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CHICAGO -- The game ended less than an hour ago and Ive already made my way back through the smiling, singing crowds around Wrigley Field. From my hotel room on the 18th floor, I can hear the dull thump of celebratory music from somewhere down below, and as soon as I finish writing this column, Im headed back out into the madness. Chicago feels like a South American capital after a big World Cup win. Right now, I can hear a driver laying on his horn.Its a great night to be alive, whether youre a player on a baseball team going back to Cleveland, or a person who believes deeply in what that teams success might mean to them and their family. Of course, it felt that way even before the sun went down and the stadium filled up, the potential end of a magical season layering the party atmosphere in the streets with a sense of dread and stress. The drum machine patter and synth riffs of In the Air Tonight floated out into Waveland Avenue as I passed through the gates into the Wrigley Field bleachers.Writing this, I just put that song on repeat, and a few images returned immediately. The man singing Frank Sinatra as he checked IDs and handed out the over-21 pink wristbands. My kind of town, Chicago. The smiles of people clutching World Series tickets, which evoke long buried nostalgia in a way that a Super Bowl ticket never does. The neon green of the sweet relish on the hot dog -- the green of a muscle car paint job -- and the strip of yellow mustard, and how the father and son sitting to my left both ate theirs that way. Ketchup is for communists and Cardinals fans. The strange and beautiful halogen glow hanging over the field, from the six banks of floodlights perched atop the grandstands. Years from now, long after I forget the score, or who played well and who played poorly, I will remember how the lights looked. And years from now, after the laughter and sense of community forged during three and a half long hours in the bleachers have faded away, I will remember the tension of the last three outs.Mark and Dustin Columbatto sat next to me, freaking out. Mark is 60 and wore a Billy Williams jersey. Dustin is 28 and wore a Alfonso Soriano jersey. They hugged when Chapman headed back out to the mound for the ninth.One more inning, Mark said. Its what we came here for.The bleachers had been loose and fun the whole night, cracking on the opposing pitchers, people being careful not to crowd their neighbors. But during the commercial break before the ninth inning began, that easy vibe evaporated. The stadium speakers played Eminems Lose Yourself and many of the people around me sang along, making the hair stand up on each others arms. It was 3-2, with one half inning to go. The bleachers rapping got louder -- This opportunity comes once in a lifetime -- and the air didnt feel as cold anymore.The man behind me kept score carefully, and the man in front of me checked his Twitter. They felt like nervous tics. The guy whod been cracking jokes all night didnt have any more jokes. People got quiet, with lots of crossed arms.I have hope, Mark said, even if they lose. Theyll be back.Chapman got two outs on nine pitches, a ground ball and a fly ball to right field.Dustin held up his index finger.One more, he said.Mark and Dustin held onto each other, hoping, waiting. Trying to describe how the ballpark felt in those long minutes seems a little goofy now, because everything I type feels overcooked on the page and yet somehow still doesnt properly convey just how f----- nervous everyone got. People packed in close together, someone saying a Hail Mary, another just growling. Mark texted his wife. Dustin looked out at the field with hope. On this night, his faith was rewarded with one final out, a dramatic swinging strikeout that shook the stadium.The first chord of Go Cubs Go rang out, and people smiled and floated down the ramps into the street. Wrigley Field emptied for the final time this year, with the ivy on the walls just a few days from changing, and soon the stadium will slip into hibernation, waiting until spring to either welcome home the world champions, so many ghosts finally at rest, or to start the long grinding wait for another night like tonight. Maybe it will come soon, next October, or maybe Dustin will be an old man the next time he sits in the bleachers for a World Series game, explaining to his son how, a long time ago, he and his father believed.Merril Hoge Jersey . LOUIS -- St. Mike Wagner Jersey . -- Devin Hester is done returning kicks in Chicago. http://www.steelersrookiestore.com/Steelers-Jack-Ham-Jersey/ . 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. Alejandro Villanueva Jersey . Irving scored 23 points, Tristan Thompson had 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 117-109 on Friday night. Louis Lipps Youth Jersey . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team.The events of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup season came to a close Friday night in Las Vegas.Plenty of questions remain until the 2017 green flag.The biggest question surrounds the biggest driver name in the sport,?Dale Earnhardt Jr.,?who missed the final 18 races of 2016 because of a concussion suffered in a June accident at Michigan. The symptoms eventually forced him out of the car about a month later.Earnhardt remains confident that he will return behind the wheel for the 2017 Daytona 500. He said Friday he has a test set for some time in the next three weeks. If all goes well, he should be cleared to run again Jan. 31-Feb. 1 in the NASCAR test at Phoenix International Raceway.He said the key to his recovery was the decision in August to not try to return this year. That is when his vision, balance and nausea issues started to improve.You worry about your health, Earnhardt said Friday. You worry about the issues youve got are permanent or when they are going to get better and how.Anxiety is a huge factor with concussions and can be a major problem with people trying to recover. ... Every day, I was in some sort of discussion about my future, and my doctor told me I couldnt get well until I dropped all that and didnt think about it. I thought, How am I supposed to not think about that? Thats the most important thing in my life. Earnhardt said he doesnt expect to have a recurrence of symptoms because he has been in the Chevrolet simulator recently without problems -- he admitted he would get sick in the simulator before -- a sign that the exercises he has done have helped him recover what he and his doctors have termed an illness as much as an injury.There was a period of time where my doctors told me to completely remove all the stress and anxiety from my life to be able to allow my brain to heal quicker, Earnhardt said. I was worrying about getting back in the car and getting healthy and all that stuff, and it was slowing down the whole process.When I did that, I became a much better version of myself. I was a much nicer, pleasant person, and caring and thoughtful, and less agitated by stress and everyday life.But Earnhardt isnt the only question for the offseason. The next major question is what the series will be named, as NASCAR is busy finalizing a name and a logo as part of a deal where Monster Energy will sponsor the Cup Series.The word Cup might not be in the name, although it will be difficult for fans to not use Cup as a generic term, at least for a period of time.The name of the series should be known by the holidays.We are working on the exact composite logo and otherwise, and well be back shortly on that, NASCAR Chairman Brian France said Thursday. It wont be long, but weve got some real good options on that.The other parts of silly season could linger as teams and drivers continue to look for sponsors for next year.Greg Biffle, Casey Mears, Alex Bowman, Regan Smith, David Ragan, Matt DiBenedetto, Cole Whitt, Josh Wise and Jeffrey Earnhardt are among the 2016 Cup drivers who havent announced 2017 plans.Bowman, who substituted for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in several races in 2016, actually has a berth in the preseason Clash (formerly Sprint Unlimited) but doesnt have a team. Yet. He could drive for Hendrick Motorsports in the No. 5 car since Kasey Kahne is not eligible for the race.Bowman will be there in something, team owner Rick Hendrick said. Im not sure yet [what car].Hendrick indicated that Bowman will have a role with the team. He has been a test and simulator driver for the organization.We havent got any definitive things to announce right now, but I can just tell you that Alex is going to be around with us, Hendrick said. Other than that, I dont have any concrete things to tell you.There are several teams that have not announced their lineups. Richard Petty Motorsports needs a sponsor/driver combination for its No. 44 car, left open by Brian Scotts retirement. Anything is possible there depending on sponsorship.dddddddddddd.Front Row Motorsports needs to fill its No. 34 car as Chris Buescher left for JTG Daugherty Racing in an arrangement where he will be on loan for a year from Roush Fenway Racing. Bueschers crew chief hasnt been named, and it likely wont be out of the Roush Fenway camp since JTG Daugherty is a Chevrolet team.There [are] some little bits and pieces of it that are going to be a little strange, Buescher said about being a Ford guy in a Chevy shop. Its going to be JTG [staff] on everything. Well go out there and get the most out of the car every single weekend.Biffle, who turns 47 later this month after a solid 14-year career with 19 Cup wins, likely wont race unless he gets a competitive ride. It appears his best option might be to wait to be a substitute driver.Mears and others could be candidates at Front Row, a team that can still be considered underfunded despite making the Chase with Buescher, thanks to the Pocono win.HScott Motorsports shut down Monday, with the charter of the No. 15 sold to Premium Motorsports. The charter HScott leased (the No. 46) from Premium was sold by Premium to Furniture Row Racing for the Erik Jones car next year.Reed Sorenson and Cole Whitt drove for Premium, which fielded two cars most weeks, but Whitt left the team late in the year. Team owner Jay Robinson said in November that he would buy or sell a charter, depending on the market, and he still could lease or sell the charter he bought from HScott.There certainly is a market. Three teams -- Wood Brothers Racing, the Motorsports Group and two Premium cars -- ran without charters for the full (or nearly full) 2016 season. Premium now has one charter, and others could obtain charters if the price is right.Circle Sport owner Joe Falk is looking for a place for his No. 33 charter. His charter was considered as having been leased to Leavine Family Racing in 2016, so Falk must operate a team or sell the charter.The Motorsports Group had Josh Wise as its primary driver in 2016 but cut a deal with Gray Gaulding in late 2016 that could lead to more races in 2017.It appears the Go FAS Racing No. 32 team is in transition with no full-time Cup driver nor sponsor announced, and that team would need to find a home for its charter.The Go FAS charter, the Premium charter (leased to HScott in 2016) and the BK Racing No. 83 charter come with a catch -- they ranked last among the charter teams. Any charter that is among the bottom three for three consecutive years can have its charter pulled by NASCAR.BK Racing, with the Ragan and DiBenedetto teams finishing 34th and 35th in the standings in 2016 compared to a three-car operation that finished 37th, 40th and 43rd in 2015, typically doesnt solidify its driver lineup until January.One thing fans shouldnt wig out over -- whether a new manufacturer will debut despite NASCAR Chairman Brian France saying discussions with other manufacturers continue and Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne telling the (Daytona Beach) News-Journal and reporters at a Ferrari event in Florida that he is open to the idea of Dodge returning. Any manufacturer wanting to come into NASCAR for the 2017 season would have had to make a formal request by September 2015.The current NASCAR rules require race-car renderings for new models to be submitted by more than a year before they ever are raced on the track. The deadline is Oct. 1 (more than 15 months before the actual debut), if the production car is already in production, and Jan. 1 (13 months before the debut), if the production car will start being sold in the year the Cup model debuts. A full-scale race car must be submitted to NASCAR by April 1 prior to the year of debut.To accomplish those tasks, an incoming manufacturer likely would have to hire some top personnel away from current NASCAR teams, and that has yet to happen. ' ' '