CHICAGO -- Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Ferguson Jenkins. Ron Santo and Ryne Sandberg, too. Hall of Famers for the Chicago Cubs, but no championship rings.They all tried. Some got closer than others, but the famed drought got the best of them all. And decades of empty Octobers eventually took on a life of their own.Now, as a new group of Cubs prepares to take aim at a lifetime of free drinks on the North Side, Sandberg, for one, believes this team might be uniquely positioned to succeed where so many others failed.I think when its talked about in that regard and you dont have a game plan for that, you know, that that can be talked about on a daily basis, Sandberg said, addressing the elephant in the room -- the 108 years since the Cubs last won the World Series. It can be brought to the players attentions, but I think this team here focuses on other things.They focus on their teammates, themselves, winning the game, having fun, somebody come up big and lets celebrate in the room in there, and I think thats their mentality. It seems to work.While the rest of baseballs postseason picture is being sorted out, the Cubs are closing in on home-field advantage for the NL playoffs and making sure they are as ready as they can be for what they hope will be the franchises first World Series since its seven-game loss to Detroit in 1945. The NL Central champions completed a three-game sweep of Cincinnati with a 9-2 victory Wednesday night and lead Washington by eight games for the best record in the National League.Playing to electric crowds all summer at a giddy Wrigley Field, the Cubs have spent most of the season looking down at the rest of the majors. And with the playoffs on the horizon, it seems as if they are only embracing the escalating pressure coming their way.I think pressure is what you make of it, said Jon Lester, one of the front-runners for the NL Cy Young Award. I mean we all know what the deal is around here. You cant run from it. All you can do is show up and play.The Cubs made it to the postseason last year as the second NL wild card and then eliminated Pittsburgh and St. Louis before they were swept by the New York Mets in the NL Championship Series. That feel-good run by a team that appeared to be coming into its own turned into a runaway division title in 2016, boosted by offseason deals for free agents Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist and John Lackey.Perhaps sensing what was coming, manager Joe Maddon told his pitchers and catchers to embrace the target when they arrived at spring training in February. That slogan quickly went on a T-shirt and then Maddon poked fun at himself with Try Not To Suck, a carry-over from last year that turned into a popular shirt around Chicago this summer.Those slogans could serve the Cubs well next month.Why would you ever want to work somewhere where theres no expectations? Maddon said. I dont understand that. Theres that comfortable component of society that maybe they want to live in that moment where there are no expectations or any kind of pressure, and that to me would be absolutely no fun whatsoever.I think all of our guys, where youre trained coming up as an athlete, you want to play in the championship game. You want to be the champion.But ahead of them is one unique challenge, beyond the obvious difficulty of winning three series against baseballs best teams. One misstep in the playoffs, one bad bounce, and the Cubs twisted history -- everything from the infamous billy goat curse to the black cat that taunted Leo Durocher in 1969 and Steve Bartmans misplayed foul ball 13 years ago -- all comes roaring back to the forefront.The only comparable situation is Bostons World Series title in 2004, stopping an 86-year drought. Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein was the general manager of the Red Sox at the time, and Lester was a minor leaguer in the Boston system.Those guys wanted to be the team that won it, Lester said.That same attitude resides in Chicagos clubhouse at the moment. Lester signed with the Cubs in December 2014, and Heyward, Zobrist and Lackey arrived last winter -- each hoping to be on the team that put another banner on top of Wrigley Field. To do it in this city, its a no-brainer that it would be making history, Heyward said at his introductory news conference last December.So, Lester said, bring on the pressure that goes along with every Cubs postseason run.I mean its there, he said. You cant run from it. You cant worry about it. You just have to worry about what your team can control and really just try to win it. Thats all you can really do.---Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap Phil Maton Jersey . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged. Brook Jacoby Jersey . PAUL, Minn. https://www.cheapindiansonline.com/2148u-jose-ramirez-jersey-indians.html . Two pressure cooker bombs exploded near the finish line of the April 15 race in an area packed with fans cheering the passing runners. Three people were killed and more than 260 injured, including at least 16 who lost limbs. Dennis Eckersley Indians Jersey . Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. Bobby Bradley Jersey . The Montreal Canadiens announced on Friday that the veteran forward will return to the teams line-up on Saturday night when the Habs visit the Nashville Predators. MEXICO CITY, Mexico -- Lewis Hamilton just edged Sebastian Vettel to the fastest time in first practice at the Mexican Grand Prix, while title rival Nico Rosberg finished the session 0.759s off the pace in seventh.Hamilton set his fastest time on the medium compound midway through the session amid a series of mid-length runs on the white-striped tyres. Rosberg also set his best time on the medium compound, but it appeared as though neither Mercedes was focusing on quick times. They both racked up over 30 laps during the 90 minute session, including a seven lap run on the softs early on followed by a series mid-length runs on the mediums.The Ferraris in second and third both set their times on the soft tyres towards the end of the session and were split by just 0.079s, which was identical to the gap Vettel had to Hamiltons best time on the mediums. Local hero Sergio Perez used the super-soft tyres exclusively during the session and set the fourth fastest time ahead of Force India teammate Nico Hulkenberg, who was on a similar run plan.Valtteri Bottas was just 0.038s off Hulkenberg despite using the slower soft compound tyre as Force India and Williams prepare to continue their battle over fourth place in the championship this weekend. Daniel Ricciardo was the highest-placed Red Bull in eighth after using the soft compound tyre for his fastest lap, while teammate MMax Verstappen was limited him to just 10 laps due to a brake fire midway through the session and finished outside the top ten.ddddddddddddFelipe Massa was ninth fastest, 0.389s off teammate Bottas using the same compound, but ahead of Toro Rossos Daniil Kvyat in tenth place. Romain Grosjean was eleventh for Haas with a time on the soft tyres, while Carlos Sainz was 12th for Toro Rosso using the mediums. Marcus Ericsson used the super-soft tyres to drag his Sauber up to 13th ahead of Verstappen on the softs, Esteban Gutierrez on the softs and Fernando Alonso on the mediums.Felipe Nasr had a scare halfway through the session when his front wing broke on the exit kerb of Turn 11. The right side of the wing smashed into pieces as it loaded up on the following straight and the debris went under his car. The resulting mess on track brought out a brief red flag period to allow the marshals to sweep the track.Jenson Button was 18th fastest using the soft tyres, ahead of Kevin Magnussen on the mediums, Esteban Ocon on the softs and Jolyon Palmer and Pascal Wehrlein on the mediums.Perez, Nasr, Wehrlein, Massa and Magnuessen all completed at least one lap with the halo device attached as the FIA continued its track testing of the safety device. ' ' '