a good call. He was on the bag. I trust my ey

CHICAGO -- Joe Maddon was driving his RV through Virginia two years ago when he got the news. Andrew Friedman was leaving Tampa Bay to take over the Los Angeles Dodgers.One pivotal moment on the road to this years NL Championship Series.A month after Friedmans departure, Maddon was introduced as the 54th manager of the lowly Chicago Cubs. Friedman hired general manager Farhan Zaidi in his first big move in Los Angeles, and the Dodgers continued their winning ways.Now Maddon and Friedman are together again, with a spot in the World Series on the line. The Cubs and Dodgers play Game 1 of the NLCS on Saturday night at Wrigley Field.We stay in touch all the time, Maddon said before his team worked out on Friday. I know his family really well. His moms a trip. I really enjoy the whole group. So Andrew and I are very close.Friedmans move to sunny LA triggered an opt-out clause in Maddons contract, and Chicago jumped on the opportunity to put the Pennsylvania native in its dugout. The decision has worked out quite well so far, with the Cubs returning to the NLCS for the second straight year for the first time.It turns out there are lots of friends on each side of this years series.Dodgers manager Dave Roberts contributed a famous steal to Bostons run to the World Series title in 2004, stopping an 86-year drought. Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer worked for the Red Sox at the time, and they acquired Roberts in a trade with Los Angeles on July 31 that year.I kind of put Theo and Jed together and theyre good friends of mine, Roberts said, and theres a lot of, a little bit of banter, but obviously Ive got the ultimate respect for those guys and they really helped me get a ring.Roberts and the Dodgers arrived in Chicago on Friday, fresh off a dramatic 4-3 victory at Washington in Game 5 of their NL Division Series. The NL West champions used six pitchers in the series-clinching win, including closer Kenley Jansen for a career-high 51 pitches and ace Clayton Kershaw for the final two outs.The taxing finale in Washington left Roberts few options for Game 1 of the NLCS, and he said Kenta Maeda will get the ball for the opener against the Cubs. Roberts wasnt ready to announce his rotation for the rest of the series, but hinted Kershaw likely would go in Game 2 on Sunday night.Physically, he feels great, Roberts said before the Dodgers workout. Hes going to go out there and get a lift in and throw and run and do what he does. So, obviously, were not prepared to make that decision yet, but hes tracking to start when we all think.Jansen thinks he will be ready for the NLCS opener, and Kershaw said he felt fine. The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner also said he isnt sure when he will make his next start.I havent heard a thing, he said.The 28-year-old Maeda went 16-11 with a 3.48 ERA in his first season in the majors. But the Japanese right-hander has lost three straight starts, lasting just three innings in his first career playoff appearance Monday against Washington.Weve been relying a lot on our relief pitchers to take the load, so I want to be able to -- Im really just focused on throwing quality innings as long as I can, Maeda said through a translator. And as long as I keep throwing quality innings, then I would be able to throw longer and deeper into the game.The Cubs have been resting since they used a four-run ninth to finish off San Francisco with a 6-5 victory in Game 4 on Tuesday night. Jon Lester is lined up to start Game 1, followed by Kyle Hendricks, Jake Arrieta and John Lackey in a repeat of the Division Series.Lester pitched 15 innings of one-run ball in two starts against Los Angeles this year, and the Dodgers hit .213 against lefty pitching overall.Hes good. And right now hes at the top of his game, Maddon said. I mean, from what Ive seen, hes had a couple hiccups, which everybody does. But, man, hes been pretty much right on the last couple months, including the first game of the playoffs for him.There was some question about Hendricks health after he had a comebacker go off his right forearm in Game 2 against the Giants. But the right-hander, who had a major league-best 2.13 ERA this year, felt fine after a bullpen session on Thursday, allowing the Cubs to finalize their rotation.Our staff has been really, really good this year, and I think that, really, if you put all of our names in a hat and pulled one out, I dont think you could go wrong, Lester said. So, its a huge honor, especially for an organization like this, to get the ball again and try to go out and give us a good start.---Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap Joe Allen Wales Jersey . Tracey comes to the Blue Bombers after spending over a decade with Queens University. Most recently he was the schools assistant football coach. Ashley Williams Jersey . -- Brandon Jennings made the most of his first game with the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. http://www.soccerwalesstore.com/customized/ . 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. Joe Allen Jersey . -- Teemu Selanne scored the first goal of his 22nd NHL season, and the Anaheim Ducks extended the best start in franchise history with their fifth straight victory, 3-2 over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. Gareth Bale Wales Jersey . The nimble-footed quarterback got his wish, dashing through the snow and a weary defence all the way into the NCAA record book.DENVER - Michael Cuddyer was trying to give his team a chance when he tagged up from first on a fly to centre. His hustle put him in scoring position and opened the floodgates for the Colorado Rockies. Dexter Fowler had two hits and two RBIs and the Rockies rode Cuddyers savvy baserunning to a big sixth inning and a 6-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday night. "He got that inning going," manager Walt Weiss said. "Nothing Cuddy does surprises me. Always thinking, always looking for an edge." The start of the game was delayed 1 hour, 48 minutes because of a weather cell that slowly moved into the area before the first pitch. Heavy rain and lightning hit Coors Field after the scheduled 6:10 MDT start. The Pirates have lost two straight after winning 14 of 19, but stayed four games ahead of St. Louis in the NL Central. In the seventh inning, leadoff man Starling Marte left the game with a left hand injury and manager Clint Hurdle was ejected. "X-rays were taken and its a contusion," Hurdle said of Marte. Things had started to take a turn for the worse for the Pirates in the previous inning. Pittsburgh was leading 3-1 and A.J. Burnett, who beat the Rockies with a complete game last Sunday in Pittsburgh, was cruising when the Rockies put together a two-out rally. Cuddyer, who led off with a single, sparked it when he just beat the throw from centre on Wilin Rosarios fly ball. "At that point its 3-1, get into scoring position and get a big hit," Cuddyer said. "Obviously I didnt know it was going to lead to a five-run inning." The veteran move jump-started the Rockies. Nolan Arenado followed with a double to score Cuddyer, Jonathan Herrera walked and pinch-hitter Charlie Blackmon doubled to tie the game. Fowler laced a two-run single to right to give the Rockies a 5-3 lead and end Burnetts night. Burnett (5-8) allowed six runs — five earned — on eight hits and struck out eight in 5 2-3 innings. "Felt good man," Burnett said. "I was making pitches when I needed to with guys on base, getting out of jams. I have a tendency to get guys on and work out of the stretch a little bit, but you leave balls over the plate, thats what happens." It was a much different outing than last weekend when Burnett handcuffed the Rockies in tossing his 23rd complete game. He threw 110 pitches last Sunday but needed 99 to get two outs into the sixth Saturday. "Burnett commanded everything that day and really commanded the ball away to righties," Weiss said. "He still threw the ball really well, but our guys made soome nice adjustments.ddddddddddddquot; Tony Watson came on and allowed Corey Dickersons single to left field. Marte threw to Pedro Alvarez at third, but Fowler dislodged the ball on his slide and ran home when it rolled into foul territory. Alvarez came up shaking his left hand but stayed in the game. "He caught a spike right on his index finger on his glove hand, but he was able to stay in the game," Hurdle said. "Take some swings and well see how he feels tomorrow." Marte wasnt as lucky. He fell to his knees and grabbed his hand in pain after being hit by Josh Outmans pitch in the top of the seventh. Marte was clearly hurting as the team trainer examined the injured area. Alex Presley ran for Marte. During the next at-bat, Neil Walker grounded to short and Troy Tulowitzki appeared to miss stepping on second base before throwing to first, though the umpires ruled it a double play. "It was a real athletic play to keep his foot on the bag there," Weiss said. "It was a heck of a play." Hurdle came out and argued heatedly that Tulowitzki failed to touch the bag. He was ejected for excessive arguing by second base umpire Adrian Johnson. It was the fifth ejection of the season for Hurdle, a former Rockies manager who drew some jeers from the crowd as he trudged off the field and into the clubhouse. "I wouldnt have gone out there if I didnt think he was safe," Hurdle said. "And when I got in I saw Adrian made a good call. He was on the bag. I trust my eyes and my eyes were wrong. When I went out there I really felt confident he was off the bag but Adrian made the right call." Rex Brothers gave up a run in the top of the ninth before striking out Andrew McCutchen and Alvarez to end the game for his ninth save. Colorado starter Juan Nicasio kept Pittsburghs offence in check before hitting a rough patch in the sixth. With two outs he allowed Martins third hit, and Martin scored on Garrett Jones triple to centre. Jose Tabata followed with an infield single up the middle to make it 3-1 and chase Nicasio. The righty allowed three runs on six hits and struck out four in 5 2-3 innings. Wilton Lopez (2-4) got the final out of the inning. NOTES: Marte flew out to start the game to end his streak of six straight hits over the previous two games. ... Rockies RHP Rafael Betancourt (appendectomy) is scheduled to throw a simulated game Monday. The team will decide after that whether to send him on a rehab assignment. ... Pittsburgh will send lefty Jeff Locke (9-3) against Colorado right-hander Chad Bettis (0-1) in the series finale Sunday. ' ' '