nobody out, but you also got a couple of guys, and Addison Russell coming up, that have struggled, and Gary Jones waved the flag. He said we're going, get going. . . . I think that had a lot to do with finally getting onboard and finally getting back on track."

On what he'd feel if the Cubs won and who'd he think about: "Obviously there would be a lot of things that would go through my mind. I think probably the first one would be . I was basically a nobody. . . . When Harry Caray nicknamed me the Red Baron, the next thing you know, I started getting hundreds of letters of fan mail a day. I didn't get a 100 letters over the course of a season playing in Cleveland or with the Dodgers."

On his interview this spring with Joe Maddon: "I go, 'Joe, if the Cubs win the World Series, what will it be like?' And he looked out on the field. And the tarp was on the field and it was cloudy and lightning and thunder and everything. And he goes, 'It will be like this.' He said it will be like Armageddon. He said that there will be people coming up from the ground, there will be a hand reaching down out of the sky lifting people up. He said, 'That's the way I imagine it.' I thought it was hilarious to begin with."

On the similarities between 2016 and 1984: "I think the biggest difference — you mentioned the word — clubhouse. All things that we lacked in our spring training facility, in our clubhouse, all of the information, none of that existed back then. If you would see — just take a pic of the clubhouse back in '83-'84, then take a picture of what, when I first saw it, I thought it was an underground city — it is not built to make the players more comfortable. The spring training (facility) and the clubhouse are built to make the team better, and that's exactly what they've done."

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Chicago Tribune Cubs World Series makes team’s stars a hit with marketers By Robert Channick

Winning the World Series could do more than end a centurylong drought for the Chicago Cubs and their long- suffering fans. A victory on baseball's ultimate stage could launch the team's charismatic young stars, and its grizzled manager, into the sports marketing elite.

The road from local car spots to corporate spokesperson generally takes time for most athletes. But the Cubs have become a national story extending far beyond the city and baseball fans, opening up a world of marketing opportunities for the team.

"There are going to be a handful of players — especially if they win the World Series — that will come out of this with deals," said Jim Andrews, senior vice president of IEG, a Chicago-based sponsorship research and valuation firm."They are the big sports story of the moment. That story is only going to get bigger if they win."

Jake Arrieta, and Anthony Rizzo are most likely to land marketing deals, but Javier Baez, co-MVP of the National League Championship Series, may be ready to break out on the sponsorship front as well, Andrews said. If someone else rises up as World Series hero, that could change the game as well.

Currently, the Cubs have a pretty low sponsorship profile. Cubs manager Joe Maddon hawks liquor for Binny's Beverage Depot and pitcher Arrieta relieves Jake from State Farm. Andrews expects local sponsorships to ramp up after the World Series.

Getting national endorsements is no lock — even if the Cubs prevail, Andrews said.

"Typically, you won't see someone land a big national spot, even after a World Series win," Andrews said.

Baseball players generally don't rake in endorsement dollars on par with stars from other sports, such as basketball, soccer, tennis and golf, according to the Forbes list of 100 highest-paid athletes for 2016.

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is the highest-paid baseball player, ranking 33rd with $32 million in annual pay. But endorsements represented only $800,000 of Kershaw's total. Bulls guard Dwyane Wade, who tied Kershaw at No. 33, made $12 million of his $32 million from endorsements.

Seattle Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano, who ranks 45th on the Forbes list, makes $3 million per year in endorsements, among the highest for baseball players.

If ratings are any guide, the Cubs already have demonstrated their broad appeal to a national audience.

Saturday night's NLCS clincher over the Dodgers was the most-watched telecast in the three-year history of Fox Sports 1, averaging 9.7 million viewers nationally and a 6.3 rating for the national cable network, according to Nielsen. In Chicago, the game delivered a huge 25.8 rating, meaning more than a fourth of local households watched.

The ratings likely will climb when the games shift to the Fox television network for the World Series beginning Tuesday night. WFLD-Ch.32 will air the broadcasts in Chicago.

That success has early player sponsors, such as State Farm, smiling. The Bloomington-based insurance company signed Arrieta for the local Jake from State Farm spinoff spots in July.

Created by longtime State Farm ad agency DDB Chicago, the original Jake from State Farm ads first aired in 2011, featuring a husband caught by his wife making a furtive 3 a.m. insurance phone call. A call from Arrieta's agent convinced Ed Gold, advertising director at State Farm, to use the Cubs pitcher in relief.

"We made a big bet and I was as nervous for the Cubs getting to where they are today as I was for the bet we made from a marketing standpoint on this whole thing," said Ed Gold, advertising director at State Farm. "I feel very, very good today."

Arrieta is signed with State Farm through the end of the year.

Michael Binstein, CEO of Binny's Beverage Depot, signed up Maddon as a spokesman for the family-owned Chicago liquor chain during his first season as Cubs manager in 2015. Spots featuring Maddon ran during Cubs games throughout the regular season this year, but not in the playoffs.

Binstein said he sought Maddon's early endorsement based on his baseball success and down-to-earth qualities that made for a potent marketing cocktail.

"This is not a bet on a pennant or a World Series," Binstein said. "It was our endorsement of a man and what he we thought his contribution would be to the civic life and sports life of a city over the long term."

Andrews does not expect Maddon to become as ubiquitous a pitchman as former Bears coach Mike Ditka, who has endorsed everything from jewelry stores to impotence drugs since winning the Super Bowl in 1986. But if the Cubs win the World Series, he expects the offers will roll in for Maddon.

"I would think Joe Maddon would be a little bit more selective and we won't see him hawking everything under the sun, but he could do a few more if he wants to," Andrews said.

Binny's, which once worked with Ditka on his own brand of now-defunct wine, is looking for bigger things with Maddon, Binstein said.

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Chicago Sun-Times He’s back: Schwarber expected to join roster for World Series By Gordon Wittenmyer

CLEVELAND – One of these years Kyle Schwarber is going to play an actual regular season in the big leagues.

Until then, the Cubs will gladly take one more epic set of postseason games from the young lefty slugger, who is expected to be added to the World Series roster Tuesday after playing just two minor-league games since a knee injury allegedly ended his season in April.

“It’s exciting to have him back,” shortstop Addison Russell said Monday – even before Schwarber doubled in three at-bats, sliding into second base, during an Arizona Fall League game.

“It’s as big bat we’ve missed all year, but maybe he’ll be able to display some of the stuff he would have displayed in the season in the World Series.”

Schwarber, who spent 6½ months on the disabled list after tearing his left ACL in an outfield collision with Dexter Fowler, was scheduled to fly to Cleveland to join the team Monday night.

Team officials would not confirm the decision to activate him as their designated hitter for the series. But indications were strong, and teammates anticipated having him in Tuesday’s lineup against right-hander Corey Kluber.

World Series rosters are due Tuesday morning.

“He’s a legend already at such a young age,” teammate Jake Arrieta said. “It’s awesome. It just speaks to the importance of what he was able to do for us last year.”

Schwarber set a franchise record with five postseason home runs last year after making his big-league debut in June.

Last week, he was medically cleared by his Dallas-based surgeon to run the bases and bat, far ahead of schedule, and activated from the 60-day DL to play in an AFL game Saturday.

He has not been cleared to play in the field. Four of the possible seven World Series games are scheduled for Cleveland, with the DH rule in effect.

As a left-handed hitter, Schwarber is especially attractive to the Cubs as a matchup against the Indians’ heavily right-leaning pitching staff, although nobody has any idea how quickly he can catch up to big-league pitching again after such a long layoff.

“There’s something about playing on a stage like this where the adrenaline takes over, your focus is a lot more sharp,” teammate Kris Bryant said. “And we all know what he can do out there. We saw what he can do in the playoffs last year.”

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Chicago Sun-Times Kid at the heart of Cubs order: Young veteran Rizzo sets tone By Gordon Wittenmyer

CLEVELAND – The spotlight’s sure to follow Kyle Schwarber’s every move Tuesday in Cleveland.

But as the Cubs open their first World Series in 71 years, the left-handed power-hitting star of this big stage is still Anthony Rizzo.

The first cornerstone locked into place during Theo Epstein’s organizational rebuilding effort, Rizzo is just four years removed from a 101-loss season, three weeks removed from closing out a 103-win season – and four wins away from doing what only has done as a Cubs first baseman.

“It was definitely a process, but it was a process that sure benefitted me, in a bigger way than a lot of these guys,” Rizzo said of the five-season rise toward Tuesday night’s World Series opener in Cleveland against Indians ace Corey Kluber.

“I give [the front office] a lot of credit, and everything they’ve done to this point is huge.”

The trade for Rizzo in January 2012 certainly has proved to be huge, if not predictable. The original Red Sox draftee under Epstein and already had been traded from Epstein to Hoyer after Hoyer took over as general manager in San Diego, before eventually being acquired for the third time by Hoyer when they front office team moved to Chicago.

Now he’s the 27-year-old MVP-candidate veteran on a team of early-20-somethings. The fact he might be more of a kid than any of them is a big part of the influence teammates say has helped this team get so far.

“His personality is what this team’s all about really,” said World Series veteran catcher David Ross. “Just being able to have fun our there and embrace the moment and still have fun says a lot about him.”

Rizzo kissed his bat for a national magazine cover. He kissed the baseball from the last out of Saturday night’s pennant clincher against the Dodgers. And then he said he was going to sleep with the ball that night.

“The ball stayed in my car overnight because I couldn’t drive home [Saturday],” he said. “I was really nervous about that. The ball’s safe now.”

The guy who routinely stops at locker stalls in all corners of the clubhouse for chats with teammates before games decided in Los Angeles to take a bat belonging to Matt Szczur – who wasn’t even on the playoff roster – and turned Szczur into a celebrity by hitting a home run in a Game 4 Cubs win. He’s 7-for-12 since then – and now goes from the lefty-heavy Dodgers to the right-leaning Indians pitching staff.

“I just hope he uses the same bat,” teammate Jake Arrieta said.

He and second baseman Javy Baez have turned into the NL’s version of Elvis Andrus and Adrian Beltre on infield popups twice in the last two games, with Baez cutting in front of Rizzo to try to steal the catch – Rizzo playfully tossing the ball into Baez’s chest after the first one.

“We just have fun,” Rizzo said. “It’s a way of slowing the game down, especially on popups. I know he can handle it, and he knows I can handle it.”

Said Arrieta: “To see those guys be able to do that kind of a thing in such a big game means a lot. They’re not uptight. These guys are still having fun even though it’s the biggest game of their career.”

What looks especially big is Rizzo’s potential impact on a series in which he’ll bat third against a team whose only real threat for trying to neutralize him from the left side is reliever Andrew Miller.

“Righty, lefty, ambidextrous, whatever they are, we’ve got to be ready to face them,” Rizzo said. “As long as we get the wins, it’s not individual now.”

But even Rizzo sees the individual potential Schwarber might have for impacting this series as another big lefty bat against all that Cleveland right-handed pitching.

“If he’s ready, he’s a huge part of this team,” Rizzo said. “He’s worked really hard to put himself in a position to even be able to do this. If he’s ready, it’ll be a huge boost for us, for sure.”

But first thing’s first with this team, as in the impact the MVP-caliber first baseman has.

Crabby pitcher John Lackey brought an edge to the team this year. World Series winners Jon Lester, Ben Zobrist and Ross have brought veteran calm. But Rizzo balances that workmanlike tone with his own play-hard, laugh-hard influence.

“He’s a great teammate. And he’s still learning, still maturing,” playoff veteran Miguel Montero said. “Especially this time of year, as he gets to play in the playoffs, it’s helping him grow even more on an even bigger stage. And he’s going to become an even better player.”

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Chicago Sun-Times Cubs’ Fowler soaks in more significant culture change since 1945 By Gordon Wittenmyer

CLEVELAND – Of all the significance tied to the Cubs being in the World Series for the first time since 1945, Dexter Fowler might feel the weight of that moment more than anyone else on the team.

When he steps to the plate Tuesday night for the first at-bat of Game 1, he will become the first black player in history to play for the Cubs in a World Series.

“It’s awesome to be the pioneer, the first one,” said the Cubs’ leadoff man. “It all wouldn’t be possible without Jackie.”

Jackie Robinson’s barrier-breaking debut for the Dodgers didn’t come until April 15, 1947. The Cubs played 53 games in 10 World Series appearances before integration; none since.

The Cubs could have three African-Americans in the starting lineup Tuesday, including Jason Heyward and the biracial Addison Russell.

“It’s going to be great just being here in the World Series, but to add that aspect of it definitely makes it that much better,” said Fowler, who was made aware of his unique place in franchise history by scrolling through in the aftermath of Saturday’s pennant-clinching win over the Dodgers.

“You look at that and you’re like, `Wow,’ “ he said. “That’s when it really sinks in, and it’s like, `You are the first African-American to play in a World Series as a Cub.’

“It’s crazy to even think about that,” he added. “My parents weren’t even alive back then. It’s a lifetime.”

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Chicago Sun-Times Santo, Banks, Harry — they should all be here to see the Cubs now By Steve Greenberg

CLEVELAND — Billy Williams stood on the grass near the home dugout at Wrigley Field earlier this month, a Cubs living legend. That’s a heck of a thing to get to be, though it gets harder as time marches on. Life giveth. Life taketh away.

It was the very start of the Cubs postseason, prior to Game 1 of the divisional series against the Giants. As Williams took in the gathering excitement on the field and in the stands, he turned to a member of his Cubs extended family and sighed.

“God, I wish my buddies were here,” he said.

Williams was referring, of course, to fellow Hall of Famers Ernie Banks, who died in January of 2015, and Ron Santo, who has been gone since December of 2010.

Oh, how they would’ve enjoyed the Cubs’ series victories over the Giants and Dodgers. And just imagine their faces now if they could gaze upon the majesty of Cubbie blue in the World Series.

They should be part of this.

Or are they?

“Their spirit is here every day,” Cubs radio color analyst Ron Coomer said during the NLCS. “You can feel them hanging out and wanting to be here and loving Cubs baseball.”

Coomer sits in Santo’s old chair alongside radio play-by-play man Pat Hughes, who teamed with Santo for 15 years. Coomer grew up a Cubs fan and got to play third base for them in 2001. On a flight during his first road trip with the team, he got a tap on the shoulder from the greatest third baseman in franchise history.

“Ronnie took me out for a three-hour dinner,” Coomer recalled. “We laughed, joked and became great friends.”

Hughes could tell 100 such stories about the dear friend with the huge heart whom he memorably eulogized nearly six sad years ago.

“I think about Ronnie every single day,” Hughes said the day before Game 1 of the World Series. “Lately, I’ve thought about him several times a day and how absolutely thrilled he would have been with this team. He would have been beyond himself, wild with excitement.

“I think about Ron all the time, all year round. He’s part of me.”

Hughes took time to mention the great, inimitable Banks as well as former Cubs announcers Harry Caray, , Lou Boudreau and Jack Quinlan and longtime WGN producer Arne Harris.

“In a way,” he said, “I feel like I’m just kind of like a messenger for all of them.”

And what would Santo’s message be? It would be full of the earnestness and joy with which he clicked his heels as a player. It would be as heartfelt and imperfect as he was as a broadcaster.

It might make us laugh, shake our heads or even well up. Or all of the above.

But Williams’ buddies aren’t here.

Or are they?

Former Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood wore a Santo jersey to Game 6 of the NLCS. In fact, Wood has repped Santo, with whom he was close, throughout October— same as he did in 2015.

“Ronnie didn’t get to see this. He didn’t get to witness this night,” Wood said after the Cubs’ clincher against the Giants. “So I’m definitely wearing the Santo jersey. I’m going to wear it all the way through and hopefully let him experience it with me.”

It sure is a nice thought.

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Chicago Sun-Times At long, long last, Cubs step onto World Series stage By Rick Morrissey

CLEVELAND — Doesn’t it seem like the World Series is upon us too quickly, as if Chicago hasn’t had sufficient time to digest the Cubs’ National League pennant? All those years of hunger and then only one big bite before a new quest begins for more?

Yes, it does. And yet – and this can’t be overstated — 107-year-old beggars can’t be choosers.

On Saturday, the Cubs won their first pennant since 1945, setting off a massive party that is somewhere between still going on and still being recovered from. But the city moves forward, staggering maybe, haggard definitely, ready for the World Series. The last time the Cubs won one of those was 1908. By now, you’re aware of that like you’re aware of your first and last name.

The Indians haven’t won a World Series since 1948, a drought Cubs fans refer to as “child’s play.’’ Cleveland has known its share of sorrow, just a smaller share.

“One franchise and one city is going to be really happy,’’ Indians manager Terry Francona said Monday. “The other one is going to probably (hear) all the same things you’ve heard year after year, and you’ll probably hear it again. I hope it’s them.’

That the Cubs have been shooting for this since last season ended doesn’t make what is to take place Tuesday night any less surreal. The franchise that always talked about aiming high but was constantly being treated for self- inflicted gunshots to the foot is ready to take on the Indians in Game 1 of the Fall Classic.

The Cubs. The Chicago Cubs.

“We’ve envisioned this since last year, since spring training this year, every bus ride we take, we envision it,’’ first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. “We talk about it. When you’re so wrapped up in it, good things happen. We’ve been talking about this and envisioning this that now that we’re here, it just feels like it’s another series.’’

All the Cubs are proud of being one of two teams left in the postseason, but some carry the profound knowledge of being on the verge of accomplishing what so many Cubs never got the chance to accomplish. , Ryne Sandberg, Ron Santo, Billy Williams, Fergie Jenkins and Greg Maddux, among so many others, never won a pennant in Chicago.

“There are great players who played for the Chicago Cubs for 71 years and they never got to this point,’’ catcher Miguel Montero said. “I feel pretty blessed to be here and to be part of this team and going to the World Series. It’s going to be even more of a blessing if we win it all, because in 108 years it hasn’t been done. It’s a special group of guys, and we’ve got a chance to do it.’’

If the Cubs do win the World Series, they’ll do what Kiki Cuyler, , Billy Herman, and Hack Wilson never did. That’s a lot of talent and lot of years ago.

The Cubs got here by winning 103 regular-season games, the most in the big leagues. They won with great pitching and great hitting, which usually leads to good things. But one other ingredient has been overlooked: good luck.

“So many things have gone our way this year,’’ Rizzo said. “Guys staying healthy. Our pitchers have stayed healthy. Obviously, losing (Kyle) Schwarber was a big loss for us. Dexter (Fowler) coming back. Just a lot of things have gone our way this year that we really want to finish it off.’’

It looks like Schwarber will return in the nick of time, like any self-respecting superhero would. Superheroes don’t blow out two knee ligaments, as Schwarber did early in the season, but you get the idea. At a minimum, he’ll give the Cubs an emotional boost as he plays for the first time since April 7. At best, he’ll hit some homers as designated hitter in any games played at Progressive Field.

Wrigley Field figures to lose its collective mind when Schwarber is introduced before Game 3 on Friday. Actually, its mind is already gone, lost somewhere in the boozy party following Game 6 of the N.L. Championship Series.

“We’re focused on Game 1 and Game 2 here and then looking forward to getting back to Chicago and playing a World Series game in front of Wrigley crowd that hasn’t seen that in a long time,’’ pitcher Jake Arrieta said.

The Cubs are ready to play. They’ve done their NLCS partying. There’s one more series and one more party to go. Then they can ponder what they’ve accomplished.

“Hopefully we get it all done, and we’ll have plenty of time to think about it,’’ Montero said. “Not just a month or two months but the rest of our lives.’’

One more series. One more party.

“We are good,’’ Rizzo said. “If we win this series, we’re the best.’’

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Daily Herald Reports: Schwarber to DH for Game 1 By Bruce Miles

CLEVELAND -- Cubs president Theo Epstein spent part of Monday on the computer watching catcher-outfieder Kyle Schwarber testing his surgically repaired left knee in the Arizona Fall League.

Schwarber suffered a serious knee injury during the first week of the season when he collided with Dexter Fowler as both went after a flyball at Arizona.

The Cubs apparently liked what they saw, because there were reports Monday night that he will be activated in time for the World Series and serve as the designated hitter in Game 1 on Tuesday night at Cleveland.

"He ran the bases before the game really well and slid, dove back in, went first to third, second to home," Epstein said. "He looked really good. He's running pretty well. He hit the ball really hard his first 2 at-bats. He's saving his hits, apparently, because he keeps hitting the ball right at guys."

Schwarber has been cleared for all baseball activities except playing the field. As a rookie last year, he hit 5 home runs in the postseason.

The Cubs and Indians have until Tuesday morning to set their 25-man rosters for the World Series.

"He wouldn't be playing in the Fall League if they weren't seriously considering him being here," pitcher Jake Arrieta said. "Not having to put him in the field is huge. If he hits the ball over the fence, he can trot around the bases."

Making history:

When Dexter Fowler leads off Tuesday night in Game 1 of the World Series, he will become the first black player in Chicago Cubs franchise history to participate in the World Series.

The major leagues were not yet integrated in 1945, the last time the Cubs were in the Fall Classic.

"Yeah, that's unbelievable," Fowler said. "It's hard to think that there have been no African-American guys to be a Cub (in the World Series). You look at the history, and it's been 71 years? It all wouldn't be possible without Jackie."

Fowler was referring to Jackie Robinson, who broke the modern-day color line in baseball with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.

Fowler said he will take pride in his own achievement, once it comes to fruition.

"Oh, of course," he said. "Just being here in the World Series, but to add that aspect to it definitely makes it that much more special."

Addison Russell, Carl Edwards Jr. and Jason Heyward are other Cubs with African-American heritage.

"It's very humbling and honoring to be here," Russell said. "The fact that you have the first African-American to set foot on baseball soil in MLB, to finally be here, think we've come a long way."

Arrieta for Game 2:

After Jon Lester pitches Game 1 of the World Series, Cubs manager Joe Maddon will send Jake Arrieta out for Game 2 at Progressive Field.

When the Series resumes Friday at Wrigley Field, Kyle Hendricks will start Game 3.

Summer in Chicago:

Indians manager Terry Francona played one season for the Cubs, in 1986. He was asked about his memories.

"Not what you're looking for," he said. "I lived out in Northbrook and my slot to hit every morning was I hit from 10:10 to 10:25, Chris Speier and I. I would fight the traffic in, so I had to leave at like 7 (a.m.). I'd usually pinch hit about quarter to 6 (p.m.). There would be shadows. I'd make an out. And then I'd fight traffic home. That was my summer in Chicago."

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Daily Herald Why this Chicago Cubs team is not affected by hype, history By Bruce Miles

CLEVELAND -- Monday was World Series media day at Progressive Field.

The Super Bowl-style event put each player from the Chicago Cubs at his own station, and the assembled media from around the world were free to have at them.

Maybe that would convince this young bunch of Cubs the World Series is truly a big deal.

It didn't seem to work. About the only concession to the Series being something on a grand scale was that some of the players took their name placards with them when the media event was over.

"You're taking your sign?" veteran pitcher John Lackey said to second-year third baseman Kris Bryant.

"I've never been to the World Series," Bryant replied.

That's OK, a few of the older veterans took their signs, too.

But other than that, the Cubs to a man have been unaffected by the hype or the history that comes with the World Series, let alone being the first Cubs team since 1945 to get here.

"We don't care," Bryant said matter-of-factly. "Go out there and play. We don't care about any of the history. It's a new team, so that's how we have to approach it. You can't let any of that outside stuff weigh you down at all because none of that helps you go out and perform on the field.

"Yeah, we're too young."

Game 1 is Tuesday night with Cubs left-hander Jon Lester taking on Cleveland Indians right-hander Corey Kluber.

The 32-year-old Lester has won two World Series with the Boston Red Sox. His perspective is allowing him to enjoy all of this.

"Oh, man, it's awesome, especially to be a part of this organization with all the history and all the fun stuff that we keep being a part of and talking about," Lester said.

"Joe (manager Maddon) talks about staying in the moment; that's kind of his big thing. Always stay in the moment, stay relevant to what we're doing now. And I think this group has done a really good job of that."

Maddon echoed that again Monday.

"I promise you our guys are going to be in the present tense," he said. "I think we all have a tremendous amount of respect for history and what's happened before us or not happened before us.

"But you go in that (locker) room right now, they're very young, really not impacted by a lot of the lure, I don't think, other than the fact that we are impacted by our city and our fans and the people that attend our games and the conversations we have."

Holding court at his own station was shortstop Addison Russell, all of 22 years old. This is his second postseason -- he missed last year's National League championship series with a hamstring injury suffered in the division series.

His blood pressure didn't seem elevated, either.

"Just try not to think about it that much," he said, sitting calmly with his arms folded. "The more you think about it, the more you starting thinking about pressure and all the eyes that are watching.

"The more you try to go outside your comfort zone a little bit … I've been dealing with this stuff. These guys have been dealing with this stuff all season long, so it's not foreign to us.

"Like Joe says, we embrace it and we go out there and have some fun performing."

Team president Theo Epstein visited with reporters late Monday afternoon as the Cubs worked out on the field before the Indians held an evening workout.

Epstein has his own theory as to why the young team he built has remained calm and focused.

"I think as a group they're team-first guys who have always been focused on winning," he said. "They've really struck me that way. The guys we've drafted or signed or even Addison, coming over in a trade, is all business.

"They're pretty mature beyond their years. They've been embraced by our veterans because they're all about winning.

"When you're competing, even on a stage like this and you keep the focus on what's good for the team and winning, it makes it easier, and that's what those guys do."

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Daily Herald Lester, Kluber look to keep rolling in Game 1 of World Series By Scot Gregor

It's go time.

For the first time in 71 years, the Chicago Cubs are in the World Series. That's great, but not good enough.

"As far as a team goal, you want to make it to this point," Cubs starter Jon Lester said Monday. "You want to be the last team standing and jumping in that dog pile and having fun afterwards.

"It's very rewarding to get to this point, but we still have this week to go."

The Cubs have had a great run so far, leading the major leagues with 103 wins during the regular season before dispatching the and in the playoffs.

Now, they oppose the Cleveland Indians and try to win the World Series for the first time since 1908.

The Cubs have got to be feeling good heading into Game 1 with Lester on the mound. After posting the lowest ERA (2.44) of his career and matching his high for wins (19) during the regular season, Lester has been stellar in the postseason, going 3-0 with a 0.86 ERA.

"Jonny Lester, there is an incredible amount of calm that I'm seeing from the dugout when I'm watching him out there right now," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "He's really, really in the moment, he's calm. He's just eager to get out and pitch."

Lester is going to have to continue being calm -- and good -- as he matches up against Indians ace Corey Kluber in the World Series opener.

Kluber, who should win his second Cy Young Award in three seasons this year, is 2-1 with a 0.98 ERA in 3 postseason starts.

"They're a good team, obviously," Kluber said of the Cubs. "They've been the best team in baseball all year, so they've got a lot of good hitters through their lineup, one through nine. It's not really much of a different story than we've had the last two series. Really good offenses, and it's just going to be a matter of going out there and executing."

Earlier in the season, Kluber was part of an impressive Cleveland rotation that also featured Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar and Trevor Bauer.

Carrasco is out for the year with a broken right hand, Salazar was just added to the Indians' World Series roster after missing the final month of the season with a forearm strain, and Bauer is still dealing with an injured pinkie he sliced up repairing his drone.

Thanks to the work of Andrew Miller out of the bullpen, the Indians have survived.

"Injuries are a part of the game," Kluber said. "It's going to happen throughout the year. Obviously, we've had our fair share of them pitching-wise. But I think it's just really guys embracing the challenges of stepping in and filling those shoes."

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Daily Herald Rozner: Ricketts understood Cubs' plan from start By Barry Rozner

Tom Ricketts heard the plan and he understood the plan.

And he came forth and spoke to the people, and he said, "The plan is good. The plan is real. The plan is life."

OK, it wasn't quite so biblical, but the Chicago Cubs owner did buy in to Theo Epstein's rebuild and never lost faith, even when some took Ricketts and Epstein apart.

"I never really paid much attention to the criticism," Ricketts said. "I'd walk through the upper deck and talk to people and the fans were always aboard. One of 20 would be really upset, but 19 out of 20 would be like, 'Hey, man, I'm glad you have a plan.' "

Yes, the plan, a full rebuild from scratch that would produce not one shot at the playoffs based on overspending, backloaded contracts or the moving of prospects for rentals, followed by a decade of misery, but instead a team of young players built to compete for many, many years.

The screeching from the naysayers did not make Ricketts rethink the project.

"I think I'm most proud of being able to put together an organization and tell the story in a way that nobody panicked," Ricketts said. "Everyone stayed in the boat. Everyone hung with us.

"There were some tough years when the fans could have quit. They could have gone home. They could have stopped coming to Wrigley. They could have lost faith in me. They could have lost faith in the organization.

"But they gave us a chance and we pulled through."

And while Epstein, Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod were up to their necks in mud, Ricketts says he never had second thoughts.

"Theo laughs about the days when I was too patient, and thinks I should have been yelling at him more," Ricketts said with a big smile. "Once you see the plan, and once you understand what you have to do to build the organization, you know it takes time and you know if you take a shortcut, it'll be a dead end.

"And you know if you rush it, you'll screw it up."

Epstein's vision was simple, but the execution extremely complicated, and even he had moments when he wondered how quickly they would be able to pull this off.

"We never doubted, but there were times when it seemed like it was a long way away," Epstein said. "We would stare at the board and wonder where the impact players were going to come from, and how would we acquire enough talent to make this happen.

"Slowly but surely, it came together. Great support from ownership. Awesome job by our player development guys. Next thing you know you look up and 4 more wins until we're world champions. It's pretty special.

"It's good to be part of this organization. It's a special place. I'm just honored to be here. It's pretty cool when people want to be a part of something like this. We have a lot of veterans who signed here and took less (money) because they wanted to be a part of something historic."

It's easy to imagine Epstein not with the Cubs. And it's easy to think of where they would be, with bloated payrolls, chubby players, fat ERAs and thin records.

Instead, the Cubs finally got the break of the century when Epstein fell into their laps.

"That was obviously very, very lucky," Ricketts said. "There was a window of opportunity there and we got lucky and then took advantage of it. Same with Joe (Maddon). The window opened for us."

So now the Cubs are 4 wins from what was so long considered unthinkable. And guess what? Tom Ricketts won't think about it.

"Not really. Won't do it. Not getting ahead. Have not thought about it," Ricketts said. "Honestly, I had people calling me about tickets in Cleveland last week, and I was like, 'Don't even go there. I'm not interested in talking about it.'

"I take it day by day. I take my cues from the players. That's how they go about their business. I'm just happy we got through Los Angeles, but this is not over."

Maybe not over, but all going according to plan.

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Daily Herald Chicago Cubs name Lester Game 1 starter By Bruce Miles

CLEVELAND -- The Chicago, national and international media have descended on Progressive Field for World Series media day. All players from both teams will be available in a Super Bowl-style media availability.

The first news of the day is that Jon Lester will be the Chicago Cubs' Game 1 starter for the World Series Tuesday night. Corey Kluber is slated to start on the mound for Cleveland in Game 1.

We expect to hear from Jon and manager Joe Maddon this afternoon.

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Daily Herald Imrem: These Chicago Cubs are built to last By Mike Imrem

Just imagine if the Chicago Cubs go ahead and win the World Series: They could surpass in baseball what the 1980s Bears were in football and the 1990s Bulls were in basketball.

Maybe you have heard that a championship would be the Cubs' first in 108 years.

That alone would make this collection of Cubs iconic, but there's also the sense that fans find it easy to like them.

The Bears were a traveling circus during a raucous 1980s run that included a Super Bowl XX victory.

During the next few years the popularity of these Cubs might make those Bears seem mildly appealing.

The Bulls were characterized as the Beatles while winning six NBA titles during the 1990s.

The popularity of these Cubs might make those Bulls seem like a garage band.

The Cubs already had a massive following around the country even when they were lovable losers merely tweaking history.

Chicago transplants as far away as California, Florida and Arizona turned out to cheer the Cubs in their road uniforms.

Cubs fans here routinely drove from Chicago to St. Louis, Cincinnati and Milwaukee to fill ballparks there.

Think about it: We're talking about futile Cubs teams that hadn't won a National League pennant in more than seven decades or a World Series in nearly 11 decades.

Yet, next to the Yankees, the Cubs were the America's Team of baseball minus a few dozen championships.

So, what if the Cubs actually do win this season's World Series … and then another soon after … then another sometime …?

Cubs players will be coming into your family room on TV and selling you everything from soft drinks to underwear to luxury automobiles.

The Cubs supposedly are primed for sustained success that could extend into the middle of the 2020s.

For that to be the forecast, the Cubs must have a youthful core expected to stay in place for a while.

Fans already have gotten to know Cubs players and will get to know them even better, the way Bears fans knew Refrigerator Perry and Jim McMahon and Bulls fans knew Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.

Print and TV media will tell everyone everything they possibly could want to know about Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo.

Cubs fans will find out what the Kyles -- Hendricks and Schwarber -- eat for breakfast; where Javier Baez and Willson Contreras expend their boundless energy after leaving work; whether Joe Maddon can fix everything at home like he does at the ballpark.

Those questions will be answered not only locally but nationally and maybe even internationally.

Older Cubs fans scattered around America and the world will be joined by new ones here, there and everywhere.

Together they will elevate the Cubs to the same level as the '80s Bears and the '90s Bulls … and then above them.

When that Bears circus and those Bulls rock stars arrived in another town, fans waited for them at the team hotel, greeted the team bus and hoped for autographs or perhaps just a glimpse.

Ah, but that's getting ahead of ourselves, isn't it?

The Cubs still have to win a World Series to reach the widespread notoriety of those Bears and Bulls teams.

But it is interesting to ponder who the juggler in the Cubs' circus would be and who the drummer in their rock band would be.

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Daily Herald Bernfield: Cleveland's resourcefulness a challenge for Cubs By Jordan Bernfield

On Sept. 17, respected Indians beat writer Paul Hoynes declared the Indians' season was over.

"The Indians won a ballgame Saturday afternoon," Hoynes wrote at Cleveland.com. "But their postseason dreams ended. Write it down."

Hoynes penned this after the Indians lost their second starting pitcher to injury in eight days. First, Danny Salazar suffered a forearm injury on the ninth against the Twins. Then Carlos Carrasco broke a bone in his pitching hand when Detroit's lined a ball back to the mound.

Once possessing one of baseball's deepest starting rotations, Cleveland lost two valuable arms heading into the postseason. It seemed reasonable at the time to think losing both Salazar and Carrasco would be insurmountable in October.

But here are the Indians, in the World Series for the first time since 1997, and seeking their first championship since 1948. And they barely broke a sweat in their run to the Fall Classic.

It started with a sweep of the Red Sox in the American League division series. Cleveland rocked 22-game winner Rick Porcello for five runs in Game 1 and free agent prize for five more in Game 2.

Then they neutralized the high-powered Blue Jays in five games in the American League championship series despite being forced to use their bullpen for nearly all of Game 3. Trevor Bauer cut his right pinkie finger repairing a drone before the series -- and tried to pitch through it -- but was forced out of the game in the first inning when blood gushed from the wound.

Ace Corey Kluber pitched on short rest in Game 4 and rookie Ryan Merritt fired 4 ⅓ shutout innings in Game 5 before the bullpen secured the pennant.

The resourceful way in which the Indians won seven of eight games to reach the World Series embodies their entire season. They don't boast the most powerful offense, finishing 18th in the regular season in home runs, but they scored the fifth-most runs in baseball.

They run the bases well. They stole the fourth-most bases (134) and figure to challenge Jon Lester and the Cubs defense with their speed. Rajai Davis led the Tribe with 43 steals in the regular season, but three other regulars swiped at least 15 bases.

Their greatest improvement this season came from their bullpen. When the Cubs acquired Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman, the Indians picked up his teammate, Andrew Miller. The super reliever won the ALCS MVP, and has been the player GM Mike Chernoff envisioned when he traded top prospects to acquire him in July.

Cleveland has an excellent manager. Theo Epstein hired Terry Francona to manage the Red Sox to World Series titles in 2004 and 2007, and now Francona has masterfully led the young Indians back to the World Series in his fourth year on the job.

A new set of challenges awaits the Cubs in their final series this October. The Indi-ANS will test them on the bases and in the bullpen.

And huge audiences are expected to watch as baseball's two teams with the longest World Series droughts meet in a dream matchup.

• Jordan Bernfield is an anchor and co-host of "Inside The Clubhouse" on WSCR 670-AM The Score. He also works as a play-by-play broadcaster for ESPN. Follow him on Twitter@JordanBernfield.

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Cubs.com Schwarber heads to Cleveland, may DH in G1 By Carrie Muskat

CLEVELAND -- Kyle Schwarber will be with the Cubs for the World Series and all signs are pointing toward him being the designated hitter tonight for Game 1.

Schwarber, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the third game of the year, played his second Arizona Fall League game Monday in Mesa, Ariz., and went 1-for-3 with a double, scoring a run. MLB.com's Jon Paul Morosi reported Schwarber was expected to be added to the Cubs' playoff roster and be the DH for Game 1. However, the team will not announce the roster until today at 10 a.m. ET.

"To have another young guy here who has a track record of hitting home runs, who is a threat, who, when you see his name in the lineup, there's some scariness to that -- we can't wait to have him back," Chicago's Addison Russell said. "I'm a big Kyle Schwarber fan. I love what he does; I can't wait until he gets here."

Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein was in the visitor's clubhouse at Progressive Field on Monday to watch Schwarber's first two at-bats as well as a pregame workout via the team's video feed from Mesa.

"He ran the bases before the game really well, slid, dove back in, went first to third, second to home," Epstein said Monday during the Cubs' workout before Game 1 of the World Series. "He looked really good. He's running pretty well. He's saving his hits, apparently, because he keeps hitting the balls at guys."

In his first at-bat Monday, Schwarber hit a fastball that registered 110 mph off the bat but Saguaros second baseman Corey Toups made a diving stop. In his second at-bat, Toups robbed Schwarber again as he lined a changeup to right.

Schwarber went 0-for-3 on Saturday night in his first AFL game. Epstein said he didn't need to see Schwarber personally before making a decision but will check with the medical staff who were in Arizona.

The question the Cubs face is whether Schwarber can contribute more than, say, Jorge Soler or Chris Coghlan, who have had limited at-bats. Chicago carried 12 pitchers during the League Championship Series and have to decide if they want that extra bat. Plus, is Schwarber ready?

"If anything, a lot of young, talented guys, you worry about them feeling like Superman," said Jason McLeod, the Cubs director of scouting and player development. "This was a very serious injury he's coming back from. I had questions about the running, the cutting, sliding the bases, turning on the back leg. We've watched all of his [at- bats], and health-wise he looks good, which is the thing I was most concerned with.

"It's asking quite a bit of anyone to sit out of the game for that long of time and then be potentially ready for something like this."

Schwarber, who tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee in a freak collision with Dexter Fowler on April 7, certainly would be playing in a ballpark where he feels at home. He made his Major League debut in Cleveland on June 16, 2015, when he was called up from Triple-A Iowa to be the designated hitter in Interleague games. He pinch-hit in his first game, but then went on a tear, going 6-for-9 with a home run, a triple and four RBIs in the next two games against the Indians.

A native of Middletown, Ohio, he has thrived in the state of Ohio. In seven games against the Reds last year, he was 11-for-27 with two homers, one double and five RBIs.

The Cubs players have watched Schwarber rehab all season. No one expected him to recover this quickly, yet they aren't surprised either.

"You see him full of sweat -- when we're playing, he doesn't go home, he's watching video," Anthony Rizzo said. "I've probably yelled at him at least 10 times this year. He's looking at his swing in April, May, June -- 'Schwarbs, what are you doing? Just watch baseball and enjoy it.' But he's going over scouting reports, seeing how to pitch guys and really dissecting every game and trying to learn by not playing."

In the postseason last year, Schwarber went 9-for-27 with five home runs, including one that he hit on top of the right-field scoreboard at Wrigley Field. It's still up there.

"I think we might turn it up another notch, especially with a guy like that who's high energy," Russell said about having Schwarber back. "The style that he plays is pretty fun to watch and the way he hits the ball is fun to watch as well."

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Cubs.com Fowler Cubs' first African-American in Series By Jamal Collier

CLEVELAND -- The Cubs had just secured their first World Series appearance since 1945, and as Saturday night became early Sunday morning, Dexter Fowler could not stop scrolling through Twitter. As he sifted through the congratulations and the celebrating fans, he came across a surprising fact.

That last World Series appearance for the Cubs came two years before Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier with the Dodgers in 1947, so when Fowler steps into the batter's box to start tonight's Game 1 against Corey Kluber, he will become the first African-American player to appear in a World Series game for the Cubs.

"That's crazy," Fowler said during World Series media day on Monday. "It's crazy to even think about that, because you look back and you look at your parents, my parents weren't even alive then. It's a lifetime. It's awesome to be the pioneer, the first one."

These Cubs normally don't talk much about history. In fact, they might not be here if they thought about it, if they allowed the pressure from 108 years of Cubs frustration to affect them. But this is history they could embrace.

Robinson integrated baseball in 1947, but the Cubs did not have a black player on their roster until Ernie Banks made the team in 1953. Chicago figures to have four African-American players on its roster for this World Series -- Fowler, Jason Heyward, Carl Edwards Jr. and Addison Russell.

"It's still mind-blowing," Edwards said. "It's like breaking another barrier."

"That's a huge accomplishment," Russell said. "To be in this situation is a joy in itself, but to have that and then hopefully be in the record books for something spectacular like that, I think that's going to be pretty huge, not only for me, but for my family and some of the other guys' families as well."

"Man, it's cool," Heyward said. "It's a unique thing, it's a positive thing, definitely not a negative thing for there to be a first. There's got to be a first time for everything."

Both Russell and Edwards said they found out like Fowler, by scrolling through Twitter to discover this latest history-making moment for these Cubs.

"Wow ... speechless. Thanks for sharing this fact. I will carry it with me," Fowler wrote in a tweet at 3:47 a.m. CT on Sunday. He expanded Monday: "You look at it and you're like, 'Wow.' That's when it really sinks in, it's like you are the first African-American to play in a World Series as a Cub."

It could have been Banks or Billy Williams or Ferguson Jenkins, but the Cubs have not been on this stage in 71 years. And it's something that Fowler will take great pride in.

"And it all wouldn't be possible without Jackie," Fowler said.

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Cubs.com Bat change just part of Rizzo's turnaround By Carrie Muskat

CLEVELAND -- How did the Cubs' Anthony Rizzo deal with his early postseason struggles? It involves more than Matt Szczur's bat.

"The only comment we shared was Rizzo came up to me and said, 'Addy, congrats,'" Cubs shortstop Addison Russell said Monday. "I was like, 'Congrats for what?' And he said, 'Congrats on getting as many hits as me.'"

Which meant, not many. Russell and Rizzo had one hit each through the first six postseason games.

"I said, 'We're going to turn it around,' and we did," Russell said. "I don't think there was any panic between the two of us. ... We believed in our work, we believed in what we had, and we believed in our craft. You saw in the last couple games with L.A., it takes one hit, and off we go."

The Cubs will be counting on Rizzo against the Indians in the World Series, which begins tonight at Progressive Field. The good news for Rizzo is that the Indians don't have an overload of left-handed pitchers like the Dodgers, whom the Cubs faced in the National League Championship Series.

In the NL Division Series against the Giants, Rizzo went 1-for-15. He was 1-for-11 in the first three games of the NLCS, and struck out twice in Game 4 before grabbing Szczur's bat and hitting a home run in the fifth, a two-run single in the sixth, and another single in the eighth in the 10-2 win over the Dodgers.

He had two hits each in Games 5 and 6 with two more RBIs, hitting a home run off Clayton Kershaw in the fifth inning of Game 6 that had Wrigley Field shaking. And, yes, he was using Szczur's bat in those games, too.

"Tony's like a big kid," Szczur said. "He's not really superstitious or anything. I don't think he cared about his bat, he just wanted to do something different. For some reason, when he used my bat, it went well. Maybe it took the pressure off, I don't know."

Rizzo had some new bats waiting for him that were the same model as Szczur's. They can stay in the box.

"Rizzo said, 'I'm not using it because it doesn't have your name on it,'" Szczur said, laughing.

"It was just something different," Cubs hitting coach John Mallee said, trying to explain the bat karma. "It's all psychological. Maybe when he put the bat in his hands, there was a different feel in his hands, and the focus was on using a different bat rather than being worried about the next pitch. Maybe it just cleared his mind."

Rizzo and catcher David Ross spend time together on the road working out before games. Ross, a career .229 hitter, doesn't offer advice.

"When you're struggling, more voices can kind of overwhelm you," Ross said. "I've struggled a lot in my career, and I've had pitching coaches come up to tell me how to hit."

After batting .292 with 32 homers and 109 RBIs this season, Rizzo knows himself better than anyone. "I've felt good since the first game of the playoffs," Rizzo said. "Obviously, balls have fallen lately and that helps a lot. It's just going up there and trying to have good at-bats, and I've consistently done that during the whole postseason."

That's all the Cubs can ask for.

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Cubs.com Lester: Some nerves, mostly poise in Game 1 By Jamal Collier

CLEVELAND -- Although it may be impossible to tell, there will be nerves for Jon Lester -- the veteran admitted as much -- when he takes the mound at Progressive Field tonight. But throughout his career, Lester seems to be the most relaxed in these moments, building a résumé as one of the most accomplished postseason pitchers of this era.

Lester, the co-Most Valuable Player of the National League Championship Series (with infielder Javier Baez), will get the start for the Cubs in Game 1 of the World Series tonight against the Indians. Corey Kluber will start for Cleveland.

Lester will be followed by Jake Arrieta in Game 2, and Kyle Hendricks and John Lackey in Games 3 and 4 at Wrigley Field.

That the Cubs named Lester for this start was no surprise; he started their series openers during the first two rounds of this postseason. They signed Lester as a free agent during the offseason in 2014 with games such as tonight's in mind, to be able to send a starter to the mound with his postseason experience and poise.

"There is an incredible amount of calm that I'm seeing from the dugout when I'm watching him out there right now," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "He's really, really in the moment, he's calm. Gosh, he's just eager to get out and pitch.

"So, yeah, he's definitely on his way. You see all those names on our scoreboard once in a while that go back to the early 1900s, with all this great [allure] and all this kind of stuff. Maybe 50, 60 years from now you'll see Jonny up there with the same kind of reverence. So I know he's ready. I know he's in the moment and throwing the ball really well right now. So, again, I'm eager to watch him pitch."

This will be Lester's second start in the opening game of the World Series. He took the ball in Game 1 in 2013 for the Red Sox and dominated the Cardinals, scattering five hits across 7 2/3 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and one walk in an 8-1 Boston victory. He has won each of his three career World Series starts while posting a 0.43 ERA.

Lester joins a memorable list of pitchers to start Game 1 of the World Series for the Cubs, such as Moredcai "Three Finger" Brown, and Hippo Vaughn.

"Obviously this is one of the goals that you set, for me at least, the individual, and as far as team goal, you want to make it to this point," Lester said. "You want to be the last team standing and jumping in that dogpile and having fun afterwards. It's very rewarding to get to this point, but we still have this week to go."

The Indians present an interesting challenge for Lester because of their speed and baserunning. They could take advantage of Lester's well-documented issues throwing to first base. Still, despite those issues, the lefty has remained one of the most effective pitchers in baseball, and he could win the NL Cy Young Award this season.

And Lester has been everything the Cubs could have asked for during the postseason. He has allowed just two runs in 21 innings with 14 strikeouts and two walks -- and Chicago has won all three of his starts. But Lester insisted that it's not due to relishing these moments, but being able to control his emotions and treating it like any other start.

"I'm not naive to the situation," he said. "You know, there will be nerves and there will be adrenaline and all that stuff when I go out there to throw the first pitch and kind of get the ball rolling. But once you get into the game, I feel like then you're able to go back to your game plan and what you're trying to think of.

"So, I don't look at it as the nation looking at me as a starting pitcher and all that stuff. I look at it as we're the Chicago Cubs, and I'm fortunate enough to pitch Game 1 tomorrow, and we're going to try to win that game. That's how I kind of look at it."

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Cubs.com Baez, Lindor have special baseball connection By Anthony Castrovince

CLEVELAND -- Francisco Lindor on one side. Javier Baez on the other. The energy, atmosphere and anticipation all electric.

What? You think we're talking about Game 1 of the World Series tonight at Progressive Field? No, no, although that'll be cool, too.

No, we're talking about a high school game west of Orlando in 2011.

"Feb. 17, 2011," Indians scouting director Brad Grant says, reciting the date from memory. "Montverde [Academy] and Arlington [Country Day School]. There were probably 150 scouts there, and Montverde is a boarding school, so you had about 150-200 students there, too. So the environment was really cool."

Scouts spend their nights eating bad food in bad hotels in search of the next great thing. So they don't forget a night like this, when two legit first-round-type talents -- either capable of being the first shortstop selected -- elevate their game in a heated competition mere months before the Draft. Lindor went 3-for-3 with a walk, while Baez went 1-for-4 with a triple and, perhaps as memorably, sprayed homers to all fields in batting practice.

Lindor and Baez had been on the same field several times before. In the 2010 Aflac All-American Game, for instance, they hit back-to-back triples. But that game on Feb. 17, 2011, stands out because of its Draft implications.

Four months later, Lindor went at No. 8 overall to the Indians, and Baez went at No. 9 to the Cubs.

Five years after that, the 22-year-old Lindor and the 23-year-old Baez are arguably the two most captivating everyday players on this World Series stage. And their remarkably similar paths -- both were born in Puerto Rico, moved to Florida at a young age and wound up being taken back to back in the Draft -- has secured a friendship and a shared respect. The two even had a Thanksgiving dinner together at Baez's house a few years back.

"His family made food, and my mom brought something," Lindor recalled. "We just chilled, we ate, we hung out with our families, then we played paint ball with his brothers and his cousins, just like kids do."

Added Baez: "He's like my brother. We've kind of had the same life."

And the same impact in October.

Lindor, the Tribe's starting shortstop and wearer of "BelieveLand" cleats, has gone 10-for-31 with two homers, two doubles and four RBIs this postseason, building on what has been a remarkably smooth transition to the Majors that earned him runner-up status in last year's AL Rookie of the Year Award voting.

Baez -- perhaps not unexpectedly, given his big-swinging ways -- had a little more turbulence in his transition, but this season he has been a play-everywhere, hit-anywhere weapon for manager Joe Maddon's club. And this October has been Baez's coming-out party -- 13-for-38 with one homer, two stolen bases and seven RBIs while essentially owning the starting second-base spot.

For those who were at Montverde -- at the field that now bears Lindor's name -- that memorable night in 2011 and spent an inordinate amount of time breaking down their respective games and making projections for their futures, seeing them both succeed on the big stage has been both fun and, well, not entirely unexpected.

Lindor and Baez take different methods to basically get to the same point of impact.

"You've got the calm, and you've got the storm," said former Cubs scouting director Tim Wilken, who left the club last year to go to the D-backs. "Lindor plays with a wonderful pace, he's really under control, almost cerebral in a sense. And Javy's like the wild colt that's eventually going to turn into quite the horse. Javy does some exceptionally exciting things, and Lindor's pretty good every day. It's funny, it's a contrast."

There is certainly a contrast in style -- Lindor the graceful, gleeful artist who has embraced the notion of being the smiling face of a franchise, and Baez the introvert, who lets his aggressive-yet-instinctive and fearless performance speak for itself.

Baez came with some question marks. Arlington Country Day lost its accreditation with the Florida High School Athletic Association and faced lesser competition than Lindor's school, and Baez's impassioned play ignited a dustup at a 2010 showcase.

"All you were hoping for was that he had the ability to tone it down," Wilken said. "If you hit on that, you're hitting a grand slam."

Baez can hit those and, especially as he ages and refines his approach, he will provide more pure power. He struck out in 24 percent of his plate appearances this season (Lindor, in comparison, struck out in just 12.9 percent), but the trade-off is what he can do when he gets a hold of one. Baez hit a higher percentage of fly balls this season (36.4 vs. 28.4), and a higher percentage of his fly balls (12.7 vs. 9.9) went for home runs. And Baez is a perfect fit for a Maddon-managed team, because he can catch the ball anywhere. He made at least 25 starts at second, short and third this season and he also played a handful of games at first base and left.

There's great value in versatility in today's game, and that's one reason why Wilken made Baez his chief target with that No. 9 pick.

Of course, there's great value in an everyday shortstop, too, and that's why Grant targeted Lindor, who was actually projected on some boards to go much higher than No. 8.

"In the end, as we worked through it, that consistency and that ability to play shortstop was what separated them," Grant said. "Lindor's always had more power than people gave him credit for. He won a home-run-hitting contest at the Aflac Games between junior and senior year. It's surprising, but he's got some strength."

Lindor and Baez demonstrated both the strengths and the weaknesses of the Puerto Rican breeding ground. Puerto Rico used to routinely churn out top talent at the big-league level, but changes to the Draft and the baseball culture on the island negatively impacted that rate of production. When Baez and Lindor moved to Florida, they fundamentally improved their eventual Draft stock because of the number of eyes that would be upon them. Carlos Correa's selection by the Astros as the first overall pick out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy has likely changed that for the current, up-and-coming generation.

"It's definitely better now," Grant said. "There's a lot more structure to the baseball now. At that time, for [Baez and Lindor] to play in the States and against each other was really important. The number of looks, the amount of information, it worked out well."

The eighth and ninth picks of that particular Draft have both worked out well. Here they are, under the lights, the prying eyes upon them, the expectation of excellence established. It's a pretty cool feature of this World Series, but, for those who were there that night in February 2011, it's really nothing new.

"He texted me after he won [in the NLCS] and said, 'Hey man, is this a dream?'" Lindor said with his big smile. "I said, 'I think it is, because I haven't woken up yet.'"

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Cubs.com Cubs want to make 'grandpa' Ross proud By Barry M. Bloom

CLEVELAND -- Whether the Cubs win or lose against the Indians in their first World Series since 1945, it will be the end of the line as a player for catcher David Ross.

Ross, who is projected to start tonight in Game 1 at Progressive Field to catch old friend Jon Lester, made it known early on that this was his last season.

It's not as if Chicago's coterie of young players -- Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Anthony Rizzo -- need any added incentive. But to a man on Monday, they said they'd love to send out the 39-year-old veteran of 15 seasons with a World Series title.

The Cubs, of course, haven't won one in 108 years.

"I wish that we could keep him around forever. It's sad that this is his last year," Bryant said. "He lets us call him grandpa, and he's not even a grandpa. We give each other a hard time all the time. That's what makes him my favorite teammate."

Ross is a father of three young children. His older daughter, Landry, is 9, his son, Cole, is 7, his younger daughter, Harper, is 1 month old. And for that reason, the veteran says it's time to let go of his active status as a player.

"If you pride yourself as a family man and you don't put your family first, then that's not right," Ross said.

In contrast, though, Ross said he feels healthy and could keep playing. Three years after his Red Sox beat the Cardinals in a six-game World Series, Ross has had such a good time this season he's constantly considering a change of heart.

"I think about that every day," he said. "I love playing the game. I love competing. I love being part of the guys. I love this and I've had some success this year. It makes you think, 'Oh, are you really done?'

"I just think that coming back after this amazing year, who knows what the next would hold? And I really want to be a part of my kids' lives. I want to do some things with them. My son is getting into baseball. My daughter is getting into some extracurricular things like volleyball and cheerleading. I want to be a part of all that."

Ross is torn between his own family and the family of players that surrounds him on the field and in the clubhouse. Unlike his 2013 Red Sox, Ross looks around and knows that the Cubs have a foundation of youngsters that's going to make them contenders for years.

"It's tough," Ross said. "When you want to be successful at baseball, you've got to commit your life to it. I mean, Spring Training started in mid-February this year. We've been doing this for a long time. I live in Florida. My Spring Training is Arizona. And we play in Chicago. So it's not easy on the family. They've traveled a lot. I've gotten to live my dream. It's time."

The Boston team that was vanquished by Cleveland this postseason in an American League Division Series had only six guys remaining from the group that played on that most recent World Series winner. And one of them, , also just retired.

It's the transient nature of Major League Baseball. Lester and pitcher John Lackey played with Ross on the 2013 Red Sox and are in the World Series with him again this year.

Three years ago, Ross missed a couple of months of the regular season after sustaining a concussion. Ultimately, Ross caught Lester in the ALCS and the World Series.

"He brings that intensity," Lester said on Monday, reflecting on what Ross contributes. "He expects so much of you, and so you want to do more sometimes. It's like getting that approval from your dad type of thing."

In 2013, Lester won Game 5 over the Tigers in the ALCS, and Games 1 and 5 against the Cardinals in the World Series. The Cubs have already won all three times Lester and Ross have been paired this postseason, and both men are hoping for the same result in the next week.

"It's special to be with him now in this World Series, in kind of this, his last hurrah," Lester said.

The Cubs' younger players, of course, look at it from a completely different perspective. Ross was a bit player in Boston, but he has become a folk hero in Chicago. The fans love him and the kids look up to him. They keep him young, Ross said.

"The whole year I've been asking my questions to him," Baez said. "He's one of the first people I go to."

"It's fun to have him around," Rizzo added. "We've got to send him out on the highest note you can ever go out on in this game. I can't praise him enough for his leadership, for everything he's done for me as a player and a person and for this organization."

Asked if he also calls him grandpa, Rizzo deadpanned: "I call him way worse names than that."

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Cubs.com Old school or new school, Maddon's your guy By Lindsay Berra

CLEVELAND -- At Joe Maddon's first news conference of the World Series, the Cubs' ultra-progressive manager was asked about those who have influenced him most.

The names Maddon rattled off read like a who's-who of baseball history: , Bob Clear, Thornton Lee, Carl Hubbell, Al Campanis, Ferguson Jenkins, Glenn Beckert, Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey. Some of those are household names. Others will no doubt drive even diehard fans to a Google search.

"I've talked to all these dudes about the past, and about what's going on right now," Maddon said. "Of course, the game is absolutely the same and entirely different. If that makes any sense."

With Maddon, it does. The bespectacled 62-year-old is widely loved, by his players and fellow coaches, by baseball fans -- Cubs and otherwise -- and by the media. That feeling comes, in no small part, from Maddon's ability to simultaneously be both old school and new school, and appeal to every generation of baseball fan.

In the baseball-is-the-only-thing-since-the-paper-clip-that-hasn't-changed world in which Maddon exists, he's revolutionary. He was one of the first to embrace analytics, he nearly singlehandedly resurrected the shift, then scrapped it when it didn't suit the NL Central, and nearly everyone asked to describe his managerial style uses the term "outside the box." But Maddon is as devoted to and enamored with the history of baseball as he is to the idea of moving the game forward.

"Joe does have one foot in both worlds," Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks said. "You hear about the old-school way to play, and the new-school way, with all the statistics and sabermetrics. We have veterans who were here for the old-school way, and we have young kids who are coming up through the new school. Joe does a very good job of handling both. The new-school way is not the one way to play baseball, and the old-school way isn't the one way, either. Joe really melds those two together very well."

Shortstop Addison Russell agrees.

"Joe has a pretty good feel for history, and also for what's trending," Russell said. "You add those things together and put it on Joe and he's just hip. He's in with the times, he's trendy, he knows what's going on in the clubhouse, with all of us, with the world. And he knows how to talk to us, and that's huge."

Joe Maddon from his high school yearbook in Hazleton, Pa.

Maddon is the quintessential player's manager, throwing structure out the window in favor of trusting his players to prepare themselves to play in their own ways.

"We don't have many rules, other than to respect others around you," pitcher Justin Grimm said. "Joe allows you to prepare the way you feel you need to prepare. There isn't a certain way. His whole mindset is that we're all professionals, he doesn't treat any one guy as more professional than another."

Cubs players say with Maddon, what you see is what you get. He is the same with them as he is with fans and media, which also lends to his appeal.

"People just like you talking to them, telling them the truth," Maddon says. "If I can't talk to you about something, I'll tell you that, but I won't shut you out. ... Talking to people, communicating, it's just so important."

That's why anyone who has paid any attention to Maddon over the past decade feels like they know him. In a world where many in the public eye are often cryptic and evasive, keeping their personal lives close to the vest, Maddon is an open book.

Baseball fans know about his grandfather, Joe Maddonini, who came from Italy to Hazleton, Pa., and dropped the last three letters of his name to pass as Irish. They know his mother, Beanie, worked at the Third Base Luncheonette in Hazleton for decades, and that she retired last year.

They know about Maddon's wife Jaye's "spoxing" gym in Tampa, Fla., and his English bulldogs and his summers spent in his RV down in the Florida Keys.

Maddon is relentlessly positive. He meditates every morning, sips green tea in the dugout and frequently quotes Mark Twain. He goes to Bruce Springsteen concerts and watches football and is a self-proclaimed wine snob. On Cinco de Mayo, he had a Mariachi band serenade his players and had live bear cubs visit Spring Training, because he understands the importance of levity.

He's both interesting and totally normal.

"People can just relate to Joe," Russell said.

Of course, there are the dissenters, those who think Maddon's reputation as a baseball iconoclast is overblown, or that his genius is fueled by ego. And even his players will give him some ribbing.

"He digs himself a little bit, and I love that," Grimm said. "I think that's awesome. Not too much, and not in a bad way."

But no one will say Maddon isn't an all-around good guy, and there's no denying he's a winner.

And, for Cubs fans especially, that makes him an easy man to love.

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Cubs.com Playoffs in Cleveland? Bosio's been there By Carrie Muskat and Adam McCalvy

CLEVELAND -- Game 1 of the World Series at Progressive Field will have something of a familiar feeling for Cubs pitching coach . He started Game 5 of the 1995 American League Championship Series in this stadium for the Mariners against the Indians.

Bosio surrendered three runs (two earned) on seven hits over 5 1/3 innings and took a loss against . The Indians won the series in six games.

"We were just talking about that," Bosio said before the Cubs' workout on Monday. "Walking in the clubhouse, I saw David Ross in the hot tub, and he's like, 'Man this thing's hot.' I said, 'You're going to appreciate it tomorrow when it feels like it's 40 degrees.'"

Cold weather played a role in last year's National League Championship Series between the Cubs and Mets, but it has not been a factor this year in the postseason. Temperatures were in the 60s for Games 1, 2 and 6 of the Cubs' NLCS win against the Dodgers, and they reached the 90s for the three games in Los Angeles.

Tonight's forecast for Cleveland calls for a daytime high of 51 degrees with a low of 41.

"You'll be warmer than you think in the atmosphere," Bosio said. "The crowd here can get really loud. They're right on top of you. They're ferocious. But we've had that on this journey, at our place and on the road. San Francisco was hostile, L.A. We think we're ready for it. A lot of guys have been through that with Boston.

"There's little nuances with this park, how it plays. We'll go over that as a coaching staff and a scouting staff to try to give the guys as much information as possible to prepare for these games."

Year-long retirement party: Ross played for Indians manager Terry Francona and, obviously, for Cubs manager Joe Maddon, and has learned from both.

"He relates to the guys -- he almost feels like a player, the way he hangs out and sits and talks in the dugout," Ross said of Francona, who was his manager in Boston in 2008. "He's a very simple guy, doesn't let the moment get too big. I saw how he handled the Trevor Bauer [injury situation]. In a lot of markets, people would've made a huge deal about it, and he's like, 'Oh, we have an extra day, we'll see what happens.'"

Bauer cut his hand while repairing a drone, which forced him out of his Game 3 start in the ALCS.

What has Ross gleaned from Maddon?

"I understand that being outside of the box sometimes might be all right," Ross said. "I've actually understood that the conventional ways of playing baseball is how everybody else wants to play, and when you get outside of that, it affects the other team in a negative way. It's almost nice to do the unexpected or have the other team on their heels about what you're doing next. I've learned in my career, you have to worry about yourself and not the other team. I see teams come in and worry about what we're going to do."

Souvenirs: Reliever Mike Montgomery pitched a series in Cleveland in April as a member of the Mariners. The crowds were a bit sparse relative to what he'll see tonight.

"I was like, 'Man, this park is really nice, and I wonder if I'll get to see it when it's packed,'" Montgomery said Monday. "And now, here we are."

Now, Montgomery is with the Cubs following a July trade, and he picked up a win and his first postseason hit in Game 4 when he singled. On Monday, the lefty made sure to grab his nameplate from the World Series media day festivities. He'll give it to his mother, along with the ball from that hit.

When Montgomery returned to Chicago for Game 6 of the NLCS, he had a few more bats from his supplier. What he's hoping is that he'll get a right-handed batting glove. As he stood in the on-deck circle at Dodger Stadium before his at-bat, he realized he had two left-handed gloves. He didn't use anything as a result.

"Maybe I shouldn't hit with batting gloves because I got a hit," Montgomery said.

By the way, the Cavaliers will open the NBA season tonight next door to Progressive Field.

"Cleveland's kind of the place to be sports-wise," Montgomery said. "You wouldn't have thought that before. Now you've got an NBA championship [ring ceremony] and a World Series [game] on the same night."

Superstitions: Kris Bryant is aware of the link between the Cubs and a goat, who was denied access to Wrigley Field, which allegedly led to a curse being placed on the franchise. Bryant has done a couple commercials involving goats.

"This whole goat thing -- who cares?" Bryant said. "I think it's embracing whatever curses there are -- no one believes in that. I don't. I don't believe in superstitions. I change my underwear when I have a good game, so there is no superstition. I don't believe in it."

It was raining on the day he filmed one commercial, and the animal didn't want anything to do with Bryant.

"I'm no goat whisperer," Bryant said.

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Cubs.com Maddon hopes to best former Red Sox rival Francona By Adam McCalvy

CLEVELAND -- It will be Joe Maddon's Cubs against Terry Francona's Indians when the 112th World Series begins tonight at Progressive Field, and this is not the first time the two have been the last men standing.

Following the 2003 season, they were finalists for one of the most prized jobs in baseball: Boston Red Sox manager. That club was two weeks removed from a bitter loss to the Yankees in the American League Championship Series, with a young GM, Theo Epstein, who had yet to log a full year on the job. Epstein and top assistant Jed Hoyer interviewed Francona in Boston and Maddon at the Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix during the General Managers Meetings. Francona had previous managerial experience; Maddon did not.

Francona got the job. A year later, the Red Sox snapped their 86-year championship drought.

"At the time I said it: They made the right decision," Maddon said. "I thought Tito was more prepared for that moment than I was at that time, and I'll stand by that."

Today, Francona and Maddon lead different teams seeking to end long championship droughts. The Indians haven't won the World Series since 1948. The Cubs haven't won since 1908.

Passed over by Epstein in 2003, Maddon's time came in 2006 with the , a young, building team with which he could implement some of his creative managerial philosophies. The team reached the franchise's first World Series in 2008.

When Maddon became a managerial free agent following the 2014 season, the Cubs snapped him up. Chicago's president of baseball operations? Theo Epstein.

Epstein still has strong memories of their first meeting.

"I remember it well," Epstein said. "He was unique among managerial candidates at that time, with how loose he was, his sense of humor, his creative take on a lot of different parts of the game. He had so many years of bench coaching in the big leagues and managing in the Minor Leagues that he had strong convictions about the ways he wanted to do things. His personality was really entertaining, charming and offbeat. He was very impressive."

Maddon's memory is equally clear.

"What I remembered was the organization of the meeting, the well-thought-out component of the meeting," Maddon said. "For example, they gave me maybe a list of 10 different items, and I had to list them in order of importance. For example, creating your lineup, handling your bullpen, talking to the press, empowering your coaching staff. I think those were four of the examples. And then you have to list them in the order which you think is the most important thing to do on a daily basis. I thought that was interesting. So that was part of it.

"And then just handling difficult moments. A certain player becomes difficult and he's a star or got a great status, how do you deal with that? So you have to run by that potential scenario, also. Another good question."

Maddon had good answers, and he struck Epstein as a perfect fit for the Cubs when he became available in 2014. The Cubs were coming off their fifth consecutive losing season and had a very young roster, but Anthony Rizzo had just made his first All-Star team, Javier Baez and Jorge Soler had just touched the Majors for the first time, and Kris Bryant had completed what would be his final year in the Minors.

Epstein and Hoyer met Maddon for another interview. This time, they met not at a posh hotel with Maddon wearing a newly purchased suit from Men's Wearhouse, like the first, but in Florida outside Maddon's 43-foot RV, the "Cousin Eddie."

This time, Maddon got the job.

The Cubs made it to the 2015 National League Championship Series in his first year at the helm. This year, they have gone one step further.

And wouldn't you know it? Francona is the opposing skipper.

Epstein called it a "wonderful" coincidence and spoke glowingly of the managers' differences. Francona, a yard rat who thrives on long days in the clubhouse. Maddon, more carefree.

"It's funny for me to see how both guys are so prepared for the game and establish such a great environment for the players, and do it in such different ways," Epstein said. "Joe, kind of by not being there until late, and Tito by being there early. That's the biggest difference. Besides that, there are a ton of similarities between the two guys." Here's one: They both hope to hoist the World Series trophy.

"At the end of the day it's not about me or Tito; it's about players," Maddon said. "This game is always about players, and if your guys play better than their guys, you win. That's really what it comes down to. And you attempt to prepare your people. Don't complicate things. Try to put them in a position to be successful. And then work the process and look for a good result.

"I haven't talked about winning one time. I've not talked about outcome one time. I think that's why the T-shirt 'The Process is Fearless.' I want us to stay in the process and if you do that, you don't get inundated with all these thoughts that take away from the task at hand. That's what I believe."

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Cubs.com History between Theo, Tito brings intrigue By Anthony Castrovince

Four men were put to the test in the fall of 2003: Dodgers third-base coach Glenn Hoffman, Rangers first-base coach DeMarlo Hale, Angels bench coach Joe Maddon and former Phillies manager Terry Francona.

Theo Epstein was just 29 years old then, yet surely wise enough to understand what he wanted and what he didn't want. Red Sox manager Grady Little had just famously left Pedro Martinez in too long in an American League Championship Series gone awry, but, beyond that, Little's in-game calculus, in Epstein's estimation, too often leaned more toward his own gut than the data and preparation placed in front of him. And so the young exec wanted a skipper whose thought-on-foot was influenced by actual information and intelligence, as opposed to pure instinct.

And yes, he wanted somebody who could corral a clubhouse full of big characters.

"We had a veteran club," Epstein said Monday, on the eve of the World Series at Progressive Field. "So we were looking for a manager who maybe fit that a little more directly."

Those four coaches were put to a test, a simulation. A tape of a game was played and paused at specific spots in which the candidate, who was given lineup cards, stats, notes on relievers' workload and other relevant info, was asked what he would do in that situation and why.

Francona passed the test, and it's no cliché to say "the rest is history." The following fall, Francona and Epstein made history together, breaking Boston's 86-year World Series championship drought.

Now, those two men are pitted against each other, with more history on the line. Epstein's Cubs haven't won a World Series in 108 years. Francona's Indians haven't won one in 68 years. Their curse-breaking abilities are about to be put to a different type of test, and only one of these friends is going to come out on top.

Tito vs. Theo. What a story.

"It's wonderful," Epstein said. "It makes it even more special. Being in the World Series is special on its own, but it brings back a lot of good memories. I'm really proud of him and the job that he's done over there. The only misgivings I have about it is, as great a manager as he is, he's an even better postseason manager. So maybe we wish we were going up against someone else."

The praise was equally effusive coming from the other side.

"I used to get asked a lot about Theo when he went to Chicago," said Francona, "because I had been with him for eight years. I was pretty consistent in my answer that he was too smart and too hard-working to not make it work. That's come true."

Francona and Epstein spent eight years together, which is a lifetime in professional sport. Add in the fact that they spent those years in Boston, one of the most heated media markets in the game, and you can at least double the effect of that duration.

"Eight years in Boston," said Francona, "is, I would almost say, miraculous."

These men made a miracle happen in Boston, and they were one of the most successful collaborations in history. Epstein saw something in Francona that day of the simulation, when he quite literally got in the future manager's face and asked him how he'd handle the situation on the screen. Before that interview process, Epstein and Francona didn't know each other. Epstein just knew Francona's reputation as a player's manager -- and a favorite of the newly signed -- from his otherwise unsuccessful (.440 winning percentage) time in Philly. And Francona just knew what he heard about Epstein from his close friend, then-Indians exec Mark Shapiro, who gave Tito the sage advice, "Don't B.S. him."

It didn't take long for the two men to know they'd work well together.

"I went home knowing this was a place I wanted to end up," Francona said at his introductory news conference. "All of the things they seem to believe in -- communication, open and honest communication, the way you treat people, their view on the game of baseball -- it just seemed like a terrific match."

In some ways, it was an unusual pairing. Epstein and his front-office crew were closer in age to Francona's 18-year- old son, Nick, than they were to the 44-year-old Francona himself. But the still-unproven skipper and the young GM hit it off. Francona would sit in on the poker games that would take place at the Fort Myers, Fla., rental where

Epstein and Co. spent Spring Training, and the conversations and friendship forged there would serve them well both in a trying second-place season that included the brave and highly controversial trade of star shortstop and an unforgettable October that would include a historic comeback against the rival Yankees and a sweep of the 105-win Cardinals in the World Series.

If Epstein and Francona had only that year to show for their efforts, it would be enough. But of course, in eight total years of attachment, they'd reach the postseason four more times and win it all again in 2007.

Alas, the 2011 season ended with the chicken-and-beer-fueled September fiasco that eventually sent both men to embark upon other challenges. Francona spent a season on the small screen, working in an ESPN role that was never truly comfortable for him before surprisingly settling in with a Tribe team that, because of his father's playing past, felt like family for him. And Epstein took on one of the most enticing -- and unforgiving -- challenges in all of professional sports, a total teardown of the Cubs with an eye on erasing the ghosts and the goat on the North Side of Chicago.

Epstein used to refer to his relationship with Francona as akin to "an old married couple." They had their behind- the-scenes battles, certainly, days when the computer-aided whiz kid and the baseball lifer approached the same situation with totally dissimilar perspectives and had to hash things out. But far more often than not, they hashed things out, and they have a lasting legacy in one of the game's major markets -- and a friendship that has stood the test of time -- to show for it.

It would only be appropriate, then, for one guy to have to get through another to end another enduring drought and establish another legacy.

"We've been through a lot together," said Epstein, "and it's pretty cool to be up against him."

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ESPNChicago.com Kyle Schwarber traveling to Cleveland but status for WS roster still up in air By Jesse Rogers

CLEVELAND -- After hitting a double and talking a walk in four plate appearances in his Arizona Fall League finale, Chicago Cubs outfielder/catcher Kyle Schwarber was on his way to Cleveland on Monday night and could be his team's designated hitter in Tuesday's Game 1 of the World Series against the Indians.

"Reports are good," manager Joe Maddon said Monday afternoon. "He's swinging the bat well. He's running really well, actually. He's done some sliding drills, all that kind of stuff to just test the whole thing out."

Schwarber, 23, has missed all but 2.5 games of the season with torn ligaments in his left knee after colliding with teammate Dexter Fowler in the outfield. He was cleared by his doctor last Monday to swing and run, but he can't play the field. He would be the first player to be out this long and play in the World Series, but the Cubs feel he's a special player with a special swing.

"His will is bigger than most," hitting coach John Mallee said. "You would think it would be a little tougher not playing. See it and hit it. That's him. I just saw his swing the other day and he hasn't missed a beat. Guess it's like riding a bike for him."

Schwarber is from Ohio and made his debut against the Indians, going 4-for-5 in his first career start at Progressive Field in June 2015. Last October, he hit five home runs for the Cubs, making him their career postseason home run leader. He's also a fan favorite. With the designated hitter available for the first two games, Schwarber is likely to be in the starting lineup, which won't be announced until Tuesday.

"He's given us another option to think about," Maddon said.

The World Series rosters are due at 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Schwarber hit 16 home runs to go along with a .355 on-base percentage after coming up from the minors in 2015.

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ESPNChicago.com Cubs will start Jon Lester in Game 1 of World Series By Jesse Rogers

CLEVELAND -- Two-time World Series champion Jon Lester will start Game 1 of the Fall Classic for the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night against the Cleveland Indians.

"You know, there will be nerves and there will be adrenaline and all that stuff when I go out there to throw the first pitch and kind of get the ball rolling," Lester said on Monday. "But once you get into the game, I feel like then you're able to go back to your game plan and what you're trying to think of."

Lester will be the Game 1 starter for the third consecutive playoff series this year, as he's given up just two runs in 21 innings for a 0.86 ERA. He's also 3-0 with a 0.43 ERA in three career World Series starts, all with the Boston Red Sox. He says it's not about him, though -- it's about the good teams he's been on.

"I look at it as we're the Chicago Cubs, and I'm fortunate enough to pitch Game 1 [Tuesday], and we're going to try to win that game," Lester said. "That's how I kind of look at it."

Lester will be followed in the rotation by Jake Arrieta for Game 2, and then Kyle Hendricks and John Lackey will start the first two games back at Wrigley Field on Friday and Saturday. Hendricks will get an extra day of rest after pitching the Cubs' clincher in the National League Championship Series on Saturday. Hendricks was the No. 2 starter against the Dodgers in the NLCS, but he was 9-2 with a 1.32 ERA at home during the regular season.

Arrieta and Lackey threw in only one game each in the last round, so they've received extra rest as well.

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ESPNChicago.com Indians hoping Trevor Bauer, Danny Salazar can pitch vs. Cubs By Andrew Marchand and Bradford Doolittle

CLEVELAND -- Even with the World Series beginning Tuesday, the Cleveland Indians' pitching plans are in a state of uncertainty.

The only certainty is that ace Corey Kluber will start Game 1 in Cleveland.

The Indians are hoping the cut pinky on right-hander Trevor Bauer's throwing hand will hold together well enough for him to start Game 2. And All-Star Danny Salazar will be put on the roster, raising the possibility he could start Game 4 or come out of the bullpen.

Bauer left Game 3 of the American League Championship Series with blood gushing from the pinky he cut while fixing a drone.

On Monday, Bauer claimed he should be ready to go for Game 2. Manager Terry Francona and pitching coach Mickey Callaway said the finger had improved, but they were not ready to fully commit.

"The finger looks a ton better," Callaway said. "It looks like it has actually healed some. Before, it looked like he had pulled it out of a meat grinder."

Bauer threw to live hitters on Monday without bleeding but appeared to be wearing some protection on the finger, which he won't be allowed to use in a game.

If Bauer goes Wednesday, then Josh Tomlin would stay in line to start Game 3 when the series moves to Chicago on Friday. Either Salazar or rookie ALCS hero Ryan Merritt could go in Game 4. Both will be available out of the bullpen.

In the event Bauer cannot go on Wednesday, Tomlin is expected to slide in for Game 2, with the Indians' hoping that Bauer could go in Game 3 at Wrigley Field.

The Indians' rotation was ravaged with injuries late in the season. In addition to Salazar, the Indians advanced to the World Series without starter Carlos Carrasco, who is out for the season with a broken hand.

Salazar hasn't pitched for Cleveland since Sept. 9, when he left a start at Minnesota with right forearm tightness. The injury eventually was diagnosed as a strained right flexor. Salazar began working his way back in late September by throwing bullpen sessions and simulated games. His three-inning simulation on Sunday was enough to convince the Indians that he's ready to go.

"I don't know if it's going to be as a starter or a reliever, but I'm ready," Salazar said.

Salazar went 10-3 with a 2.75 ERA during the first half of the season and earned a spot on the AL All-Star roster for the first time, though he didn't pitch in the game. He went on to battle physical problems for much of the second half. In addition to the forearm problem, Salazar missed several starts in August with elbow inflammation. He finished 11-6 with a 3.87 ERA.

"He was getting after it pretty good," Francona said of Salazar's latest simulated game. "We've talked about using three starters, then after the third game, we'll see where we're at. We have [Ryan] Merritt, we have Danny.

"Neither one would pitch a full game, but between those two, especially with Danny, a guy who made the All-Star team, we could pitch [him] wherever we want. It gives us another really good arm that's kind of a wild card who could help us."

If Salazar is used out of the pen, it would be a new experience: All 85 of his big league appearances have been as a starting pitcher.

"I haven't pitched a single inning as a reliever," Salazar said. "But I think I know the way to get ready in case they need me to come out of the bullpen."

Salazar won't be using his full complement of pitches.

"I'm only throwing fastball, changeup, slider," Salazar said. "I haven't thrown the curveball. That was the pitch that caused soreness before. I haven't tried to throw it yet, and they haven't tried to get me to throw it. So we're going to go with that for now."

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ESPNChicago.com The kids are all right: Lester thinks young Cubs can handle World Series moment By Jesse Rogers

CLEVELAND -- The Chicago Cubs have put their first pennant in 71 years behind them and are preparing for one final goal: a World Series title. Though the Cubs haven’t won a championship in 108 years, they employ several players who have, starting with their co-MVP of the NLCS, Jon Lester.

“We’re not done yet,” Lester declared as the Cubs celebrated their NLCS victory on the field Saturday night. “We still have a long way to go.”

Lester is 3-0 with a 0.43 ERA in three World Series starts, all with the Boston Red Sox. He has won two rings, as has John Lackey, while David Ross has earned one. Those three players were all on the 2013 champion Red Sox. Also, Ben Zobrist won it just last season with the , so the Cubs have some World Series experience.

“There’s nothing like a World Series,” Lester said. “It’s different, but this team has accomplished so much. I’m not worried.”

Asked if the young players on the Cubs can handle the moment after making a “statement” in the NLCS, Lester didn’t hesitate.

“They’ve been making a statement all year,” he said. “I don’t expect that to change over the next few games.”

So what of the young Cubs? They’ve come a long way, but as Lester pointed out, the World Series is different.

“We know how to handle stuff now,” rookie Willson Contreras said. “Like Joe [Maddon] says, we stay in the moment and slow things down.”

The Cubs' veterans all expressed an initial surprise regarding the mental makeup of the young Cubs, though that has long been retired. Lester is no longer shocked when a 22-year-old Addison Russell seizes the moment, breaks out of his slump, and helps win a couple of playoff games. Or when 23-year-old Javier Baez takes over a game with his bat and his glove. It has become the norm, which is scary in its own way.

“I’ve been saying it for a while now,” Lester said. “These guys know how to process the moment. I don’t know if that’s Joe or just what they’re made of, but we’re here because they’ve been doing it all year.”

And the youth on the team know what’s at stake now. One 71-year-old drought is over but another long one still exists.

“I can’t wait,” Russell said, holding his baby on the field on Saturday. “The fans have been with us the whole time. We know what it means to them. It means the same to us.”

Lester made a point of reminding everyone how quickly things can change in the postseason, while Maddon has preached being ready for a "bad moment" and then getting by it. The Cubs did have their moment in the last round, when they were shut out in back-to-back games and fell behind in the series.

“Three games ago, we were the worst best team in baseball,” Lester said, only half-joking.

That seems like a lifetime ago as the Cubs outscored the Los Angeles Dodgers 23-6 in the final 24 innings of their series. The best team in baseball arrived just in time to advance to the World Series. Can they pick up where they left off, beginning with Game 1 on Tuesday night? We’re about to find out.

“Hopefully these [young players] can enjoy the moment because you never know when you’ll get back,” Lester said. “It’s the World Series.”

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CSNChicago.com Cubs See Kyle Schwarber Looming As Potential World Series Hero By Patrick Mooney

CLEVELAND — Even as the Cubs went through their World Series workout and media-day responsibilities here, team officials kept their eyes on Kyle Schwarber in the Arizona Fall League, watching his at-bats on a live video feed from their spring-training complex.

The Cubs clearly didn’t use Schwarber as a distraction for their anxious fan base or a misdirection play against the Cleveland Indians. This is all about maximizing the chance to win the franchise’s first world championship since 1908 — and the Cubs believe Schwarber’s thunderous left-handed swing could be the X-factor.

Schwarber planned to fly to Cleveland on Monday after going 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and a run scored for the Mesa Solar Sox, another giant step in his recovery from what was supposed to be season-ending surgery on his left knee.

“He looked really good,” said team president Theo Epstein, mentioning that Schwarber did the necessary running/sliding/diving drills pregame — and then hit a ball with 110-mph exit velocity.

The rotating images on the big video board at Progressive Field even showed a dummy Game 1 lineup with Schwarber batting ninth as the designated hitter against Corey Kluber. It’s a long way from the Arizona Fall League to facing a Cy Young Award winner, especially after going more than six months without seeing live pitching. But if anyone can do it, well, the Cubs would never bet against Schwarber.

“He’s a pretty special person and a special hitter,” Epstein said.

One week ago, Dr. Daniel Cooper, the head team physician for the Dallas Cowboys who reconstructed Schwarber’s ACL and repaired his LCL, surprisingly green-lighted a return to baseball activities. The Cubs had been focused on getting Schwarber ready for winter ball and Opening Day 2017, a more realistic timeline after that brutal outfield collision with Dexter Fowler on April 7.

The Cubs still won 103 games — even with Schwarber making only five plate appearances during the regular season and spending his time working on scouting reports, analyzing video and observing in the draft room.

“We’ve seen first-hand the work that he’s putting in and how hard he’s been going,” MVP candidate Kris Bryant said. “Honestly, I saw him out — maybe a couple weeks after his surgery — and he’s moving around, walking. And I’m like: ‘Dang, this guy’s not human. How? I saw your leg bend in half, and you’re walking around. This is unbelievable.’

“(It’s) watching him dripping with sweat every single day. Every single day, this guy is drenched. I feel like he’s in the best shape of his life (now). There was no doubt in my mind that he could do it. It was just a matter of if they let him.”

Schwarber is such a presence that Cubs executives left their seats and moved to the back of their Wrigley Field suite on Saturday night to watch his at-bats on the SpyCam — even as the best team in baseball eliminated the Los Angeles Dodgers from the National League Championship Series and won the franchise’s first pennant in 71 years.

Everyone around the Cubs remembers how Schwarber starred during that wild-card showdown against the and the ball he smashed off the St. Louis Cardinals onto the top of a Wrigley Field video board, putting up five homers and a 1.308 OPS during last year’s playoffs, which happened to be the end of his first full season in .

“You see when he gets introduced how much everybody loves him,” Game 2 starter Jake Arrieta said. “He’s a legend already at such a young age. That’s awesome. It just speaks to the importance of what he was able to do last year for us.

“I think he’s going to be here. He wouldn’t have been playing in the Fall League if they weren’t seriously considering him being here. And not having to put him in the field is huge. If he hits a ball over the fence, he can trot around the bases. If he happens to line out or ground out, then he can just kind of jog to first.

“That just speaks to how special of a bat he is — and how hard he worked these past six months to put himself in the position to be ready to play in the World Series.”

At the age of 23, Schwarber is positioned to become yet another young Cub who wants to own this October. Jason McLeod — the senior vice president of scouting and player development heavily involved in the decision to draft Schwarber with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2014 draft — joked about how Fowler’s one-year, $13 million deal came together during this unreal year.

“We have to one-up Dexter’s entrance into spring training,” McLeod said.

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CSNChicago.com The Making Of A Superstar: Kris Bryant Believes In Cubs — Not Goats Or Curses By Patrick Mooney

CLEVELAND — Here’s Kris Bryant’s classic World Series media-day reaction to a question about the commercial he filmed with a goat: Which one?

That pretty much sums up a Cubs team that is young, fun and dismissive of the fixation on curses, black cats and Bartman, completely focused on writing a new history for a franchise now trying to win it all for the first time in 108 years.

In his own way, Bryant is becoming a leader of the unit that will take on the Cleveland Indians in Tuesday night’s Game 1 at Progressive Field. He has absurd talent, self-discipline, a gym-rat mentality and the potential to become a rare crossover star for Major League Baseball.

“This whole goat thing, it’s like: So what, who cares?” Bryant said Monday near the end of a nonstop media session. “I’m petting goats. I just think it’s embracing whatever curses there are. No one believes in that. I don’t believe in superstition. I try to change up my underwear when I have a good game, so that there is no superstition. I don’t believe in (any of) that.”

Bryant’s marketing portfolio includes Red Bull, which filmed that “Down on The Farm” spot last April in New Orleans, where Triple-A Iowa’s game had been rained out, two days before he found out he would be getting called up to The Show.

Adidas at that point had already put up the “Worth The Wait” billboard in Wrigleyville, the Cubs playing service- time games to push back Bryant’s free agency until after the 2021 season. Express now has Bryant — and a dog — up on another billboard near the Addison Red Line stop.

This is the usually the point in the story where we point out a Cubs prospect not living up to the hype and falling into the trap of Chicago’s many off-the-field distractions. Except Bryant doesn’t drink. He proposed to his high school sweetheart and prefers to order food in and watch Netflix at home.

“He’s measured,” super-agent Scott Boras said. “He just knows how to handle the emotional part. And he also leads a very simple life. The endorsement side of his life is so grand because of the character of who he is. Corporate people today are highly attracted to him.”

Bryant became a status symbol for the organization from the moment Theo Epstein’s scouting department chose him out of the University of San Diego with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2013 draft. Bryant still got the highest signing bonus from that class, waiting until the middle of July to finalize a $6.7 million deal.

“We were all wondering what kind of talent he had,” said pitcher Rob Zastryzny, a second-round pick that year who also wound up at Class-A Boise that summer. “And then he went 0-for-5 with five strikeouts (in his first game). We were all like: ‘Man, this is Kris Bryant?’

“I remember the guys who were striking him out. They would strike him out and they’d look at him like: ‘Oh, you’re a second-overall pick?’

“The next day, he came up there and put on an absolute show in BP. (And then he went 2-for-4 with a double) in the game. We were all sitting there like: ‘Oh, OK, this guy doesn’t belong here at all.’ Sure enough, he was gone like a week (or two) later.”

Bryant’s father, Mike, learned the art of hitting from Ted Williams as a Boston Red Sox minor-leaguer and built a batting cage at their Las Vegas home. With a unique ability to stay calm, break down his own swing and make adjustments, Bryant embraced being the target before manager Joe Maddon made it this team’s philosophy.

“The first 24 hours we all knew Kris, we saw an 0-for-5 kind of guy,” Zastryzny said. “Real nice, didn’t act any different than (everybody else). The next day, the same guy showed up to the yard (and) was the best player on the team by far.

“The way I tell it to people is it took him five at-bats to get back into the swing of things. That’s it. I don’t know how he trained or whatever between the draft and when he got to Boise. But it took him five at-bats in pro ball to be: ‘All right, I got this level figured out.’

“There was about 24 hours of doubt in Cubs fans’ minds. And then it was all gone from there on out. That was it.”

Bryant needed only 68 games to prove himself at Double-A Tennessee before getting promoted to Iowa and becoming the consensus minor league player of the year in 2014. He entered the 2015 season as ’s No. 1 prospect and ended it as the National League’s Rookie of the Year.

This year looks like an MVP season: 39 homers, 102 RBIs, .939 OPS and 121 runs scored for a 103-win team. Plus the athleticism and unselfishness that allowed him to play an All-Star third base, move all over the outfield, sub in at first base and even play one inning at shortstop.

“We talk about his offensive accolades,” Boras said. “But you got to remember this team is what this team is because he is somebody that can fish in all ponds.

“He just provides them with such situational flexibility that it allows the intellect that this franchise has to be optimized. Most franchises have a lot of ideas, but they can’t execute them on the field, because they don’t have the skill set. That just makes every asset of the organization cohesive and allows them to win so many more games.”

Four wins in the World Series and Bryant will become a Chicago legend before his 25th birthday — and never again have to listen to questions about goats and curses and 1908.

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CSNChicago.com No-Brainer: Cubs Rolling With Jon Lester Again In World Series Game 1 By Tony Andracki

CLEVELAND - The Cubs are undefeated in the 2016 postseason when Jon Lester takes the mound, including two Game 1 appearances.

So the Cubs are going to stick with what works.

The team announced Lester as the starter for Game 1 of the World Series at Progressive Field in downtown Cleveland Tuesday night.

"We win when he pitches," Anthony Rizzo said. "It's our mentality with all our pitchers but with him, it feels different."

Lester - the co-MVP of the National League Championship Series - is 2-0 this postseason with a 0.86 ERA and 0.76 WHIP in three starts spanning 21 innings. He has thrown at least six innings in each outing, including a gritty Game

5 performance against the Dodgers in the NLCS, allowing only one run in seven innings to send the series back to Chicago on a high note.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon believes Lester is cementing his name in franchise history with his playoff dominance.

"There is an incredible amount of calm that I'm seeing from the dugout when I'm watching him out there right now," Maddon said. "He's really, really in the moment. He's calm. Gosh, he's just eager to get out and pitch."

With his success this October, Lester now has a 2.50 ERA in 19 career postseason games (17 starts) and 119 innings.

This is exactly what the Cubs signed up for when they handed the veteran southpaw a megadeal before the 2015 season - one of the best postseason pitchers of this generation.

Lester has been asked several times over the last couple weeks what he can attribute his playoff dominance to and he always shrugs it off and deflects credit to the team.

"I had good fastball command. It wasn't erratic," he said. "It was missing to the side of the plate that I wanted to be on. I think when I'm able to do that, it makes the other pitches better.

"I guess that's kind of like your cooke-cutter answer, but I mean, for me, that's what it comes down to. ... The well- executed fastball in October is just the same as it is in June."

After Lester, Jake Arrieta said Monday he would be set to go in Game 2 in Cleveland.

That lines up Kyle Hendricks for Game 3 and another opportunity at Wrigley Field, where he has a 1.38 ERA and 0.85 WHIP in 111.2 innings (including three postseason starts).

During the regular season, the Cubs had the best starting rotation in the big leagues, in part because they kept feeding off each other and competed within the pitching staff.

"I can specifically remember several times when Kyle would have a nice outing and go six or seven and give up one or two and I'd be like, 'You can't be giving up two runs, man,'" Arrieta joked. "It'd be after I went out and pitched eight scoreless or something like that.

"We'd just mess with each other like that. It's a friendly competition that most rotations have. ... To have that, to feed off each other, to fire each other up, it's one of the reasons we've pitched so well and why we're here."

The Indians are starting ace Corey Kluber - the 2014 American League Cy Young winner - in Game 1 and will slot in some combination of Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin for Games 2 and 3.

The Indians also aren't ruling out utilizng Kluber on short rest in Game 4 Saturday in Chicago and possibly even Game 7 if the series gets that far.

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