setting up a much-anticipated title defence against number

BASEBALLCHICAGO -- November blazed like dazzling springtime in Chicago during a massive parade and rally to honor the Cubs first World Series title in 108 years and fulfill more than a century of pent-up dreams.A new generation of Cubs fans -- riding in strollers or on their parents shoulders -- joined their elders to cheer the baseball champions. For the youngest, the day would be their first bright memory of following a club once known as lovable losers.Their parents marveled at how their children will know the confident, young team as winners.A crowd, estimated by city officials at 5 million, lined Michigan Avenue and Lake Shore Drive to cheer the motorcade of open-roofed buses carrying the players along a 7-mile parade route from the north side ballpark to sprawling Grant Park.CLEVELAND -- Two days later, the pain has diminished -- a little.The cruel sting of losing Game 7 hasnt completely left the Cleveland Indians.At the same time the Chicago Cubs were parading down Michigan Avenue after winning their first title in 108 years, the Indians -- who pushed the NL champions into extra innings in an unforgettable season finale before losing 8-7 -- took the first steps toward getting back to the Series in 2017.With deadlines approaching and no time for pity, the Indians locked up manager Terry Francona through 2020, exercising contract options for 2019 and 2020 on the 57-year-old manager, who steered the club around numerous obstacles to get it to its first Series since 1997.Cleveland exercised its $12 million option on slugger Carlos Santana for next season and declined a $13 million option on outfielder Coco Crisp, who gets a $750,000 buyout.PHOENIX -- Boston Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo was hired as manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks.Lovullo will be introduced at a news conference Mionday. He had been considered a leading candidate for the job after Red Sox assistant general manager Mike Hazen was hired as Diamondbacks GM.Lovullo replaces Chip Hale, who was fired after two seasons. Hazen took over from Dave Stewart, who also was dismissed after two years.PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Phillies have acquired right-handed reliever Pat Neshek from Houston for a player to be named later or cash.Neshek was 2-2 with a 3.06 ERA in 60 relief appearances with Houston. He held right-handed hitters to a .172 average and had 43 strikeouts in 47 innings.The Phillies also announced Friday they exercised Nesheks club option for $6.5 million in 2017.HOUSTON -- The Astros exercised catcher/designated hitter Evan Gattis $5.2 million option for 2017.Gattis gets a $2 million raise. Houston could have paid a $100,000 buyout, which would have made Gattis eligible for salary arbitration.Gattis hit .251 with a career-high and team-leading 32 homers with 72 RBI in his second season in Houston after spending the first two years of his career with the Atlanta Braves.NBALOS ANGELES -- Lou Williams scored 10 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, and the Los Angeles Lakers snapped Stephen Currys NBA-record streak of 157 games with a 3-pointer in a 117-97 victory over the Golden State Warriors.Julius Randle had 20 points and 14 rebounds for the rebuilding Lakers, who pulled off their second straight shocking home upset of the mighty Warriors with an impressive effort from their exciting young roster.Lakers coach Luke Walton also won his first meeting with his former team and his coaching mentor, Steve Kerr.Curry scored 13 points while going 0 for 10 from 3-point range, ending several incredible long-distance streaks. He had hit a 3-pointer in every regular-season game since Nov. 11, 2014.DALLAS -- Damian Lillard scored 27 of his season-high 42 points in the second half to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 105-95 victory over Dallas, sending the Mavericks to their first 0-5 start in franchise history.Mason Plumlee had 19 points and Al-Farouq Aminu added 12 points and 10 rebounds for Portland.HORSE RACINGARCADIA, Calif. -- For the last quarter of a mile, Songbird and Beholder refused to yield. They ran neck-and-neck, with their Hall of Fame jockeys looking for the tiniest edge.Gary Stevens, aboard Beholder, called it just a street fight.The 6-year-old mare landed the final blow, with Beholder edging Songbird by a nose in the $2 million Distaff on opening day of the Breeders Cup at Santa Anita.Even jockey Mike Smith had to agree it was an amazing, amazing race after his 3-year-old filly Songbird lost for the first time in 12 races.It was a thrilling finish to the four Cup races, three of which involved New York-based long shots winning on an 80-degree day.AUTO RACINGFORT WORTH, Texas -- Austin Dillon is on the pole for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Texas two weeks after a heartbreaking finish knocked him out of the championship chase.Dillon had a fast lap of 192.301 mph in the final round of qualifying to earn his third career pole. Joey Logano qualified second, and will be the highest starter Sunday in the AAA Texas 500 of the eight drivers still eligible for the season championship. His best lap in the final session was 192.269 mph.The other Chase contenders to qualify in the top 10 were Kevin Harvick (third), Matt Kenseth (seventh), Carl Edwards (ninth) and Kurt Busch (10th). Denny Hamlin starts 17th.FORT WORTH, Texas -- Johnny Sauter won his second consecutive Chase race in the NASCAR Truck Series, making a late pass that prevented anyone else from clinching a spot in the title-clinching race like he already had.Sauter went high around Chase contender Matt Crafton just before the line with two laps remaining at Texas Motor Speedway.It was Sauters third win this season. He won the opener at Daytona and last week at Martinsville to earn the first of four spots available for a chance to win the trucks inaugural Chase championship at Homestead.With only next weeks race at Phoenix before the finale, there are still three spots up for grab.HOCKEYCOLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Montreal Canadiens were the last team in the NHL to lose a game in regulation this season -- and they did it in historic fashion.And the Columbus Blue Jackets made a little history of their own.Cam Atkinson, Nick Foligno, Scott Hartnell and Josh Anderson each scored two goals as Columbus swamped Montreal 10-0, matching the biggest loss in the Canadiens storied history and breaking the Blue Jackets franchise record.Montreal lost by 10 goals for the fifth time and the first since an 11-1 loss to Detroit in February 1995. The Canadiens dropped to 9-1-1.Nike Vapormax Herr .Y. -- Leading 3-0 with only 11:25 left, the Colorado Avalanche committed a seemingly meaningless penalty to give the New York Islanders a power play. Vapormax 2020 Sverige .875,000, avoiding arbitration. Clippards deal Monday means all eight Nationals players who filed for arbitration wound up settling before a hearing. http://www.airvapormaxsverige.com/air-max-plus-tn-rea.html . Bradwell was scheduled to become a free agent Tuesday. Born and raised in Toronto, Bradwell is entering his sixth CFL season, with all six played for his hometown Argonauts. Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 36 Herr . Halifax beat the Saint John Sea Dogs 7-5 on the strength of two goals apiece from Nikolaj Ehlers, Matt Murphy and Brent Andrews. Jonathan Drouin also scored and had three assists while Zachary Fucale made 17 saves for the Mooseheads (16-8-0), who led 6-1 after two periods. Nike Vapormax Skor . On Mar. 16, coming off a "fight of the year" performance at UFC 154 the previous November, St-Pierre faced Nick Diaz at UFC 158 in what would be his eighth defence of the welterweight title. Using his superior athleticism, St-Pierre cruised to a five round, unanimous decision victory setting up a much-anticipated title defence against number one contender Johny Hendricks.PITTSBURGH -- Doug Fister pitched seven scoreless innings, Teoscar Hernandez hit a two-run homer and the Houston Astros beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-1 on Monday night.Hernandez connected off fellow rookie Jameson Taillon (3-3) in the fifth inning after A.J. Reeds leadoff walk. It was the third home run for Hernandez, who was called up from Triple-A Fresno on Aug. 12 to make his major league debut.Alex Bregman, another Astros rookie, hit his fourth homer in the ninth inning off Neftali Feliz.Houstton won its fourth straight game and Pittsburgh lost its fourth in a row.dddddddddddd Both teams are competing for wild-card spots.Fister struck out six, walked one and retired 11 of the first 12 batters. He had allowed nine runs and 11 hits over nine innings in his previous two starts.Ken Giles got his fourth save despite allowing David Freeses RBI single in the ninth. ' ' '