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CHICAGO -- Kyle Schwarber smiled and held his arms in the air, his teammates spraying him with champagne. The Chicago Cubs had just won their first NL pennant in 71 years, and the slugger was at the heart of the party.Well, the party in Arizona, at least.Moments after Chicago closed out the NL Championship Series at an electric Wrigley Field, the biggest question for the Cubs shifted all the way across the country to Mesa, where Schwarber is making an impressive comeback from major left knee surgery in April.Game 1 of the World Series is Tuesday night in Cleveland, and the Cubs say Schwarber is a possibility for the showdown with the Indians.Were not ruling anything out or anything in at this point, and were not going to get ahead of ourselves, either, president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said.The 23-year-old Schwarber went 0 for 3 with a walk while serving as the designated hitter for the Solar Sox on Saturday night in the Arizona Fall League. He watched the Cubs clinching 5-0 victory over the Dodgers on a tablet in the dugout between at-bats, and then was soaked by a couple of his teammates after the game.A really good day for me personally, Schwarber said.There were no games in the Arizona Fall League on Sunday, and a spokesman for the Cubs said it was a scheduled off day for Schwarber. There was no word on the plan for the slugger for Mesas game against the Surprise Saguaros on Monday afternoon.Schwarber was ruled out for the year after he tore two knee ligaments in an outfield collision with Dexter Fowler in Chicagos third game of the season. But he had an encouraging checkup with Dr. Daniel Cooper last Monday in Dallas, clearing the way for the Cubs to take a closer look at the catcher/outfielder.If Schwarber has no setbacks in Arizona, the possibility of putting his powerful lefty swing on the World Series roster might be too tempting for Epstein to resist, even if returning for the Fall Classic after so much time off seems like a daunting task.Schwarber hit .333 with a franchise-record five homers in nine playoff games last year, and the Indians had 10 right-handers on their staff for the ALCS against Toronto.Playing an American League team in their stadium, being able to utilize a designated hitter and a quality hitter in Schwarber, it would be a big boost for us, pitcher Jake Arrieta said. If hes ready, obviously. Nobody wants to see a guy as important as Schwarber is to this organization go down again. But if hes capable, if hes in a position strength-wise to be able to help us in that situation, obviously that would be huge for our team.Schwarber grounded out to first in his first at-bat with Mesa on Saturday night. He bounced to second in the third, walked in the sixth and was robbed of extra bases on a diving catch by center fielder Noel Cuevas in the eighth.I felt like I put in two good at-bats, Schwarber said. The first two I chased a little bit, a little antsy up at the plate as expected. But once it started getting back to being normal baseball again, it started slowing down.Most importantly for the Cubs, Schwarber said he felt fine.I have full confidence in my knee, he said. My knee doesnt bother me. It was my hands that hurt the worst. Ive got about eight blisters on them. I guess I should have kept rubbing a bat or something.Schwarber was selected by Chicago with the fourth overall pick in the 2014 amateur draft out of Indiana University. He made his major league debut last June, part of a wave of bright young talent that helped the once-downtrodden franchise blossom into one of baseballs top clubs.He hit .246 with 16 homers and 43 RBI in 69 games last year. He stayed around the team after he got hurt this April, making the most of Wrigleys revamped home clubhouse and earning praise from manager Joe Maddon and his teammates for the way he attacked his rehab.It wouldnt surprise me if he is ready, Arrieta said. Its just in a moment like that, its different than working out and being in the training room and being a hundred percent there. Not that he cant be a hundred percent, its just a little scary situation for me. But if hes ready to go, having that bat, thats hard to turn away if its ready.---AP freelance reporter Jose M. Romero in Arizona contributed to this report.---Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap Stitched Avalanche Jerseys . After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week. Avalanche Jerseys 2020 . -- Bobby Ryan helped the U. https://www.cheapavalanche.com/ . Kyle Denbrook, a soccer player from Saint Marys University, took the CIS male athlete of the week honour. Stanley, a fourth-year business administration student from Charlottetown, scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Dalhousie on Friday and tallied again in a 1-0 win over Saint Marys on Sunday. Avalanche Jerseys China . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. Colorado Avalanche Gear . John Tavares, Thomas Vanek and Kyle Okposo were also being counted on to slow down sizzling Rangers forward Rick Nash. That plan didnt go so well early. LeBron James and the NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers made it official Friday, with the team announcing that James has signed a new multiyear contract.The deal is for three years, $100 million, agent Rich Paul told ESPN. A source told ESPN that James has a player option for the third year.The salary in the first year of James deal will be $31 million, making James the highest-paid player in the NBA for the first time in his career. The salary for the 2017-18 season will top $33 million, making him the highest-paid player in a single season in league history, exceeding the $33 million Michael Jordan earned with the Chicago Bulls in the 1997-98 season.We are very fortunate to have a championship group together, one that has grown organically to trust and sacrifice for one another, on and off the floor, Cavs GM David Griffin said. At the core of that group is LeBron. His leadership, passion and tireless commitment are the hallmarks of our success aand have inspired our entire franchise.dddddddddddd His connection and dedication to his community and this fan base are absolute. We share his determination to win at the highest level and cant wait to get back to work, together to defend our title.James posted a photo on his Instagram account earlier Friday, apparently showing him signing the deal.Over the past two years, James had accepted one-year contracts from the Cavs with player options. After considering his choices, James opted for a longer deal with the Cavs this summer.James, 31, led the Cavs to the title last season, marking the first championship for one of the citys three professional sports teams since the Browns won the NFL championship in 1964.A four-time MVP and 12-time All-Star, James averaged 25.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.8 assists last season. ' ' '