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At long, long last, its true: Either the Chicago Cubs or Cleveland Indians will win the World Series.The matchup between teams that forever waited till next year -- next century, really -- is finally here.A classic Fall Classic, for sure.Do-it-all Javier Baez, flashy Francisco Lindor, MVP caliber Kris Bryant and a bevy of young stars. Lights-out relievers Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman, and wily skippers Joe Maddon and Terry Francona.Plus, intrigue if injured All-Star starter Danny Salazar and slugger Kyle Schwarber can play.Oh, and did someone mention something about a drought?Game 1 is at Progressive Field on Tuesday night, with the Cubs opening as a heavy favorite to win their first crown since 1908.In the Cubs last visit to Cleveland, back in August 2015, they posted a 17-0 rout for the most-lopsided shutout ever in interleague play. It got so out of hand that two Indians outfielders wound up pitching.But thats ancient history.For the Cubbies, this is their first World Series trip since 1945. They clinched their spot Saturday night at rollicking Wrigley Field as big league ERA leader Kyle Hendricks outpitched Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw for a 5-0 win in Game 6 of the NL Championship Series.Favorites since opening day, Anthony Rizzo, Addison Russell and past October aces Jon Lester and John Lackey helped the Cubs cruise to a major league-leading 103 victories.Now, theyre ready to sweep aside the Curse of the Billy Goat and the specter of Steve Bartman. And make up for the near-misses by Cubs greats such as Ernie Banks, Ron Santo and Billy Williams.Obviously we know that its something thats going to be talked about with the history of the organization, pitcher Jake Arrieta said. But its really not something we focus on at all. So we just kind of disregard it and go out and play.The Indians also have a past full of failure and frustration. Their title drought dates to Bob Feller, Lou Boudreau, Larry Doby and 1948, trailing only the Cubs for the longest wait in the majors.In 1997, Cleveland was three outs from winning the championship when closer Jose Mesa blew a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7 at Florida. An error by sure-handed second baseman Tony Fernandez doomed them in the 11th.Earlier this year, LeBron James and the Cavaliers turned Cleveland into Believeland by rallying to win the NBA title. James has been loudly cheering for the Indians to bring another championship to the city.Steady Jason Kipnis, jolly Mike Napoli and likely Game 1 starter Corey Kluber starred as the surprising Indians won the AL Central, then breezed by Boston and Toronto in the playoffs.The Indians did it despite a thinning rotation. Salazar hasnt pitched since early September because of a forearm problem, Carlos Carrascos hand was broken by a line drive and Trevor Bauer cut his pinkie playing with a drone.Like the Cubs with Bartman, the spectator who infamously deflected a foul ball at Wrigley during the 2003 NL playoffs, the Indians also have a prominent fan. Its John Adams, the man who has been beating a drum at most every home game for more than four decades.Even though the clubs hold spring training about 30 miles apart in Arizona, they dont overlap a lot.Theyve never played in the postseason and are just 9-9 against each other in interleague action.Miller and Chapman, however, were teammates this season in the New York Yankees bullpen before they both got traded in late July.Francona and current Cubs architect Theo Epstein spent even more time together. In 2004, they teamed up as the Red Sox ended a World Series championship drought dating to 1918 -- when Boston beat the Cubs, by the way.Soon, another city will be celebrating. Maybe next week, maybe next month, with Game 7 scheduled for Nov. 2.A pair of big cities, one on Lake Michigan, the other on Lake Erie, waiting ... and hoping to end the wait.On deck: Great Lakes, great stakes.Ben Wallace Pistons Jersey . Team physician Dr. Steve Traina performed the surgery Friday. Robinson was injured in a spill underneath the Nuggets basket during the first quarter of Wednesday nights loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. Joe Smith Pistons Jersey . Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, announced Wednesday that the team would assign Swedish forward Elias Lindholm to his nations team for the upcoming tournament. https://www.pistonsrookiesshop.com/Luke-Kennard-City-Edition-Jersey/ . Scott won the Australian PGA last week in his first event in Australia since winning the U.S. Masters in April. American Matt Kuchar, ahead by two strokes with four to play and even with Scott with one to go, double-bogeyed the 18th after taking two shots to get out of a bunker. Bill Laimbeer Pistons Jersey .J. -- Pitcher Carl Pavano is retiring after 14 major league seasons. Joe Dumars Pistons Jersey . Now tied for second in the league in shootout goals, the 24-year-old likes to see what the opposing goaltender has in store before he ultimately lands on a move.PITTSBURGH -- Steelers running back LeVeon Bell doesnt feel his offensive line receives the credit it deserves.The headlines are usually reserved for Bell, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and wide receiver Antonio Brown, the three stars who spearhead the Steelers dangerous offense. Bell believes the line is behind the Steelers recent offensive resurgence and helped snap a four-game losing streak. Pittsburgh has consecutive road victories against Cleveland and Indianapolis.Theyre playing superb, Bell said. Those guys give me a lot of room and space to make things happen and they allow me to get to the second level pretty much untouched. They deserve all the credit.The Steelers (6-5) host the Giants on Sunday. The Steelers and Baltimore Ravens are tied atop the AFC North and have a head-to-head Christmas Day matchup in Pittsburgh. The Steelers feel their offensive line will be critical to their success.We need to just stay consistent and keep doing our job, center Maurkice Pouncey said.One of the top priorities is keeping Roethlisberger upright. The line has allowed one sack in the last three games and 14 this season, tied for the second fewest in the league among quarterbacks with 10 starts.Ben is the key to the franchise moving forward, guard Ramon Foster said. Keeping him on the field is goal No. 1. That has to be our job.Roethlisberger, who missed a game in October after meniscus surgery in his left knee, has completed 73 percent of his passes during his last three games for 796 yards with six touchdowns and zero interceptions. He is tied for fifth in the league with 23 touchdowns and has thrown just seven interceptions.Any team, when you have a quarterback like that, you have to keep him healthy, so he can throw it down the field, Pouncey said. Weve beeen doing a good job and hopefully we can build off of that.ddddddddddddrown has reaped the benefits, most recently Thursday against Indianapolis when he set a single-game high with three touchdown receptions. Brown leads the NFL with 82 catches and 10 touchdowns, while ranking third in the league with 998 yards.Its not surprising with all the talent they both have, guard David DeCastro said. Its a special connection.Bell brings it all together, as his unique skill set makes him a threat in the backfield and as a receiver. He has 477 yards from scrimmage in the previous three games, including 201 against the Browns and 130-plus each against Dallas and Indianapolis.Weve been doing what we need to do to win games, Bell said. Whether its running or catching the ball out of the backfield, we just want to make sure we win the game.Bell, among NFL leaders in yards from scrimmage, has rushing touchdowns in each of his last three games. He also rushed for more than 100 yards in back-to-back games for the second time in his career. Bell, despite missing three games because of a suspension, leads all running backs with 57 catches and is just outside the top 10 in the AFC in overall receptions.Its hard to defend that type of player, Pouncey said. When hes heating up and scoring touchdowns, its good for everybody.Particularly good for the Steelers, who have settled into a groove offensively, thanks in large part to their offensive line.This is what we expect and we have to keep it going, DeCastro said. If we play like this, were going to have a lot of chances to win games.---For more NFL coverage: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '