CHICAGO -- November blazed like dazzling springtime in Chicago during a massive parade and rally Friday to honor the Cubs first World Series title in 108 years and fulfill more than a century of pent-up dreams.A new generation of Cubs fans -- riding in strollers or on their parents shoulders -- joined their elders to cheer the baseball champions. For the youngest, the day would be their first bright memory of following a club once known as lovable losers.Their parents marveled at how their children will know the confident, young team as winners.Its a whole new Cubs world, said Dean Anderson, 51, of Chicago, who brought his 10-year-old son, Chase, to see the players motorcade as it rolled out from Wrigley Field at the start of the parade route. The lovable loser thing -- and all the accompanying lore embroidered by long-suffering fan loyalty -- may be lost to the newest fans, Anderson said, but weve had enough of that.A crowd, estimated by city officials at 5 million, lined Michigan Avenue and Lake Shore Drive to cheer the motorcade of open-roofed buses carrying the players along a 7-mile parade route from the north side ballpark to sprawling Grant Park. The citys tally included everyone who lined the route and the rally throngs. Friday was already a scheduled day off for Chicago Public Schools.Revelers crawled up trees and streetlight poles to get a better view along the route. Others sat atop shoulders to watch the team buses shimmering under a spray of red and blue confetti.Steve Angelo of Chicago carried his 4-year-old son, Nicholas, who held a World Champs sign.For him, the more and more they win now, at his earlier age, the more and more excitement there is, Angelo said. Theres parades, and people talk about it more on the radio and TV. Its going to be a lot more exciting now.During the jubilant festivities at the park, 39-year-old retiring Cubs catcher David Ross posed for a selfie in front of a multitude of roaring fans.Ross and the other players put their arms around each other and sang Go Cubs Go from the stage along with the blissed-out crowd.It happened, baby. It happened! proclaimed 27-year-old first baseman Anthony Rizzo to adoring cheers.Team manager Joe Maddon -- wearing a stocking cap, sunglasses and a jersey over a We did not suck T-shirt -- looked out over a sea of blue.Welcome to Cubstock 2016! Maddon said. This is an incredible moment for all of us. Never have I experienced anything like Wrigley Field on a nightly basis. ... I want to congratulate you fans also. Thank you for being so patient.A victory party is new territory for stoical fans of the Cubs, whose last World Series title -- before their Game 7, extra-inning thriller Wednesday night in Cleveland -- came in 1908. The last time the Cubs even reached the Fall Classic was in 1945.Superstitions die hard. Miriam Santiago, 51, said she carried holy water, her rosary and a bright green lucky baseball with her during the playoffs. On Friday, the Chicago woman brought a goat mask with dynamite in its mouth and let other fans pose for photos wearing it outside the ballpark. Her lucky charms helped reverse the Curse of the Billy Goat, she said, referring to the story of a Chicago tavern owner who supposedly put a hex on the team after his pet goat was turned away from Wrigley during the 1945 World Series.For days, Cubs mania has spread throughout the city and state. The cast of the Chicago production of Hamilton led a sold-out audience in singing Go Cubs Go during the Thursday night curtain call. Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner declared Friday as World Champion Chicago Cubs Day statewide. The city dyed the Chicago River a bright shade of blue to match the Cubs colors, repurposing a decades-long tradition of dyeing the river green on St. Patricks Day.Far from being sad about bidding their team farewell for the year, fans looked forward to the future.Outfielder Kyle Schwarber, 23, took the microphone Friday and put it into words for the fans: I love you guys. Were world champs. Lets do it again next year.---Associated Press writer Sophia Tareen contributed to this report. Keon Broxton Jersey . Barcelona also left injured defenders Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba out of its squad for the trip to Glasgow. That means that Marc Bartra will probably start again in the centre of the defence alongside Gerard Pique. Steven Matz Jersey . As the crowd erupted, Davis knocked the ball off the glass and back into his hands. With 1:14 to go in overtime, Davis sixth block also became his 17th rebound. That, along with his 32 points -- which tied a career high -- proved too much for Denver to overcome, and the Pelicans held on for their third straight victory, 111-107 on Sunday night. http://www.metssale.com/mets-yoenis-cespedes-jersey/ . Zvonareva, who won the tournament in 2009 and 10, couldnt handle her opponents big groundstrokes in only her third event back after 17 months out with a shoulder injury. Zvonareva made her comeback in January in Shenzhen and played in the Australian Open but lost her first matches at both tournaments. Nolan Ryan Mets Jersey . However, he did make them miss him a little less. Cundiff, who had the unenviable job of replacing Dawson last season, agreed Thursday to a one-year, $1. Keith Hernandez Jersey . Emery skated the length of the ice and fought an unwilling Holtby during the third period of the Flyers 7-0 loss Friday night in Philadelphia. He was given 29 penalty minutes, including a game misconduct. But Emery did not face even a disciplinary hearing with NHL senior vice president of player safety Brendan Shanahan because rules 46. ZADAR, Croatia -- Marin Cilic and Ivan Dodig put Croatia 2-1 ahead in the Davis Cup semifinal against France by upsetting top-ranked doubles pair Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert 7-6 (6), 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-3 on Saturday.Cilic, who won his singles on Friday, replaced Marin Draganja and it proved to be an inspired choice.With Ivan and our captain (Zeljko Krajan) we prepared our tactics well, Cilic said.Herbert, the more inexperienced of Frances doubles pairing, sent his volley into the net to hand Croatia an unexpected victory at the Kresimir Cosic Hall in Zadar.Croatias performance stunned Frances captain Yannick Noah.I didnt expect to see Dodig playing at this level, Noah said. Croatia is in a good position because Marin is playing good tennis. They have been better than us over the first two days (and) we havent found the keys (to victory) yet.Richard Gasquet noow must beat Cilic in the first of Sundays reverse singles to keep France alive.ddddddddddddWe will have to be ready for a battle tomorrow, Noah said. With the way he plays Gasquet can find angles and take Cilic out of his comfort zone. But to do so he must play at a very high level.Gasquet leads Cilic, the 2014 U.S. Open champion, 2-1 in their career head-to-heads and that makes Cilic wary.Its always difficult against him, Cilic said. But in my two defeats I remember having a lot of break-point chances.Pouille is then scheduled to face Borna Coric in what could be Sundays deciding rubber.Coric won their only previous meeting, which was in straight sets at Indian Wells in March.The winner plays Britain or Argentina in the final in November. ' ' '