Why I didn't use a free ticket to Game 5 of the World Series and other top stories.

• Why I didn't use a free ticket to Game 5 of the World Series

  

  CHICAGO — I grew up in this city, and I’ve wandered the streets of Wrigleyville on a clear day and on nights when more than the sky was cloudy. I know the neighborhood surrounding Wrigley Field well, and when it became clear that the Cubs were going to win their first pennant since 1945 and play in the World Series, I knew I had to be present to see how that neighborhood — and the city as a whole — would respond. I wasn’t disappointed — the epicenter of the city has moved north, to the corner..

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• Like you, LeBron James and J.R. Smith watch the Indians during Cavs games

  

  CLEVELAND, Ohio -- LeBron James invaded the lane, looked the Magic defenders off to one side and in the same motion dunked the ball just before halftime. A few minutes earlier, with 2:54 left in the second quarter of a 105-99 win, James tossed up a bank-shot 3-pointer and was fouled by Aaron Gordon for a 4-point play. James also dunked on 7-footer Nikola Vucevic in a way that questioned the Orlando center's manhood, and didn't bother to look when he threw a perfect, behind-the-back, hug-the-ba..

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• Sounders thrive as Jordan Morris moves out wide to slice and dice FC Dallas

  

  SEATTLE – A shift in role for Jordan Morris keyed the Seattle Sounders’ 3-0 thrashing of FC Dallas in their Western Conference semifinal opener at CenturyLink Field on Sunday. After deploying the rookie striker centrally as the lone forward at the top of Seattle’s 4-2-3-1 formation for much of the latter part of the regular season, Sounders interim head coach Brian Schmetzer opted to start veteran Nelson Valdez in that role on Sunday, moving Morris to the left wing. Morris didn’t score a goal. b..

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• Tom Brady dismantles Buffalo Bills, builds on MVP candidacy

  

  ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- She is the hugely popular owner of the Buffalo Bills, an effervescent woman who, along with her husband, is hailed by many Western New Yorkers for keeping the local NFL franchise from relocating and revitalizing a moribund downtown. So when Kim Pegula came walking through the south end zone tunnel at New Era Field an hour before her team's Sunday's AFC East showdown with the New England Patriots, the last thing she expected to hear was a hearty round of boos. Yet as Peg..

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• Russell Westbrook joins elite list with 2nd triple-double in 3 games

  

  OKLAHOMA CITY -- Russell Westbrook continued his torrid triple-double pace to begin the season with 33 points, 12 rebounds and 16 assists in the Oklahoma City Thunder's 113-96 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.Westbrook is the first player since Magic Johnson in the 1982-83 season to begin a season with a triple-double in two of the first three games.Westbrook is the fourth player to have two triple-doubles in the first three games, joining Johnson (twice), Jerry Lucas and Oscar Robertso..

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• Earl Thomas Returns Fumble For Touchdown, Hugs Referee: "Just Excited About The Moment"

  NEW ORLEANS — Earl Thomas grew up less than 250 miles west of the site of Sunday’s Seahawks game against the Saints, and as such, the Seattle free safety “had about 40 people” in attendance to watch his team play in Week 8 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.Thomas, a native of nearby Orange, Texas, provided entertainment for his friends and family early on in the Seahawks’ eventual 25-20 defeat, when he corralled a first-quarter fumble from Saints running back Mark Ingram and used his breakaway sp..

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