Kreativecke » of joy thats equal parts elation and relief, which leave

LANDOVER, Md. -- Ben Roethlisberger knew the retired Heath Miller, suspended teammates LeVeon Bell and Martavis Bryant and the injured Markus Wheaton werent walking through that door. So he put the Pittsburgh Steelers young, largely untested offense on his shoulders.Roethlisberger threw for three touchdowns to lead the Steelers to a 38-16 rout of the Washington Redskins on Monday night. After telling his teammates he believed in not just All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown but Eli Rogers, Sammie Coates and others, Roethlisberger recovered a fumble at a pivotal moment and completed 27 of 37 passes for 300 yards in the season-opening victory.He threw two touchdowns to Brown and another to Rogers. Often playing on the opposite side from Josh Norman and tormenting cornerback Bashaud Breeland, Brown made eight catches for 126 yards.Starting in place of Bell, DeAngelo Williams ran for 143 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries.Were confident in that group, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. I know we were missing some pieces tonight, but we had `7. And when you got `7 you got the chance to put together performances like that.Washington led 6-0 and appeared to have another scoring opportunity late in the first quarter when linebacker Ryan Kerrigan sacked and stripped Roethlisberger deep in Pittsburgh territory. Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey knocked the ball out of Kerrigans hands, and Roethlisberger dived on it at his own 13-yard line.The ball was on the ground and Pounce was kind of laying on it and I was trying to tell Pouncey it was right under his leg, Roethlisberger said. Any time you can get those balls back, its huge.Roethlisberger then guided Pittsburgh 87 yards down the field, finishing the drive with a 29-yard touchdown pass to Brown on a gutsy fourth-and-1 call from the Washington 29.We knew it was coming; I knew it was coming, Breeland said. Thats why I played it the way I played it. It was just a freak play, and he made the play. Thats all I can say.The next time he got the ball, Big Ben took the Steelers 67 yards on 14 plays to make it 14-6.Pittsburghs passing attack got clicking, but Kirk Cousins and the Redskins couldnt keep up. With Matt Jones and the running game grounded and tight end Jordan Reed taken out of the picture, Cousins finished 30 of 43 for 329 yards and two interceptions.Washington got it as close as 24-16 on Chris Thompsons fourth-quarter touchdown. Then Roethlisberger was at it again, taking the Steelers 77 yards as Williams put the game away with a 15-yard touchdown run to break the 30-point mark.PRIME TIME READY: Tomlin improved to 11-2 on Monday night, including 6-2 on the road and 2-0 at Washington. Pittsburgh is 4-1 when opening the season on Monday night, and the Steelers 44-24 record on MNF is third-best in the NFL behind Seattle (23-6) and San Francisco (47-25).The Redskins have lost 15 of their past 16 Monday Night home games.HOPPING HOPKINS: Washington kicker Dustin Hopkins made all three of his field-goal attempts, connecting from 31, 40 and 34 yards. Hopkins was the Redskins entire offensive production until Thompsons touchdown.PINBALL ROGERS: Rogers first career touchdown catch in his NFL debut was a pinball special. Roethlisbergers pass from the 3-yard line hit receiver Sammie Coates and then Rogers facemask before he finished the grab.SHAZIER, PLAYMAKER: The play after forcing a fumble that the Redskins recovered, Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier picked off Cousins to set up Browns 26-yard TD catch in the third quarter. Shazier left the game with a right knee injury and was being evaluated after the game. Tomlin said hed have more information Tuesday.RUNNING ON EMPTY: Jones was in the starting lineup after separating his left shoulder on Aug. 19, but he lost 4 yards on his first two carries and finished with 24 yards on seven carries. Washington totaled 55 yards rushing, including just 28 in the first half.REED OPTION: Reed caught three passes for 39 yards on the Redskins opening drive and was a nonfactor with four catches for 25 yards the rest of the way.QUOTABLETomlin on why he called a pass to the end zone on fourth-and-1: We play to win.Norman: They took us behind the woodshed today and wore our tail out. It was a good, old-fashioned butt whooping.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Arizona Diamondbacks Gear . -- Yogi Ferrell orchestrates pretty much everything in Indianas offence. Fake Diamondbacks Jerseys . Speaking Thursday on TSN 1050 Thursday, the Leafs GM also touched on the questions surrounding the teams leadership and the struggles of his big-name free-agent signing. “Its not from lack of effort from the coaching staff. https://www.cheapdiamondbacksjerseys.us/ . Clarke was injured while practicing on the Doha Golf Club range after the pro-am on Tuesday. The Northern Irishman arrived at the course on Wednesday hoping to start, but after hitting a few balls on the practice putting green Clarke advised officials he was not fit to play. Arizona Diamondbacks Pro Shop . The Brazilian goalkeeper signed a loan deal with the Major League Soccer club on Friday as he looks to get playing time ahead of this summers World Cup in his home country. Arizona Diamondbacks Shirts . Peter Holland and Brad Staubitz were sent to Toronto on Saturday as the Maple Leafs traded defenceman Jesse Blacker and draft picks to the Anaheim Ducks. When I daydream about the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series, the first images that come to mind are of joy. Fans hugging each other in the bleachers at Wrigley Field, singing Go Cubs Go, throwing hats in the air and openly weeping. People pouring out of the bars in Wrigleyville to party in the streets until well after the sun has come up. The grand old marquee flashing CUBS WIN!! CUBS WIN!! over and over again.But then Im struck by how much sadness sneaks its way in. A second set of images always follows close behind: the smiling faces of Ernie Banks and Ron Santo, two of the greatest Cubs players -- now both deceased -- there ever were, two of the most loyal fans the franchise will ever see. I never met Santo, but often listened to him call Cubs games on the radio. His groans of disappointment and yelps of approval made you feel like you were watching a ballgame with your grandfather, not listening to the call of a future Hall of Famer.I knew Ernie a bit. For years, he always promised to officiate the marriage of my now-husband and me, an offer he made to quite a few people. He once said it was because as he got older, he wanted to go to as many weddings as he did funerals. In his final years, his mind wasnt always nimble, but he was still just as effortlessly affable, with a smile and a spirit that filled a room. Its gutting to know well never see what that smile would look like after the final out of a Cubs World Series win.And its not just the Cubs we all know. Many Cubs fans have a personal story. Jamie Baker, a 39-year-old Cubs fan from Lake Villa, Illinois, watched the Cubs ultimately ill-fated postseason run in 2003.We had two friends that had died in a car accident, he says. While none of us verbally said it during the Cubs run, wheen they eventually lost, I turned to one of their brothers.dddddddddddd He hugged me, crying, while uttering, I really thought [my brother] Danny was helping them win it all.Nearly every living Cubs fan has a Danny, Ernie or Ron -- a grandfather, grandmother, parent, sibling, spouse or friend who didnt make it quite long enough. When the stars finally align for the North Siders, and we all get what Cubs fans waited more than a century for, it will be more complicated than any championship celebration that came before it. There will be incredible joy, yes; the kind of joy thats equal parts elation and relief, which leaves you feeling both full and weightless at the same time. But with that joy will also be tremendous sadness. Im sure of it.The climb up the proverbial mountain has been so arduous, its hard to imagine what awaits us on the other side. Oh sure -- itll be worth the wait. Well re-watch the final moments of the win until weve memorized every pitch, every out, every smile and hug. Well fill the streets of Chicago for historys biggest championship parade and wait as long as we can to wash the champagne out of our clothes. Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Joe Maddon, Theo Epstein and the rest of the guys will be all but knighted in the city of Chicago, never to pay for a beer again.But then what? Who are the Cubs -- and Cubs fans -- if not the worlds most famous lovable losers? From Johnny to Jay to Jimmy, the most consistent monologue fodder for late night hosts has been the endlessly failing Chicago Cubs. When your identity is so deeply tied to losing, who are you when you win?I hope this is the year we find out. ' ' '