CHICAGO -- Grown men didnt weep.Maybe because anyone old enough to actually remember the last time the Chicago Cubs made it to the World Series would be at least 71 and know enough to stay home instead of parking himself in the middle of the pandemonium that engulfed Wrigley Field late Saturday.Not so 78-year-old Billy Williams, a Hall of Famer and Cubs mainstay through the 1960s and `70s. This was a moment he had to see for himself.I think about the guys I played with who never got to see this, Williams began. Especially Ernie Banks and (Ron) Santo. Man, we tried so hard for so many years and now theyre gone. ... And I cant tell you how long these fans stuck with us or how many times I heard stuff like, `This is the year.But this, he said with a sweep of his arm toward the still-rocking grandstand, is finally the year.After believing their team was cursed by a goat, crossed by a black cat and undone by one of their own, after checking their sanity at the turnstiles for seven decades and counting, fans of the team on the North Side of town no longer needed any excuses . None needed reminding, either, that there was one hill still left to climb, starting Tuesday night in Cleveland.But at the moment, a white flag with a single blue W fluttered in the night sky atop the huge, manually operated scoreboard in center field -- a tradition begun in the 1930s so that riders on the nearby elevated train line would know when the Cubs won -- and their fans basked in its possibilities.They win 100-plus games (in the regular season), they really have no weaknesses, theyve got youth, veteran starting pitching ... they catch the baseball, they can slug, they get on base, and theyre relentless, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said afterward, by way of a scouting report.Thats a very good club over there.You couldnt have said that just seven years ago, when owner Tom Ricketts forked over $875 million of the familys fortune to buy the ballclub and that faith was tested mightily. Normally a level-headed sort, he fell in love with the Cubs soon after moving to the city as an 18-year-old to attend the University of Chicago. The Cubs went 83-78 in Ricketts first year, then posted five losing seasons in a row.In 2011, he shelled out good money to hire onetime Red Sox boy wonder Theo Epstein to rebuild the roster as president of baseball operations; the next year, the Cubs lost 101 games. But with Epstein pulling the strings, they also began collecting youngsters like Anthony Rizzo, Addison Russell and Kris Bryant, occasionally mixing in high-priced veteran pitchers like Jon Lester and John Lackey and turning around Jake Arrietas career.In 2015, Ricketts shelled out good money again to hire manager Joe Maddon; last season, they were swept by the Mets in the NLCS. The cornerstone of Maddons baseball philosophy is focus on the short term; try to win each at-bat, each inning, each game. He pulls stunts to make it fun -- bringing in zoo animals, wearing pajamas on the flight home from road trips and breaking up the monotony of a long season.But even he struggled on this night not to look back.You stand out on that platform afterwards and youre looking at the ballpark and the fans and the W flags everywhere, and truthfully you think about everybody, Maddon said. I think about the fans and their parents and their grandparents and great-grandparents and everything thats been going on here for a while. I think about my wife, Jaye, my kids, my mom back in Pennsylvania, my dad who wasnt here.Its overwhelming, he added finally, and its awesome.The Cubs last won it all in 1908, which means theyve been without a championship 40 years longer than the Indians, holders of the second-longest run without a championship in major North American pro sports. They may be the sentimental favorites, but theyre also savvy, ruthless and blessed with short memories -- basically, anything but your fathers Cubbies.Ditto for the owner. Asked what it would feel like to see that same flag fly at the end of the World Series, Ricketts admitted he already had his eye on a souvenir. It was likely to be more painful than expensive.I may make the `W a tattoo, he said.He wont be alone.---Jim Litke is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke(at)ap.org and https://Twitter.com/JimLitke .Pittsburgh Penguins Pro Shop . -- Ryan Blaney provided more evidence that Penske Racings No. Pittsburgh Penguins Gear . Its the second straight game Bell has scored in extra time for Kelowna, which beat the Brandon Wheat Kings 6-5 on Friday, and he now has four game-winning goals on the season. https://www.cheappenguinsjersey.com/ . The 18-year-old American had five birdies in her bogey-free round for a 17-under total of 196. Lee held the overnight lead but mixed three birdies with two bogeys for a 70. Penguins Jerseys 2020 . Woodson said during a radio interview Thursday that the Knicks Carmelo Anthony doesnt get the same calls as other superstars. Custom Pittsburgh Penguins Jerseys . Defencemen Drew Doughty, Shea Weber and forward Ryan Getzlaf also scored for the Canadians, who started their gold-medal defence 2-0. Goalie Roberto Luongo, getting the call in place of Game 1 starter Carey Price, was solid when needed in making 23 saves for the shutout.CALGARY, Alberta -- Canada has selected Jay Bouwmeester to replace Duncan Keith on its roster for the World Cup of Hockey.Keith is still rehabbing a right knee injury he suffered last season, the Chicago Blackhawks said. The two-time Norris Trophy winner as the NHLs top defenseman had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in October.Bouwmeester, 32, rejoins Canada after winning gold at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. He was chosen as Keiths replacement by Canadian general manager Doug Armstrong, whos also Bouwmeesters general manager with the St.dddddddddddd Louis Blues.The smooth-skating lefty will presumably again be paired with fellow Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo at the World Cup, which begins Sept. 17 in Toronto.Canada already had an injury replacement at forward with Logan Couture taking Jamie Benns place. ' ' '