CLEVELAND -- When the epic, drama-drenched Game 7 was briefly delayed by rain, Indians players returned to their clubhouse, where chairs had been removed and plastic sheets hung in anticipation for a party waiting to pop since 1948. Cheap Dan Marino Jersey .Later, unopened bottles of Dom Perignon were wheeled out of a luxury suite. An ice sculpture of the World Series trophy was cloaked by a black cloth, soon to melt away.It wasnt meant to be.An amazing, unforeseen season had a familiar ending.Unable to stop Chicagos curse-slaying run, the Indians, a team that perhaps embodied Clevelands blue-collar, get-off-the-mat ethos more than any other, finally succumbed in the 10th inning, losing 8-7 early Thursday before a downpour soaked thousands of Cubs fans who stood in the rain savoring the end of their 108-year championship wait.Heartbreak still resides in Cleveland.Only this time, the hurt isnt as deep.The Indians werent expected to be playing in October, never mind November, and they took some solace in pushing the Cubs to the limit.We shocked the world, said shortstop Francisco Lindor, the 22-year-old who blossomed on baseballs biggest stage. No one had us here. Of course, we didnt finish the way we wanted to finish. We were going to do whatever it took to win, grind at-bats, pitch after pitch, work hard. Thats our mojo. We battled day in and day out.The Indians had hoped to duplicate what the Cavs, their neighbors on the other side of Gateway Plaza, had done in June by winning a championship and ending the citys 52-year title drought. They managed to sidestep adversity for months, but couldnt overcome losing two starting pitchers and simply didnt have enough to put away the Cubs and became the first team since the 1979 Baltimore Orioles to squander a 3-1 lead in the Series by losing Games 6 and 7 at home.They went down -- swinging.Nobody gave up, said reliever Andrew Miller, who was virtually unhittable during the postseason before the Cubs figured him out in Game 7. It was fighting like hell. It was unfortunate that we didnt quite get there.The fact that they got so close is worth a trophy presentation and parade.The Indians were short-handed from almost the first day of spring training in Arizona.All-Star left fielder Michael Brantley, their No. 3 hitter and probably the best all-around player on the roster, was unable to get fully healthy and played only 11 games. Without Brantley, manager Terry Francona had to be creative to find production and fortunately the Indians got huge contributions from sluggers Carlos Santana (34 homers) and Mike Napoli (101 RBI).Jose Ramirez played four positions, started in all nine spots in the batting order and didnt miss a beat, batting .312 and was perhaps the teams MVP.The Indians survived despite losing starting catcher Yan Gomes for long stretches -- the club tried to trade for All-Star Jonathan Lucroy in July -- and the outfield was an almost daily patchwork effort because of Brantley and two PED suspensions.If all that wasnt enough to stop them, the Indians closed out their division and beat Boston and Toronto in the postseason despite not having injured starters Carlos Carrasco or Danny Salazar or losing starter Trevor Bauer after he sliced his pinkie playing with a drone -- an odd accident that somehow seemed fitting for this resilient group.The Indians were stitched together from the start.Francona conjured magic from his bullpen as Miller, Bryan Shaw and closer Cody Allen combined to protect leads and stifle rallies all the way to the Series.But in the end, the injuries caught them.A handcuffed Francona was forced to ride ace Corey Kluber for three starts in nine days against the heavily favored Cubs; Josh Tomlin, who had dealt with his fathers illness during a dreary August, just didnt have it in Game 6; and Miller, acquired from the New York Yankees in July for these kind of moments, didnt have the usual bite on his nasty slider in a finale that rates with any Game 7 in history.In the quiet of Clevelands clubhouse afterward, second baseman Jason Kipnis, a Chicago kid who has grown into Clevelands leader, put a season hell never forget in perspective. Kipnis was hurting, but knew he -- and the Indians -- will soon heal.We will be back, he said. Were pretty confident in this group we got here. There are a lot of people who probably dont even know who Carlos Carrasco is or Michael Brantley. Those guys have huge roles for us. We kind of followed Kansas Citys lead a little bit to get here. They lost before they won, so I wouldnt mind if we follow their lead the whole way through. That would be nice. Wholesale Dolphins Jerseys . Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void. Cheap Dolphins Jerseys . Hey!" The lower tier of the School End of Queens Park Rangers Loftus Road was packed solid with a very festive-sounding Chelsea choral section in this particular part of South Africa Road London, W12.http://www.cheapdolphinsjerseyselite.com/ . -- James Young couldnt wait to apply those tweaks to his jump shot, and the first one he made against UT Arlington told him it could be a good night. MILAN -- Speaking for the first time as coach of Inter Milan, Stefano Pioli said Thursday he is targeting a quick return to the Champions League.Inter is ninth in Serie A, eight points behind third-place AC Milan and the final Champions League spot.We need to have a winning mentality, Pioli said. The squad has the right values to play in a concrete and winning way. The aim is to get them to play with passion, thats how well become a strong team.I would be happy if we get to the Champions League. Last year at this time Inter was first and (eventual champion Juventus) was way down, we all know how it finished. I dont want anyone to be under any illusions. It wont be easy but there is time to do it.The last time Inter was in the Champions League was in 2011-12, when it was knocked out by Marseille on away goals in the round of 16.Pioli replaced Frank de Boer, who was fired last week after Inter lost seven of 14 matches in all competitions. He is Inters ninth coach since Jose Mourinho led the club to a treble in 2010.Pioli, who has said hes always been an Inter fan, faces rival AC Milan in his first match on Nov. 20, after the international break.We have a very important month coming up, Pioli said. We will have eight matches in a month, we will need everyone. I will make sure everyone is ready. Above all, I want everyone to have the right attitude.. Cheap Miami Dolphins Jerseys. Pioli spent nearly two seasons in charge of Lazio. He led the Rome club to a third-place finish in his first campaign, but was fired last April after a 4-1 derby loss to Roma.Besides Lazio, the 51-year-old Pioli previously coached his hometown club Parma plus Chievo Verona, Palermo and Bologna in Serie A. In 218 matches as a Serie A coach, his teams have a record of 73 wins, 62 draws and 83 losses.He has been given an 18-month contract at Inter.Im not worried about my future, Pioli said. Im just focused and motivated. Im coaching Inter, I cant think about anything else but that. I will give everything. My contract doesnt matter, the only thing that matters is the good of Inter.De Boer was hired less than two weeks before the season began following the unexpected resignation of Roberto Mancini, who reportedly wanted more control over the transfer market and clashed with Suning, the Chinese retail giant that took control of 70 percent of Inter in June.Inters youth squad coach, Stefano Vecchi, was given temporary control of the senior team for a 2-1 loss at Southampton in the Europa League on Thursday -- leaving the Nerazzurri last in their group -- and a 3-0 win over last-place Crotone on Sunday in Serie A. Cheap NFL JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaCheap Jerseys From ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys AuthenticWholesale Jerseys ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaNFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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