Cubs force World Series Game 7 behind Addison Russell"s historic night

MLB Addison Russell 2016 Highlights All Star Season - Chicago Cubs HD

Ted Berg, USA TODAY Sports 9:34 a.m. EDT November 2, 2016

Facing elimination the Chicago Cubs rally to defeat the Cleveland Indians 9-3 and bring the series to Game 7. USA TODAY Sports

Addison Russell became the first Cubs player to ever to hit a grand slam in the World Series.(Photo: Ken Blaze, USA TODAY Sports)

CLEVELAND -- Breaking down Game 6of the World Series between the Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs at Progressive Field.

Cubs 9, Indians 3:Series tied, 3-3.

***

The game:The Cubs scored early and often off Indians" starter Josh Tomlin, plating three on a two-out first-inning rally that started with a long Kris Bryant homer and continued due to miscommunication in the outfield that allowed a lazy Addison Russell fly ball to drop in for a two-run double.

Chicago tacked on four more runs in the top of the third on a grand slam by Russell. The shortstop tied an all-time World Series record with six RBIin the game, all of them in the first three innings.

Anthony Rizzo tacked on two more with a home run in the ninth inning.

Tomlin, who entered the game with a 1.76 ERA across three starts this postseason, allowed six earned runs on six hits and a walk across only 2 1/3 innings.

The Indians chipped away against Cubs starter Jake Arrieta, notching a run on a pair of hits in the fourth and another on a Jason Kipnis homer in the fifth. Arrieta left with two outs in the sixth, having allowed two runs on three hits and three walks while striking out nine.

Surprisingly, Joe Maddon went to closer Aroldis Chapman in the seventh inning for the second straight game. He lasted 1 1/3 innings and 20 pitches before he was taken out.

***

Man of the moment:Russell. The 22-year-old shortstop became only the fourth player in World Series history with six RBIin a game, set a new Cubs record for RBIin a postseason game, became the first shortstop ever to hit a grand slam in the World Series, and established a new RBI record for shortstops in World Series play. He"s also no slouch on defense, and made a slick play moving to his left to end the sixth.

***

Pivot point:Tomlin had Bryant down 0-2 in the count with two outs in the first when he hung a curveball that Bryant smashed 433 feet to deep left field. The Indians never led in the game.

***

Needing a mulligan:Indians center fielder Tyler Naquin had an adventurous and costly night in center field, starting with the ugly play that allowed two Cubs to score in the first. On a seemingly innocuous fly ball to short right center, Naquin and right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall appeared to miscommunicate, allowing it to fall between them for a hit. Naquin then nearly collided with Chisenhall on a fly ball to the same spot, and came close to crashing into left field Coco Crisp on another seemingly routine play.

***

Manager"s special:With two key starters out of his postseason rotation due to injury, Indians manager Terry Francona opted for a three-man rotation of Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin, with all three working on short rest after their first starts of the series. Kluber fared well in Games 1 and 4 of the series, and he"s now set up to start Game 7. But both Bauer and Tomlin faltered in their second World Series turns, throwing only 6 1/3 innings between them and forcing Francona to tax his bullpen on both nights.

***

What you missed on TV:Shirtless dudes dancing on stage right outside the park, where an unseasonably warm night and an early Cavaliers game drew huge crowds to watch Game 6 broadcast on big screens just beyond Progressive Field"s left-field gate. Even with the Indians losing, the atmosphere was undeniably festive, with mid-inning contests like dance-offs to keep the mob entertained.

***

State of the series:With the series now even at three games apiece, the clubs will play a decisive Game 7 on Wednesday at Progressive Field. Corey Kluber is set to start for the Indians and will look to continue a phenomenal postseason in which he has gone 4-1 with a 0.89 ERA in 30 1/3 innings across five starts. Kyle Hendricks will start for the Cubs. The 26-year-old righty went only 4 1/3 innings in Game 2 of the World Series, but allowed no runs in the outing.

Gallery: Cubs, Indians clash in World Series

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Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2016/11/01/cubs-indians-world-series-game-6-russell-arrieta/93147358/

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Manchester City top Champions League prize money table

Atletico Madrid vs. FC Rostov | 2016-17 UEFA Champions League Highlights
The ESPN FC crew break down Man City"s win over Barcelona, saying Luis Enrique"s men had no control over the midfield.

Manchester City earned 83.8 million (75.8m) in Champions League prize money last season, topping the table of UEFA payments to clubs.

Although City lost in the semifinals to eventual winners Real Madrid, their share of lucrative British television rights lifted them above Madrid"s 80m slice of the 1.345 billion UEFA prize fund.

Juventus were third with 76.2m despite losing in the last 16, with the Italian champions getting the largest TV rights share of almost 53m.

At over 69m, Chelsea, who fell at the first knockout hurdle, earned nearly as much as runners-up Atletico Madrid --just under 500,000 less.

The Italian TV rights paid out 112m among three clubs, while the Spanish rights paid out 90m between five clubs.

City"s TV payment was almost 47m, with the British rights sharing more than 140m among four clubs.

Manchester City were beaten by Real Madrid in last season"s semifinals.

Clubs got a basic fee of 12m for being in the group stage, plus payments of 1.5m for each win and 500,000 for draws. An escalating series of fees was then paid for advancing through each knockout round.

Madrid earned an extra 15m for winning the final, with Atletico Madrid getting 10.5m as runners-up.

The payments were the first in a three-year cycle of Champions League broadcast and sponsorship deals.

UEFA predicts a 30 percent revenue rise for the 2018-21 seasons. Then, TV rights money distribution will be changed to reward how far a club progresses rather than how much its national rights are worth.

The current formula has annoyed clubs from smaller TV markets for years and last season"s 40 percent share for the market pool was a reduction on the 55/45 split that had operated from 2012-15.

In the Europa League, UEFA paid out 37.8m (34.2m) to Liverpool for their run to the final, slightly more than Sevilla earned for reaching the group stage of the Champions League and then winning the Europa League for a third straight season.

Tottenham were the second biggest earners from the Europa League alone, receiving 20.9m (18.9m), despite only reaching the last-16 of the competition, where they were beaten 5-1 over two legs by Borussia Dortmund.

Liverpool profited from another quirk of the market pool system in that their compatriot clubs did relatively poorly, with West Ham and Southampton losing in the qualifying rounds, which meant there were fewer English claimants for the national TV money.

Information from Press Association and The Associated Press was used in this report.

Source: http://www.espnfc.com/uefa-champions-league/story/2986382/manchester-city-top-champions-league-prize-money-table

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2016 NFL trade deadline blog: RECAP of rumors, deals

NFL Trades That Need To Happen By 2015 Deadline

Here we go,NFL fans.

The 2016 NFL trade deadlineis set for 4 p.m. on Tuesday, November 1. Between now and the moment the clock strikes four on Tuesday afternoon, a final blitz of phone calls and trade discussions will take place. The results of those conversations will shape the present and future of the NFL.

Are theGiants going to truly enter the Joe Thomas sweepstakes? Can theEagles go out andfind a playmaker to add to an offense that desperately needs one, like, sayAlshon Jeffery or Torrey Smith? Will theJets actuallyconsider deals for stars likeBrandon Marshall or Sheldon Richardson?

With the Patriots, Cowboys and Vikings looking like the class of the NFLthrough eight weeks, every other team in the NFLneeds to play catch up in order to dream on a Super Bowl run this season. The trade deadline is a chance to make that ground up.

With so many teams bunched in the NFC, a difference-making trade could be what separates a contender from a pretender down the stretch.

Follow along for every piece of news, rumor and update to fly out of NFLcircles leading up to the deadline.

NJ Advance Media will have reporters covering the Eagles, Giants and Jets every transaction and how it impacts the sport. Consider this a one-stop shop for their coverage and a primer for the wild day around the league.

[<a href="//storify.com/nj_sports/2016-nfl-trade-deadline-live-blog-updates-rumors" target="_blank">View the story "2016 NFL trade deadline: Live blog, updates, rumors" on Storify</a>]<h1>2016 NFL trade deadline: Live blog, updates, rumors</h1><h2>The 2016 NFL trade deadline is November 1 at 4 p.m. Which stars will be traded? How many deals will go down? Will contenders improve for the stretch run?</h2><p>Storified by <a href="https://storify.com/nj_sports">NJ.com Sports</a>· Mon, Oct 31 2016 14:09:12</p><div>No merit to trade rumors for Bears WR Alshon Jefferyhttps://t.co/baHK8l8XIJ https://t.co/jtbpENbGVxAround The NFL</div><div>NFL trade rumors: Will Browns move Josh Gordon? Giants have competition for Joe Thomas?The NFL trade deadline is just days away. Between now and November 1, teams will be on the phone with each other discussing deals. Will the Bears move Alshon Jeffery? Can the Eagles land a wide receiver? Will the Browns finally move on from Joe Thomas? Is Josh Gordon actually on the block?</div><div>Make the trade, Howie. https://t.co/BotQe1Dy86Joe Giglio</div><div>#Eagles need to get a playmaker immediately | https://t.co/Ayk0OA69V7 https://t.co/eqMb9lm4ziEliot Shorr-Parks</div><div>Brandon Marshall on Jets trade rumors: "It"s not even a question"Could the Jets trade Brandon Marshall before Tuesday"s NFL deadline?</div>

Source: http://www.nj.com/sports/nfl/2016/11/2016_nfl_trade_deadline_live_b.html

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"Overwatch" hero Sombra has hacked the game"s subreddit and Discord

Sombra and Diablo Necromancer Leak - Blizzcon 2016 (Overwatch & Diablo)

Image: Mashable composite, blizzard entertainment

The mysterious, unreleased Overwatch hero Sombra appears to have "hacked" the Overwatch subreddit and its Discord channel, creating quite a buzz in the community as to whether she will finally be revealed.

Sombra has been the subject of a long-running alternate-reality game (ARG) that has tasked curious players with solving different puzzles and clues that involve the fictional universe of Overwatch. The Reddit hack changed users" profile pictures to Sombra"s purple skull logo and changed a few other cosmetic elements.

Reddit users" images changed to Sombra"s skull logo.

A moderator of the subreddit made an announcement that a website that"s part of the Overwatch universe is "under attack from mysterious assailants, who are seeking assistance with the hack." The website in question is lumerico.mx, which is the homepage for a potentially corrupt Mexican power company in the game.

The amount of traffic heading to LumriCo"s website appears to have crashed the website initially, but some people have been able to get in. The official Discord channel for the Overwatch subreddit also crashed under the weight of traffic but is currently accessible.

Players have been collaborating on /r/Overwatch and multiple Discord channels as they work out the different clues that Blizzard has left in the game and on the internet. Participants of the ARG have been able to help Sombra breach the LumriCo a bit, but the ARG isn"t quite over.

This development in the ARG comes after an image of Sombra leaked Tuesday, showing off what the character will likely look like when she"s available to play.

Along with that leaked image, a news article within the universe was posted on Blizzard"s website, stating that a group called Los Muertos is "organizing a protest to coincide with LumriCo"s unveiling of the Dorado nuclear plant on November 1st."

It"s likely that this event coincides with that post.

Nobody knows exactly when Sombra will be unveiled, but with BlizzCon approaching on Friday it wouldn"t be a surprise to see the reveal then. If the detectives involved in the ARG crack through the clues, though, Sombra could be revealed much sooner.

Source: http://mashable.com/2016/11/01/overwatch-sombra-reddit-hack/

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The Big Winner on November 8 Could Be... Marijuana

Maple Leafs Post-Game: Mike Babcock - November 1st, 2016

With pot on the ballot in nine states, the big winner in next Tuesday"s election could be America"s legal cannabis industry. By 2020, legal market sales are expected to surpass $22 billion. And for states struggling with budget shortfalls, that extra revenue would be clearly welcome.

Voters in five states Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada will decide whether to legalize recreational marijuana for adults. Medical marijuana is on the ballot in Arkansas, Florida, Montana, and North Dakota.

Supporters believe the marijuana measures will pass in California and Florida, and possibly several other states, because America"s attitude about pot has changed significantly in the last few years.

"Legalization of cannabis is one of the greatest business opportunities of our time."

"It"s well established that the majority of Americans now believe that the responsible use of marijuana by adults should not be a criminal offense," said Paul Armentano, deputy director of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

Two national surveys released in mid-October confirm that, with the Pew Research Center revealing that 57 percent of U.S. adults say the use of marijuana should be made legal while 60 percent were opposed a decade ago.

The latest Gallup Poll showed that support for legalizing marijuana is at 60 percent, the highest ever recorded in this survey. After Colorado and Washington became the first states to allow the recreational use of pot, in 2013, support for legalization reached a majority for the first time.

The inside of the Columbia Care medical marijuana dispensary in New York, one of the state"s first such dispensaries. Shannon Stapleton / Reuters

Tax revenue generated from legal sales exceeds expectations

It is far too soon to assess the overall impact to society in states where weed has been legalized. A new report from the Drug Policy Alliance concludes that it"s been "so far, so good" in Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Washington and Washington, D.C. They found that total marijuana arrests are down, young people smoking pot did not increase significantly, and traffic fatality rates have remained stable, so far.

But there is hard data on the total sales and tax revenue generated by this budding business.

Nationally, legal pot sales grew like a weed last year to $5.7 billion, up from $4.6 billion in 2014, according to a recent report from the ArcView Market Research and New Frontier. Recreational sales grew from $374 million in 2014 to $1.2 billion by the end of 2015.

The report projects strong sales growth this year, with retail sales hitting $7.1 billion, up about 26 percent from 2015. By 2020, the report says, legal market sales are expected to surpass $22 billion.

"Legalization of cannabis is one of the greatest business opportunities of our time and it"s still early enough to see huge growth," noted Troy Dayton, CEO of The ArcView Group, in the report.

The legal cannabis industry has also created tens of thousands of jobs across the country.

"We"re seeing a massive transformation from an illicit economy worth tens of billions of dollars into a legal economy that will probably be worth even more than that," said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, a group that supports the legalization of marijuana.

"Legalizing marijuana, taxing and regulating it, is not going to solve a state"s budget problems. It"s not a panacea, but it definitely makes a significant contribution," he said.

A look at the numbers

Tax revenues collected in Colorado, Washington, and Oregon have all exceeded initial estimates.

• Colorado"s legal pot sales of $996 million generated $121 million in combined sales tax and excise tax revenue last year and created 18,000 new jobs, according to the Marijuana Policy Group (MPG).
• Marijuana tax revenue in Colorado was three times larger than alcohol and 14 percent larger than casino revenue, the report noted.
• MPG projects that marijuana tax revenue in Colorado will eclipse cigarette tax dollars by 2020.
• Washington"s recreational marijuana industry brought in $427 million in sales and excise tax revenue on sales of $1.1 billion since 2014, according to 502data.com.
• Oregon"s Department of Revenue reported sales of more than $160 million so far this year, which generated more than $40 million in sales taxes.

But the extra income is just one drop in a very large bucket, according to Joe Henchman, vice president for legal and state projects at the Tax Foundation.

"It"s certainly quite a bit of revenue," Henchman told NBC News. "It"s enough to pay for some extra police or some extra teachers, but you"re just not going to be able to replace many of your other taxes with that revenue."

Proponents of cannabis initiatives often point to the tax benefits of a legal marketplace. They"re asking voters to tax them, something most businesses would never do. Henchman said the industry views this as a way to "legitimize it" and make the idea of legal sales acceptable to most people.

California here we come?

All eyes are on the Golden State, as voters there are asked to approve Proposition 64: Adult Use of Marijuana Act. Medical marijuana is already legal there. This would allow people to grow some weed at home and give municipalities the authority to allow recreational pot stores.

This election could be a tipping point that makes it impossible for Congress to keep ignoring the issue.

Based on the latest polling, Prop 64 is expected to pass.

Cannabis advocates believe a win in California on November 8 could open the floodgates for other states and Congress to legalize the purchase and recreational use of marijuana by adults.

Gallup noted, "If recreational marijuana use becomes legal in California this year, many other states will likely follow, because the Golden State often sets political trends for the rest of the U.S."

Taylor West, deputy director of the National Cannabis Industry Association, believes this election will be "a tipping point" that makes it impossible for Congress to keep ignoring the issue. "If all nine initiatives were to pass, we"d have approximately 62 percent of the US population living in a state where medical or adult-use cannabis access is legal. That"s huge," she said.

It"s still an all-cash business

Even so, West does not expect Congress to legalize marijuana any time soon. She hopes lawmakers will pass legislation to allow the legal cannabis industry to access the nation"s banking system. That"s extremely difficult or impossible for these businesses to do right now because marijuana remains illegal at the federal level.

Running an all-cash business creates serious security problems for cannabis retail stores and dispensaries, including the constant threat of being robbed. It also makes it harder to for these legal businesses to pay their employees and the taxes they owe.

The Marijuana Business Access to Banking Act was introduced in July of 2013 by two democrats, U.S. Reps. Ed Perlmutter of Colorado and Denny Heck of Washington.

"We"ve just got to get these businesses away from being all cash," Heck said. "It"s more than ridiculous, it"s not safe."

The Perlmutter/Heck bill updates federal banking rules to resolve conflicts between federal and state laws. It would simply enable banks and credit unions to provide services to legitimate marijuana-related businesses in states that have legalized pot, without fear of sanctions from federal regulators.

Despite growing bi-partisan support, the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee has refused to let the bill come up for a vote, Heck told NBC News.

"Most of my colleagues understand that the safe thing to do is to allow these businesses to have access to banking services so they"re not all cash," Heck said.

"We"re going to get wind in our sails as a consequence of this election, but whether it will be enough remains to be seen."

Herb Weisbaum is The ConsumerMan. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter or visit The ConsumerMan website.

Editors note: An earlier version of this story said that Oregon, and not Washington, had legalized the recreational use of marijuana.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/2016-election-day/big-winner-november-8-could-be-marijuana-n676316

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NFL trade deadline deals that almost happened

NFL Trade Deadline: Broncos Acquire Vernon Davis

Taking a trip down memory lane of recent NFL trade deadlines is somewhat of an exercise of amnesia.

The more you call around the league, the more you hear, "Nothing really comes to mind," in answers to questions about trade-deadline deals that fell through. It"s understandable. So few deals are really in the works that the conversations become forgettable past the deadlines.

"There"s a lot of teams that don"t make in-season trades," New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick told reporters last week. "They seem kind of reluctant to trade -- this time of year, especially."

Since the new collective bargaining agreement of 2011, the value of draft picks has escalated and more teams are realizing that building through free agency doesn"t work. Most trades for players are for sixth- or seventh-round picks.

Belichick and the Patriots are the exception. They have become the king of the trade deadline over the past few years, proving it again Monday when they shipped linebacker Jamie Collins -- one of the team"s most talented players -- to the Cleveland Browns.

To coincide with Tuesday"s trade deadline (4 p.m. ET), here are some recent deadline deals that didn"t get done, with help from a few NFL executives across the league who helped jog my memory.

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Source: http://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/story/_/id/17940674/nfl-trade-deadline-deals-almost-happened-2016

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Observations after Bulls improved to 3-0: Jimmy Butler scoring with efficiency

Boston Celtics vs Chicago Bulls - Full Game Highlights | October 27, 2016 | 2016-17 NBA Season

The Bulls improved to 3-0 with their road victory over the Nets.

Here are three observations.

Jimmy Butler is scoring with efficiency

His 22 points on just 10 shots also featured nine trips to the free-throw line. That followed a 16-point effort on nine shots. In each of the last two blowout victories, Butler sat out the fourth.

Butler"s ability to get out in transition has been heightened thus far by the arrival of Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade, two unselfish playmakers who like to pass the ball ahead.

"I just keep running the floor because I know Im going to get the ball, Butler said. "When you are open you are going to get the ball whether its from D-Wade, whether from Rondo, Taj (Gibson). If they miss you they know they probably missed you and its, "Im not going to do that again.""

The Bulls are rebounding effectively

The Bulls have been plus-19 over the Celtics, plus-14 over the Pacers and plus-13 against the Nets in their first three victories.

Gibson leads with a 9.7 per game rebounding average. But the Bulls are consistently limiting opponents to one shot and also wreaking havoc on the offensive glass.

Isaiah Canaan is proving himself to be more than a 3-point specialist

The guard"s defensive pressure and ability to pick up fullcourt has impressed. Mostly known as a volume shooter, Canaan has made his presence felt at the defensive end.

After missing all three 3-point attempts in the opener against the Celtics, Canaan also is 6-for-9 from beyond the arc.

His rocky opener made it seem like Michael Carter-Williams would supplant him in the rotation. Now, Canaan could be back in a more prominent role if Carter-Williams is sidelined for an extended period with his left knee injury.

Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/ct-3-pointers-bulls-victory-20161101-story.html

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