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CHICAGO --?It has been a long time since Chicagos North Side partied like this.At exactly 11:47 p.m. local time, the Chicago Cubs won the World Series that has eluded them for 108 years. Fans who packed bars to watch the games on television near Wrigley Field -- neither of which existed in 1908 -- erupted in cheers before swarming onto the streets just before midnight Wednesday to celebrate among the statues of Cubs greats Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Ron Santo and legendary announcer Harry Caray.As the game ended, the roar from inside the bars and the throng of fans on the street was deafening; the crowds both inside and out sang go Cubs go at the top of their lungs. A little over two hours prior, the Chicago Transit Authority had announced that Red Line trains would be bypassing the Addison station in the ballpark neighborhood known as Wrigleyville. Several buses were also rerouted. ?As the celebration progressed, thousands of fans crowded the streets leading away from Wrigley, many of them singing We Are the Champions.Fans hugged one another, many of them crying. They took each others picture and pictures of themselves. They took turns writing their names and words of congratulations in chalk on Wrigleys brick walls. Some hopped on friends shoulders to find spots high up on the walls that were not yet covered with names of fans.According to ESPNs Michele Steele, about 25 to 30 people sneaked into Wrigley Field by climbing the wall. Major League Baseball and the Cubs were made aware.An hour after the game ended, thousands of people remained in the ballpark neighborhood, and fireworks still exploded every few minutes.This was torture, said Mike Delmanowski, a lifelong Cubs fan who flew to Chicago from California just to be surrounded by other Cubs fans. I would not have missed it for anything.I am so proud to be a part of it, said his wife, Sue, who was crying off and on from the fifth inning onward.Mike Dillon said all he could think about was his father, who died without ever seeing the Cubs win the World Series.I came here by myself, but Im not alone at all, said Dillon, 57, of Joliet, Illinois.On Thursday, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced that the city would hold a victory parade on Friday. Details are still to come, but its expected that the route could start at Wrigley Field and end up in Grant Park.President Barack Obama, a noted Chicago White Sox fan, tweeted that the Cubs World Series win was change even this South Sider can believe in, and he invited the team to the White House.First lady Michelle Obama also posted congratulations to the North Siders: Go @Cubs, go! Been rooting for you since I was a kid, and so incredibly proud tonight.Democratic presidential nominee and Chicago native Hillary Clinton tweeted: They did it! 108 years later and the drought is finally over. Way to make history, @Cubs. #FlyTheWThe Chicago Blackhawks issued a statement on Thursday that said, On behalf of our family and organization, congratulations to the Ricketts family and the Chicago Cubs for an incredible season and for winning the World Series. The unwavering loyalty of Chicago sports fans has been rewarded once again with yet another team being crowned world champions. Well done.A spokesman for Twitter said that 18 million tweets were sent about this World Series, including 10.5 million tweets during Game 7, which were Twitter records for a World Series and MLB game.Fox Sports said that?the Game 7 average audience was over 40 million viewers, making it the most-watched baseball game in 25 years.Craig and April Likhite drove to Chicago from Evanston, Illinois, with their 10-year-old son, Cade, because they wanted to see history made with other Cubs fans.To finally see this in my lifetime with my son here with us, it means everything, Craig Likhite said. This game with all the ups and downs showed him exactly what it is to be a Cubs fan.My dad passed away this year. He would have loved this, added Likhite, 50.Liz Wolfe, a 36-year-old physical therapist, said, People always said if the Cubs win the World Series, it would be like hell freezing over. Im still in shock. This is the most exciting thing in my life.Longtime Cubs fan Bob Newhart, who grew up in the Chicago area, tweeted his congratulations to the team.The billy goat is dead!! As Ive said, from the beginning, Im getting too old for this! the 87-year-old comedian wrote, alluding to one of the oldest alleged curses on the team.The Cubs 8-7 extra-inning victory?in Game 7 over the?Indians?at Progressive Field in Cleveland followed the emptiness and bitterness of years past, when the Cubs found spectacular and sometimes downright strange ways to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.Every Cubs fan knows those stories, starting with the 1969 team loaded with Hall of Famers that amassed a 9?-game lead in mid-August before it started losing game after game. The Miracle?Mets?not only caught them but ended up winning the National League East by 8 games.Then came 1984. After taking the first two games of the National League Championship Series against the?Padres?at Wrigley, the Cubs needed just one win in San Diego to advance to the World Series. They were swept in three games on the West Coast.There were other playoff losses, but none as painful as in 2003, when Cubs fan Steve Bartman deflected a foul ball that seemed destined for Moises Alous glove. The Cubs were just five outs from reaching the World Series; fans watched in horror as the Cubs fell apart. They went on to lose Game 7 the next night.But that was all in the past, as Cubs fans throughout Chicago celebrated into the early hours of Thursday.The Associated Press contributed to this report. Oakland Athletics Pro Shop . -- Bobby Ryan helped the U. Stitched Athletics Jerseys . Artturi Lehkonen, Joni Nikko and Ville Leskinen had the other goals for Finland (1-0) while Juuse Saros stopped 28 shots. Tim Robin Johnsgard had the lone goal for Norway (0-2). https://www.cheapathleticsonline.com/ . Jon Montgomerys gold medal in skeleton at the Whistler Sliding Centre and his subsequent auctioning off of a pitcher of beer in the village square elevated him to folk-hero status. Wholesale Athletics Jerseys . R.J. Umberger scored twice to lead the Blue Jackets to a franchise-record for consecutive wins with a 5-3 victory Tuesday night over the Los Angeles Kings. Oakland Athletics Store . Booth picked up 65 caps after making her national team debut in 2002 at the age of 17. She most recently played for Sky Blue FC of the National Womens Soccer League. "It just felt like it was my time to move on," she said in a phone interview from her hometown of Burlington, Ont. With free agency set to begin Tuesday, the offseason is about to get underway. What are the big questions facing all 30 teams? Were starting with the American League East.Who will replace David Ortiz?2016 record: 93-69Lets be clear: No one can replace Big Papi.Ortiz was the face of the Red Sox for most of these past 14 years, the lone link between the 2004, 2007 and 2013 World Series winners. And he delivered more than clutch hits. When something needed to be said, Ortiz usually stepped forward.But Ortizs production must be replaced. Third baseman Pablo Sandovals return from shoulder surgery, a full season of young outfielder Andrew Benintendi and an eventual contribution from top prospect Yoan Moncada will help, but its doubtful they will add up to Ortizs farewell-season totals of 38 homers and 127 RBIs.Conventional wisdom has the Sox paying top dollar for Edwin Encarnacion, who has averaged 39 homers, 110 RBIs and a .912 OPS per season for the Toronto Blue Jays since 2012, and he would slot in as the designated hitter. But the 34-year-old bats right-handed, and the Red Sox already lean heavily right with Mookie Betts, Hanley Ramirez, Xander Bogaerts and Dustin Pedroia.A potentially better free-agent fit: Carlos Beltran.Beltran turns 40 in April. Hes primarily a DH now and has leadership qualities that would fit well on a young, contending team. Hes a switch-hitter with relatively similar left-right splits. And hes coming off a season in which he hit 29 homers and drove in 93 runs with an .850 OPS.According to multiple sources, the Red Sox were interested in Beltran at the trade deadline before the New York Yankees dealt him to Texas. Beltran says he hasnt considered following Ortiz into retirement, but given his age, Beltran also isnt likely to get more than a two-year commitment.For those reasons, Beltrans market bears watching. -- Scott LauberHow high will the payroll climb?2016 record: 89-73Fact: Toronto is the fifth-largest media market in North America.Another fact: Nearly 3.4 million fans flocked to Rogers Centre this year, marking the Blue Jays most well-attended season since 1993.Myth: The Jays cant afford to re-sign both Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista.By now, after losing in the American League Championship Series in back-to-back seasons, it should be evident to ownership that the Blue Jays can compete with almost any team, on the field and financially. According to most estimates, the clubs 2016 payroll was roughly $150 million, and surely theres room to grow. But that doesnt make the decisions on their free-agent sluggers any easier.Bautista is 36 and coming off his worst season since 2009. Encarnacion will be 34 by Opening Day, and after a 42-homer season, he figures to command a four- or five-year contract worth more than $20 million annually. Multiyear deals for players in their mid-30s tend not to be good business, and Jays president Mark Shapiro knows it. But Bautista and Encarnacion rank with the most accomplished hitters in franchise history. Losing both would profoundly weaken one of the ALs mightiest lineups, to say nothing of demoralizing a fan base that has displayed renewed enthusiasm for baseball over the past two years.Theres growing belief within the industry that the Jays will push hard to keep Encarnacion while allowing Bautista to walk. -- Scott LauberCan the Orioles lock up Manny Machado?2016 record: 89-73If the Orioles stand any chance of signing Manny Machado to a long-term contract extension, nows the time. The 24-year old slugger wont come cheap, not after another standout season in which he set career highs in doubles (40), homers (37), RBIs (96) and OPS (.876). He also continued to look like one of the best fielders on the planet.ddddddddddddMachados current contract is set to expire after the 2018 season. If he makes it to free agency, theres no way Baltimore wins a bidding war to retain his services -- not with deep-pocketed poachers such as the Yankees waiting in the wings. So owner Peter Angelos and GM Dan Duquette must act now if they want to keep Machado in orange and black. With only $54 million currently committed to the 2018 payroll, and just $32 million on the 2019 books, the Birds should have the kind of fiscal flexibility to get a deal done. But does Machado want to stay? No doubt the numbers will play a big part, but extending Jonathan Schoop -- who is Machados BFF and one of the games up-and-coming second basemen -- wouldnt be a bad idea either. -- Eddie MatzWill the Yankees be big spenders?2016 record: 84-78You say, Spend Hals Money! Well, the Yankees probably wont do too much of that this winter. Owner Hal Steinbrenners plan for years: have more financial flexibility with a younger, more athletic roster. The Yankees are, finally, really making this a reality, as evidenced by their trade deadline deals as they slowly move under the luxury tax threshold.This winter, the Yankees wont stand still -- GM Brian Cashman is always active -- but there will be no mega-splurge.The Yankees could reunite with Aroldis Chapman or former prospect Mark Melancon to team with Dellin Betances. Neither Chapman nor Melancon would cost a draft choice, unlike?Kenley Jansen.Meanwhile, the Yankees want to add a starter. Rich Hill once was a Yankee, and he could be a Yankee again. In 2014, the Yankees failed to recognize Hills potential as a starter. Now, he has been dominant but injury prone. Still, a lefty at Yankee Stadium is always enticing, especially one who had a 2.12 ERA in 20 starts in 2016. -- Andrew MarchandWhere will the runs come from?2016 record: 68-94From 2008 to 2013, the Rays averaged 92 wins per season, second most in the majors behind the Yankees. Tampa Bay made the playoffs four times in that span. But since then, the team has suffered three straight losing seasons, bottoming out at 68-94 in 2016. The Rays bashed a franchise-record 216 home runs in 2016, but there wasnt much else to go with the power. Tampa ranked 14th in the AL in runs after ranking 14th in 2015 and 15th in 2014. So while Chris Archer and Drew Smyly?will certainly have better seasons down the road, the Rays need to improve their offense.Last season, the Rays were last in batting average and strikeouts, 12th in walks, and Kevin Kiermaier?was their only player to steal more than seven bases. So we know they need to draw more walks and put more balls in play. Heres where reach position ranked in wOBA:C: 27 1B: 19 2B: 14 3B: 7 SS: 7 LF: 17 CF: 22 RF: 23 DH: 14 (of 15)Really, only third base with Evan Longoria was a position of strength. Brad Millers poor defense at shortstop forced a move to first base late in the season, with Matt Duffy taking over in 2017. Kiermaier isnt going anywhere with his defense, so that leaves catcher, DH and the corner-outfield positions as the places for upgrade. Corey Dickerson and Steven Souza combined for 41 home runs but just 2.4 WAR last season. While the free-agent market will be flooded with DH types, the Rays are unlikely bidders for Edwin Encarnacion or Mark Trumbo. The Rays will need Dickerson and Souza to improve their approaches at the plate, strike out less and get on base at a much higher rate -- and probably hope for the best with stopgaps at catcher and DH. -- David Schoenfield ' ' '