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BASEBALLLOS ANGELES -- One win away. Two chances at home. Seven decades of waiting.The Chicago Cubs closed in on their first World Series trip since 1945 by beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-4 in Game 5 of their National League playoff.Jon Lester pitched seven sharp innings, Addison Russell hit a tiebreaking homer and the Cubs grabbed a 3-2 lead in the NL Championship Series.On deck, a pair of opportunities to wrap up that elusive pennant at Wrigley Field.NFLCLEVELAND -- Wild Thing is warming up for the Indians.Actor Charlie Sheen, who played the bespectacled Ricky Wild Thing Vaughn in the movie Major League, has offered to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before one of this years World Series games.Shortly after Cleveland won the AL pennant on Wednesday in Toronto, fans began posting their wishes on social media to have Sheen -- well, Vaughn -- be part of the pregame festivities. The Series opens Tuesday in Cleveland.Sheen responded to the demand Thursday on Twitter, posting a photo of himself as Vaughn in his Indians uniform and wrote, Major League continues to be the gift that keeps on giving! if called upon, Id be honored.NFLGREEN BAY, Wis. -- Aaron Rodgers set a record. The Chicago Bears lost another quarterback.After a slow start in the red zone, the Green Bay Packers picked up the pace in the second half to overpower their offensively-challenged NFC North rivals.Rodgers threw for 326 yards and three touchdowns, Davante Adams and Ty Montgomery emerged as playmakers in the second half and Packers beat the Bears 26-10 on Thursday night.Rodgers was 39 of 56, setting a franchise mark for completions in a game. It was the Packers first contest without injured running back Eddie Lacy.EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Josh Browns future with the New York Giants and possibly the NFL is in jeopardy after police released journal entries and emails in which the place-kicker admitted that he repeatedly verbally and physically abused his former wife.The league reacted Thursday by re-opening its investigation into a 2015 domestic abuse complaint made by Browns former wife, though prosecutors said they were closing the criminal case without filing charges because they could not secure key testimony from the woman and other key witnesses.Meanwhile, the Giants announced before traveling to London that Brown wouldnt make the trip for a game Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams. The Giants said they want to review the new information released by King County law enforcement officials in Washington and reach a decision on the kickers future with the club, possibly next week.WNBAMINNEAPOLIS -- Nneka Ogwumikes short jumper with 3.1 seconds left gave the Los Angeles Sparks a 77-76 victory over the defending champion Minnesota Lynx for their first title in 14 years in the deciding game of the WNBA Finals.The league MVP joined her teammates in celebration as a stunned crowd slowly filed out after finishing with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Candace Parker had 28 points and 12 rebounds to earn MVP honors of the Finals. It was Parkers first WNBA title.Parker said she listened to one of Pat Summitts speeches before the game and that motivated her. Her former coach at Tennessee died in late June.NBAPHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia 76ers forward Elton Brand has announced his retirement.Brand was the first overall pick out of Duke in the 1999 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls and was named rookie of the year. Brand played 17 seasons in the NBA and was in his second stint with the Sixers.He averaged 15.9 points and 8.5 rebounds in 1,058 games with the Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, Atlanta Hawks and Sixers.COLLEGE BASKETBALLLOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The NCAA accused Louisville of four serious violations and criticized coach Rick Pitino for failing to monitor a former basketball staffer who hired escorts and strippers for sex parties with recruits and players.The governing bodys report didnt mention a lack of institutional control -- considered the most serious violation in some cases.Pitino disputed the finding that he did not monitor Andree McGee, saying his tendency is to over-monitor. If anything, the coach said he was guilty of trusting someone to tell him what was going on.The NCAAs letter is the first step in a process that could extend into next spring. Louisville has 90 days to respond.COLLEGE FOOTBALLBOISE, Idaho -- Brett Rypien threw for 442 yards and three touchdowns as No. 14 Boise State overcame five turnovers to hold off BYU 28-27.The Broncos (7-0), who won their 23rd straight non-conference home game, needed a stout defensive performance and a blocked field goal to secure the win.Boise State seemed to be battling itself as well as BYU with all the miscues on offense.BYU (4-4) attempted a 45-yard game-winning field goal with 16 seconds remaining, but Rhett Almonds kick was blocked. However, the ball didnt cross the line of scrimmage and Mitch Juergens recovered for BYU, giving the Cougars the ball at the Boise State 42 with 8 seconds left.Blank Jersey .J. -- Marshawn Lynch said Thursday it will be good to get back to football after the Seattle quiet talking running back wrapped up his final mandatory media session of Super Bowl week. Federico Bernardeschi Juventus Jersey . Capitals head coach Adam Oates said Ovechkin was injured in the first period against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday and clarified it was not a head injury. http://www.juventusfcpro.com/Kids-Alex-Sandro-Jersey/ . The parade and rally were held to celebrate the Saskatchewan Roughriders 45-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday in the CFLs championship game. Carlo Pinsoglio Juventus Jersey . 10 Texas A&Ms offence dominated as usual against SMU. Gianluigi Buffon Juventus Jersey . Denis Coderre, the former federal MP who was elected mayor on Nov. 3, has drawn the ire of some Montreal Canadiens. During last nights game he tweeted: "Hello? Can we get a one-way ticket to (minor-league) Hamilton for David Desharnais please.LAS VEGAS -- Dr. James Naismith created the original 13 rules for basket ball in 1892, outlining the method of scoring, what constitutes a foul and how to determine which team wins.Those rules evolved as the game grew.The peach baskets were replaced by rims and backboards were added. Team sizes were trimmed from nine to five players, the name of the game became one word. Players were allowed to dribble the ball, scoring increased from one to two points for a made basket.Other rules were added later: A midcourt line to prevent stalling, a 3-second area to keep offensive players from camping around the basket, goaltending to stop tall players from swatting nearly every shot away from the basket.But as basketball expanded into multiple levels, the rules spider webbed into varying directions.International basketball developed different rules than the NBA. College basketball had its own tweaks, even from mens to womens. High school and youth basketball created their own sets of rules to suit players in those age groups.Everyone is playing the same basic game, but not always under the same regulations.FIBA, the NBA, college and high school, I wish we all had the same rules, said Nevada coach Eric Musselman, who spent nine years as an NBA coach. To me, its too confusing for the average fan to watch an NBA when theres a 24-second clock in the NBA, then you watch the NCAA and theres a different clock. Or you watch a womens game and theres four quarters and the mens game has two halves. Weve got to make it simple for the fan.It can be confusing. Depending on what level the game is being played, the 3-point line, the shot clock, even the rim and court sizes could all be different.Take timing.FIBA plays four 10-minute quarters while the NBA has four 12-minute quarters. Mens college basketball has two 20-minute halves, but the women play four 10-minute quarters. The WNBA used to have 20-minute halves, but now has 10-minute quarters. High school games have four 8-minute quarters.Shot clock, same thing. FIBA, the NBA and WNBA all have a 24-second shot clock. NCAA men and women have a 30-second shot clock, though the men were 35 seconds before the 2015-16 season. In high school basketball, some states have a shot clock, others dont.Even timeouts are widely varied; type, duration, number allowed, who can call one.ddddddddddddI cant understand why we cant have world rules, New Mexico coach Craig Neal said. Everybody plays by the same line, everybody plays by the same shot clock, the same ball. To me, thats kind of confusing.Distances can vary, too.FIBA has a trapezoid lane that widens from 12 to 19 feet. The NBA and WNBA lane is 16 feet straight across, but the NCAA lane is 12 feet, same as high schools.The NBA has the deepest 3-point line at 23 feet, 9 inches. FIBAs line is 20-6, just like the WNBA, and the NCAA line is 19-9, just like high schools.In North American sports, changes are often made in ball sizes, court/field dimensions, goal sizes. Depending on the age group, the basketball rim can be 10, 9 or 8 feet high.We make more modifications for the sports than any other country, Wake Forest coach Danny Manning said. I just think weve got to get to a point where the rules are the rules. Internationally, you have the FIBA rules. Those are the rules.The key is finding a set of rules that will work everyone. That wont be easy.For one, the games are different.Basketball, as much as any other sport, has a massive gap in talent from one level to the next. NBA players are bigger, stronger, faster, play more above the rim and can shoot from farther out than anyone else, even on the international level. For them to have the same rules as, say, a 12-and-under rec league team may not make that much sense.I think there needs to be a combination of international play in the NBA and college rules, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. I dont think you definitely go to NBA rules. I dont feel that way because its a different game, a different caliber of athlete.Theres also an issue of getting FIBA, the NBA, NCAA and National Federation of High School Associations to collaborate. That may be next to impossible.Everybodys going to make their own decision, ACC Commissioner John Swofford said. The NBAs going to do what the NBA wants to do, the Olympic committee is going to do what they want to do. But I think its worth considering.---AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta in Kansas City, Missouri, contributed to this story. For more AP college basketball: http://collegebasketball.ap.org ' ' '