. The No. 21 Russian is playing 11th-seeded Swiss | Forum

NEW YORK -- Once in a while, Gary Matthews relives how close his Chicago Cubs came to reaching the World Series. Wholesale Lakers Jerseys .Actually, a little more often.Wow, he said. Think about that every day.With his former team just one win from its first World Series trip since 1945, fans everywhere already are envisioning the excitement at Wrigley Field. The Cubs lead the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 in the NL Championship Series and can clinch the pennant in Game 6 on Saturday night.Matthews knows well that feeling of anticipation. Too well, in fact.In 1984, Matthews hit two home runs in Game 1 of the best-of-five NLCS as the Cubs romped over San Diego 13-0. The popular left fielder nicknamed Sarge contributed to a win in Game 2, too.But with a frenzied city preparing to host the Fall Classic, the Cubs went to the West Coast, dropped three in a row to the Padres and lost their chance.In 2003, Matthews was the Cubs hitting coach under manager Dusty Baker. Chicago rushed to a 3-1 lead in the NLCS over the Florida Marlins, but once again lost three straight and got eliminated.Matthews still has a home in Chicago, and would love to soak up the World Series atmosphere at Wrigley. Maybe throw out a first ball along the way.But hes acutely aware that things can fall apart quickly. Especially when the Cubs are involved.My stomach is actually turning even now realizing they only need one more game, he said Friday. Been there ... didnt get it done.It would be nice to talk about something else besides `they almost made it. Or, favorite line of the Cubs or in Chicago -- `wait till next year, he said. Then we can put that to bed.Thats even before they can take aim at the Billy Goat Curse and try to win their first crown since 1908.Matthews got more than 2,000 hits and scored more than 1,000 runs in an All-Star career. He was the 1983 NLCS MVP for Philadelphia when he homered three times and drove in eight runs in a four-game series with the Dodgers. He homered in the World Series that year as the Phillies lost to Baltimore.The next year, he was traded late in spring training to the Cubs. Matthews led the majors in on-base percentage in 1984, teaming with Ryne Sandberg and Rick Sutcliffe to help Chicago make its first postseason appearance in nearly 40 years. In the deciding Game 5 against the Padres, the Cubs took a 3-0 lead into the sixth inning before it got away.Talk with Ryne Sandberg, he thinks about it every single day, Matthews said.The disappointment of that near-miss was still in his mind two decades later when Matthews was in the dugout as the Cubs took on the Marlins.Realizing the history of the Cubs, not winning since 1908, that we can finally put that goat to rest, he said. Hes still -- baaaaaaah -- out there.In Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS, with the Cubs one win from earning that elusive World Series spot, they took a 3-0 lead into the eighth inning. In what became known for the night fan Steve Bartman deflected a foul fly, Chicago let it get away. The next day, the Cubs fell in Game 7.Six outs. That close, Matthews said.Matthews was visiting the New York area this weekend to see a son who works for Major League Baseball. Another son, Gary Jr., was an All-Star outfielder.The 66-year-old Matthews enjoyed a good run as a player, coach and broadcaster in the big leagues. Hes now rooting hard for Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and these Cubs to finally break the jinx.I think they have as good a chance as any of the Cubs teams, he said, smiling, since 1908. Lakers Jerseys 2020 .S. hockey team after paying his dues as an NHL general manager for more than three decades and giving up a lot of his free time to help USA Hockey. Los Angeles Lakers Pro Shop .C. -- Al Jefferson joked that he feels he can score from anywhere on the court. https://www.lakersjerseycheap.com/ . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. WIMBLEDON -- Who needs a day off from tennis? Its a rare Middle Sunday at Wimbledon, otherwise known as the Peoples Sunday, the first extra session in 12 years.Here are the top 10 things to know about what should be an entertaining day at the All England Club:1. The third round wraps up: There are 12 matches on the schedule (six men, six women). By the end of the day, well be caught up after days of rain and down to the last 16 in both draws.2. A rare extra session: Only three previous times has rain forced play on Middle Sunday: 1991, 1997 and 2004. There were 22 matches played in 2004.3. Been there, done that: Two players who took the court in the 2004 Middle Sunday are playing again on this Sunday: Serena Williams (who played Magui Serna in 2004) and Feliciano Lopez (who played Ivo Karlovic in 2004).4. Well, there was one more ... in the juniors: Juan Martin del Potro, who will continue his third-round match against Lucas Pouille?on Sunday, played Nick Cavaday in boys singles 12 years ago.5. Serena going for milestone win: A victory against Germanys Annika Beck would mark Serena Williams 300th Grand Slam match win. If she pulls through, Williams will pass Chris Evert for the second-most such wins. (Martina Navratilova holds the record with 306.)6. Onlly two Germans have beaten Serena at a major: No, its not Steffi Graf, but Sabine Lisicki (2013 Wimbledon) and Angelique Kerber (2016 Australian Open) who took out the current world No. Lakers Jerseys China. 1.7. Coco Vandeweghe hasnt lost to a top-10 player this year: Shes 3-0 against Belinda Bencic (Doha), Carla Suarez Navarro (Miami) and Agnieszka Radwanska (Birmingham). Vandeweghe is 7-16 lifetime against the top 10.8. Sloane Stephens is playing for the fifth day in a row: Her first-round match against Peng Shuai was played over two days because of rain (Wednesday and Thursday), as was her second-round tilt against Mandy Minella (Friday and Saturday). Sunday, Stephens plays Svetlana Kuznetsova.9. Happy Birthday, Nastia! Sunday marks?Anastasia Pavlyuchenkovas 25th birthday. The No. 21 Russian is playing 11th-seeded Swiss Timea Bacsinszky for a spot in the second week.10. Get ready for Monday, the best day in tennis: The second Monday of Wimbledon is the only day of the season in which every player left in the draw takes the court. There will be 16 fourth-round matches (eight men, eight women). That is ... assuming the rain holds off. ' ' '