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CHICAGO -- A woman in a Chicago Cubs jersey climbed onto a mans shoulders to pose for -- what else? -- a selfie in front of the cherry-red marquee at Wrigley Field, the second-oldest ballpark in the major leagues.Not far away, red carnations lay at the foot of Harry Carays bronze statue and fans were sipping midday beers outside Murphys Bleachers, where a sign outside the pub declared: Weve been preparing for today for 71 years. Clevelands in trouble.Not since Oct. 10, 1945, has a World Series game been played at Wrigley. The Cubs lost 9-3 to the Detroit Tigers that day 71 years ago, but thats ancient history to fans now as the Fall Classic makes its long-awaited return to the ballpark nestled in a North Side neighborhood. As the Series shifts to Chicago this weekend knotted at a game apiece between the Cubs and Indians, its worth remembering that Wrigley lore has been shaped by change -- and changes are plain to see again around here.The bronze ball ready to fly from the grip of the Ron Santo statue is seemingly aimed at heavy equipment beating the earth for the foundation of a complex of luxury apartments and stores. On Waveland Avenue, where kids and adults chase home runs or foul balls that clear the left field bleachers, an office building rises behind fencing and PARDON OUR DUST signs. Nearby, workers are readying the site of a seven-story boutique hotel.There are three different construction projects going on as we speak, said 44th Ward Alderman Tom Tunney, who represents Wrigleyville. Its a delicate path. How do you provide a major league experience in a congested, successful neighborhood?The changes flowering in Wrigleyville, financed by the Cubs-owning Ricketts family and other developers, alarm some who cling to history like ivy on the walls of the friendly confines. Not Elizabeth Barnes, a 24-year-old nurse who exemplifies the young, urban future of the neighborhood.Its exciting, she said while walking her dog. It has been a little lengthy, but Im very excited to see how everything turns out.Here are some of the sights and sounds that make the 102-year-old ballpark a beloved landmark and a touchstone for baseball fans:---FABLED HISTORYBuilt in 1914, Wrigley Field was first known as Weeghman Park and was home to the Chicago Federals, later called the Chicago Whales. The Cubs started playing there in 1916. Only Bostons Fenway Park is older among major league ballparks.Baseball historians still argue over what Babe Ruth was pointing at in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series before he hit his famous called shot homer into Wrigleys center field bleachers. It wasnt the scoreboard. The original manual scoreboard , still in use today, went up in 1937.Wrigley was the first ballpark to let the fans keep foul balls. It was the first with organ music. And it was the first to be cleaned up in an effort to attract female fans and children.It was the last ballpark to be illuminated for night games. The lights went on in 1988.RETIRED NUMBERSErnie Banks No. 14, Ron Santos No. 10 and Ferguson Jenkins No. 31 fly on flags on the left field foul pole. Billy Williams No. 26, Ryne Sandbergs No. 23 and Greg Madduxs No. 31 fly from the right field foul pole. Thats not a typo: Jenkins and Maddux both wore No. 31, which was retired in 2009.BALLHAWKSOn Waveland Avenue, the ballhawks gather for batting practice and home games wearing gloves to catch a souvenir. They know a ball is coming by reading the crowds reaction. Bleacher expansion and a left field video board have limited the balls hit over the wall and into the street. But the ballhawks keep showing up to chase them.ROOFTOPSWrigleys special character is showcased by the neighboring rooftops where fans can watch the game from bleachers erected to provide a glimpse of whats going on inside the park.The rooftop fun on game day belies the court battles over revenue-sharing agreements and views blocked by new video boards. Since the Ricketts family bought the Cubs in 2009, theyve been buying up the properties and now control most of the 16 rooftop clubs.FLY THE WThe W stands for Win. Flown from the scoreboard flag pole, unfurled by Cubs fans in the stands, plastered on windows and hanging from Chicago porches, the W flag is now white with a blue letter. It didnt start out that way.The Wrigley family that owned the team also owned the Wilmington Transportation Co. Its logo was a blue flag with a white W. The tradition of flying a W flag for a win from the scoreboard pole started with that color combo. The flag would signal passengers on nearby elevated trains how the Cubs had done that day.The current blue W on a white background began in the 1980s. Today, theres also a hashtag -- (hash)FlyTheW.`HOLY COW! AND `GO CUBS GO!When Cubs fans say, Holy Cow! theyre quoting Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Caray, who developed the phrase to make sure he didnt utter expletives on the air. Starting in 1982, Caray led the crowd in Take Me Out to the Ball Game during the seventh inning stretch. After Carays death in 1998, his widow, Dutchie Caray, led the song at the home opener in April. He was guiding me, she said. The Cubs sometimes show video of Caray singing on new jumbo-sized video boards installed in 2015.Chicago singer-songwriter Steve Goodman captured the dark side of what it means to be a Cubs fan in A Dying Cub Fans Last Request in 1983. But with Go Cubs Go, written in 1984 before he died of leukemia at age 36, he created a Cubs victory song with a chorus of: Go Cubs go, go Cubs go. Hey Chicago what do you say? The Cubs are gonna win today. CHICAGO -- Clayton Kershaws playoff renaissance is over, at least for this year. The Los Angeles Dodgers ace flopped at a big moment -- again.Kershaws postseason resume took another hit in Game 6 of the NL Championship Series, finishing off the reeling Dodgers. The Chicago Cubs battered the three-time Cy Young Award winner on their way to a 5-0 victory Saturday night, making it 28 years and counting since the Dodgers last won the World Series.This day is never fun, the ending of a season, Kershaw said. You look back and think about the whole season as a whole. Its tough to swallow tonight, obviously, but Id rather be in this position and fail than not to get to be in this situation at all.Kershaw could have started Game 5 on three days rest, but manager Dave Roberts decided to save him for Saturday night at Wrigley Field. Roberts was hoping a couple more days would help Kershaw duplicate his performance from Game 2, when he pitched seven innings of two-hit ball in a 1-0 victory.The decision worked out quite well -- for the Cubs. After winning a pair of shutouts in Games 2 and 3, the Dodgers dropped the next two by a combined score of 18-6. Even the great Kershaw was unable to slow Chicagos momentum, and Roberts first season as Dodgers manager ended in disappointment.The left-hander allowed four earned runs and seven hits while dropping to 4-7 with a 4.55 ERA in 18 playoff games.I think that the first thing I saw is the Cubs hitters, they had a great game plan tonight, Roberts said. And there was a couple mistake sliders that they took advantage of. But they were running counts, they used the whole field, and there was traffic all night for Clayton. And he gave it everything he had, but when they did -- when he did make a mistake, they made him pay.Dexter Fowler hit a ground-rule double on Kershaws third pitch of the night, and the Cubs were off and running. Kris Bryant followed with an RBI single. Then left fielder Andrew Toles dropped Anthony Rizzos fly ball to the gap in left-center, setting up Ben Zobrists sacrifice fly.It was the first time Kershaw had given up two runs in the first inning all season. He was limited to 21 starts this year due to a back injury.You get out of that first inning and you give up two, you feel like you have a chance maybe, Kershaw said. They just kept tacking on runs. I gave up some two-out hits and some homers and some two-strike hits -- just a lot of things that you cant do in a game like this.Fowler added a two-outt RBI single in the second, rookie Willson Contreras hit a leadoff drive in the fourth and Anthony Rizzo connected in the fifth.dddddddddddd Rizzo became the first lefty batter to homer against Kershaw since Daniel Murphy for the New York Mets in Game 4 of their 2015 Division Series.It was the first time Kershaw had allowed two homers in a game since April 9 at San Francisco. That was it for Roberts, who hit for his star pitcher in the sixth.We have asked a lot of Clayton all year long, so, again, its just more of you got to give those hitters credit, Roberts said.While Kershaw struggled against the Cubs, the Dodgers were shut down by Kyle Hendricks and Aroldis Chapman. Los Angeles managed just two hits and four baserunners, with none of them advancing past first.Chicago became the first team to face the minimum in a postseason game since Don Larsens perfect game for the New York Yankees in the 1956 World Series.We had a 2-1 lead with two games at home and it didnt go the way we thought it would go, Los Angeles center fielder Joc Pederson said. We didnt take care of business. We made some mistakes, all of us.Roberts managed the Dodgers to their fourth straight NL West title after taking over for Don Mattingly. But injuries to Scott Kazmir, Brandon McCarthy, Brett Anderson and Hyun-Jin Ryu hurt rotation depth.Kenta Maeda, who won 16 games during his rookie season, struggled in the playoffs, and 20-year-old Julio Urias was knocked out in the fourth inning of his first postseason start in Game 4 on Wednesday night.Los Angeles went with three starters in the Division Series against Washington and Kershaw pitched three times, including a two-out save in the clinching Game 5. When he stepped up again in his first start in the NLCS, it looked as if he might be on the verge of a postseason breakthrough.But his turnaround came to a screeching halt on a cool night in the Windy City. He dropped to 1/3 with a 6.28 ERA in five career starts with the Dodgers facing postseason elimination, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.Its only going to make him stronger for the years coming on, Pederson said. Hes had some trouble with his back and overcame it and came and helped us win the division and get past the NLDS. We wouldnt be here without him. Hell be stronger for next year.---Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap ' ' '