y. It was a victory that ended a decade of frustration for Parker and a

It all started with a dubious decision that drew heavy criticism: Baltimore manager Buck Showalter left stud closer Zach Britton in the bullpen and lost the AL wild-card game at Toronto.The next night, Giants ace Madison Bumgarner authored another October masterpiece to knock out the Mets -- and the 2016 playoffs were off and running.Seems so long ago, but it was only a month on the calendar.One captivating month.Baseballs storybook postseason offered almost everything: unlikely stars, 4-hour games, even a rain delay in extra innings during the dramatic World Series finale.And when it was over, the Chicago Cubs -- yes, finally, the Cubs -- had their first championship since 1908 after outlasting Cleveland 8-7 early Thursday in a Game 7 that took 10 innings.Here are some other highlights, themes and takeaways from an October/November to remember:---RELIEF ROLES REDEFINEDSome wonder whether we just saw the beginning of a baseball revolution. Lights-out relievers like Andrew Miller, Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen werent necessarily saved for the eighth or ninth inning of critical games. Miller entered as early as the fifth, Chapman in the seventh, as managers summoned their best bullpen arms for longer outings and asked them to face top hitters or pitch out of potential jams earlier than usual.Almost as if nobody wanted to make the same mistake Showalter did.Its a strategy long supported by the sabermetrics crowd, but would it work during the regular season when there arent as many days off to rest and recover?Of course, its possible. You just have to have the right guy. I mean, its not as easy as it looks, what theyve been doing, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said during the World Series. The point of diminishing returns, I think, would set in if you try to push it from Day One.So right now, its really being glamorized a bit, he added. This isnt Fantasy Baseball. These guys are human. They only have so many abilities to throw a baseball within the year.KEEP ON CHASINGWhile the Cubs at last ended baseballs longest championship drought, several other teams are still trying to get over the hump.The Nationals are 0 for 3 in playoff series since moving to Washington, and Texas has never won the World Series despite five postseason appearances in seven years. The big-budget Dodgers havent even reached the Series since Orel Hershiser, Kirk Gibson & Co. won in 1988. Toronto came up short again, losing the AL Championship Series for the second consecutive year. And the Indians, of course, came oh-so close to their first title since 1948.BREAKOUT TALENTSSome of the most exciting performances came from players in their early 20s. Cleveland shortstop Francisco Lindor, Cubs second baseman Javier Baez (NLCS co-MVP) and Washington rookie Trea Turner were among those who turned heads. The future looks bright for all three.UNSUNG STARSBig names such as Kris Bryant, Jose Bautista and Adrian Gonzalez had their moments. But the postseason also belonged to near-unknowns like Ezequiel Carrera (Toronto), Conor Gillaspie (San Francisco) and Ryan Merritt (Cleveland).THE ARTFUL DODGEROnce again, Los Angeles ace Clayton Kershaw entered October looking to put a history of playoff failures behind him. The three-time Cy Young Award winner pitched on short rest whenever needed and went 2-1 with a huge save, but was far from overwhelming. He lost 5-0 in Game 6 of the NLCS at Wrigley Field, eliminating the Dodgers, and is 4-7 with a 4.55 ERA in the postseason. Hardly numbers befitting the best pitcher in baseball.FAREWELL, FELLASRather than a World Series coronation, David Ortiz got an early exit. His illustrious career came to a sudden conclusion when Boston was swept by Cleveland in their AL Division Series. Planning to retire, Big Papi walked back out to the mound, waved his cap and soaked up a standing ovation from the Fenway Park faithful.Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully took a curtain call at Dodger Stadium during the NLCS. The 88-year-old announcer, weeks after ending his 67-year career behind the microphone, attended as a spectator and proclaimed, Its time for Dodger baseball! from an upstairs suite.And 39-year-old catcher David Ross homered in his big league finale to help Chicago win Game 7 of the World Series. In a rare and heartwarming scene, the wildly popular Grandpa Rossy was carried off the field on the shoulders of his teammates.What a way to say goodbye. Bryan Little Jets Jersey . LOUIS -- Theres no telling how these wacky World Series games will end. Nikolaj Ehlers Jets Jersey . Its sharpness matched my mind. This was no night to go to sleep. http://www.jetsauthentic.com/authentic-blake-wheeler-jets-jersey/ . -- Vincent Lecavalier got everything but the desired result in his return to Tampa Bay. Laurent Brossoit Jersey .J. Ellis hit two-run homers and the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 4-0 Saturday night. Mathieu Perreault Jets Jersey . -- Quarterback Will Finch threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns, and Yannick Harou rushed in two scores as the No. International Ice Hockey Federation President Rene Fasel said he had a good discussion Wednesday with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Players Association Executive Director Don Fehr about the worlds top hockey players participating in the 2018 Olympics in South Korea.No hitting, and no elbows, Fasel joked in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.Bettman described the meeting as constructive and candid.Still lots of issues, Bettman wrote in an email to the AP.Fasel said his job is to raise funds for the players transportation and insurance. The International Olympic Committee does not want to cover those costs as it has the previous five Olympics. Fasel hopes to persuade the IOC to financially support the NHLs participation.It is the only league that shuts down to participate in the Winter or Summer Olympics, Fasel said.Bettman and NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly declined to comment on a Sportsnet report indicating the league has offered to sign off on allowing players to go for gold in South Korea in exchange for the union not opting out of the collective bargaining agreement in September 2019, which would in effect extend the deal for three years.There have been some suggestions that could be construed that that discussion would be worth having, Fehr told reporters in New York. Obviously, we discuss that with players. We have begun that process, but were a long way from done.Bettman has said a decision would need to be made by early January at the latest, giving the league time to create its 2017-18 schedule with or without a two-plus week break for the Olympics.Fasel isnt in a rush.We can wait longer because we want to do all we can to keep best-on-best hockey in the Olympics, Fasel said.NHL andd NHLPA officials recently visited the Olympic site in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and have deemed it suitable for international competition.ddddddddddddWhether the worlds best hockey players go to South Korea in about 15 months is up to the league and union, though Russian superstar Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals has said he will go even if there isnt an agreement.The IOC spent about $14 million to cover travel and insurance costs for NHL players for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Fasel has said the bill would be about $10 million for the next Olympics because it wont be necessary to charter planes to South Korea as it was to get players to Sochi.The NHL hasnt sounded eager about going to South Korea, but does appear very interested in tapping into Chinas huge market in 2022.When the IOC awarded the Beijing Games, it certainly created a bigger opportunity than we thought existed potentially before, Daly said in September. But it is also possible that you dont go to one Olympics and you do go to the other. I dont think anybody has ruled that out as a possibility.Fasel has been trying to persuade national Olympic committees and hockey federations to donate funds to keep the games best players on the biggest stage in sports. He acknowledged the IIHF could possibly use some of the $40 million it gets from the IOC every four years and make cuts from its development programs for boys and girls.Its not going to be easy to get this done, but thats my job, Fasel said.---Follow Larry Lage at www.twitter.com/larrylage and follow his work at www.bigstory.ap.org/content/larry-lage ' ' '