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jcy123 Nov 14 '19
CHICAGO -- Carl Edwards Jr. Wholesale Fake Vans . pulled a W flag over his shoulders and danced in the middle of the clubhouse. Ben Zobrist wiggled from side to side as ice cubes tumbled down his back to the drenched floor. David Ross closed his eyes as a bottle of beer was poured over his head.The Chicago Cubs had to wait until Friday to celebrate their NL Central title, but they quickly made up for lost time.Moments after Miguel Monteros 10th-inning homer lifted Chicago to a 5-4 victory over Milwaukee, the Cubs pulled on postseason hats and shirts and then partied all over Wrigley Field. It began with pictures and hugs all over the infield, and then transitioned to a boozy segment in their plush clubhouse before returning to the field to wave to their delirious fans and pose for more pictures with family and friends.We enjoy each other and we have fun together, Zobrist said, and thats (what) makes this kind of situation fun. Even if its just a regular win on a regular day, we still enjoy each other and we have fun for about a half-hour and then were done. But this one will last a little bit longer than that.The Cubs became the first major league team to clinch their division when St. Louis lost at San Francisco late Thursday night. They had a chance to wrap it up on the field, but Scooter Gennetts tiebreaking two-run double in the seventh lifted Milwaukee to a 5-4 win earlier in the night.Manager Joe Maddon and the players were long gone from Wrigley by the time the Giants finished off the Cardinals. But they were clearly ready to go on Friday.A DJ played thumping dance music as the players and coaches sprayed each other with beer and champagne. It was mostly quiet for a short time while owner Tom Ricketts toasted executives Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer and the best team in all of baseball, and then the party was on once again.Its always great to go to October, Epstein said. But to go in with a group of guys that you really believe in and that are committed and connected and understand whats at stake and want so badly to make it happen is great. I wouldnt trade our 25 for anyone elses.Epstein, Hoyer and several other members of Chicagos front office watched most of the game from the famed bleachers, and Epstein wore a comically fake mustache for the occasion.We made a deal with the guys that wed go out there the day after we won the division, a grinning Epstein said, and then in case something went really wrong in the game I thought it might be good to be disguised out there. Then I kind of didnt plan ahead, so last-minute, thats what the costume store had.Whatever. I was half-committed to it, but who cares? It was fun. We had a good time.The division had seemed like a foregone conclusion ever since Chicago got off to a 25-6 start, serving notice that all the preseason hype was justified. Led by MVP candidates Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo and a ridiculously deep pitching staff, the Cubs are on top of the majors with a 94-53 record.It is 108 years since Chicago last won the World Series in 1908, a drought the Cubs hope to end this year. But in the meantime, they werent taking the NL Central title for granted.Winning your division, thats a highlight, Maddon said. Its always a highlight. Being able to avoid a wild-card game ... you really want to avoid that if you possibly can.Chicago beat Pittsburgh in the wild-card game a year ago, and then eliminated St. Louis before it was swept by the New York Mets in the NL Championship Series. The Cubs had to wait until Sept. 25 to clinch their 2015 postseason spot, and that also was via a loss by another contender.This time around, Chicago is into the playoffs with a couple weeks to spare. It is still hoping for home-field advantage throughout the NL postseason, but clinching the division so early gives Maddon plenty of time to rest some position players and take care of his pitching staff.Now we have this opportunity to plan it out, slowly, really try to make some intelligent decisions while were still playing the same game with the same kind of intensity, Maddon said. Thats what were looking for.Most of Chicagos regulars were out of the lineup for the Friday afternoon start, and Maddon said he planned to wait until Saturday for more in-depth discussions with his coaching staff about their plans for the rest of the regular season -- clearing the way for what they hope will be the first of several parties this year.Its exciting, Ross said. Winning the division is pretty cool and you know a rare treat. I think weve seen this coming for a while now, but its nice to have that finally in the books.---Follow Jay Cohen at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap Fake Vans From China . The team also announced Tuesday that the Braves will wear a commemorative patch on the right sleeve during the season. The patch, shaped like home plate, carries the number 715, Aarons autograph and a "40th Anniversary" banner. Fake Vans SK8 . The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Lions have not announced the hiring, which was first reported by ESPN. Lombardi, the grandson of former Green Bay Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi, has been an offensive assistant on Sean Paytons New Orleans staff since 2007. http://www.fakevans.com/fake-vans-toy-story/ . Hamelin, who triumphed in the 500 on Saturday, edged out Victor An of Russia by 0.021 seconds to maintain his lead in the World Cup standings. Russias Vladimir Grigorev was third. In the relay, Canada took control six laps from the finish line to beat Russia and the Netherlands. SAINT-DENIS, France -- Iceland left with heads held high. As well they should.The fairytale of an island of 330,000 people, invading Europe with gutsy football and fabulous fans, was always going to end sometime, because logic dictated that at some point the underdog darlings of the European Championship would bite off more than they could chew.That moment came in a quarterfinal against France on Sunday that exposed the limitations of an Icelandic team that had rocked football in the previous round by ousting England.France now faces Germany riding a wave of confidence that comes from scoring five goals in one match.Iceland goes home having proved to everyone that a great deal can be done with very little.Here are 5 things to know about Frances 5-2 victory at the Stade de France.---ICELANDS 4-4-2Icelands formation, with two lines of four and two strikers, is a throwback to the days of mullet haircuts. Very old school. And their rigid adherence to that 4-4-2 formation was their undoing against France.Exhibit A: Olivier Girouds opening goal after 12 minutes.With a pass from the back left of Frances 4-2-3-1 formation, holding midfielder Blaise Matuidi cut out the whole of Icelands midfield and defense with a pass that landed just behind the Icelandic back four and into the path of Giroud, whod been lurking in a gap between Ragnar Sigurdsson and Kari Arnason, both big defenders but hardly the fastest out of the blocks.From there, it was fairly straightforward for the Arsenal forward: a left-footed kick straight through the legs of Iceland `keeper Hannes Halldorsson.More versatile teams might, at that point, have switched formations, perhaps got the full backs on the left and right to push high up the field in search of an equalizer.But 4-4-2 has been Icelands default through Euro 2016 and, against France and its tactical and technical limitations became starkly apparent all too quickly.---POGBA DELIVERSFrance had been waiting for a standout moment from Paul Pogba, its much coveted midfielder. It got it with a jump that came out of the playbook of Michael Jordan, His Airness himself.The tall (1.91 meters/6-foot-2) and strapping midfielder and Iceland striker Jon Dadi Bodvarsson jumped together for a looping corner-kick that Antoine Griezmann landed in the danger zone in front of Halldorsson, just out of reach of the Iceland `keeper but close enough to be a threat.The difference was that Bodvarsson wasnt moving and Pogba was. Pogba jumped a head higher than his marker, and powered the ball into the net with his head for Frances second goal after just 20 minutes.Pogba played deep in the center of the French midfield, in a distribution role that his former teammate at Juventus, Andrea Pirlo, made an art of. Pogbas pass ffrom deep that Giroud flicked on for Griezmann was the origin of Frances fourth goal. Cheap Fake Vans. Pogba, although still just 23, is also taking on a leadership role. As the teams came back out for the second half, Pogba gave his teammates a vigorous talking to in the tunnel, seemingly exhorting them to not rest on the laurels of their 4-0 first-half lead.---DYNAMIC DUO:France winger Dimitri Payet kissed one of Griezmanns boots after his goal. Really, he should have kissed Girouds, too, because of the essential role the striker has played in allowing Griezmann to become top scorer, for now, at Euro 2016, with four goals.The effectiveness of their partnership is built, in large measure, on Girouds selflessness. He seems as happy making assists for Griezmann as trying to score himself. His onward flick of the ball in the center of the field that led to Griezmanns goal was just one example of that.Girouds height (1.92 meters; 6-feet-3) makes him a different sort of attacking threat to the shorter, more nimble Griezmann. Their complementarity showed in Frances third goal: Giroud headed down Bacary Sagnas cross; Griezmann passed to it Payet, who scored.----ICELANDS PARTY TRICK FAILSFrance wasnt as naive as England.In the 23rd minute, Iceland wheeled out the party trick it used to such great effect in its run to the quarterfinals: A huge 25-meter throw-in by captain Aron Gunnarsson into the box, a teammate flicking the ball on with his head and someone else getting a leg to it and diverting it into the net.This time, the leg was Bodvarssons but his effort went over France `keeper Hugo Lloris crossbar.Iceland tried the trick -- which worked in its 2-1 defeat of England in the previous round -- again in the 30th minute and in the second half, but both times French defender Patrice Evra headed the ball away.---BEST FANSFans from Ireland, Northern Ireland and Wales have lit up Euro 2016 with their good humor and full-blooded support for their teams. But Icelands supporters have taken fandom to a whole other level.Their lusty rendition of the song Ferdalok before the defeat to France and again during it sent shivers down the spine.Sun shimmers in the water, see the glacier glow, all is bright for the two of us, because I am back home, they bellowed.Liverpool should invite the Iceland team for an exhibition match. Because hearing Ferdalok echo from one end of Anfield stadium and Youll Never Walk Alone from the other would be something.---John Leicester is an international sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jleicester(at)ap.org or follow him at http://twitter.com/johnleicester ' ' '