The dispute with the SRU over unpaid medical and sal

CHICAGO -- With a mix of euphoria, relief and disbelief, long-suffering Chicago Cubs fans are shaking off superstitions and setting their sights on the teams first World Series in 71 years.Loyal fans as far south as San Antonio, Texas, and as far west as Washington state restructured their worldviews to include the seductive possibility that they wont be disappointed again.For me, personally I had tears in my eyes. Ive seen them come close, said Chicago native Jimmy Tingas, 47, who owns Wrigleyville Grill in San Antonio where he caters to homesick former Chicagoans still craving hot dogs and Italian beef. We have one more task to do. Im confident theyre going to do it.First lady Michelle Obama joined the chorus Sunday morning, congratulating her hometown Cubs a day after the team defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicagos Wrigley Field in Game 6 of the NL Championship Series.The Chicago native tweeted: Way to go Cubs!! She then recalled her father, saying: My Dad is the reason Im a true Cubs fans. Hed be so proud!Lifelong fan Marilyn Hnatusko wiped away tears after the win Saturday night, recalling other longtime Cubs fans.I thought of all my relatives who didnt see this, my dear Uncle John, and now I cant quite believe it happened, she said.Scattered across the world, Cubs fans make up their own diaspora. Blizzard-hardened folk, their befuddling loyalty encompasses decades of frustration, disillusionment and too many sigh-filled pangs for next year. Many never lived in Chicago, but grew up elsewhere in the nations heartland, listening to games on WGNs powerful AM signal, which could be heard hundreds of miles, especially at night.Theyre often pressed to explain their loyalty. Stephen Kropp, 46, of Mercer Island, Washington, grew up in Chicago and stays true to his Cubs. He and a buddy plan to attend World Series Game 2 in Cleveland dressed as the Blues Brothers.Its a huge emotional investment, Kropp said Sunday. Its dumping all these emotions into something that never gives you anything back. Hanging out at Wrigley, having a beer and knowing youll never get to the promised land. These fans have more credibility (than other teams) to say theyre the best fans in baseball.A Midwestern impulse toward redemption is welling up on social media with a ForgiveBartman hashtag campaign pulling for Steve Bartman to throw out the first pitch when the World Series returns to Wrigley Field.Kropp favors forgiving Bartman, the fan whose interference with a foul ball in the 2003 playoffs added to the sense of a hovering curse. But they should seat him five rows back or higher, just in case, Kropp said.Restaurant owner Tingas, too, is having some trouble letting go of some traditional Cubs beliefs, like the infamous billy goat curse: When we win the World Series were going to have roasted goat, Ill tell you that.Steve Zucker, whos been coming to games since the 1940s, said before Saturdays game that if the Cubs won, he would go to his fathers grave and leave a Cubs hat and T-shirt.My dad died playing cards, listening to the game on a little transistor radio, so I may bring that, too, Zucker said. Before this year, I never thought I would see this.Cubs All-Star first baseman Anthony Rizzo said the fans deserved to see this team make the World Series.These fans have been amazing since the time I got here, Rizzo said. We got four more big ones to go, but were going to enjoy this.Chicago faces the Cleveland Indians in Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday.---AP writer Don Babwin in Chicago contributed to this report. Air Max Outlet . Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee? Green had bounced around the NBA when he wasnt playing overseas. The Pacers gave up on Plumlee after just one season. Now Green and Plumlee are key cogs in the Suns surprising breakout season. Air Max From China . Toronto has dropped games to Indiana and Miami since a five-game winning streak and closed out a three-game road trip at 1-2. https://www.airmaxchina.us/ .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Cheap Air Max From China . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Fake Air Max . Woodson said during a radio interview Thursday that the Knicks Carmelo Anthony doesnt get the same calls as other superstars. The Scottish Rugby Union has accused Englands top-flight body of acting inappropriately by threatening to withhold players from international duty in a row over a disputed medical bill.The five Scotland players, including captain Greig Laidlaw, have met up with their team-mates for a three-day training camp ahead of the autumn Test programme after World Rugby stepped in at the weekend.The case will be heard by the global governing body next month but the SRU has expressed disappointment over Premiership Rugby Limiteds actions and claims it has done everything possible to settle the dispute, which involves a former international, including twice offering to go through an independent medical arbitration process.A statement read: The outstanding medical case cited by PRL -- relating to one player dating from 2013 -- has no connection to any Scottish International currently playing in the Aviva Premiership so the decision by PRL to threaten the release of current England-based players in this context was both unhelpful and inappropriate.An SRU spokesman added: We usually have a good working relationship with PRL and so this tactic by them was both surprising and unnecessary.The case in dispute is historical. We have repeatedly offered to have an independent medical panel review the specifics of this case, but this has not been followed up by PRL and its club.As a union we take our responsibilities for player welfare seriously and have respected the necessary processes throughout.The statement added: Scottish Rugby has not withheld fees or insurance payments and the costs under dispute are in the tens of thousands, not the six figures quoted by PRL. If an independent arbitration rules that a payment is due, then Scottish Rugby will honour that ruling.English clubs also threatened to bar players representing Italy, Samoa and Tonga in similar disputes with the total medical and injury compensation bills in all cases said to reach ￡400,000.ddddddddddddPremiership Rugby declined to respond to the SRU statement until after World Rugby rules in November.But, speaking on Saturday night, a spokesman said: The dispute with the SRU over unpaid medical and salary bills caused when a Premiership Rugby player was injured on Test duty has not been settled.However, Premiership Rugby has been informed that World Rugby will convene a regulations committee panel in November to settle the case and, on that basis, we are prepared to show flexibility and allow for our players to join the Scotland squad.A similar dispute with the Italian, Samoan and Tongan unions was settled earlier in the week.Despite the late decision, Laidlaw had been relaxed about the dispute.The Gloucester captain, who is joined in the squad by Exeter prop Moray Low, Harlequins wing Tim Visser and Saracens pair Duncan Taylor and Sean Maitland, said: I was always confident that it was going to be sorted.Gav Scott, the team manager up here, was in constant contact with me and to be fair to Gloucester and (director of rugby) David Humphreys, they were very open and talked to me pretty much every day on what was happening.It was a pretty easy one for me, there was no stress around about it. Its good to be here, international rugby is such a crucial part of the game throughout the world, so its important for players to be here.I dont think anyone really wanted to be holding players back. We are just glad everyone has been released and we can just get on with playing rugby now. ' ' '