Updates » trending, and paying a nod to the strength-sapping march

Chicago has waited since 1908 for an opportunity?like Wednesday night --?to celebrate a?World Series-clinching victory.Aroldis Chapman, the Chicago Cubs red-hot closer, took to Twitter and showed his dedication to bringing home some hardware for the Windy City.As written in Spanish in the second half of his tweet, Hoy se escribe una nueva historia! means Today we write a new story!As long as Chapman continues to throw heat and the Cubs bats come to life, they may be able to write a new story.-- Courtney Schellin Cheap Fake NBA Jerseys . DAmigo scored twice in regulation and added the shootout winner as the Toronto Marlies edged the San Antonio Rampage 5-4 in American Hockey League action. Fake NBA Jerseys China . Coach Mike Munchak says Fokou stretched ligaments in his left knee Oct. 13 against Seattle, which could keep out up to five weeks even though the linebacker didnt need surgery. http://www.fakenbajerseys.com/ .ca! Kerry, Two nights after the Scott-Eriksson incident in Buffalo, the Bruins returned home to play San Jose. In that game, Zdeno Chara put a check on Tommy Wingels that clearly targeted his head. Wholesale Fake NBA Jerseys . -- The boos poured down on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots at the end of a horrible first half. Fake NBA Jerseys Online . The Cincinnati Reds remain perfect with their speedy rookie outfielder in the starting lineup. RIO DE JANEIRO -- Rafael Nadal was something to behold during his third-round singles match on a windswept Thursday at Olympic Centre Court.True, he flashed plenty of raggedness. No surprise there, given that injuries and self-doubt have recently stunted his play.But mixed amid a stream of unforced errors in a 7-6 (5), 6-4 win against Frances Gilles Simon were enough vibrant glimpses of vintage Nadal to widen the eyes. There were stirring side-to-side dashes. There were buzz-saw forehands that looked sure to sail three feet long only to crash down, suddenly and violently, straight into play.Same as always, the 30-year-old Spaniards intensity filled the stadium. He looked like he would chew off an arm if it meant giving himself a better chance to win. It was no surprise then, when, after the match, he said in his brief comments that he would fight to the death for a medal.Nadal, of course, is as tough a competitor as weve ever seen in any sport. He didnt need to play here. He already has a singles gold medal, from Beijing in 2008. A wrist injury caused him to miss the 2016 Wimbledon after he pulled out of his beloved French Open. And yet here he is, on the brink of a performance that would significantly gild his legend. Two more golds are a possibility in Rio. He followed the Simon match by winning in the semifinals of doubles with partner Marc Lopez. (Nadal then pulled out of the first round of mixed doubles with Garbine Muguruza.)?But if Nadal at the 2016 Rio Games underscores his dogged competitiveness, it is also a potent reminder of something missing. Or, rather, someone: Roger Federer.Martina had Chris. McEnroe had Borg. Agassi had Sampras. Since they first played in 2003, Nadal has always had Federer. Both, no doubt, have lost a step. Other rivalries have begun. But no matchups have defined mens tennis in its current form like the tense battles waged when the two greats faced off in their best days. At Wimbledon in 2008, they played five scintillating sets that finished with the dusky All England Club reveling in, arguably, the greatest match in tennis history.Ah, what fun these two could have had, playing in front of the electric crowds in Rio.Only Federer is nowhere to be seen. As far back as 2012, he was saying hed play at least long enough to take the court in Brazil. Then 2016 came, and with it a knee surgery and a balky back and birthday No.dddddddddddd 35. After losing gamely in the Wimbledon semifinals last month, Federer shut down his entire 2016 season to heal up. The closest he came to Rio was a lonely tweet -- Wish I was there with you -- typed from some undisclosed location during the Games opening ceremonies.Sadly, opportunities like this -- the Spaniard and the Swiss duking it out with the whole world watching -- might not come again. There was a period when Nadal and Federer, despite never playing each other in the Olympics, averaged four or five matchups every year. (Nadal owns a commanding 23-11 head-to-head record, in good part because prime Federer was often good enough to make it to the finals of the clay tournaments where Nadal reigned.)But they have played less and less with the passing of each season. There was just one match in 2014, a Nadal victory at the Australian Open. Then a single match in 2015, Federer winning in Basil. 2016 will end without them playing at all. Ugh.If Federer were here, they could have been closing in on a Rio showdown. Given the way their careers have been trending, and paying a nod to the strength-sapping march of time, it just might have been their last great match.Still, there is what might have been, and there is the plain reality of the moment. Upsets and the Federer no-show have turned the tennis star power in Rio down a notch, but well-known players such as Nadal and Juan Martin del Potro remain, and theyll be challenged in the closing days by the likes of Americans Madison Keys and Steve Johnson, who both advanced in singles Thursday.The Olympic tournament is proving to be memorable, full of great play and stands brimming with rhythmic chants, stomping feet and flag-waving national pride. That kind of atmosphere was on full display Thursday afternoon, when Andy Murray beat back stubborn 40th-ranked Italian Fabio Fognini, digging out of the 3-0 third-set hole by winning the last six games.Both have a few matches to go, but Murray and Nadal are now favored to meet in the final. That would be the 2008 gold medal holder against the 2012 champion, a wonderful and attractive match, perhaps as good as any that will be played this year.But it wouldnt be Federer versus Nadal. ' ' '