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CLEVELAND -- All right. Nick Powell Jersey . Take a deep breath now. Try to take this all in. There is actually going to be a World Series between (caution: the surgeon general advises you to inhale here) the Chicago Cubs and (please exhale slowly here) the Cleveland Indians.And no, not on your PlayStation. Not in another raucous production starring Charlie Sheen. On this planet. The one we live on.So lets attempt to think this through. If thats really happening, then best we can tell, that means that in a week or so ... HOLY CRAP, EITHER THE CUBS OR THE INDIANS ARE GOING TO WIN THE FREAKING WORLD SERIES.Cleveland second baseman Jason Kipnis was helpful enough to confirm that Monday, on the eve of Tuesdays Game 1 at Progressive Field.I think thats a very special part of this Series, Kipnis said, that one of these teams has to win.Well, if thats true, how are we supposed to grasp that, friends? Most of us have never lived on a planet where one of those teams is the champion of the baseball world. So pardon us while we take a moment to get a vertigo prescription filled.As a species, we need to make sense of these things. And the sooner we begin that process, the better off well all be. So were going to try our best -- we just cant promise it will get you through this because, lets face it: Its possible nothing will. Nevertheless, here is what were hurtling toward:If the Cubs win the World Series, it would be the first time that has happened since Roosevelt was president. By which we mean Teddy Roosevelt, of course.That was in 1908. And we can guarantee the Cubs didnt fly to Detroit for that World Series while watching NFL games on their seatback TVs -- seeing as though there was no such thing back then as (A) the NFL, (B) television or (C) an airplane that could even stay in the air that long.Since that day, depending on how you want to count the always-confusing Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins franchise, either 21 or 22 different teams have won a World Series -- including eight that didnt exist the last time the Cubs won one. The Giants, Dodgers and As have won the World Series in two different cities. The Braves have won in three.Then there are the Yankees. Since the last time the Cubs won a World Series, the Yankees have played in (fasten your seat belt now) 40 of them. And won 27. But the Yankees will not be participating this week. So theres that.Meanwhile, if the Indians win the World Series, it would be the first time that has happened since Harry Truman was president. That was in 1948. For what its worth, Trumans re-election that year was considered a much bigger upset than the Indians beating the old Boston Braves in the World Series. Coincidentally, neither Truman nor the Indians have won since.We feel the Indians just dont get enough credit for the enormity of their own little 68-year drought. But think of it this way. The Indians 68 years without a title would be the longest current championship-free streak in any sport by a team that played all those years in one city -- if it werent for the slight catch that the team theyre playing in this World Series has them beat in the drought race by 40 years.But that isnt the Indians fault. Now it is partially their fault that the Marlins have won a World Series since the last time the Indians won one, thanks to a Jose Mesa closer debacle in Game 7 of the 1997 Series. But that will be the last mention of Jose Mesa in this story. We promise.The point is still that a whole lot has happened in the world since the Indians last won. And were prepared to document that. We just need to set something straight first. Weve noticed that many people seem to have the impression that, compared with 1908, 1948 doesnt seem like that long a time ago. But thats incorrect.The last time the Indians won, credit cards didnt exist. The only fast food was that peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich your grandma slapped together for your mom or dad before school. And while TV did in fact exist, it was only in two colors: black and white. And historians tell us the only way to change the channel was to get your butt up off the couch and turn the dial. Which is, frankly, the ultimate definition of primitive.So have we convinced you about that long time ago stuff? Excellent. That was important. But now we also need to introduce some impressive sporting perspective to counterbalance that crazy Cubs trivia we spit out earlier.By 1948, all three of the sports leagues currently operating franchises in Cleveland -- Major League Baseball, the NFL and the NBA -- were in existence. (Yeah, yeah. So they havent necessarily operated continuously in Cleveland since 1948, but humor us, OK?) And in those three leagues, 60 different teams have won a championship since the last time the Indians won one. Yep, 60. Which sure is a lot of parades that havent involved that baseball team from Cleveland.Ah, but thanks to the most insane coincidence in the history of sports, guess which city the 60th team on that list happens to play in? Uh-huh. That would be Cleveland, where the Cavaliers just happen to be hoisting their championship banner on the same night the World Series opens.You just cant make this stuff up. So it was incredible to hear Kipnis delivering a sentence Monday that no living human had ever heard before.This, he said, is the center of the sports world Tuesday night.And for a change, it was impossible to argue. Still, you have to wonder how the baseball gods feel about that. Theyve been wreaking havoc on both the Cubs and Indians for so long, we just hope they can break that habit for at least one of them over the next week.Luckily, the men who play for these teams have pretty much had it with the idea that the wrath of those baseball gods has anything to do with them. And youll be hearing all about that over the next week, too, wed predict.We were joking, the Cubs Chris Coghlan said Monday. K.B. [aka?Kris Bryant] even did a commercial with Adidas with a goat. ... Go ask him about it.Hey, he said to go ask the man, right? So we promptly sprinted faster than Dexter Fowler to ask Bryant what he could tell us about his commercial with that goat.Which one? Bryant deadpanned. Ive done a couple. I did one for Red Bull that was kind of ...Before he could get any further, though, he found himself shaking his head. Turns out hes not much of a goat lover. Who knew?I dont even know, man, Bryant said. This whole goat thing -- its like: What? Who cares? ... No one believes in that. I know I dont. I dont believe in superstition. I try to change up my underwear when I have a good game, so theres no superstition. Sorry. I dont believe in it.Hey, no apologies necessary, because really, friends, at this point, should anyone? But just to make sure, we asked Bryant to confirm the rumors that never once during that commercial did the goat talk to him about anything that happened to the Cubs in 1945, or 2003 or any other year.The goat never said anything, Bryant reported. It was actually raining that day, so the goat didnt want to be near me. He ran away. So he wouldnt talk to me. Im no goat whisperer.Wow. That might be the biggest scoop of the whole World Series: Kris Bryant is no goat whisperer. More coming up on the next SportsCenter. Or not.What will definitely be coming up on SportsCenter, however, is what shapes up to be a tremendous World Series, between two franchises that have suffered enough to deserve one. Whether that suffering factors into the outcome in any way, though, is something only the baseball gods know for sure.If the curses are real, Kipnis joked, Im hoping that the stronger curse wins out. And if thats true, I think we wont have to worry. I think its a serious thing that they wouldnt let that goat in [to Wrigley Field for the 1945 Series]. I dont know how the baseball gods can ever forgive them.Well, theyre about to forgive somebody. Or at least that seems like a safe assumption. But when were talking about a World Series between (inhale) the Cubs and (exhale) the Indians, can we really be absolutely, positively, 100 percent sure that somebody will win? Boy, we dont know. Would it shock anyone if Game 7 was tied and then went 97 innings -- after which Rob Manfred just took the hint and declared them both co-winners?No, somebody should win, Kipnis reassured us. Unlike that football game [Sunday] night. Angel Gomes Jersey . That gave fans outside Joe Louis Arena another chance to ask for autographs from the 19-year-old whose stardom in the NHL has arrived earlier than most expected. Andreas Pereira Jersey . Blackwood, 28, has played the last three seasons in the San Diego Padres system, including the past two summers with Class AA San Antonio of the Texas League. www.jerseymanchesterunitedsoccer.com/womens-victor-valdes-manchester-united-jersey/ . A statement from the worlds top-ranked player says all checks "were satisfactory and showed positive evolution" regarding the injury, which contributed to his loss to Stanislas Wawrinka in the final in Melbourne. Suspected match-fixers will be forced to hand over mobile phones and electronic devices under new plans to curb corruption. The ICCs Anti-Corruption Unit would gain the powers to download personal messages, including through WhatsApp and Snapchat, under proposals that could be agreed by the ICC early next year.As the world changes and as people use different means of communicating with each other through social media - Whatsapp, Snapchat, all of these things - we have to keep ahead of these things, said Ronnie Flanagan, the head of the ACU. One extension [of ACU powers] we might seek is that, instead of just asking for a players billing records, might we actually, like tennis, seek the ability to take the devices and download them to see what communications had been made upon them.The increased powers would mirror those of the Tennis Integrity Unit, who monitor suspicious activity across mens and womens tennis. The ACU currently has the authority to request information from players being investigated, including mobile phone records.It is understood that the ACU has already had some informal conversations with members of the ICC Board, attempting to win support for the increased powers. If the board approves, it is likely there would then be a consultation with the Federation of International Cricketers Associations, and the three Test countries - India, Pakistan and Zimbabwe - not represented by FICA. The proposals would then be voted by the ICC Board at a quarterly meeting - most likely in February or April next year.The ICC is also investigating other ways to curb corruption. The ACU is consulting experts about how to use the deep web (parts of the web not indexed by search engines) and the dark web (parts of the web that require specific software or authorisation) to find evidence of corruption.In order to thwart the intentions of corruptors, we are constantly exploring how they attempt to communicate with players, including the use of various social media networks, and indeed including what some describe as the dark web or the deep web, said Flanagan.In the United Kingdom, the ACU is close to finalising a memorandum of understanding to share information with the National Crime Agency, which will make it easier to identify suspicious activity.Flanagan also emphasised the need for cricket to work with other sports against corruption. These corruptors do not consign themselves to one sport. They are interested in any game.The recent news that Alviro Petersen has been charged with six anti-corruption offences by Cricket South Africa highlights crickets continuing struggle against corruption.I think there is no ground for complacency whatsoever, Flanagan said. These corruptors have demonstrated ingenuity and demonstrated determination to keep trying to get at players annd match officials who are bound by our code of conduct. Guillermo Varela Jersey. Therefore we must be continually active in thwarting their intentions and we must do that by making the very best use, not just of international resources involved in anti-corruption, but also of the domestic resources involved in anti-corruption. And making sure we co-ordinate our efforts and share that effort across cricket, wherever it is played and at whatever levels it is played.The ACU has redoubled attempts to convince players of the need to come forward with evidence after Chris Cairns was acquitted in London last year. Since the end of that case, the ACU has worked a) to remind them of their continuing obligation to report suspected approaches to them but b) to reassure them that we will treat them sensitively and look after their interests when they come forward, to discharge the responsibilities that code of conduct places upon them, Flanagan said.Flanagan believes that working closely with gambling companies is an important tool for the ACU, although this was not possible in countries - notably India - in which gambling is illegal.We have a very good relationship with the legitimate betting industry, so if there are artificial spikes [in betting odds] we are made aware of them very quickly - or, alternatively, if we have intelligence that a given game might be susceptible, then we can do something about that proactively and monitor when it is happening.We do have the problem in cricket of the black-market gambling industry, largely in the Indian sub-continent. We are taking strides to try and penetrate that more and more but it is not easy. But equally we cannot assume that, because the legitimate betting market is heavily regulated, that it is not problematic and that problems cant arise there. Of course they can.Flanagan also defended the powers the ACU were granted by the ICC. There has never been any question of me being denied resources required to deal with the problem, he said. People often suggest we should do more things which would tend to make us more like a police force, with the powers the police force has. Were not a police force, we dont have the powers of a police force, and we dont seek the powers of a police force. We have only the powers vested in us that the international board gives us. They give us those powers after consultation with the players and I think thats absolutely right.A review of the ACUs work was presented to the ICC board last year. 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