Pirate Galaxy » photo of the team celebrating at Wrigley Fiel

MINNEAPOLIS -- Tight end Kyle Rudolphs two most productive seasons for the Minnesota Vikings were those in which he played every game.After all the surgeries, crutches and rehab, Rudolph has found a training program to supplement team-supervised workouts and improve his durability. The sturdiness of his body at 26 has become as important as the agility and strength needed to thrive in the NFL.Its all about playing 16 games, said Rudolph, who has overcome operations on his hamstring and both hips, plus a broken foot and a sprained knee.He enjoyed an injury-free season in 2015, his first since 2012. Rudolph found his happy place in downtown Minneapolis at the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center through a joint venture with the specialized performance training firm EXOS.Jennifer Krogmans goal was just to do some pushups again after a wrist injury.It was a thrill, she said. This was the first progress Id ever made.After eight surgeries in nine years on her broken left wrist, Krogman has finally discovered a way to work out at an intense level without neglecting or damaging the joint that has troubled her.The activities this former high school basketball player and track sprinter has been engaging in at Mayos EXOS site in Rochester, Minnesota, actually arent that all dissimilar from what Rudolph has done to prepare for the football season.The elite athlete is the beacon that gets all the attention, but those same principles trickle down to how we treat every athlete, said Dr. Ed Laskowski, the co-director of Mayos sports medicine operation.Founded in 1999 in the Phoenix area as Athletes Performance, Inc., EXOS has used its experience training first-round draft picks and Olympians as a springboard into the corporate world. EXOS has more than 100 business clients, strengthening employee wellness programs or helping business travelers seeking healthier lifestyles.Call this the combine for the common folks.Obviously, the stakes are a little bit different. There may not be an audience. It may not be televised, but it still has a great internal impact on you, said Alex Lincoln, an EXOS vice president and a former linebacker at Auburn and with the San Francisco 49ers.EXOS is far from alone in the fitness marketplace. But the program is based on four pillars: mindset, movement, nutrition and recovery. Personalized, sustainable and measurable are parameters for implementation, blending high technology with sports science.Trainers can pull out an iPad to evaluate an athletes stride in attempt to correct a mechanical flaw or prevent further injury.A lot of exercise is based on tradition. Were going to do something because thats what Arnold did to get stronger or a coach has told us stuff. Very well-meaning coaches, but a lot of stuff they told us was based on tradition and not based on the rules of the body, Laskowski said. So as weve developed those areas, weve found that there are biomechanical patterns that need to be optimal. Perfect practice makes perfect. We want you to be doing it right from the first time.Even with a wide range of costs, the individualized workout isnt cheap. Krogmans five-times-per-week sessions break down to about $20 apiece, though, a fee shes says is as worthy as the 5:45 a.m. starts.Now that shes mastered techniques for the deadlifts and other weight-bearing exercises without compromising her wrist, Krogman has set her sight on a more ambitious cardiovascular goal: the 7-minute mile she once could run.Everyone else has always told me, `No, you cant do this. You just have to get used to walking, running, riding a bike. Lifting weights, you cant do, Krogman said. I was like, `No, Im pretty sure I can still do that.College athletes have signed up for the program. Haley Nielsen and Stephen Kalina have taken part in small-group sessions at the Mayo-EXOS site in Minneapolis this summer, pushing sleds on the artificial turf and sweating through plyometric box jumps.Nielsen, a hockey player for Wisconsin-River Falls, came in search of more explosiveness on the ice. Kalina, a middle infielder at Purdue, wanted to stay in shape and add strength and weight while many of his teammates were playing in summer leagues.Im hoping to come back and show how beneficial it is, Nielsen said.Another key to the program is sports-specific movements that work the muscle groups needed to perform in game time. Kalina envisions stealing a base during crossover drills as he tries to explode out of his first three or four steps. Then there are the core muscles and leg muscles that generate the power in a swing.Its great to have the big biceps and all that, Kalina said, but you need a stronger base, so we really focus on that.Rudolph finished his second summer at EXOS before the Vikings reported to training camp. These days, his focus is efficiency and agility drills to mimic route-running down the field.A lot of times the guys who are covering me are much faster than I am, Rudolph said, but if Im moving efficiently, not wasting any motion, it gives me an advantage to get open. Dallas Stars Shirts . The move comes after the Canadiens were approached by the Buffalo Sabres for permission to speak to Dudley - a former Sabres player and head coach. "The Sabres called for permission and I appreciate that, Im flattered, Dudley told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. Dallas Stars Store . Ancelotti says Ronaldo has recovered from a hamstring injury but "but he doesnt feel comfortable yet so we wont risk him." 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CHICAGO -- The Latest on fan reaction to Chicago Cubs advancing to the World Series (all times local):3:30 p.m.President Barack Obama is giving it up for the Chicago Cubs.Obama posted a message of Holy Cow and congratulations Sunday on Twitter, adding: Even this White Sox fan was happy to see Wrigley rocking last night.Obama is a well-known fan of the Cubs crosstown rivals, the Chicago White Sox.First lady Michelle Obama beat the president to it earlier Sunday with her own tweet celebrating the Cubs pennant win.---1:45 p.m.Police say the celebration of the Chicago Cubs winning the National League championship was nearly trouble-free.Chicago Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi says it was a very safe and enjoyable celebration Saturday night. He says officers made only six misdemeanor arrests in a crowd they estimated at 300,000.Arrestees were cited for unlawful sale of tickets, obstructing traffic, disorderly conduct and other misdemeanors.---This item has been corrected to show there were an estimated 300,000 people, not 30,000.---12:15 p.m.Loyal Chicago Cubs fans as far south as San Antonio, Texas, are thrilled to see their team headed to the World Series for the first time in 71 years.Chicago native Jimmy Tingas owns Wrigleyville Grill in San Antonio where he caters to homesick former Chicagoans still craving hot dogs and Italian beef. The 47-year-old restaurant owner says his customers enjoy sharing their memories of blizzards, basketball championships and two Mayor Daleys.On Saturday, Tingas and his Wrigleyville Grill patrons watched the Cubs win Game 6 of the NL Championship Series. He says people were going nuts and many shed tears.Tingas says fans are shaking off superstition like the infamous billy goat curse. But as he puts it: When we win the World Series were going to have roasted goat, Ill tell you that.---11 a.m.Dorothy Farrells face is familiar to anyone who watched the Chicago Cubs beat the Los Angeles Dodgers to advance to the World Series: Shes the 90-year-old season-ticket holder who was beaming with jubilation in a front-row seat.Fox Sports interviewed Farrell after the Cubs won Game 6 of the NL Championship Series on Saturday night in Chicago. She says shes not worried about the Cleveland Indians, who the Cubs will face Tuesday in Game 1.As Farrell put it, I just wished wish my brothers were alive to see this ... They loved the Cubs. And my father did too. But theyre all dead now. This old ladys still living.When asked how she would celebrate the win, she said: Ill probably have a Jagermeister.---10:20 a..dddddddddddd.m.The victorious Chicago Cubs are earning cheers from their crosstown rivals, the Chicago White Sox.The White Sox posted its congratulations to the National League champions on Twitter. The White Sox most recent World Series win was in 2005.The citys other professional sports teams are also adding their praise. Tweets from the Chicago Bulls, the Chicago Bears, the Chicago Blackhawks and the Chicago Fire are saluting the Cubs.The Cubs face the Cleveland Indians in Game 1 on Tuesday.---9:45 a.m.First lady Michelle Obama is congratulating her hometown Chicago Cubs after the team clinched an appearance in the World Series.The Chicago native on Sunday morning tweeted: Way to go Cubs!! She then recalled her father, saying My Dad is the reason Im a true Cubs fans. Hed be so proud!She signed off on the tweet from her (at)FLOTUS account with her personal signature, -mo, meaning she wrote the message herself.President Barack Obama is a well-known fan of the Cubs crosstown rivals, the Chicago White Sox.---9 a.m.Chicago Cubs fans are waking up to a new reality: Their team is headed to the World Series for the first time in 71 years.Many still-stunned fans took to social media Sunday morning to ask if theyd been dreaming and to catch up on the posts from famous Cubs fans.Comedian and actor Bob Newhart posted a photo of himself, his grandchildren and the W flag they made for him.Actor John Cusack posted two words last night along with a photo of the team celebrating at Wrigley Field. As he put it: Its. Done.Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel issued a statement Saturday night celebrating the pennant win. He says: The fun continues in Cleveland on Tuesday night.The Cubs face the Cleveland Indians in Game 1 on Tuesday.---1 a.m.Chicago Cubs fans are turning their attention to the World Series for the first time in 71 years.Large crowds of people hit the streets outside Wrigley Field on Saturday night after the Cubs beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 6 of the NL Championship Series and advanced to the World Series for the first time since 1945.A majority of the fans celebrated peacefully, with many taking selfies in front of the stadium. Police say one person was arrested after climbing a traffic pole.Longtime fan Brian Dusza was at the game. He says he never thought hed see such a win, adding: I cant even describe what Im feeling.Chicago faces the Cleveland Indians in Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday. ' ' '