One way to realize just how long its been since the Chicago Cubs last reached the World Series is to look at how much the game has changed since then, on and off the field.The Cubs are making their first appearance since 1945 and chasing their first title since 1908.Some of the ways the game has changed since the Cubs lost Game 7 to the Detroit Tigers some 71 years ago:INTEGRATION: Jackie Robinson became the first black player to reach the major leagues in 1947, two years after the Cubs last World Series appearance. Baseball has turned into a virtual melting pot in the seven decades since. The Cubs roster includes players from Cuba (reliever Aroldis Chapman and outfielder Jorge Soler), along with Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, as well as the United States.EXPANSION: There were 16 teams in the majors in 1945, including two in St. Louis, Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago, and three in New York. The total is up to 30 now.GO WEST: There were no major league franchises west of St. Louis in 1945. The Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles and the New York Giants headed to San Francisco in 1958. In 1969, the Seattle Pilots showed up -- they went 64-98 in their first year, then became the Milwaukee Brewers.DIVISIONAL PLAY: There were no divisions in 1945, just eight teams in both the American League and National League. They split into East and West divisions in 1969. Then a Central was created in 1994, with the Cubs shifting from the NL East to the NL Central.PLAYOFFS PLUS: Extra teams and divisions resulted in expanded playoffs. The League Championship Series began in 1969, the Division Series started in 1995 and a one-game wild-card playoff came in 2012. A longer postseason pushed the World Series deep into October and beyond. If the Cubs and Cleveland go the distance this year, Game 7 would be on Nov. 2.FREE AGENCY: When Phil Cavarretta and Peanuts Lowrey helped lead the Cubs to the 1945 Series, they were bound to the team until they were traded or released. Curt Flood tested baseballs reserve clause in the early 1970s and took his case to the U.S. Supreme Court, helping pave the way for players to move around as free agents. Jon Lester, John Lackey and Ben Zobrist are among the players the Cubs acquired this way.DESIGNATED HITTER: The designated hitter joined the American League lineup in 1973. The DH debate is still hot, with the leagues playing by different rules. When this years World Series opens at the AL park, both teams will use the DH; when the Cubs host, the pitchers will hit.LIGHTS AT WRIGLEY: The Cubs were the last team in the majors to play only day games. That changed when lights were installed at Wrigley Field in 1988. The games there have always been played outdoors on green grass, never under a dome or on artificial turf, trends that became popular starting with the Astrodome in the mid-1960s.Replica Football Jerseys . It is a cliché dragged out by fans and pundits regularly when discussions take place around which teams are better than others. Fake Football Jerseys Online . "Jeff is a hard worker who was an important special-teams contributor for us last season," said Stamps GM John Hufnagel. https://www.fakefootballjerseys.com/ . Sgt. Eric ONeal says most of the arrests at Monday nights game were for public drunkenness, though one person was taken into custody on suspicion of trying to steal a seat from the stadium. Football Jerseys China . Spiller left Week 3s 27-20 loss to the New York Jets with a thigh injury, but fully practiced with the team all week and expects to be ready to go on Sunday. Cheap Football Jerseys . Burris threw two TD passes, including a key 15-yard fourth-quarter strike to Bakari Grant that effectively countered a Toronto comeback bid and led Hamilton to a 33-19 victory.RIO DE JANEIRO -- Drenched with sweat and nearly out of breath, exhilarated American fencer Gerek Meinhardt tried to explain how his mens foil team won an Olympic medal for the first time in 84 years.We feel like we belong here, Meinhardt said.Before Meinhardt could utter another word, teammate Alexander Massialas cut him off.We dont think. We do belong here, Massialas said.It was hard to argue otherwise after the Americans won bronze Friday, the third medal for the U.S. men at the Rio de Janeiro Games. Massialas and Meinhardt led the way as the U.S. defeated Italy 45-31 following a tough loss in the semifinals.Russia won the mens team foil gold, its sixth fencing medal of the Rio Games. Russia rallied from five points down to beat France 45-41, capturing its third gold medal in fencing so far.Massialas and Meinhardt dominated the Italians with a three-match stretch in which they outscored their opponents 20-1. The win was especially sweet for Massialas, whose poor performance in the final moments of his previous match kept his team from fighting for a gold medal.The U.S. began its day with a 45-37 win over Egypt, putting it just a win over Russia away from the final.The Americans had the Russians right where they wanted them, too, up 40-39 and with the top-ranked Massialas set to close the bout.But Alexey Cheremisinov stunned Massialas with a series of quick blows, and the U.S. fell 45-41.I only have my teammates to thank because I was down after that match. It was probably one of the worst team matches Ive ever fenced and I felt like I let my whole team down, Massialas said. There were no droopy heeads except for mine.dddddddddddd All they did was try to pick my head up.With roughly four hours to kill between bouts, the Americans went on their phones and discovered what they called a series of mean tweets about their performance against the Russians.Instead of bringing them down, Miles Chamley-Watson said the criticism brought the team closer together -- even joking that the haters were motivators.The effort that ultimately led to a medal truly was a team effort.Chamley-Watson fenced about as well as he ever has in the preliminary rounds. Race Imbodens only bout in the Olympics was a win over individual champion Daniele Garozzo in the bronze medal match, and Meinhardt outscored his opponents 13-1 in his final two bouts.And it was only fitting that Massialas, just hours after losing to Russia, would score the 45th and final point.Its more than a medal at this point, Massialas said.While the U.S. womens fencing team broke through in 2004 when Mariel Zagunis won the first of two individual gold medals, the men had yet to do so until the Rio Olympics. The foil team finished fourth four years ago at the London Games.This time, the Americans were able to finally celebrate.They made the most of it, too, jumping into the stands and wrapping themselves in American flags on the piste.For the first time, the U.S.A. is a powerhouse in fencing. It never has been before, Imboden said. For us to come together and have each others backs, it just proves that its not a fluke anymore. ' ' '