as with Brian and Horan paired together to deny French possession.3. Carli Lloyd is agelessLloyd is effectively the same age in this tournament as Abby Wambach was when

CHICAGO -- Kyle Schwarber smiled and held his arms in the air, his teammates spraying him with champagne. The Chicago Cubs had just won their first NL pennant in 71 years, and the slugger was at the heart of the party.Well, the party in Arizona, at least.Moments after Chicago closed out the NL Championship Series at an electric Wrigley Field, the biggest question for the Cubs shifted all the way across the country to Mesa, where Schwarber is making an impressive comeback from major left knee surgery in April.Game 1 of the World Series is Tuesday night in Cleveland, and the Cubs say Schwarber is a possibility for the showdown with the Indians.Were not ruling anything out or anything in at this point, and were not going to get ahead of ourselves, either, president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said.The 23-year-old Schwarber went 0 for 3 with a walk while serving as the designated hitter for the Solar Sox on Saturday night in the Arizona Fall League. He watched the Cubs clinching 5-0 victory over the Dodgers on a tablet in the dugout between at-bats, and then was soaked by a couple of his teammates after the game.A really good day for me personally, Schwarber said.There were no games in the Arizona Fall League on Sunday, and a spokesman for the Cubs said it was a scheduled off day for Schwarber. There was no word on the plan for the slugger for Mesas game against the Surprise Saguaros on Monday afternoon.Schwarber was ruled out for the year after he tore two knee ligaments in an outfield collision with Dexter Fowler in Chicagos third game of the season. But he had an encouraging checkup with Dr. Daniel Cooper last Monday in Dallas, clearing the way for the Cubs to take a closer look at the catcher/outfielder.If Schwarber has no setbacks in Arizona, the possibility of putting his powerful lefty swing on the World Series roster might be too tempting for Epstein to resist, even if returning for the Fall Classic after so much time off seems like a daunting task.Schwarber hit .333 with a franchise-record five homers in nine playoff games last year, and the Indians had 10 right-handers on their staff for the ALCS against Toronto.Playing an American League team in their stadium, being able to utilize a designated hitter and a quality hitter in Schwarber, it would be a big boost for us, pitcher Jake Arrieta said. If hes ready, obviously. Nobody wants to see a guy as important as Schwarber is to this organization go down again. But if hes capable, if hes in a position strength-wise to be able to help us in that situation, obviously that would be huge for our team.Schwarber grounded out to first in his first at-bat with Mesa on Saturday night. He bounced to second in the third, walked in the sixth and was robbed of extra bases on a diving catch by center fielder Noel Cuevas in the eighth.I felt like I put in two good at-bats, Schwarber said. The first two I chased a little bit, a little antsy up at the plate as expected. But once it started getting back to being normal baseball again, it started slowing down.Most importantly for the Cubs, Schwarber said he felt fine.I have full confidence in my knee, he said. My knee doesnt bother me. It was my hands that hurt the worst. Ive got about eight blisters on them. I guess I should have kept rubbing a bat or something.Schwarber was selected by Chicago with the fourth overall pick in the 2014 amateur draft out of Indiana University. He made his major league debut last June, part of a wave of bright young talent that helped the once-downtrodden franchise blossom into one of baseballs top clubs.He hit .246 with 16 homers and 43 RBI in 69 games last year. He stayed around the team after he got hurt this April, making the most of Wrigleys revamped home clubhouse and earning praise from manager Joe Maddon and his teammates for the way he attacked his rehab.It wouldnt surprise me if he is ready, Arrieta said. Its just in a moment like that, its different than working out and being in the training room and being a hundred percent there. Not that he cant be a hundred percent, its just a little scary situation for me. But if hes ready to go, having that bat, thats hard to turn away if its ready.---AP freelance reporter Jose M. Romero in Arizona contributed to this report.---Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap Air Max 270 Photo Blue . 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. Air Max 270 Flyknit Light Bone . -- Jacksonville wide receiver Cecil Shorts will likely be a game-time decision whether hell play Sunday in the Jaguars home game against the San Diego Chargers. http://www.cheapairmax270react.com/air-max-270-2021-fake/air-max-270-spirit-teal.html . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. Air Max 270 Flyknit White . Jordan Lynch, the all-purpose Heisman Trophy finalist from Northern Illinois, failed to make it into that exclusive club. Air Max 270 React Pink .S. -- Nikolaj Ehlers registered a hat trick for the third straight game and Jonathan Drouin had a goal and five assists as the Halifax Mooseheads hammered the host Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 10-1 on Tuesday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil -- The final score might not have been historic, but it was sufficiently satisfying for a team trying to take the first step toward a historic gold medal in womens soccer.The Americans beat New Zealand 2-0 on Wednesday. Carli Lloyd scored the opening goal in the ninth minute, while Alex Morgan added the second in the opening minute of the second half.There were uneven moments and lulls that left a crowd to figure out the minimum attendance required to successfully pull off the wave (when it wasnt booing U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo with increasing delight every time she touched the ball). But in its sixth Olympics, the United States opened with a win for the fifth time.The United States remains in Belo Horizonte to play France on Saturday, a matchup of medal favorites and two of the top three teams in the world.More to come, but here are three observations from the Group G opener.1. Injury questions answeredWell, mostly answered. Some deft juggling at halftime marked Megan Rapinoes only appearance on the field once the game began. U.S. coach Jill Ellis elected not to give the veteran her first minutes since suffering a torn ACL in Hawaii in December.But it didnt take long to get a feel for the status of Morgan Brian and Tobin Heath, the other two health concerns entering the tournament. Both were in the starting lineup for the first time since June. And both, as Ellis suggested beforehand, looked ready for duty. That was particularly true of Heath, so easily overlooked but such a dynamic presence in wide spaces and on set-piece deliveries. She set up Lloyds opening goal and created several other chances.Squad rotation will be a common phrase here, but Heath looked indispensable enough to likely squeeze minutes from Crystal Dunn, Mallory Pugh or both.2. MMidfield questions remainThere is a difference between a problem and a question.dddddddddddd And after one game, the composition of the midfield behind Lloyd remains squarely in the camp of the latter. But there are questions as to how things best fit together after Ellis elected to pair Morgan Brian and Allie Long in the starting lineup for just the third time. That arrangement pushes up Brian to the No. 8 role, while Long fills the No. 6 role that Brian played through much of the World Cup (although rarely ever before that). And the arrangement pushes Lindsey Horan to the bench.Brian was able to slip in the ball that Morgan converted for the second goal, although Brian wasnt always a noticeable presence as the U.S. women went wide.Given that Ellis probably never intended to play Brian 90 minutes in her first start back, it made for an easy swap when Horan came on midway through the second half. And with the condensed schedule of this tournament, all three are going to play. Still, it leaves open the question of what happens against France? Ellis was pleased with the way her team played when those teams met earlier this year, and that was with Brian and Horan paired together to deny French possession.3. Carli Lloyd is agelessLloyd is effectively the same age in this tournament as Abby Wambach was when the World Cup began a year ago. That was a farewell tour, a role and minutes that had to be delicately managed. Lloyd at 34? Just put her out there for 90 minutes and let her score. She might have more memorable highlights than a looping header to the opposite post, but she put the ball in the net for the fifth game in a row at a major tournament. ' ' '