Die Allianz T-D-P » Valparaiso came from behind in the sec

CHICAGO -- The nerves of even the most seasoned pros get jangled during one-run games.Those seem to be the only kind the Giants and Cubs play when they wind up facing each other.The Cubs 1-0 win Friday night to open the NL Division Series was the sixth straight between them decided by a single run, dating back to the end of a four-game series in San Francisco in May. They played four more here in September with the Cubs winning three. If you thought there were no tricks left up either managers sleeves by now, well, you havent been watching the Cubs Joe Maddon closely enough.Both he and Giants counterpart Bruce Bochy figured correctly that runs would be at a premium, especially with starters Johnny Cueto and Jon Lester rested and ready. Cueto was masterful early, holding the Cubs hitless through the first three innings. Lester was less so, giving up a single to every leadoff hitter over the same stretch, including Conor Gillaspie to start the third.After the first two leadoff hits yielded nothing, the Giants were getting twitchy about cashing one of them in.Were not a team to sit back and wait for the long ball, Bochy said afterward. In a game like this, you got to try to find ways to score.Whether Maddon sensed that or not, hed already prepared for just such an eventuality. He had Anthony Rizzo exchange his first basemans glove for an infielders model and positioned him alongside the mound in case Cueto, the next batter, was going to bunt.After a few run-throughs in spring training, the Cubs used the same defensive alignment at least three times in the regular season. Every umpiring crew has leeway in how they interpret the rule about how close to the base the first baseman has to be, so Maddon checked with the crew before the game. To take out the guesswork, he also had Rizzo swap gloves and stationed second baseman Javy Baez near first.I talked to them before the game and its clearly ambiguous regarding the glove. I still will argue the point, even though Rizzo is playing there, hes still the first baseman. Its a semantical argument. Probably some lawyers put this whole thing together, Maddon laughed. But were happy to change gloves, it just takes a little longer.Finally, Maddon signaled catcher David Ross to call a pitchout to Cueto.That was just to see what they might do against our bunt defense, Ross said. It wasnt a set play to pick (Gillaspie off), but I saw him take an extra shuffle step. Its nice to have the freedom to let it fly.Throwing down was Ross call and even though he played in only 67 games -- the 39-year-old Ross is Lesters designated catcher and occasionally a late-inning replacement -- he never hesitated.We have a lot of good athletes that can move around and play different positions. I feel really comfortable throwing to any of these guys all year and believe me, I had some really crappy throws to first, Ross chuckled. But theyve picked me up all year long.On this night Baez did it again. He snared the throw alongside the bag and made a swipe tag as Gillaspie dove back to first.Obviously I wasnt expecting that, Gillaspie said evenly, but I mean, we were trying to create a throw over there or trying to get something stirred up to create an opportunity for ourselves.Its smart, he conceded a moment later. Its good play.It also a play that more than a few Cubs had never seen until they began playing for Maddon.Never, All-Star third-baseman Kris Bryant confirmed. Joes certainly an out-of-the-box thinker. If it was me in the batters box and I saw Rizzo standing 20 feet away from me, Im not sure what Id be thinking.All Maddon asks is that they continue to think. One-run games are more about luck than the measure of a team, but the manager wants them ready to respond, whatever the situation. So he might start Bryant in the outfield, have one of his bullpen pitchers play there late in a game or simply make a pass through the dugout in a tight game repeating mantras like Focus on process or Try not to suck, a catchphrase he went so far as to print on T-shirts that have become all the rage in the city.Too bad Keep Calm and Carry On was already taken.---Jim Litke is a sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke(at)ap.org and follow him at https://twitter.com/JimLitke .Wholesale White Sox Jerseys . Meanwhile, there were huge victories for Sunderland and West Ham over fellow relegation rivals, leaving the battle to avoid the drop up for grabs with the bottom 11 teams separated by just six points. Eden Hazard and Fernando Torres scored second-half goals to seal a fourth straight victory for Chelsea, which climbed above Arsenal and Manchester City in the standings ahead of their games on Monday and Sunday respectively. Chicago White Sox Gear . They hope to persuade the other team owners and commissioner Roger Goodell to put pressure on Redskins owner Daniel Snyder to drop the nickname they find offensive. "Given the way the meeting transpired," Ray Halbritter, an Oneida representative and leader of the "Change the Mascot Campaign," said Wednesday, "it became somewhat evident they were defending the continued use of the name. https://www.cheapwhitesox.com/ . They reached the 100-point plateau for the fourth time in five games, bested the visiting Trail Blazers by 34 in the paint and scored 19 of the final 25 points in regulation. Stitched White Sox Jerseys . Pence singled in the winning run with no outs in the ninth inning to give the Giants a 7-6 victory over the San Diego Padres on Sunday. Chicago White Sox ShirtsVALPARAISO, Ind. -- Alec Peters poured in 36 points and grabbed 15 rebounds and Valparaiso came from behind in the second half to beat NAIA-Trinity Christian College, 89-75 for its second straight win to open the season Saturday night.The Trolls used a fast start to take an early lead. Ben Brinks layup midway through the first half gave Trinity a 28-12 lead and held a 10-point advantage at intermission, 45-35.But the Crusaders came on strong in the second half. Shane Hamminks laayup three minutes into the half cut the lead to 45-41 and Max Josephs 3-pointer with 15:12 to play gave Valparaiso the lead, 50-48.dddddddddddd After Hamminks dunk made it 52-50, Valparaiso never trailed again.Peters hit 14 of his 29 shots from the floor and knocked down 3 of 11 shots from beyond the arc.Juozas Balciunas had 19 points to lead Trinity. 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