for Brazil. We had a long race with the heavy rain and a

It will be, no matter the outcome, a historic World Series, because whichever team wins, there will be black-and-white footage shown before the champagne has dried.The Chicago Cubs, as we all know, havent won the World Series since 1908, a season in which they hit 19 home runs all season. That team has a seemingly mythical characters, such as Three Finger Brown, Orval Overall and Tinker to Evers to Chance.And then there are the Cleveland Indians, who havent won the World Series since 1948, the second-longest current championship drought in baseball. That team had Bob Feller, Bob Lemon and Gene Bearden in the rotation, and -- ?this seems impossible today -- those Indians had Lou Boudreau as a player/manager, a role he had for 10 years, winning the American League MVP as a shortstop in 1948.Its 1908 versus 1948. Its about ending a drought. Its about two teams with great stories to tell. This will be fabulous.Here are five questions.How good is the Indians bullpen?It is terrific and, more importantly, it is different than any other bullpen. Tribe relievers posted a 1.64 ERA in eight postseason games. In Game 3 of the American League Championship Series, the Indians became the only team in history to win a postseason game in which no pitcher went as many as two innings. In the clinching Game 5, the Indians became the only team in postseason history to throw a shutout in a game in which the starter didnt pitch five innings.The incredible Andrew Miller starred again in Game 5, as he did through the whole postseason, posting this line: 11? innings pitched, 5 hits, 0 runs, 21 strikeouts, 2 walks. No pitcher -- starter or reliever -- struck out more batters in his first nine innings of any postseason than Millers 20 this year. He was the first reliever ever to strike out five batters in back-to-back appearances in the postseason. In the ALCS against Toronto, Miller struck out 56 percent of the batters he faced; no one in postseason history has had a strikeout rate like that. But what makes him so great -- and the Indians so dangerous -- is the way he is used. In Game 1 of the AL Division Series against the Red Sox, he was summoned in the fifth inning and pitched in three different innings. In the crucial Game 3 of the ALCS against the Blue Jays, instead of handing the ball to closer Cody Allen, Miller pitched the final 1? innings for the save. In the clinching Game 5 of the ALCS, he pitched 2? scoreless innings and brought the game to Allen, who also has been brilliant in this postseason.The record for most innings by a reliever in one postseason is 18? by Frankie Rodriguez with the 2002 Angels and Tug McGraw with the 1973 Mets. Miller is going to break that record -- and a few others -- in the World Series.How set up is the Cubs rotation? It is in good shape. By winning the final three games of the National League Championship Series against the Dodgers, the Cubs not only get some rest before the World Series, but they have their starters aligned relatively well. Most important, Jon Lester will start Game 1. He has a 0.86 ERA in this postseason, including a marvelous performance in the crucial Game 5 of the NLCS in Los Angeles, going seven innings and allowing just one run. He now has a 2.50 career ERA in 17 postseason starts.Since 1969, the only pitchers (10 or more starts) with a lower ERA are Madison Bumgarner and Curt Schilling.Jake Arrieta likely will start Game 2, but he labored in September (4.40 ERA) and in two starts in this postseason (4.91 ERA). But Arrieta in Game 2 will allow the Cubs to push Kyle Hendricks back to Game 3 at home, where he posted a 1.32 ERA this season. Hendricks, who led the NL in ERA in 2016, was sensational in the clinching Game 6 at Wrigley, allowing two hits and no runs in 7? innings.What is the status of the Indians rotation? Somehow, the Indians made it this far without any contribution in the postseason from Carlos Carrasco (broken pinky) or Danny Salazar (tightness in his forearm), making them the first team since the 1970 Reds to go to the World Series with zero playoff appearances from two pitchers who started at least 25 games with an ERA under 4.00 during the regular season. But now, theres a chance Salazar will be ready for the World Series. He hasnt pitched since Sept. 9, so there will be rust, but he still will be a boost to the rotation. His stuff, when right, is spectacular. Closer Allen said Salazar is the most gifted pitcher Ive ever been around.Trevor Bauer, who sliced his right pinky in a drone accident on Oct. 14 and bled all over the mound in his start in Game 3 of the ALCS, said he will be able to pitch as often as possible in the World Series. Well see about that. Its possible well see Ryan Merritt, whose 4? scoreless innings in Game 5 -- the second start and fifth appearance of his major league career -- were stunning. There are uncertainties in the Cleveland rotation, but its certain that Corey Kluber will start Game 1, and surely he will be ready to try going on short rest again in this series. In 18? innings in this postseason, Kluber has a 0.98 ERA. His breaking ball is from hell. Josh Tomlin likely will start Game 2. After that, its up in the air, but it has been for the whole postseason -- and here are the Indians, in the World Series.What are we to make of the Cubs offense? No worries now. Still, like every other team in the major leagues in this all-or-nothing era of baseball, the Cubs lineup can be pitched to, if a really good pitcher locates well. In the NLCS against the Dodgers, the Cubs averaged 7.75 runs and had 21 extra-base hits in the four victories, including pounding Clayton Kershaw in the clinching Game 6, a 5-0 shutout.But the Cubs were shut out (with only one extra base hit) in their two losses, the first time they had been shut out in back-to-back games since May 2014. It took a bunt single by cleanup hitter Ben Zobrist leading off the fourth inning of Game 4 to get the Cubs going, and it took a couple of cheap hits in Game 5 to keep it going.But now, Anthony Rizzo and Addison Russell are out of their funks, NLCS co-MVP Javier Baez (13 hits in this postseason) has arrived and?Willson Contreras?is swinging so well that the Cubs look like the team that scored the second-most runs in the NL this year. Ten different Cubs, including all three catchers (the first time ever to have three catchers hit home runs in one postseason), have hit home runs in this postseason. And only hours before Game 6 of the NLCS, Cubs president Theo Epstein said there is at least a chance that Kyle Schwarber, who tore ligaments in left knee in the third game of the season and hasnt played since, might be ready to play in the World Series. If so, it would be as a designated hitter or a bat off the bench. It is intriguing.What about the managers? The Indians Terry Tito Francona has been masterful in this postseason. He has known exactly when to take his starter out, what reliever to bring in and when to take that reliever out. He did a great job this season of getting run production, despite not having his best outfielder, Michael Brantley, for most of the season and having to mix and match at several positions. Should Francona win the World Series, it would be his third ring, and it would mean a spot in the Hall of Fame -- because he would have ended an 86-year drought in Boston and a 67-year drought in Cleveland.But Francona might be on his way to the Hall anyway, with his three pennants, 1,381 wins and a .533 winning percentage, plus an 8-0 record in the World Series. Franconas secret is his communication skills -- his touch and feel with people, especially his players. Every player has a button, and Francona always knows where it is and when to push it. In spring training every year, he calls his players into his office, one by one, to talk. In the case of Bauer, who has had some communication issues, he called him in all the time, just to talk. Apparently, it worked. Francona will jump on a player privately if he gets out of line, but he also is one of the best at making players comfortable and relaxed so they can play their best.The Cubs Joe Maddon is an expert at that, as well. He once pulled a bunch of his Rays players out of the batting cage and took them in the clubhouse to watch a magician work, another case of Maddon valuing time away from the game as good, not bad. His calm hand and great communication skills are two reasons the Cubs have been able to handle the pressures that comes with extraordinarily high expectations from the first day of spring training.And no one is going to outfox Maddon in the running of a game. He and Francona have managed against each other 133 times in their careers; Maddon has a 69-64 advantage, including 5-3 in the postseason. Now theyll get four, five, six or seven more shots at it.The pick: Cubs in seven. Fake Black Friday Shoes .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Black Friday Shoes Sale . Rinne played two periods in his first game since left hip surgery in early May. Gabriel Bourque scored 3:07 into the second period and Austin Watson tallied 5:15 later for Nashville. https://www.shoesblackfriday.com/ . PETERSBURG, Fla. Black Friday Shoes China . Kuznetsov, who was selected by the Capitals in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, has been playing for his hometown team Chelyabinsk Traktor of the KHL. Black Friday Shoes Store . DAmigo scored twice in regulation and added the shootout winner as the Toronto Marlies edged the San Antonio Rampage 5-4 in American Hockey League action. Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone says the sport should replace its traditional grand prix format with two shorter races to appeal to younger fans.The current format of the F1 weekend has been a point of debate in recent years, with Jenson Button recently suggesting shorter races?after seeing how youngsters in Japan interacted with Pokemon Go. Ecclestone agrees this is one way to bring in a new generation of fans to the sport.People have a much shorter attention span and a lot of sports are looking at introducing shorter forms of their games, Ecclestone told the Sunday Times. The television audiences went up for Brazil. We had a long race with the heavy rain and a couple of crashes but that meant we had two starts because of the red flags and people tuned in.We need to look at the traditional concept of one long race. Two 40-minute races with a 40-minute break in the middle when the drivers could be interviewed, cars wworked on, would be attractive to viewers, the TV companies, the sponsors and advertisers would love it.ddddddddddddCars would qualify on a Saturday as usual for the first race and that would set the grid for the second. It would shake things up with lighter, faster cars.F1 has recently been purchased by new owners, American company Liberty Media. Ecclestone thinks following the American model would be a good idea for F1 but wonders whether the sport is brave enough to adopt such radical alterations.But I dont know if we have the courage to change. Times change though and it is something we must look at. All American sports have time-outs built in, mainly because American audiences cant concentrate. They grow up with everything in 15-minute segments on TV. People are the same everywhere now. ' ' '