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CHICAGO -- Best in the majors this season, the Chicago Cubs cleared their first big October hurdle. Now, they wait to see whos next.The Cubs advanced to the NL Championship Series for the second straight year by knocking out the San Francisco Giants in a thrilling four-game NLDS. They will face the winner of Thursdays Game 5 between the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers in what they hope will be another step toward the World Series championship that has eluded the franchise since 1908.Game 1 is at Wrigley Field on Saturday.I think it validates on a lot of different levels the job that we have done to this point, manager Joe Maddon said. I think if youre a player on this particular team within the organization, its getting to the point now you want to expect to get to the postseason and you want to expect to get deeply into the postseason. It also speaks to the way we played.Chicago is looking for more this time after getting swept by the New York Mets in the NLCS a year ago.The Cubs dominated like no other team in the majors this season, running away with the NL Central championship. They got off to a 25-6 start and spent all but two days in first place on the way to a major league-best 103-58 record -- the most wins by the Cubs since they finished the 1910 season with 104.For a franchise defined by heartbreak rather than championships, one can only imagine the anxiety in Chicago had the NLDS returned to Wrigley Field for a Game 5 on Thursday. But instead of the billy goat and black cat and Bartman , all thoughts are on the next round for a team that has followed Maddons advice to embrace the high expectations.I think were growing every day, pitcher Jon Lester said. The biggest theme for us is just never quit. We always battle and grind out until the last out and see what happens.The NLDS sure was one wild grind.That series had it all, whether it was Lester and Johnny Cueto dominating on the mound in Game 1, Javier Baez coming up with huge hits or spectacular plays, the Giants rallying in Game 3 and ultimately winning in 13 innings, or the Cubs scoring four in the ninth on Tuesday to wrap things up.The Cubs joined the 1986 New York Mets (in Game 6 of the NLCS against Houston) as the only teams to rally from a three-run deficit in the ninth to win a playoff series clincher. They also stopped the San Franciscos 10-game winning streak when facing postseason elimination and squashed the possibility of another even-year championship. The Giants won the World Series in 2010, 2012 and 2014.They played us tough, MVP candidate Kris Bryant said. I feel like if it did go back to Chicago we were ready to play. Its nice to get it done here, kind of regroup and find out who were playing next.Whether its Washington or Los Angeles, either series would offer intriguing storylines.If its the Nationals, how does Dusty Baker going against the Cubs in the postseason sound? Not that anyone would mention Chicagos collapse five outs shy of the World Series in the 2003 NLCS against the Marlins, when he was the Cubs manager. No need to recall Steve Bartman, or shortstop Alex Gonzalezs error on a potential double-play grounder.If its Los Angeles, well, theres the connection between Maddon and Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, his boss in Tampa Bay.But for now, the Cubs can rest. Avoiding a Game 5 against San Francisco means Maddon could go with Lester in Game 1 of the NLCS. It also quiets talk of curses for at least a few days, though this group refuses to buy into superstitions.Little seems to rattle these Cubs, for that matter.Theyre so balanced, great pitching staff, great bullpen, thats why they won over a hundred games, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. So whoever plays them has their work cut out. Thats how good they are. And we played them tough. Puma Shoes Ireland . Louis Blues absence from top spot in the TSN. Cheap Puma Shoes Free Shipping . The news was first reported on Gonzalezs Twitter account and confirmed by the Rockies. Gonzalez has a six-week window before position players have their first workout at spring training in Arizona. http://www.cheappumaireland.com/ .ca! Hi Kerry, Heres an interesting one. I know its common knowledge that all players are responsible for their sticks. We witnessed that when Zack Kassian hit Edmontons Sam Gagner in the face after a missed check. Puma Running Shoes Ireland . - Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie never doubted he would bring back coach Dennis Allen for a third year despite back-to-back 4-12 records. Puma Ireland Shop . "I wrote 36 on my sheet at the beginning of the game," the Cincinnati coach said, referring the yard line the ball would need to be snapped from. NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma can finally talk about Ohio State.Baker Mayfield passed for 244 yards and three touchdowns in a half of work, and the 14th-ranked Sooners beat Louisiana-Monroe 59-17 on Saturday night in a warmup for their showdown with the Buckeyes.Oklahoma lost its opener to Houston and fell from No. 3 to No. 14 in the AP poll , but its home matchup with fourth-ranked Ohio State next week offers a chance to return to its place among the nations top teams.Theyre obviously a good program, Mayfield said. Everybody knows that. I feel confident in what were doing right now, and I think were going to keep progressing. I think itll be a good matchup.Mayfield took the blame for the loss to Houston, saying he forced throws at times in the second half and took too many sacks. He bounced back well.Baker, I thought, was really decisive and quick getting the ball out in a lot of spots, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. Threw it really well.Joe Mixon rushed for 117 yards, and Samaje Perine ran for two touchdowns as the Sooners (1-1) outgained the Warhawks (1-1) 640 yards to 350.Garrett Smith passed for 251 yards and two touchdowns and R.J. Turner caught seven passes for 135 yards for ULM. Smith was a dual threat in the opener when he ran for 150 yards and a touchdown in a win over Southern. He was one-dimensional against the Sooners, finishing with five yards on six carries.Mayfield completed 10 of 11 passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter to help the Sooners take a 21-0 lead.Mark Andrews opened the scoring with a 39-yard touchdown grab. Andrews has four receptions this season, including three for touchdowns. Dimitri Flowers added an 8-yard touchdown catch, then Perines 1-yard blast up the middle made it 21-0.Things obviously werent going our way in the first half, and we were overmatched and playing against a good football team, ULM coach Matt Viator said.Austin Kendall replaced Mayfield in the second half, and he passed for 108 yards and two touchdowns.As much as anything, (it was about) keeping Baker healthy in the situation were in, and Austins a true freshman who needs to play, SStoops said.ddddddddddddTHE TAKEAWAYLOUISIANA-MONROE: The Warhawks felt they defended better in the second half, though they were playing against mostly reserves. Both teams scored 17 points after the break.Hopefully, we got a little bit better and learned something tonight to use for next week, Viator said.OKLAHOMA: The Sooners re-established their run game. They gained just 70 yards on 26 carries against Houston, but bounced back with 288 yards on 46 attempts against ULM. Mixon, a sophomore, finished with the third-highest rushing yardage total of his career.Perines two touchdowns gave him 39 in his career, tying him with Joe Washington for seventh in school history.I thought Joe and Samaje did a great job early, Oklahoma offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley said. I thought we really played well up front. We had good balance offensively.PREGAME FOCUSOklahomas coaching staff was concerned about how many big plays the Sooners cornerbacks gave up against Houston. He said aside from two busted coverages in the third quarter that resulted in long touchdown catches of 73 yards by Turner and 43 yards by Alec Osborne, the Sooners defended the pass well on Saturday. Aside from those two plays, ULM passed for just 156 yards.RUSSELL WESTBROOKOklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook attended the game and drew a loud cheer when he was shown on the video board. Mayfield entered the postgame press conference with a T-shirt with the phrase, In Russ We Trust on the front.RECORD CROWDThe announced attendance of 87,037 was a record for the stadium. The south end had been partially open since the stadium opened in 1923, but an upgrade turned it into a bowl and added an 8,500 square-foot video board and luxury seating.UP NEXTLOUISIANA-MONROE: at Georgia Southern.OKLAHOMA: Hosts Ohio State in a game the Sooners must win to have a realistic shot at returning to the College Football Playoff.---AP college football website: collegefootball.ap.org---Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter (at)CliffBruntAP ' ' '